Ignatios IV, Patriarch of Antioch, will be paying an official visit to the Church of Greece from September 27 to October 4, 2004, accompanied by the Most Rev. Metropolitans Elias of Tripolis, Elias of Beirut, the Bishops Ioannis of Pyrgos (Dean of the Faculty of Theology) and Luke of Saintaias, the Archimandrite Isaak Barakat, Father Gheorgios Massouh, Mr Elias Salem (Chancellor of the University of Balamand) and Mr Ioseph Hazim, Mr K. Laham Sammer and other administrative officials.

The Patriarch of Antioch will be arriving at the State Airport of Athens on Monday, September 27, 2004, at 12:55, on the flight ME9251. He will be received by His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, a representative of the Greek Government, Members of the Standing Holy Synod, the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, the Chairman, the Secretary and the Members of the Synodal Committee on Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations, the Ambassadors of Syria and Lebanon in Athens, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other representatives and administrative officials of the Church, of the State and of the Diplomatic Service.

In the afternoon of the same day, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Antioch will be visiting His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, in the Holy Archbishopric of Athens.

During his sojourn in Athens His Beatitude Ignatios will meet with Mr Constantine Stephanopoulos, President of the Hellenic Republic, the Prime Minister Mr Constantine Caramanlis, Mrs Anna Psarouda-Benaki, President of the Parliament, Mr Petros Molyviatis, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Ambassadors of Syria His Excellency Mr Souad M. Al Ayoubi and of Lebanon His Excellency Mr William Habib.
He will also be visiting the Holy Metropolis of Piraeus, the Holy Monasteries of St. John of Kareas, of the Presentation of the Mother of God of Oropos and of the Pantocrator at Daou of Penteli, the Faculty of Theology of Athens, the Rizareios Church School, the seat of the Non-Governmental Organisation “Solidarity” etc.

On Sunday, October 3, 2004, the Patriarch of Antioch will participate in the Patriarchal, Archiepischopal and Synodal Divine Liturgy at the celebrating Holy Church of St. Dionysius of Areopagus and subsequently he will attend a formal dinner offered by the Church of Greece in his honour at the Inter-Orthodox Centre in the Holy Monastery of Penteli.

His Beatitude Ignatios and his suite will depart from Athens on Monday, October 11, 2004, at 11:00 on the flight ME9252.

From the Press Office of the Holy Synod

N.B.: As of tomorrow, Friday, September 24, 2004, 10 a.m., the Press Office will be distributing to those interested special dossiers with material regarding the visit of the Patriarch of Antioch.


(Translated from the English:
Dr N. C. Petropoulos)