Patriarch Bartholomew has begun a visit to the Hellenic Orthodox Church

on May 4, 2026, the visit of the head of the Phanar to the Hellenic Orthodox Church began. First of all, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople met with Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens and All Hellas in Athens. The visit is taking place in a warm atmosphere and includes a number of significant meetings with government officials and representatives of educational and humanitarian organizations.

According to Orthodoxia News Agency, the Patriarch was officially welcomed at the airport by Parliament Speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis and Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki. The welcoming ceremony was also attended by high-ranking clergymen, including Metropolitans of Mesogeia, Tavmaki, Laodicea and Kos. Nikitas Kaklamanis expressed the deep respect of the Greek state, emphasizing the crucial role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in preserving the spiritual unity and cultural heritage of Hellenism.

The program of the visit is full of public events. On Thursday, May 7, the Pallas Theater will host a solemn event entitled “Continuity and Ecumenicity: the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the Modern World,” where the Speaker of Parliament will deliver a welcoming address in honor of the head of the Phanar.

on May 8, Patriarch Bartholomew will visit the schools of the Arsacion Society in Psihiko on the occasion of the 190th anniversary of the founding of the Philoeducational Society. In the presence of the president of the society, Georgios Babiniotis, the Patriarch will perform a requiem liturgy (trisagion) and deliver a pastoral address to the students and teachers. In the evening of the same day at the Ionian Center in Nea Ionia, the Hellenic Red Cross will honor Patriarch Bartholomew with its highest award – the Golden Cross with laurel – for his outstanding philanthropic and humanitarian work. The evening will end with a large-scale light show of drones, dedicated to universal human values.

Recall that on April 28, 2026, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople received His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch in his residence at the Phanar. The visit was dedicated to the celebration of Holy Pascha and the strengthening of fraternal relations between the two Ancient Patriarchates.