Ecumenical Patriarch meets King Charles

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios had a half-hour meeting with Britain’s King Charles III on Tuesday.

The private meeting at Buckingham Palace between the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christianity and the nominal head of the Anglican Church of England lasted for a half an hour, a statement from the Ecumenical Patriarchate said.

This afternoon at Buckingham Palace, His All Holiness Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch was received by The King. pic.twitter.com/KJf4GVFzJP

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 25, 2022

Vartholomaios expressed his condolences in person to the king on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and extended the “as well as his prayers and best wishes on behalf of the Mother Church for a successful and fruitful reign,” the statement said.

The patriarch also referred to the centenary of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain as well as other topics of mutual interest.

After the meeting, the ecumenical patriarch presented to the king Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, Metropolitan Theodoritos of Laodicea and Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium.

Also present were Ioannis Raptakis, Greek ambassador to the UK, and Matthew Lodge, British ambassador to Greece.