The Ecumenical Patriarch meets with the members of CROCEU

Within the context of the Celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of the Metropolis of Belgium and Exarchy of the Netherlands and Luxemburg, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, met with the Committee of Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU). Present at the meeting were His Eminence Athenagoras Peckstadt Metropolitan of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Aimilianos Archimandrite Aimilianos Bogiannou —Moderator (Ecumenical Patriarchate), His Eminence Joseph Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe (Patriarchate of Romania), the Very Reverend Protopresbyter Dr. Sorin Selaru, His Grace Porfyrios Bishop of Neapolis Rccei Brussels, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Ioannou—Executive Secretary (Church of Cyprus), and His Eminence Athanasios Metropolitan of Achaia (Church of Greece). Two members of the Patriarchal Entourage, namely His Eminence Damascenos Metropolitan of Cydonia and Apokoronou, and the Very Reverend Archimandrite Alexios Xenophontinos, Abbot of the Monastery of Xenophontos (Mount Athos), were also present.

During the meeting, the Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his joy for the fact that the members of the Committee work together harmoniously on issues of common interest for Orthodoxy in an ever-changing Europe. Among other things, His All Holiness underlined the importance of a Committee representing the Orthodox Church with a unified voice vis-à-vis the European Institutions. In turn, the members of the Committee expressed their thankfulness to the Ecumenical Patriarch for meeting with them, and outlined the activities and work of the Committee during the past years, as well as their plans for the near future.

Finally, His All-Holiness invited the members of the Committee to Constantinople, in order to hold their annual meeting in 2020.