A Georgian government delegation visited Phanar

On July 18, 2026, Patriarch Bartholomew met at the Phanar with a group of children and representatives of the Georgian government delegation. The visit included discussions on issues of state-church relations of mutual interest. This was reported by Fos Fanariou.

In addition to a number of officials, the Georgian government delegation included Archimandrite Ilia (Jinjolava) of the Phanar, who serves the Georgian community in Istanbul. Representatives of the Georgian government expressed their deep gratitude to the Patriarch for organizing the trip and for the hospitality shown to the children from their country.

Before meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew, all participants visited the Patriarchal Church of St. George, where they took part in the evening service, which was presided over personally by Patriarch Bartholomew.

It should be recalled that earlier, Metropolitan Nikolai of Akhalkalaki (Georgian Orthodox Church) had issued a critical statement regarding reports attributed to the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of the Russian Federation. These reports claimed that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was allegedly attempting to interfere in the process of electing the future Patriarch of Georgia.