Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Divine Liturgy of the Feast of the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles at the Holy Church of the Twelve Apostles in Feriköy.

The divine Word was preached by Archimandrite Agathangelos, Archivist of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

After the Divine Liturgy, the Ecumenical Patriarch noted in his address that this feast “reminds us and teaches us first of all the importance that the Lord gave to simple, humble, insignificant and illiterate sinners and the confidence with which He surrounded them, their entrusting to them the preaching of his Gospel to the ends of the world. And secondly, the disciples’ trust and devotion to the Master, thanks to which they abandoned everything and followed him and suffered all kinds of suffering, even martyrdom, to remain faithful to him.

In another part of his address, the Ecumenical Patriarch noted: “The apostles, in the performance of their work, suffered, were stoned, were whipped, they shed their blood for Christ, watering the tree then newly planted Church. Each of them suffered their own martyrdom through all sorts of sufferings and means. But they all remained faithful until death, and came to the sacrifice, enduring everything, “in order to save everyone”. And indeed they laid the foundations of the Church and our faith so firmly, that while other institutions throughout history have faded and disappeared, the God-based institution of the Church exists, lives, acts and offers grace and salvation. to the thirsty man, and we are all sure that even the gates of hell will not prevail.

Therefore, today also, let us not judge the things that concern us only according to the world and to man, using only our reasoning and our finite intellect. Beyond us and above us and independent of us, there is the true God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, whom the Apostles preached and for whom the Apostles martyred. Let us therefore celebrate their venerable memory today with gratitude, everywhere in our Constantinople, but above all in this Community, whose church is the only one dedicated to the Holy Apostles. Let us imitate their example, in whose name the apostle Paul told us today: “we bless while being mocked, we tolerate while being persecuted, we pray while being blasphemed”. Here is the supreme example of Christian love and tolerance!

The Ecumenical Patriarch stressed that only with “love, unity and unanimity can we survive and continue to stand firm and steadfast in the city of Constantine, where history and the Lord of history have destined us as heirs and continuators of priceless treasures and traditions of our faith and our Nation,” then expressed his patriarchal gratitude to Bishop Stephanos of Kallioupolis and Madytos, District Supervisor of Tataulon, “for the kind words which he addressed to our humble person, as well as for the meritorious work that he performs in the Feriköy Community, with absolute obedience and exemplary fidelity to the voice and precepts of the Mother Church”.

He also congratulated the Priestly Superior of the Feriköy Community, Archimandrite Samouil Effe, and Exarch Konstantinos Santaltzidis, the Church Committee, the members of the Philoptochos Brotherhood and their collaborators for the work they have done. .

Previously, the Ecumenical Patriarch had been warmly welcomed by the Bishop of Kallioupolis and Madytos, and Konstantinos Santaltzidis.

Before the closing, the Ecumenical Patriarch performed a Trisagion for the repose of the souls of his late predecessor Patriarch Demetrios, hierarchs who served as overseers of Tatauli district and clerics who served in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Ferikoy .

Stavros Christodoulides, Consul of Greece in Constantinople, Archons Offikialioi, and a large number of faithful were present.

Photos: Nikos Papachristou / Ecumenical Patriarchate