On Monday morning, 3 April 2023, His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios of the Bulgarian Patriarchate was received His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Lower Lands and luxembourg, at his Metropolitan Offices.
Metropolitan Antonios was accompanied by Archon Orfanotrofos of the Holy Great Church of Christ, from Bulgaria, Mr. Boris Gurov and his wife Ioulianna.
The visit had a ceremonial character, while in addition to the issues of common interest and the issues that concern Pan-Orthodoxy, the two Hierarchs discussed issues concerning the Orthodox presence of the Bulgarian diaspora in the three Benelux countries.
n the afternoon of the same day, Metropolitan Antonios and Mr and Mrs Gurov attended an event of the series of lectures of the Holy Metropolis of Belgium “Orthodoxos Logos”, with the main speaker being Hieromonk Iakovos Simonopetritis.
Before the start of the talk, in the presence of the Their Graces Bishops of the Patriarchate of Georgia, Bishop Dositheos and Bishop Joachim of Apollonia, a number of clergy and people, including the Ambassadors of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania to Belgium, Metropolitans Athenagoras and Antonios prayed for of the peace of the whole world and the stability of the Holy Churches of God.
With this action, shortly before the feasts of Pascha, the Cross and the Resurrection of the Lord, the representatives of the Orthodox presences, the states and the pious believers in Belgium sent a message of unity and reconciliation to our tested and crucified world, especially of the struggling Ukrainian brothers who are still under the pain of war, with the hope and anticipation of the Resurrection which will be the restoration of the longed-for peace.
