Night blessing by day
A high point of the ecumenical symposium’s journey was the blessing of the waters in the Baltic Archipelago by the ecumenical patriarch along with representatives of the other churches that participated in the symposium. At 11 p.m., in the middle of the sea voyage from Helsinki to Stockholm, while it was still light, Vartholomaios and the other clergy made wishes for the safety and protection of the marine environment as they blessed the water. This unique moment in a striking setting, set the seal of success on this year’s symposium and the beginning of preparations for the next one, scheduled to take place in two years’ time. There have been many suggestions about where it should be held, as the patriarch noted, the most important of which is the Mexico area.
