Ecumenical Patriarch: In the person of the Virgin Mary the mystery of divine philanthropy is revealed

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Service of the Paraklesis Canon at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Neochori of the Bosphorus on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 4, 2026.

At the conclusion of the service, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia, Supervisor of the Bosphorus District, warmly welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch. The Patriarch expressed to the Metropolitan and to the Administrative Committee of the Community his satisfaction and appreciation for the work being carried out within the Community.

In his response, the Patriarch spoke particularly about the person of the Most Holy Theotokos, noting, among other things:

“In the Orthodox world, ‘salvation as joy’ and ‘the joy of salvation’ are experienced above all through reference to the ‘cause of joy,’ the ‘joy of the world,’ the Most Holy Theotokos. In our Holy Churches throughout the world, the icon of the Mother of God occupies the foremost place on the iconostasis, to the left of the Beautiful Gate. Here as well, the honor shown to the Theotokos serves as an expression and symbol of the unity of the Orthodox Church.

In the person of the Virgin Mary, the mystery of divine…