Source: OCP News Service
November 11, 2016
Photo: http://theorthodoxchurch.info/
The right hand of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki is touring Belarus for veneration. The Greek delegation headed by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria and Naoussa is on a visit with the relics in the capital and a few other cities of central and eastern Belarus. The relics are in Belarus as part of the celebrations of the feast of St. Demetrius.
The relics of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki are now kept in the Church of St. Demetrius in Thessaloniki. In the 13th century, when the city was attacked by crusaders, the relics were taken to Western Europe and were kept in the abbey of the Italian town of San Lorenzo in Campo. In 1978 the relics of St. Demetrius were returned back to their native city of Thessaloniki.
The citizens of Minsk, Bobruisk, Polotsk and Vitebsk have already venerated the relics. Hereafter the Greek delegation is going to visit one more Belarusian town – Orsha. Besides visiting various Belarusian cities, the program of the Greek delegation also includes visiting the main parishes in the Belarusian capital to take part in various meetings, including with Belarusian monks (as there are monks from various monasteries of the Veria Metropolitia in the delegation). Speaking with journalists, Christodula, igumena of the All Saints Monastery of the Veria Metropolitan said: “The love we felt here touched our hearts. People ask us to bless them when they heard that we are monks and nuns from Greece and that our Metropolitan is here with us. We learned this love from you in order to treat people with the same great hospitality.”
