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On January 24, 2016, the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church of St. Paul in Chambesy, Switzerland.

The liturgy was celebrated by His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya II of All Georgia, His Holiness Patriarch Irenaeus of Serbia, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of Romania, His Holiness Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria, His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, His Beatitude Metropolitan Rostislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, as well as Metropolitan Hermanos of Ilia (Greek Orthodox Church) and Bishop Georges of Siemiatycze (Polish Orthodox Church).

Worshipping in the church were the delegations of the Local Orthodox Churches.

After the Reading of the Gospel, His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew addressed the congregation, saying in particular, ‘It is a special joy for us to have an opportunity to testify to our unity and mutual love through the common Cup of Life, when we offer the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord so that we may carry out the highly important and the most complicated work of the Syntaxes and fulfil our church service in general’.

According to Patriarch Bartholomew, the Synaxis of the Primate of the Most Holy Orthodox Churches, which is taking place these days, ‘as one body is another testimony to the unity of the Orthodox Church and confirmation of the words of St. Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles, who said: There is one body and one Spirit… – one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:406).

The liturgical exclaims of the Primate were voiced in Greek, Arabic and Church Slavonic.

The liturgical hymns were sung in Greek and French.

Tonight there will be another session of the Synaxis of the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches.

 

Patriarchal Press Service

DECR Communication Service

Photos by Oleg Varov