The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Milan visits the Ecumenical Patriarchate

On Tuesday afternoon, 18 February 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received His Eminence Archbishop Mario Delpini of Milan, together with his auxiliary bishops, more than 110 clergy of his ecclesiastical province, and his lay co-workers.

His All-Holiness extended a heartfelt greeting, in Italian, to His Eminence and his accompanying pilgrims, and expressed his warm fraternal wishes to His Holiness Pope Francis of Rome for a speedy recovery.

In his speech, His All-Holiness referred to the long-standing spiritual ties between Constantinople and Mediolanum, today’s Milan, and welcomed Archbishop Mario Delpini and his entourage to the All-venerable Patriarchal Cathedral and the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew recalled that he had visited Milan twice, in 1998 and 2013, on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the issuance of the Edict of Milan, while, at another point, he referred to this year’s 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and to the planned visit of Pope Francis to Turkey, in order to commemorate this historic anniversary together.

Previously, The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Milan referred to their pilgrimage visit to Constantinople, and to Nicaea, and introduced the Hierarchs and the other members of his entourage to His All-Holiness.

Photographs: Nikos Papachristou