The Primate of the Albanian Church concelebrated with the head of the Phanar on the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God on the island of Imbros

On the island of Imbros (Aegean Sea), solemn celebrations were held to mark the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God according to the New Style. The highlight of the celebrations was the Divine Liturgy in the mountain village of Agridia, presided over by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Archbishop John of Albania. This was reported by the Orthodoxia News Agency.

Metropolitans Meliton of Philadelphia and Chrysostomos of Myrli, as well as Metropolitan Cyril of Imbros and Tenedos, participated in the festive service. Among the guests of honor at the celebrations were renowned philanthropists Athanasios Martinos and Georgios Prokopiou, the mayor of Nea Smyrna, Georgios Koutelakis, as well as representatives of associations of Imbros natives from Athens and Thessaloniki.

Metropolitan Meliton of Philadelphia delivered the sermon during the festive Divine Liturgy, emphasizing the enduring bond between the islanders and their homeland and Orthodox traditions. After the Liturgy, the faithful processed through the village streets carrying the miraculous icon of the Mother of God. The festival’s cultural program included traditional refreshments and performances by a youth group from the Archdiocese of Ohrid.

As part of his visit, Patriarch Bartholomew also visited the village of Gliki, where he participated in Vespers, and on the eve of the feast, he presided over the divine service in his native village of Agios Theodoros. Special attention was paid during the celebrations to the Patriarch’s contribution to the revival of the island’s educational and spiritual life, as well as his long-standing support for the Autocephalous Church of Albania, which was highlighted in the speeches of the participants as a pivotal chapter in modern church history.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church had officially invited Patriarch Bartholomew to visit Bulgaria in October of this year.