Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the First Lenten Vespers (Vespers of Forgiveness) at the Patriarchal Church on Sunday, March 2, 2025, in the afternoon.
Following the service, the Hierarchs, fathers of the Patriarchal Court, clergy, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the faithful sought forgiveness from the Ecumenical Patriarch as a spiritual preparation for Holy and Great Lent.
In the morning of the same day, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew led the Divine Liturgy, joined by Metropolitans Chrysostomos of Myra, Apostolos of New Jersey, and Ioakeim of Bursa, clergy, Greece’s Minister of Labor Niki Kerameus, Archons Offikalioi, local believers from Constantinople, and pilgrims from abroad.
During the Liturgy, Archimandrite Bosporios read the Catechetical Homily of the Ecumenical Patriarch to mark the beginning of Holy and Great Lent.
Afterwards, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had a meeting with Minister Niki Kerameus, who was visiting Constantinople on a private pilgrimage with her family.
