Constantinople Update:Patriarch Kirill to Visit Ecumenical Patriarchate - plus the Synaxis of the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne

The Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has issued a communique informing us that,on 31 August 2018,His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia,in accordance with his own wishes,will visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate with his entourage to discuss matters of mutual interest.The meetings with His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and the competent bodies will be conducted with a view to unity.*
Following Patriarch Kirill's visit,the Synaxis of the Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne,led by Patriarch Bartholomew,will commence.In another communique,the Chief Secretary says that,before the start of the Synaxis,the hierarchs will worship together on 1 September,the Ecclesiastical New Year of the Orthodox Church,invoking the grace of God for a blessing on the Holy Church and for the peace of the whole world,through the prayers of the Panagia Pammakaristos,referring to the Byzantine mosaic icon of the Most Holy Theotokos that survived the Ottoman onslaught of the fifteenth century and beyond,and is today enshrined in the Patriarchal Church of St.George in the Phanar,the Patriarchal complex in Istanbul.1 September is also the feast day of this icon.
The purpose of the Synaxis,which will run from 1-3 September,is to exchange views on ecclesiastical topics and enhance the bonds with the Mother Church,the communique explains.

Patriarch Bartholomew Summons Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne for Synaxis

The Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne have been called into session (Synaxis) by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople,the Ecumenical Patriarchate announced in a press release.The Patriarchate's bishops from around the world will gather in Constantinople from 1-3 September 2018,in accordance with the decision to have a full meeting every three years.The last such assembly was held in September 2015.*
The hierarchs will discuss topics relating to the Mother Church,as well as current affairs in the wider Orthodox world.The last Synaxis was attended by some 140 bishops meeting in the Hagia Triados,the Church of the Holy Trinity on Taksim Square,Istanbul.The nineteenth century church in memorable Byzantine Revival architecture is still in parish use today.*
Analysis:Gathering under this church's single dome and two bell towers,the hierarchs of the Great Church of Christ will recharge their ministry together,having assembled from as far afield as the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches of the USA and Canada,the Orthodox Church of Finland and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.