SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Stefanos Kasselakis and a delegation arrived in Istanbul on Friday following an invitation by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in October 2023 to attend the celebration of Epiphany Day (Saturday).
On Epiphany Day, Kasselakis will attend the liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Phanar and bless the waters at the Golden Horn. The main opposition leader will also attend a lunch with the Ecumenical Patriarch and then meet with him privately at 16:00.
This will be followed by meetings with the Metropolitan of Chalchedon and at Sismanoglio Hall with representatives of the Greek diaspora, in the presence of the Greek general consul.
On Sunday, Kasselakis will meet with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and visit the Phanar Greek Orthodox College. He will return to Athens on Sunday night.
The delegation includes Kasselakis' political office director, Manolis Kapnissakis, party member Yiannis Bournous, and diplomatic advisor Vangelis Kalpadakis.
PASOK-KINAL leader Androulakis meets with Ecumenical Patriarch at Phanar
PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis was welcomed on Thursday by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Phanar, where he attended Epiphany services.
The spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians thanked Androulakis for his visit and his continuous interest in issues of concern to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek diaspora in Istanbul, Imvros (Gökçeada) and Tenedos (Bozcaada).
Androulakis said it was a great honour to meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch again following a year of wars in the region and a climate crisis that struck Greece with painful consequences in Thessaly, the Dadia forest and the Rhodes island ecosystem.
“Climate change is an issue in which the Ecumenical Patriarch has played a leading role, highlighting the need for global initiatives to face its extreme repercussions,” PASOK-KINAL’s leader said.
He added that he was “deeply saddened by the news of damage and inadequate maintenance of Hagia Sophia, symbol of Orthodoxy and a UNESCO monument of world heritage.”
READ MORE: January 6, The Feast of the Holy Epiphany.
