Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Begins Pastoral Visit to Thessaloniki
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew begins a multi-day visit to Thessaloniki, presiding over services, celebrations, and church inaugurations.
THESSALONIKI — Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew departed the Phanar on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, for a multi-day pastoral and ceremonial visit to the Metropolis of Thessaloniki and surrounding ecclesiastical districts. During his stay, he will preside over services at three churches: the Church of the Three Hierarchs on January 30, the Cathedral and Pilgrimage Church of Hagia Sophia on February 1, and the Byzantine Church of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2.
The Patriarch will also lead celebrations for the 155th anniversary of the Philoptochos Brotherhood of Men of Thessaloniki and deliver the central address at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s feast of the Three Hierarchs. He will inaugurate the academic chair “Metropolitan of Drama Pavlos – Ecclesiastical History and Culture of Eastern Hellenism (11th–20th centuries)” at the university’s Faculty of Theology.
In addition, Patr. Bartholomew will visit the Holy Metropolises of Neapolis, Stavroupolis, Nea Krini, and Kalamaria, presiding at the opening of the Parish Church of St. Paraskevi and the Church of St. Charalambos. During his absence, Metr. Maximos of Selyvria serves as Locum Tenens.
Previously, the UOJ reported that the Ecumenical Patriarch appointed hierarchs to oversee Metropolitan elections in Crete.
