Bishop of Melitene: The Mother Church always embraces all the nations

By Romfea.news

Bishop Maximos of Melitene officiated at the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Paralytic in the Monastery of Saint Nicholas in La Dalmerie, a village located in southwestern France, near the border with Spain.

Believers arrived to the remote monastery from the surrounding area to attend the Divine Liturgy, as well as pilgrims from Russia, Ukrainians and Syrians from nearby towns.

In his homily the Bishop put emphasis on the love of Mother Church of Constantinople to all her children in the world, regardless of color, nationality and beliefs.

“Our excellent cooperation for the sake of our parishes is a living proof of our unconditional love for the Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Many people are trying to divide and distort the ecumenical character of the Church today by using tools such as nationalism, extremism and extreme conservatism. However, the Mother Church overcomes these temptations with patience and prayer, as it does over the centuries, by embracing the nations with affection and responsibility,” he said.

Then he extended the warmest greetings, on behalf of Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, to the congregation, and thanked the brotherhood for the warm welcome and hospitality.