Patriarch John X from Cologne- Germany: The…



2017-09-13
Patriarch John X from Cologne- Germany: The Church of Antioch can’t be separated by distances.
13 September, 2017

His Beatitude John X Patriarch of Antioch and all the East presided the Holy Liturgy on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the Antiochian parish in Cologne- Germany.

He was assisted by His Eminence Isaac Barakat Metropolitan of Germany and Central Europe and His Eminence John Haikal and an assembly of priests and deacons.

A large congregation from all the Antiochian parishes came over to participate in the Holy Liturgy in the church of St. Dimitrios. During the Divine Liturgy a procession with the Holy Cross was made, and prayers for peace were raised.

At the End of the Liturgy His Eminence Isaac welcomed the Patriarch in the name of the parishioners offering Him a pastoral scepter and a Cross affirming that the visit of His Beatitude is a visit of a father comforting His children.

In His turn, His Beatitude affirmed that the Church of Antioch can’t be separated by distances and that the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a feast in which the Antiochians in Cologne meet their brothers in Damascus and the other parishes in their homeland that carry the name of the Holy Cross.

He re-emphasized the principles of the Antiochian Church which is deep-rooted in Her land regardless of all difficulties, keeping Her faith everywhere.

After the Divine Liturgy His Beatitude met the parishioners in the hall of the Church.