Visit of His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos in Bucharest, 24-27 October 2014

His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos, held a three-day official visit to Bucharest, following the invitation of His Beatitude the Romanian Patriarch Daniel. The program of the visit included participation of His Beatitude to the celebrations of the Romanian Church in honor of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki and St. Dimitrios the New, patron of Bucharest. Meanwhile, the head of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has been nominated Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Bucharest.
State visit honours have been attributed to His Beatitude upon His arrival. The representative of the Romanian Patriarch, His Eminence the Metropolitan of Cluj, Andreas, thanked for the visit and the blessing of the piece of the Holy Cross, which His Beatitude brought along to be exposed in pilgrimage.
The highlight of the religious program of His Beatitude, has been the common liturgy of the Primates of the two Orthodox Patriarchates, at the feast of St. Demetrios the New.
Patriarch Theophilos, accompanied by the Patriarch of Romania, apart from the spiritual program, had also meetings with the President of Romania, Mr. Basescu, who decorated His Beatitude with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Star, highest ranking of decoration orders of Romania. Also, the two Primates had a meeting with the Romanian Prime Minister, Mr. Ponta.
On Sunday evening, the Ambassador of Greece to Romania, Mr. Grigorios Vassiloconstandakis hosted a dinner in honor of His Beatitude and the members of both the patriarchal delegations.