Their Beatitudes Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos II, and Patriarch John X Held the Service of the Great Compline at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, Lebanon
Balamand, Lebanon, March 22, 2023
As part of the brotherly visit conducted by His Beatitude, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos II, to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East after the earthquake that struck the region, their Beatitudes Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Archbishop Ieronymos II, performed the Great Compline service at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand. The Prayer was attended from the Greek side by His Eminence Symeon Metropolitan of Fthiotida, Archdeacon John, Mr. Kostas Themitsas, Director of the "Apostoli" organization, and the media team. From the Antiochian side, Their Eminences Metropolitan Elias Kfoury (Sidon and Tyre), Metropolitan Silouan Moussi (Mount Lebanon), Metropolitan Ephrem Kyriakos (Tripoli and Koura), Metropolitan Ephraim Maalouli (Aleppo), and Bishops Demetri Charback, Arsanios Dahdal, and Moses al-Khosi attended the prayer. Her Excellency the Greek Ambassador to Beirut, Madam Catherine Fountoulaki, and many officials and members of the Balamand family and the faithful people were also present.
At the end of the Prayer, His Beatitude John X, thanked Archbishop Ieronymos II and the accompanying delegation for participating in the service, despite the long travel hours, and welcomed them to the Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery and to Balamand Hill, which has become "a spiritual, educational, and academic oasis."
His Beatitude explained the development of the institutions of Balamand from the days of the seminary, through the Faculty of Theology, until the Thrice Blessed Patriarch Ignatius IV obtained a license under the name of the University of Balamand.
His Beatitude noted that the choir members are students at the Institute of Theology who live in the monastery and study theology at the St. John of Damascus Institute at the University of Balamand.
His Beatitude thanked the Greek Church, which has historical ties with our Antiochian Church, for the generous gesture and the love they expressed by sending aid to the families affected by the recent earthquake, stressing that we are one Orthodox Church, and conveying all the love and thanks to the people in Greece through His Beatitude.
For his part, the His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II expressed in his name and on behalf of the accompanying delegation how much they were affected during this visit and that he would convey to the Holy Synod and the Church of Greece this love that they witnessed and learned from as well.
He stressed that the institutions of the Balamand Hills, especially the Institute of Theology, where new cadres are being prepared for the Church, are of utmost importance.
He emphasized that, despite all that is happening and being said, the church is those who serve it, who overcome their mistakes and sacrifice for its service, as the Lord Jesus teaches us…
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