Ecumenical Patriarch visits Great Britain with Archons from the USA
On Friday, 20 June 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in Great Britain to participate in various official engagements across the country.
From London Airport, the Patriarch traveled to Chichester, where he attended an event at the magnificent Cathedral, which this year celebrates its 950th anniversary since its founding. In the evening, he was the guest of honour at an official dinner hosted by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, the Most Reverend Martin Warner.
On Saturday, Patriarch Bartholomew met with a delegation of the Order of Saint Andrew, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States, led by Father Alexander Karloutsos, who had traveled to Great Britain to accompany the Patriarch during his visit and related events.
Later that afternoon, the Patriarch delivered a keynote lecture entitled “The Canons of Nicaea as an Expression of the Living Canonical Tradition of the Orthodox Church” at the 37th Annual Scientific Conference of the Ecclesiastical Law Society. This year’s conference was dedicated to the commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.
The invitation to speak was extended jointly by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (who has since resigned), and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.
At the conclusion of his extensive and warmly applauded address, the Ecumenical Patriarch was honoured as a Fellow of the prestigious Ecclesiastical Law Society. This recognition celebrated his significant contributions on an inter-Orthodox and ecumenical level in the fields of Ecclesiastical and Canon Law. Notably, this distinction has only recently been established, and Patriarch Bartholomew is the first to receive it.
Following the lecture, an Evening Vespers service was held, during which the Patriarch delivered the sermon to a large congregation based on the Gospel reading from John 14:8-14.
After Chichester, Patriarch Bartholomew traveled by car to the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex to attend and pray at the consecration of the newly built Church of St. Sophronius of Athos, the monastery’s founder. The Patriarch had laid the foundation stone for this church in October 2022.
The consecration was performed by His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain on Sunday, 22 June 2025.
Accompanying the Patriarch were His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, and His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain; the Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Patriarchal Office; Deacon Oikumenios, Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod; and others.
During the Ecumenical Patriarch’s absence, the Patriarchal Commissioner at the Phanar has been appointed as His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos of Selyvria.
Photographs: John Mindala
