On Thursday, 26 February 2026, the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople welcomed a delegation of the Church of Crete, led by His Eminence Archbishop Evgenios of Crete and His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of Petra and Chersonissos. The delegation also included the newly elected Metropolitans, Metropolitan Titus of Kydonia and Apokoronas, and Metropolitan Ioakeim of Lambi, Syvritos and Sfakia.
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received the representatives of the Church of Crete with warmth and paternal affection, offering special congratulations to the two newly elected hierarchs, whom Archbishop Evgenios formally presented to him. The new shepherds of the two dioceses of the Great Island came to the Phanar prior to their enthronement in order to seek and receive the blessing of the Mother Church.
During the meeting, the Patriarch congratulated the two Metropolitans on their worthy election and wished them a fruitful and blessed pastoral ministry. As a sign of his paternal care and spiritual encouragement, he presented each of them with an episcopal engolpion and conveyed his heartfelt prayers for their service to the people of God.
In the course of the visit, Metropolitan Gerasimos of Petra also presented to the Ecumenical Patriarch the new Protosyncellus of his Metropolis, Archimandrite Emmanuel Katsaros. The Patriarch extended his best wishes to the Archimandrite for a fruitful and faithful ministry in the service of the Church.
Photographs: Nikos Papachristou
