The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos, as part of a historic visit to the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, on Wednesday officiated at the Service of the Great Compline at the iconic Balamand Monastery in Lebanon.
After the end of the service, the resident Patriarch of Antioch and All East, His Beatitude John X, thanked the Archbishop of Athens and members of his synodal entourage for their visit to Lebanon and Syria, as the Church of Greece delegation accompanied and delivered humanitarian aid for the quake-stricken in northwest Syria.
In his address, the Patriarch of Antioch stated that “…This mountain of Balamand is an oasis of teaching, a spiritual oasis for our entire Patriarchate…Here in this monastery, since 1832, priests are being prepared for our Patriarchate…Today you bless this whole place… and you bless not only the students, not only the workers in these institutions only, but also these faithful people, who are standing and praying today with us.”
On his part, Archbishop Ieronymos emphasized that he will convey the best wishes of the Patriarch of Antioch to the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, adding: “…My entourage and I have not been near you for a long time… these two days will be written in our souls.”
