Patriarch John X of Antioch’s enthronement celebrations in Beirut

The Russian Orthodox Church’s delegation led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, took part in the celebrations on the occasion of the enthronement of His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of the Great Antioch of All the East.

The celebrations began with the Divine Liturgy celebrated in St. Nicholas’s Cathedral in Beirut by Patriarch John X, Archbishop Chrysostomos of New Justiniana and All Cyprus and Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. Participating in the liturgy were hierarchs and clergy of the Local Orthodox Churches who came to Beirut for the celebrations.

Among the worshippers were Lebanon’s President M. Suleiman, Labanon’s Prime Minister N. Mikati, Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon A. Zasypkin, Ukrainian ambassador V. Koval, and other diplomats accredited in Beirut. There were also Cardinal K. Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Cardinal Al-Rahi, Greek-Catholic Melkite Patriarch Gregory III, Syro-Malabar Patriarch Ignatius Joseph III, Syriac Jacobite Patriarch Mar Ignatius Zakka I Ivas of Antioch, Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia, as well as representatives of other non-Orthodox confessions and public figures in Lebanon and Syria.

Prayers were said in Arabic, Greek, Latin, Church Slavonic, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Czech, French, English and German. 

During the grand reception after the liturgy, Metropolitan Hilarion the message to Patriarch John X from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Metropolitan Hilarion conveyed to Patriarch John a gift from Patriarch Kirill, a patriarchal crozier, an elaborate work of Russian masters.

Source: mospat.ru