Patriarch Bartholomew along with Catholics venerates the relics of St. Nicholas

December 5, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew went on a pilgrimage tour to the Italian city of Bari, where he venerated the relics of St. Nicholas in the presence of representatives of the Catholic Church, reports Sedmitsa citing the Greek news agency Amen.

Patriarch Bartholomew knelt and prayed before the shrine with the relics of St. Nicholas in the presence of representatives of the local Roman Catholic diocese, municipal authorities, Orthodox and Catholic believers and monks of the Dominican Order, who belong to the basilica, where the relics of the saint rest.

During his visit to the basilica in Bari, the head of the Church of Constantinople led the ceremony, during which he announced the beginning of a new academic year at the Faculty of Theology of Puglia. During the ceremony, the message of Pope Francis was read out.

In the evening, Patriarch Bartholomew led a vigil in the church, located in the city center, which was given by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bari to the head of the Archdiocese of Ecumenical Patriarchate in Italy Metropolitan Gennadios for the needs of the Greek Orthodox parish of the city.

As reported earlier, Patriarch Bartholomew was awarded the prize for commitment to ecumenism.

Read also

OCU explains why beggars are driven away from St. Michael’s Cathedral

A cleric of Dumenko’s structure admitted that beggars are not tolerated at the OCU’s main monastery because of their “high incomes” and the desire not to damage the site’s image before foreign tourists.

UOC Chancellor: Venerable Anthony founded a monastery, not a reserve

Metropolitan Anthony said that the attempt to turn the Lavra into a state preserve is, in essence, an attempt to lock living Orthodoxy behind a door.

Dumenko discusses countering hostile influence in spiritual life with PO head

The heads of the OCU and the Presidential Office touched on state-church relations and “spiritual security” in wartime.

Albanian Primate speaks about ways to resolve OCU problem

Archbishop John is convinced: disagreements between Moscow and Constantinople can only be overcome through love and dialogue, but not through choosing "sides".

National Memory Institute and SBU open exhibition on UGCC liquidation

An exhibition on the repression of the Uniates has opened in the capital, while state officials search for historical parallels with the present day.

OCU "priest" “allows” parishioners to use priest’s cassock for sex games

Ruslan Usmedinsky said that using a priest’s cassock as a prop for role-playing games can strengthen relationships between couples.