It was a prestigious institution that was disappearing, and its creation fills a void. This is the highest honorary award “Eucleis the Athenian”, which will henceforth be awarded by the Municipality of Athens with the consent of the Municipal Council, in order to highlight outstanding personalities for their morality, social sensitivity, their constant contribution to the protection of humanity. rights and for their contribution to the eternal advancement of values.

The first honored person could not be other than the ecumenical figure, representing Hellenism and Orthodoxy to the ends of the earth, the Ecumenical Patriarch. On Saturday at noon, in a modest ceremony held at the packed Maria Callas Municipal Musical Theater of Olympia, the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, in the presence of His Beatitude the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Mr. Jerome, presented this award in an emotional atmosphere to Mr. Bartholomew.

In his opening remarks, the Mayor of Athens likened the Ecumenical Patriarchate to a tall tree “with deep roots that are lost in history and touch the essence of our being, which stands straight, does not bend or break in the storms of the century”, even announcing the news: the Patriarchate has found its home, its residence in Athens. This is the Church of Agios Nikolaos in Vasilissis Sophias – the property of the Benevolent Society of Athens. From now on, it will officially become the base of the Patriarchate in Athens. “We are honored that we have contributed to the solution of an almost 200-year-old unresolved issue,” emphasized Mr. Bakoyannis.

In fact, yesterday the Ecumenical Patriarch led the feast of Constantine and Helena in Agios Nikolaos for the first time, starting a new era of the presence of the Patriarchate in the capital.

Accepting this award, the Ecumenical Patriarch thanked the mayor, mentioning the work he has done during his tenure, and added: “The creative union of Hellenism and Christianity is not an episode, but a permanent element of our identity in the form of Orthodoxy. Orthodoxy is inextricably linked with our spirit and culture, with our language, manners and customs, social life and values. This culture has saved our race in its historical course. Our future also depends on it.”

Archbishop Jerome, in turn, referred to the “fruitful, praiseworthy action of the patriarch, with inspiration, with a penetrating look, with love for man and the world,” concluding: “The praise and title of Eucleus of Athens and this choice are just.” Honorable Mayor Mr. Kostas Bakoyannis and the Municipal Council.”