An inter-Orthodox co-liturgy was held on Sunday, April 7, in the Holy Church of Agios Nikolaos in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg officiated.
Priests of the Metropolis of Belgium, from the parishes of the Netherlands and priests of the Patriarchates of Antioch, of Serbia and of Georgia, almost all the existing Orthodox representatives in the country, celebrated the mass along with the primate of the Orthodox Church in Benelux, Metropolitan Athanagoras, while the hymns of the Divine Liturgy were sung by the Byzantine choir of the church, the choir of the Antiochian parish, and the polyphonic choir of the parish of Eindhoven.
In this year’s co-liturgy, Metropolitan Elias of Oulu, an hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Autonomous Church of Finland, who is now on private in Belgium, also attended.
The Divine Word was proclaimed by Metropolitan Athenagoras, who spoke about the personality and the writing of the sanctified Saint of the Day, Our Holy Father John Sinaites (John Climacus).
At the end of the Divine Liturgy the high priest read out a special prayer in Dutch, for complete unity and serenity within the Orthodox Church and then expressed his great joy for the participation of both Metropolitan of Oulu and the other clergy, a few days before the feasts the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ. He also welcomed the Ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus, as well as the large congregation, wishing Happy Easter to all.