Bishop of the Patriarchate of Constantinople participated in an ecumenical service in Germany

The German city of Würzburg hosted a large-scale ecumenical event that brought together representatives of the Orthodox, Catholic and Lutheran churches. The key event of the meeting was a joint prayer in the cathedral of the city, which ended with a symbolic action to distribute climbing equipment as a sign of Christian mutual support.

According to the information resource eeod.gr, on May 15, 2026, Bishop Emmanuel of Christopolis, representing the Patriarchate of Constantinople, attended the liturgy of the Catholic Congress. The service was held under the slogan “Courage, Arise!”. Together with the Orthodox hierarch, Dr. Gerhard Feige and Pastor Christopher Easthill participated in the prayer. The central sermon was delivered by Professor Cornelia Richter, who holds the title of Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Austria, who emphasized the role of Christian ideals as positive models for the development of modern society.

Particular attention was drawn to the finale of the service when safety carabiners were distributed to all those present. According to the organizers’ intention, this equipment serves as a symbol of support and mutual trust within the community. Despite the fact that the event was positioned as being primarily social in nature without deep dogmatic overtones, the participation of the Phanar’s representative in the joint prayer with non-Orthodox once again sparked discussions about the limits of the ecumenical movement in the Orthodox world. The publication also recalls that earlier Patriarch Bartholomew attended a Catholic mass in honor of the anniversary of the election of Pope Leo.