In I.N. Agios Stefanos the Patriarch Bartholomew for the anniversary of 130 years since its foundation
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, danced, today, at the Divine Liturgy held at I.N. of Agios Stefanos Balatas, of the Orthodox Bulgarian-speaking Community of the City, on the occasion of their anniversary 130 years since its foundation.
The vice president of Bulgaria attended the church, Iliana Lotova, the Minister of Culture of the same country, Velislav Minekov, the ambassador of Bulgaria in Turkey, Angel Cholakov, with the consul general, Vasil Valchev, the president of the Community, Basilios Liase, pilgrims from Bulgaria and a large number of believers from the Bulgarian-speaking Community.
In his speech, the Patriarch, welcoming dignitaries from neighboring Bulgaria and all pilgrims, while he recalled that "this surrounded temple was erected in the year 1892 at the site of the destroyed Wooden Church, at the foundation of which on October 25 1859 the four Patriarchs of the East had participated".
At another point he pointed out: "The Orthodox people know well that in the life of the Church all the truth is concentrated, which saved them in the past, expresses the testimony of the present, and guarantees their path to the future, in a world, where the peaceful coexistence of the different will depend on whether and to what extent respect for human dignity prevails as an absolute value, which belongs to the core of our Christian ethos, of considering man as a divine creation, cat’ image of God and’ created in the likeness of God's beloved, through whose salvation God himself becomes man. We Orthodox should be proud, because we are bearers of a unique tradition of knowledge of God and knowledge of man, philanthropy and charity, of the inseparable unity of faith towards God and love towards man, which is a life proposition, of freedom and culture with a global reach. This faith greatly strengthens our worldly witness.
The Church of Christ has never been indifferent to the problems of man. She was always a minister, according to its founder and Lord, who came to minister” and no "ministered".” (Matthew. the', 28). The Church's offer to man, society and culture leaves only the most extreme deniers of the Christian faith".
And His Holiness continued: "The Ecumenical Patriarchate and Mother Moderation strive for a good Orthodox witness in the world, through dialogue and settlement, for the protection of the human person and creation. We take the initiative as a Church in the belief that these are a contribution to peace, cooperation and dialogue in general and more broadly.
In the tradition of the Holy Church of Christ the Great, respect for the particular culture and individuality of peoples coexists with the ecumenical spirit and the belief that faith unifies and moves beyond cultural differences, I considered it a vehicle for witnessing to the faith, of love and hope, both in the respective cultural environment and in the relations between different cultures. Orthodoxy has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. He always respected the particular culture and language of the Christianized peoples, and it promoted and continues to promote the universality of the local ecclesiastical community, regardless of nationality, its linguistic and cultural composition. In this context, the Orthodox peoples, cultivating the wealth of their traditions, not only do they contribute to progress and culture, but they also enrich the life of the Church. The particular cultural traditions are intertwined with the common struggle, often under difficult conditions, for the cultivation and rescue of our Orthodox identity. Nothing is stronger than the common Orthodox faith. Whenever there are tendencies to overturn this hierarchy of values in the Orthodox world, these have an external origin. The result of these trends is that we are cut off from the source of our identity and culture and that, in parallel, the orthodox way of life remains a martyr in the world.
The temples of our city tell the story of the long and uninterrupted presence of Orthodox Christians in this city. In these temples, the faithful glorified God for his blessings, record their joy and pain, their repentance and trust in God's philanthropic love and providence, they were celebrating the most important moments of their lives. And the Holy Church of Agios Stefanos testifies for one hundred and thirty years to the truth of the uncatalyzed Orthodox experience, the spiritual power of the Church of Christ as an experience of the unity of God's people, of the grace that came in Christ and of the foretaste and expectation of the coming eternal Kingdom, in which God will "wipe away every tear."” from the eyes of men, and "death is nowhere to be found."” (Rev. Ms, 4)».
Concluding his speech, His Holiness congratulated the priestly head of the Community, Archimandrite Charalambos Nitsev , "who, with a lot of pastoral responsibility and zeal and with the dynamism that distinguishes him, he exercises his spiritual work ecclesiastically, always in harmony with his partners", and expressed his warm thanks especially to the president of the Community, Basil Liase.
On the occasion, the Ecumenical Patriarch sent a fraternal greeting to the Patriarch of Bulgaria, and the blessing of the Mother Church to the Lords and the pious people of Bulgaria.
"We send heartfelt greetings and hugs from the closed Fanario to His Beatitude the Patriarch of Bulgaria and. Neophyton, dear brother and our co-worker in the Lord, for whose precious health we fervently wish and pray.
We also teach, during the euphrosynon this day, the blessing of the loving Mother Church of Constantinople to His Excellency the Lord and the pious people of Bulgaria, for our first-born daughter the Church of which we are humbled and boast in the Lord".