Ecumenical Patriarch to Visit Orthodox Churches of Finland and Estonia

His All-Holiness Ecumencial Patriarch Bartholomew is to visit the Orthodox Church of Finland from 8-12 September 2023.The visit will celebrate the Centenary of the OCF becoming an Autonomous Church within the Ecumenical Patriarchate.Prior to 1923,the OCF belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate.* On 10 September,Patriarch Bartholomew will preside at the Divine Liturgy in the Uspensky (Dormition) Cathedral Church in the Finnish Capital Helsinki.* Patrairch Bartholomew had previously visited the OCF in 2000,2003,2010 and 2013.The current primate of the OCF is Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland. On 12 September,Patriarch Bartholomew and his entourage will depart for Estonia and a visit to the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church.This visit will celebrate the Centenary of the EAOC becoming an Autonomous Church within the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1923.The EAOC also requested separation from the Moscow Patriarchate at that time.The current primate of the EAOC is Metropolitan Stephanos of Tallin and All Estonia.

Ecumenical Patriarch Plans Fall Visits - plus a deposed Russian Orthodox priest is restored

In September,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will make an official visit to the Baltic State of Estonia to mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church,an autonomous Church within the Ecumenical Patriarchate.In October,he will visit Madrid,Spain to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Holy Metropolis of Spain and Portugal and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Sts.Andreas and Dimitrios.His Eminence Vessarion is Metropolitan of Spain and Portugal.* A Russian Orthodox priest,Father Ioannis Koval,who had been deposed only because he opposed Putin's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine,has been restored by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and taken under its jurisdiction.He was personally received by Patriarch Bartholomew when he was invited to visit the Phanar,or Lantern,the Patriarchal compound in Constantinople (Istanbul,Turkey).