At 5pm, Eastern Australian Time, the Divine Liturgy at the historic Monastery of Evxinos Pontos, in the hinterland of Trabzon, will begin, presided over by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew.
Three weeks after the verbal approval, the Turkish authorities gave special written permission for the annual celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the last minute.
Yesterday, on the eve of the feast, the Ecumenical Patriarch celebrated Vespers in the Catholic Church of Santa Maria, as there is no Orthodox church in the city.
