Epiphany concelebrates with Ecumenical Patriarch at Phanar on Epiphany Day
On the day of the Holy Epiphany, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine concelebrated with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St George in Phanar. This is reported by the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
After matins, the Ecumenical Patriarch led the rite of the Great Blessing of Water, and later, together with Metropolitan Epifaniy, celebrated a festive liturgy. The service was also attended by the hierarchs of the Church of Constantinople and the bishops of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. As stated in the official report, the service was attended by thousands of believers and pilgrims, as well as representatives of Greek and Ukrainian diplomacy.
After the liturgy, Patriarch Bartholomew publicly congratulated Metropolitan Epifaniy and reiterated his support for Ukraine, which is suffering the consequences of Russian aggression. He also recalled the seventh anniversary of the granting of the Tomos of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, emphasising that the decision of Constantinople was exclusively ecclesiastical in nature and was dictated by the desire to heal the longstanding division.
In his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch called for an end to the war, stressing the need for global efforts for peace, and appealed to the hierarchs who still remain in the jurisdictional division in Ukraine with a call for unity and prayer.
In response, Metropolitan Epifaniy thanked the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Mother Church of Constantinople for the Tomos and the constant support of the Ukrainian people. He noted that the joint prayer in Constantinople on the day of the Epiphany has a special symbolic meaning for Ukraine in the context of a full-scale war, and also drew attention to the danger of the ideology of the Russian world, which he called incompatible with the Gospel.
After the service, Patriarch Bartholomew led the traditional rite of blessing the water on the Phanar embankment, where the Cross was immersed in the waters of the Golden Horn Strait. The ceremony was attended by the clergy and dozens of believers from different countries, along with the Ecumenical Patriarch and Metropolitan Epifaniy.
Photo: The Ecumenical Patriarchate.
