On the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ, Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria and the delegation accompanying him participated prayerfully in the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Stephen, located in the San Stefano (Yeşilköy) district of Constantinople, the parish church of the Metropolis of Derkoi of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Archimandrite Haralampiy (Nichev) together with deacons.
In his address, Patriarch Daniel expressed his hope that the demonstrated “unity and our mutual love may endure forever,” and stated:
“We are joyful that on this final day of the program of our Peaceful Visit to the Mother Church, we were able to participate in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist, especially in a place that is deeply meaningful for every Orthodox Bulgarian heart: a former suburb, now a district of this imperial city, where in 1878 the peace treaty was signed that marked the beginning of the life of the Third Bulgarian State.”
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Patriarch Daniil was also greeted by Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkoi, who shared his personal memories of his visit to Bulgaria for the enthronement of Patriarch Daniel and expressed his joy at the peaceful visit and the deepening of inter-church relations.
Speaking to the media, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said:
“It is a great joy to have with us this distinguished and most honored guest, Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel. We spent these past days so pleasantly and warmly together that we now regret his departure. We thank him sincerely for undertaking this peaceful visit, which already constitutes a historic event.”
He added that Patriarch Daniel is a young Primate and that the prayers of the Holy Church, and of the Great Church of Christ of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, will always accompany him, so that he may lead the devout Orthodox Bulgarian people along paths and springs of salvation, and that under his leadership the contribution of the Bulgarian Church to Orthodox unity and cooperation will always be of great value.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew also addressed representatives of the media, saying: “To you, the representatives of the mass media who are present here and have covered this event, we extend our warm gratitude, and we wish everyone a blessed New Year with peace throughout the world.”
Patriarch Daniel also told the media: “The message we received during this visit, which we will carry back to our homeland and convey to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, is that our hearts have been filled with peace.”
The Divine Liturgy concluded with the chanting of the Many Years for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel.
