The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, His All Holiness Bartholomew I, today concludes a nearly week-long pastoral visit to the lake-side city of Ioannina, in northwest Greece.
His All Holiness was declared an honorary professor of the University of Ioannina, during a festal ceremony at the amphitheater of the Karolos Papoulias Convention Center at the school.
Earlier in the day, the Ecumenical Patriarch visited a children’s arts and crafts center operated by the Holy Metropolis of Ioannina and the charity Apostoli, a branch of the Archdiocese of Athens, as well as the new museum of the Metropolis. His All Holiness officiated at a blessing ceremony at the new museum, before traveling to the small isle within Lake Pamvotida, where a historic settlement exists.
The Ecumenical Patriarch also attended the naming ceremony of a town square located before the newly consecrated Church of St. Paisios. Henceforth, the square will bear the name of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
A day earlier, His All Holiness stressed the need for an intense struggle, as he said, for the protection of God’s creation and public awareness, during the inauguration of the School of Environmental Education at the Ioannina Recycling Center.
The School of Environmental Education was also honored with the name “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew”.
In welcoming the shepherd of the Mother Church of Constantinople, the Metropolitan of Ioannina, His Eminence Maximos, referred to a “…a champion for the protection of the environment, for issues of faith and our Holy Tradition.”
Also on Tuesday, His All Holiness Bartholomew was proclaimed an honorary citizen of Ioannina by the city’s mayor, Moses Elisaf, during a solemn ceremony at city hall.