Northern Greece:Orthodox Church of Ukraine Delegation Visits Thessaloniki

An official delegation of the newly independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine visited Thessaloniki,Greece on 25 July 2019.The delegation consisted of His Eminence Archbishop German of Chernivtsi and Chotin;Archpriest Valery Semantso of the Church of the Lifegiving Font in Kiyiv;and Archpriest Vasily Lilo of the Church of St.Nikolai Boyarka.They concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at the fourteenth century Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Vlatadon,Thessaloniki with the igoumenos (abbot),His Grace Bishop Nikiforos of Amorion.Their talks afterword centered on  gaining recognition for the OCU's autocephaly in the context of the Orthodox world.*
After the Divine Liturgy,the delegation met with His Eminence Metropolitan Varnavas of Neopolis and Stavroupolis at the Metropolis headquarters;subsequently,they met with His All-Holiness Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki,whose high title reflects the great esteem for Thessaloniki during the Byzantine era.Metropolitan Anthimos confirmed that the Metropolis would continue to support a positive solution to the Ukrainian issue.*
With the blessing of His All-Holiness Metropolitan Anthimos,the delegation went on to the Church of St.Dimitrios the Greatmartyr,where they venerated his relics.
The Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki is one of the New Lands within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,but which,in light of political and cultural reality,is administered by the Church of Greece under an agreement with the Patriarchate.