Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop John of Albania make pilgrimage to Cappadocia

From May 16 to 18, 2026, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church Archbishop John are making a joint pilgrimage visit to Cappadocia. The program of the trip includes visits to significant shrines, joint worship services and official meetings with representatives of local authorities in Turkey.

According to the news resource Fos Fanariou, the Primates arrived at Nevşehir airport on Saturday afternoon. As part of their visit, the hierarchs visited Nevşehir provincial governor Hüseyin Kök and the mayor of the city, Rasim Ari. Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his gratitude to the officials for their assistance in organizing the liturgy at the Church of St. Theodore in Malakopi (Derinkuyu) and the evening service at the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Nevşehir, as well as the warm reception of pilgrims from Istanbul and Greece.

During the first day of their stay, the heads of the churches visited the village of Cemil, where the chant «Light of the Silent» was sung in the historic Church of the Holy Cross. The evening continued in Sinasos (Mustafapasha), where a gala dinner was given in honor of the distinguished guests. Archbishop John is accompanied on the trip by Bishop Ignatius of Amantia, who serves as Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, and Archdeacon John.

On the eve of the pilgrimage, Friday, the Primates met in Istanbul to discuss current issues of inter-church cooperation. They also took part in solemn events in the Blachernae Church, dedicated to the 1400th anniversary of the first performance of the Akathist to the Blessed Virgin Mary.