Revised:Mανταμάδος Λέσβου | Ναός Παμμεγίστων Ταξιαρχών | Αρχιερατικός Εσπερινός ...Panegyric Archieratical Vespers of Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women,Basilica of the Holy Archangels,Mantamados,Lesvos,Greece

Revised - Presided by Metropolitan Chrysostomos This blog does the best it can,but the situation is often unclear from a distance.According to two sources,His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Mylitini,Erroseos and Plomarion (1942-) is still in office,but I cannot confirm he was present at the vespers service.Also,the metropolis is within the New Lands of Greece,so it belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate,but for practical reasons is administered by the Church of Greece.Still,it has enduring spiritual ties to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Μέγας Αρχιερ. Εσπερινός Αγ. Πορφυρίου | Ι.Ησυχ. Μεταμορφώσεως του Σωτήρο...Great Archieratical Vespers of St.Porphyrios,Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour,Milesi Attiki,Greece

St.Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia was a 20th century hieromonk and hospital chaplain for 33 years at the Polyclinic Hospital in Athens.He also founded the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour in Milesi Attiki,Greece.His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece presides at the Great Archieratical Vespers.

Πανηγυρικός Αρχιερατικός Εσπερινός Αγ. Αικατερίνης | Κατερίνη 24.11.2023 - Panegyric Archieratical Vespers of St.Katherine - Church of the Holy Ascenscion,Katerini,Greecei

Note:The New Lands of Greece belong to the Ecumenical Patriarchate but for practical reasons are administered by the Church of Greece.

Ιερά Μονή Παναγίας Μυρτιδιώτισσας Κύθηρα | Πανηγυρικός Αρχιερατικός Εσπε...Holy Monastery of the Panagia Myrtidiotissa - Panegyric Archieratical Vespers - Church of the Panagia Myrtidiotissa

Πανηγυρικός Αρχιερατικός Εσπερινός & Εγκώμια | Ι.Ναός Παναγίας Φανερωμέν...Panegyric and Archieratical Vespers and Praise - Church of the Panagia Faneromenis

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Visit Athens,Establish Metochion

From 19-21 May 2023,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will reportedly visit Athens,Greece.At that time,he will preside at services in the Church of Agios Nikolaou tou Pthohokomeiou,which has apparently been set aside by the Archdiocese of Athens and the Municipality of Athens for a metochion,or representative church,for the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Greece.It will give the Patriarchate a permanent spiritual outpost in the Greek capital.It was also noted that the visit will occur during the Greek elections.

2nd International Conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA) - Volos,Greece - 11 January 2023 - begins at 19:01 on the video

Panorthodox Synod : POPE FRANCIS MEETS WITH HIS BEATITUDE HIERONYMOS II

Panorthodox Synod : POPE FRANCIS MEETS WITH HIS BEATITUDE HIERONYMOS II:   Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity On Saturday 4 December, on the first day of his visit to Greece, Pope Francis meet with...

Greek Prime Minister Visits Santorini Metropolitan

On 13 June 2020, His Excellency Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece,paid a courtesy call on the Most Reverend Epiphanios, Metropolitan of Thira,Amorgos and Nisoi at the Metropolis headquarters on the island of Santorini.Mr.Mitsotakis, with two Ministerial staff,had come to Santorini to inaugurate the tourist season.*
His Eminence welcomed the Prime Minister ,thanking him for the official visit and for his struggle to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.They discussed social and ecclesiastical​ issues, and Mr.Mitsotakis expressed his pleasure at meeting one of the worthiest hierarchs of the Church of Greece, the seventh archpastor.
For his part, Metropolitan Epiphanios presented the Prime Minister with an icon of the Saviour with a prayer to bless and strengthen him in the arduous task of governing the fatherland.*
The Metropolis contains several of the Cyclades islands of the Southern Aegean.It has two each of male and female monasteries.*

Church of Cyprus Wants to Publicly Celebrate Pascha in May

His Eminence Metropolitan Isaias of Tomasos and Oreini (Church of Cyprus) reassures the faithful that Pascha is neither postponed nor cancelled this year.The Church will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ on 27 May, the Apodosis (Leave-taking) of Pascha, as it in fact always does-only this year more widely, he told Andreas Dmitropoulos on Sigma TV's "Protoselido" (Front Page) programme.*

Every year, Easter is liturgically recapitulated 39 days after the feast day,yet few take note.It is done with the same Divine service and completes the festive cycle and messages of the feast.One day before the feast of the Ascension, the Church recaps Pascha.For the last time,we can crack eggs as we complete the Resurrection cycle.
If the State wants,it can make the Apodosis a public holiday this year for the people.Should the restrictions still be in force in late May, the Apodosis will have to be observed behind closed doors, however, Metropolitan Isaias said.*
The Church of Greece is planning the same thing.So far,no word from the Ecumenical Patriarchate on plans to emphasise the Apodosis this year.*

Bulgarian Hierarch Concelebrates With Ecumenical Patriarchate in Greece

His Eminence Metropolitan Nikolai of Plovdiv (Church of Bulgaria) presided the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Sts.Athanasios,Akakios and Damaskinos in the Holy Metropolis of Langada, Greece on 27 November 2019.The Metropolis is among the New Lands of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Greece which the Church of Greece administers for practical reasons by agreement with the Patriarchate. Metropolitan Nikolai concelebrated with His Eminence Metropolitan Ioannis of Langada, which is near Thessaloniki; His Eminence Metropolitan Prokopios of Filippoi,Neapolis and Thasos, which is also in Makedonia; and His Grace Bishop Stefan of Adrianopolis,igumenos (abbot) of the Monastery of St.John of Rila in Bulgaria.*
During the Divine Liturgy, the local dyptichs (list of primates of recognised Churches) were read, containing​ the name of His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kiyv and All Ukraine, signifying recognition of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine's autocephaly.So this is being interpreted as a first step in the Church of Bulgaria's recognition of Ukrainian autocephaly.Indeed,the Russian Interfax news agency saw it that way.A Bulgarian hierarch was presiding a liturgy in one of the New Lands of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,at which the autocephaly of the OCU is clearly recognised.*

US Ambassador Praises Ecumenical Patriarch, Church of Greece

On 12 November 2019,US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt addressed the symposium "Religion in the Contemporary World: Challenges and Prospects for Dialogue and Peace" at the Armed Forces Club in Athens.The symposium was sponsered by Foreign Affairs The Hellenic Edition magazine; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; and the Holy Archdiocese of Athens.
Ambassador Pyatt noted that:
In the United States, there is deep respect for the Greek Orthodox Church, which played a key role in our civil rights movement and continues to promote our commonly held values of religious freedom and tolerance.
The United States has also long supported the Ecumenical Patriarch, valuing his firm commitment to interfaith dialogue and respecting his strong voice for the West.
In that spirit of understanding,I have greatly appreciated my visits with the Ecumenical Patriarch and was very pleased to accept His All-Holiness's invitation to visit Mt.Athos last year. I found the monastic community there to be a uniquely spiritual place where Greece's rich Orthodox tradition thrives in stunning monasteries and remote sketes,amid a virtually untouched natural landscape.
In America, we look forward greatly to His All-Holiness's planned visit to the United States in May of 2020, where the new Archbishop of America, our friend Elpidophoros, has been doing great work to deepen the already strong people-to-people ties between our countries.*
It is no surprise that malign actors like Russia, China, and Iran,who have different interests and values, engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom.*
We see the Church of Greece's support of the Ecumenical Patriarch's decision to grant autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine as an example of His All-Holiness's moral courage and leadership.*
Russia is using religion as part of its hybrid warfare strategy, as a tool to achieve political objectives and spread false narratives.By competing with the Ecumenical Patriarch, Russia is trying to use the Church as a wedge to foment instability and undermine democracy.And just as Moscow manipulates energy resources to extract political concessions and high prices, it's now cutting off tourism and sacred practices, like commemoration in prayers, from countries that are not toeing its political line.*
Orthodoxy preserved Hellenism through Ottoman occupation and has been key to keeping Greek society together during the economic crisis.*

Bulletin:In Dramatic Session,Church of Greece Reaches Decision on Ukraine

The Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece has recognised the autocephaly,or independence,of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.After discussing the matter on Saturday morning,in light of the fact that His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece formally recommended the course of recognition,and that several study groups of the Standing Synod also found it to be a canonical act,the assembled bishops approved of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's granting of independence to the new Church.*
Several bishops complained about Russian pressure on them to reject the autocephaly.In the end,however,they stood by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and became the first of the 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches to do so,thus paving the way for others to follow suit.*
The recognition will be spiritually enacted in the form of a Divine Liturgy in Thessaloniki,Greece on 19 October 2019,concelebrated by Archbishop Ieronymos and His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kiyiv and All Ukraine.*
In a telephone call,Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew thanked Archbishop Ieronymos for his support.*
The Church of Greece also recognised the independence of the nation of Ukraine in the extraordinary session of the Synod of the Hierarchy.

Archbishop of Athens Calls Extraordinary Session to Discuss Ukraine

His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece has summoned an extraordinary session of the Synod of the Hierarchy, that is,all of the Church of Greece's bishops, to consider the matter of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's autocephaly on 12 October 2019.This is being added to the Synod's regular fall session from​ 9-11 October that is discussing such matters as the demographic crisis in Greece and electing new Metropolitans.*
The Standing Synod,a committee of bishops that meets between plenary sessions,has already acknowledged the Ecumenical Patriarch's right to grant autocephaly,and the Archbishop of Athens' right to handle the Ukraine issue as he sees fit.Archbshop Ieronymos then chose to submit the matter  to the Synod of the Hierarchy.*

Αγιασμός Έναρξης Σχολικής Χρονιάς-11.9.2019 -- A blessing for the new school year in Thessaloniki by His Eminence Metropolitan Varnavas

Bulletin:Church of Greece Moves Toward Recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine

In a crucial first step,the Holy Standing Synod of the Church of Greece has recognised that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's granting of autocephaly,or independence,to the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine,was canonical.His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece will now raise the issue for consideration by the full Holy Synod at its October session.*
The official statement of the Standing Synod reads as follows:
Following the proposal by the Synodic Committees on Dogmatic and Legislative Issues  and Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations,the Holy Standing Synod recognises the Ecumenical Patriarch's canonical right to issue the status of autocephaly as well as the privilege of the Primate of the Church of Greece to further deal with the recognition of the Church of Ukraine. *
The Holy Standing Synod is a preparatory body for the full Holy Synod.*
In a related development,a leading theologian of the Church of Greece,His Eminence Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia,has recently expressed his approval of the granting of autocephaly to the OCU.*

Ecumenical Patriarch Visits Turkish Mayor,Nursing Home

On 7 August 2019,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the new Mayor of Silivri,Turkey Mr.Volkan Yilmaz.Silivri is a holiday resort of about 76,000 permanent residents in Istanbul Province on the Sea of Marmara.Accompanying the Patriarch on the courtesy call were His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France;His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Silivri;and Mr.Dimitar Atanasov,advisor and legal counsel to the Great Church of Christ at Constantinople.The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere.*
Later in the day,Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Balikili Charities Nursing Home in Istanbul next to the Balikli Hospital.Both institutions continue to serve the small Greek population of Constantinople.In the Nursing Home's well-appointed Church of the Holy Unmercenaries,HAH served the Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos and a Trisagion,or brief memorial service,for His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon of Tyroloi and Serantion,who died peacefully today at the Vlatadon Monastery in Thessaloniki,Greece at the age of 90.He had been the longtime igoumenos (abbot) of the Monastery and his successor,His Grace Bishop Nikiforos of Amorion,was at his bedside.Aionia imnimi,Memory eternal.*
Thessaloniki is one of the New Lands of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,but for practical reasons is administered by the Church of Greece.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Visit Greece and the USA - Update:visit moved till later in the year

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has accepted invitations to visit Greece and the USA.On 17 April 2019,His Grace Bishop Thespies,Protesynkellos (Chief Secretary) of the Archdiocese of Athens was received by His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.The bishop brought an invitation from His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece to visit Athens and preside at the opening of the St.Porphyrios Centre for Gerontology and Welfare Support in Dilesi,Thessalia Sterea Ellada on 23 May.The event will also be attended by President of Greece Prokopios Pavlopoulos.
Patriarch Bartholomew accepted the invitation and conveyed his warmest paschal greetings to Archbishop Ieronymos.*
Earlier,it was reported by The National Herald that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invited His All-Holiness to visit the United States in July and address a Conference on the Natural Environment.Patriarch Bartholomew is acknowledged by the international community as a leading voice for the conservation of nature.It has been decided,however,that the Patriarchal visit will be made in the autumn instead,after new Archbishop Elpidophoros has had time to settle into his new ministry.
While in the US,His All-Holiness,to the delight of Greek Americans and other philhellenes,will also make his first archpastoral visit to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in ten years.The Archdiocese is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and some of its metropolitans serve on the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate.

Hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne Dies in Greece

Word has been received of the passing of a Hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne,His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos (Ioannou) of Sissanion and Siatista,Greece.He reportedly died of a heart ailment and was about 72.A native of Chalkida,Greece,he graduated from the Theological School of the University of Athens in 1971.He was ordained deacon with the name Pavlos (Paul) in 1973 and priest in 1974.
On 28 February 2006,he was elected to the episcopate by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece and consecrated Metropolitan of Sissanion and Siatista,a mountainous area in West Makedonia that is within the New Lands of Greece belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarchate,but administered by the Church of Greece for practical reasons,on 4 March 2006.His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Metropolis in 2012.*
For 25 years,Metropolitan Pavlos served the parish of Mantoudi,rising to the level of episcopal representative in Mantoudi,Limnos and Agia Anna.During this time,he established a stellar reputation as a preacher and pastor.
Eventually,he served on the synodal level of the Church of Greece as Secretary of the Synodical Committee Christian Education of Youth;the Synodical Subcommittee on the Olympic Games;and the Synodical Subcommittee on Artistic Events.*
Metropolitan Pavlos was a longtime producer for the Church of Greece Radio.Widely sought-after as a speaker at parent,youth and priests' conferences throughout Greece and Cyprus,he took a keen interest in cultivating priestly and monastic vocations.He was an author of books and,to the end of his life,articles in the daily and ecclesiastical press.*
Patriarch Bartholomew served a trisagion memorial service,a brief initial service,for Metropolitan Pavlos on 14 January 2019 while visiting Holy Trinity Monastery and Halki Theological School in Turkey.He was assisted by the Patriarchal clerics and monastic brotherhood.

A Leftist and A Man of Ancient Faith

Manolis Glezos,who just turned 96,is a longtime leftist politician,activist and World War II resistance fighter.He came to prominence when,on 30 May 1941,he and his friend Apostolos Santas lowered the Nazi flag which German troops had raised at the Acropolis alongside the Greek flag.He was arrested by the German occupation forces on 24 March 1942,imprisoned and tortured,and contracted tuberculosis in consequence.What is more,Italian occupation forces arrested him again on 21 April 1943,jailing him for an additional three months.*
Indeed,Mr.Glezos was arrested numerous times in the Cold War era that followed as well,given the anti-left sentiment of the authorities at that time.The Soviet Union put him on a postage stamp and gave him the Lenin Prize.He spent a total of 11 years and four months in prison,plus four years and six months in exile.
As a member of the Democratic Left Party,or EDA,he was elected to his first seat in the Hellenic Parliament while imprisoned.He went on to serve several more times under EDA,the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and,most recently,the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA),which is currently in power.In 2014,he was elected to the European Parliament.*
Mr.Glezos has received a number of honourary degrees from the likes of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,among others.Besides politics,he has worked in civil engineering,inventing a flood and erosion control system that utilises a series of small dams.*
In 2015,Mr.Glezos met with His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece.It was a surprising moment for the Archbishop when Mr. Glezos made an unusual request for a leftist politician:
When I die,you will take charge of me,and you will do an ecclesiastical funeral.You will not let other people get involved in this issue.*
Archbishop Ieronymos inscribed a book for him:
2 September 2015,the day of revelation to me...Because all that we said was a revelation to me.*
They also discussed the migration crisis,something which appalled Mr.Glezos,and he confided to Archbishop Ieronymos that he in fact loved and respected the faith of his fathers.*