His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made an official visit to Thessaloniki and the Monastic Community of Mount Athos where he was received with reverence and honors.
Immediately after his arrival at Alexander the Great Airport of Chrysoupolis, Kavala, the Patriarch traveled to the Holy Monastery of the Ascension of the Savior, in the village of Taxiarches in the prefecture of Drama, where he offered a Trisagion Service at the grave of the late Metropolitan Pavlos of Drama, champion of the rights of the Mother Church of Constantinople and a personal friend.
The late Metropolitan Pavlos of Drama died suddenly on May 2, after an acute myocardial infarction, and at his request, he was buried in the Monastery of the Ascension of the Saviour in Taxiarches.
The Ecumenical Patriarch, after the Trisagion, addressing the blessed Metropolitan in the first person, was visibly moved and unable to hold back his tears in many parts of his speech. He said, “I have come from the martyred Phanar, as a genuine friend of yours, from the Constantinople you loved. I came from where the heart of Pontus beats, of Eastern Thrace, of Cappadocia, of Asia Minor, of the Aegean that unites. Pavlos, people like you know how to live and die courageous, upright, unbowed to difficulties, unconstrained by the temptations of power. You had ideas and you expressed them with truth and love.”
In the afternoon, the Patriarch visited Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki at the Metropolitan’s home. He also met with the new U.S. Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis. The Patriarch recalled that the ambassador “comes from the beloved and successful Greek community of America.”
He also said, “we are glad because we are of the same Genos. When the news of the appointment came to Athens as an ambassador of the great American [federation] everyone at the Patriarchate was pleased, of course, everyone here in Greece.”
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Gabriel
