The head of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church, Patriarch Theophilus III, arrived in Kyiv on March 27.
The patriarch wished Bishop Nikodim many years of good health and spiritual inspiration in the tireless work of pastoral ministry to which he was called by the Lord. “Your mind is much more important than physical strength,” stressed Patriarch Theophilus. He presented to Bishop Nikodim a hierarchical panagion as a love and prayer keepsake.
Metropolitan Nikodim also presented to the patriarch an Icon of the Mother of God of Ozerianska, the patron saint of Slobozhanshchyna painted by Kharkiv painters.
The patriarch also visited the Cathedral of Annunciation where he bowed before the relics of St. Meletii and Holy Martyr Oleksandr.
In the evening of that day, the patriarch arrived in Kyiv. In the airport, he was met by the delegation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate led by its administrator, Archbishop Mytrofan of Bila Tserkva and Bohuslav, and Archbishop Oleksandr of Pereiaslav Khmelnytskyi.
Patriarch Theophil told journalists that he has good relations with the head of the UOC-MP and expressed hope that he will soon visit Ukraine again and celebrate a liturgy jointly with Metropolitan Volodymyr.
The head of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church arrived in Kyiv on an invitation of the Institute of Human Rights and Prevention of Extremism and Xenophobia to participate in the international interdenominational conference “World Religions and Civic Society against Hatred and Extremism.”
On March 28, the patriarch visited the Kyiv Cave Monastery and met with the head of UOC-MP, Metropolitan Volodymyr.