Bishop Iustin of Maramureș and Sătmar, leading a group of 52 pilgrims, visited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at his residence in Constantinople on Saturday.
His Holiness welcomed the Romanian pilgrims and highlighted the strong ties between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Romanian Orthodox Church. He also spoke about the modern Christian’s responsibilities in today’s globalized society, emphasizing the significance of the liturgical period marking the beginning of the Triodion.
Bishop Iustin expressed gratitude for the warm and fraternal reception, noting that the pilgrimage is taking place with the blessing of Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He also mentioned the upcoming consecration of Romania’s National Cathedral in October, which the Ecumenical Patriarch is set to attend.
As a token of appreciation, Bishop Iustin presented Patriarch Bartholomew with an epitrachelion, an omophorion, an epigonation depicting Saint Joseph the Confessor, a diocesan set of engolpion and cross, a traditional Maramureș voivodal cross, a photo album of wooden churches in Maramureș, and The Diary of Joy by fr. Nicolae Steinhardt, translated into French.
In return, the Ecumenical Patriarch gifted Bishop Iustin an engolpion and a set of books about the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the First Ecumenical Council.
The visit concluded with the pilgrims attending the Vespers service led by His Holiness at Saint George’s Cathedral of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Photo: Diocese of Maramureș and Sătmar / Archdn. Lucian Burnar / Fr. Florin Stan
