The Sunday of Pascha at the Ecumenical Patriarchate

The Vespers of Love were celebrated in a festive atmosphere on the morning of Pascha Sunday, 20 April 2025.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, after being vested with the Hierarchical vestments in the Throne Room, surrounded by the Hierarchs Their Eminences, Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia, Metropolitan Irinaios of Myriophytos and Peristasis, Metropolitan Chrysostom of Myra, Metropolitan Theoliptos of Iconium, Metropolitan Theodore of Seleucia, and His Grace Bishop Tikhon Tiverioupolis, Hierarch of the Church of Bulgaria, as well as by the clergy of the Patriarchal Court, descended to the Patriarchal Church and presided over the Paschal Vespers of Love.

The Patriarch, from the Synthronon, read the Holy Gospel in Greek and it was subsequently read by Hierarchs and clergy of the Throne, as well as representatives of other Christian communities of the City of Constantinople, in various languages.

Archons of the Ecumenical Throne, the Ambassador of Greece in Ankara, His Excellency Mr. Theodoros Bizakis, the Consuls General of Greece, Ukraine and Moldova in Constantinople, Their Excellencies Ambassadors Mr. Konstantinos Koutras, Mr. Roman Nedilskyi and Mr. Sergiu Gurduza respectively, the Head of the Consulate General of Romania, Mr. Lucian Petrisor Cringasu, and a large crowd of believers from Constantinople and abroad attended the Vespers. The Prefect of Beyoğlu (Pera), Mr. Atakan Atasoy, was also present.

After the Dismissal, His All-Holiness distributed red Paschal eggs to the large congregation.

At the reception that followed in the Throne Room, a delegation from the Main Opposition Party of Turkey, CHP, as well as the HDP party, as well as the Mayor of Beyoğlu (Pera), Mr. İnan Güney, with his associates, also came to express their warm wishes for the feast of Pascha to His All-Holiness and the Greek Community surrounding Him.

Photographs: Nikos Papachristou