Tuesday April 27, 1999
The convoy of His Beatitude CHRISTODOULOS, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, arrived to Balamand, Lebanon, this morning at 10:00 AM local time. His Beatitude was accompanied by two Metropolitans and several clergy from Greece, along with a large team of Greek news reporters. Coming from Syria, Archbishop CHRISTODOULOS was accompanied by His Beatitude Ignatius IV, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and the esteemed Metropolitans and Bishops, members of the Holy Synod of Antioch. Along with the personal representative of the President of Lebanon, officials from various governmental and church organizations came to greet and welcome the Greek Archbishop.
At the entrance of the Historic Patriarchal Monastery of Balamand stood hundreds of Orthodox Children raising their hands waving in joy to His Beatitude, "Who comes in the name of the Lord."
The Orchestra of the Orthodox Fellowship of Tartous, Syria, joined in for the occasion. In front of His Beatitude walked in a procession to the Church dozens of Antiochian monks and nuns, abbots of Orthodox monasteries and convents, clergy from all over the Patriarchate of Antioch, and the seminarians of the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology.
Upon arrival to the Church of Our Lady of Balamand, His Beatitude CHRISTODOULOS stood in the Patriarchal Throne, and the service of Thanksgiving Prayer begun. The Choir of Balamand sung with power and vigor Paschal hymns in Arabic and Greek. It also sung the Polychronion hymn (a hymn asking God to grant the Archbishop many years) of His Beatitude, who blessed the present faithful. At the end of the thanksgiving service, the Dean of Balamand, Archimandrite Paul Yazigi, gave a welcoming speech. He spoke about how the three institutions of Balamand (the High School, the Seminary, and the University) came to be through the hard work and the leadership of His Beatitude Ignatius IV, the Patriarch of Antioch. He then thanked the Archbishop for his graceful visit, and congratulated the Church of Greece for His Beatitude's leadership in missions and role in renewal. In his turn, the Archbishop expressed "his thankfulness to God for being present in the Apostolic Church of Antioch, whose Fathers gave a wealth of heritage and were examples of the living faith." Then, the Dean and the Archbishop exchanged gifts for the occasion.
After these moving moments, the Holy Synod of Antioch convened in the presence of His Beatitude the Archbishop of Greece. In the meeting, the Metropolitans of the Church of Antioch welcomed the Archbishop and discussed with Him issues pertaining to Church relationships and to the life of the Church in general. The Archbishop relayed the warm greetings of the Holy Synod of Greece.
In the afternoon, His Beatitude CHRISTODOULOS held a press conference, then he visited the High School and the University of Balamand. In the Evening, the Archbishop gave a lecture to the seminarians of the Balamand Institute of Theology on the meaning of theology. Many renown Greek Professors of Theology teach at Balamand. After a period of open discussion with the students in which His Beatitude emphasized the role of the Church in today's world, bringing the lost sheep back to the Church., an unforgettable moment occurred.. Along with Patriarch Ignatius IV, His Beatitude Christodoulos stood with the choir and sung Byzantine hymns with the students. These moments were most moving and very impressive. His Beatitude Christodoulos showed his love for the school and the seminarians by spending this beautiful time of fellowship with them. After dinner, all took a memorable picture together.
Tomorrow, His Beatitude CHRISTODOULOS will be visiting the various Christian churches present in Lebanon, such as the Maronite Catholic and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchates. Then he will visit His Excellency Emile Lahoud, the President of Lebanon, and will be the guest of the Archdiocese of Beirut. His Beatitude will return to Greece on Thursday.
