Orthodox patriarch visits Canada
Hundreds flock to witness historic first visit of the spiritual leader of worldwide Orthodox church
By
Kevin Heinrichs
Christianweek Staff
Winnipeg–Local priests in elaborate robes stood alongside Patriarch Bartholomew I during an Ascension Day service at Winnipeg’s Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.
Tucked into the sleeve of one priest’s robe, almost out of sight, was a decidedly unreligious item: a camera–evidence of the excitement created by the presence of the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide–750,000 of them in Canada. The May 25-June 2 tour of six Canadian cities marked the first visit of a patriarch to Canada.
In each city on his tour–Ottawa, Vancouver, Winnipeg, London, Ont., Toronto and Montreal–he conducted religious services and visited with local politicians.
While in Ottawa, he visited with Prime Minister ChrŽtien and the ambassadors of Turkey (where he is a citizen) and Greece. Among the larger venues was a liturgy service at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
A mishap the day before, however, threatened to disrupt the patriarch’s schedule. As Patriarch Bartholomew was enroute to Toronto’s Hellenic Home for the Aged from Niagara Falls May 30, two Toronto police officers leading his motorcade collided on the Gardiner Expressway. The patriarch got out of his limousine to bless the officers, witnesses said. The officers were treated for abrasions and released from St. Michael’s hospital.
Photo courtesy of
ecumenical
patriachate of Constantinople
Patriarch Bartholomew 1,who
resides in Istanbul, Turkey,
paid a recent visit to
Orthodox believers in Canada.
