Resounding messages of unity and common fellowship within the space of the Orthodox church, the three superiors sent, Ecumenical Patriarch, archbishop of Athens and all Greece and metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine, during the glorious patriarchal liturgy held this morning at the historic Assumption Church, in the picturesque community of Panagia of Thassos.
At the Divine Liturgy, preeminent of the Financial patriarch Mr. Bartholomew, concelebrated by the archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Mr. Hieronymus and the metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine Mr. Epiphany with the participation of high priests from all three churches. Earlier, in the article, officiated by the Metropolitan of Kyiv.
Shortly after the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Epiphanios addressing the Ecumenical Patriarch, the archbishop of Athens and the metropolitan Philippi of Neapolis and Thassos did not hide his joy and emotion for the historical, as he described her, coexistence of the three prelates and the joint ritual they performed. "Words do not fit", he stressed, "the spiritual joy for today's Divine Liturgy", underlining right after that "we bear witness to the unity of Christ's church all here together".
Addressing the Ecumenical Patriarch he said characteristically: “Your Highness, you dedicated your life to the unity of the church and made every effort for the success of the Holy and Great Synod in an effort to solve chronic problems of the Orthodox church and restoring the unity of the church of Ukraine and North Macedonia".
Mr.. Epiphanios referred extensively to the attitude of Russia and the Russian church, noting among others: "Some deny ecclesiastical communion for the sake of power. They seek worldly power and riches" to then add that "they must give up stubbornness and return to the truth and unity of the church".
The Metropolitan of Kyiv heartily thanked the Greek people for the support they show to their country and the important humanitarian aid they have sent during this difficult period. "We Ukrainians", he stressed, "we are fighting for the state, for our church and for our people". Addressing also the archbishop of Athens, he expressed his joy for the fraternal love that both he and the Church of Greece have shown to the pious people of Ukraine to date..
Ecumenical Patriarch: The church always finds the right way
In his speech the Ecumenical Patriarch, making a semiotic reference to the significant historical course of the church, emphasized that in its long history, despite the problems and difficult conditions, it always manages to find the right path in the end and successfully deal with all problems.
Panagiotatos made a brief review of the problem that the church of Ukraine has been facing for a number of years, noting that "the Ecumenical Patriarchate restored a weighty scheme with much care and deep study". He even called the Ukrainian schism "difficult, thorny and intractable" because political forces were also involved in it.
On the issue of the validity of ordinations raised mainly by the Russian church, but also of the so-called self-ordained bishops in the Ukrainian church, Panagiotatos was absolutely categorical. He characterized them as "a distortion of the truth" and "a fallacy that only serves expediency" to add that all that is being trafficked "are fiction, products of targeted propaganda and some are well aware of propaganda”.
In many parts of his speech, the Primate of Orthodoxy emphasized the great and tireless efforts made by the Ecumenical Patriarchate over many years, in order to find a solution to the issue of the Ukrainian church, underlining that many times they addressed all the parties involved to submit their views, so as to lead to a sustainable solution commonly accepted by’ everyone. He also referred to the attitude of the archbishop of Athens, saying that the church of Greece and Mr. Hieronymos always prioritize the greater interest of the church.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine distributed the antidori to the entire congregation, giving a commemorative religious icon.
Present at today's religious event was the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos, the mayor of the island Lefteris Kyriakidis, the local MPs, representatives of the security forces and representatives of cultural clubs of the island.
Honorary citizens of Thassos
Last night, during a modest ceremony in the grounds of the archaeological museum in the seat of Thassos, the Port, the municipality declared the Ecumenical Patriarch and the archbishop of Athens and all Greece honorary citizens of the island, while he gave a commemorative plaque for his visit to the island to the metropolitan of Kiev.
The event was accompanied by music by the deputy governor of Drama and archon protopsalto Grigoris Papaemmanouil and his colleagues, who performed well-known and beloved traditional songs.
In his speech, His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomeos urged the mayor and local rulers to give even greater importance to environmental protection, stressing that "there is no greater legacy than a green island with an ecological tradition". also, he also mentioned the presence on the island of many named Constantinopolitans, which after his fall 1453 they fled to Thassos where they excelled and prospered.
In the afternoon in the community of Limenaria, the municipality of the island organizes an event for the renaming of the central coastal road, to whom the name of the Ecumenical Patriarch will be given.