Patriarch Vartholomaios…
Patriarch Vartholomaios, spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, leads the ritual blessing of the Holy Myrrh at the Patriarchate at the Phanar, Istanbul, yesterday. The myrrh – which includes aromatic plants and essential oils – is prepared by a team of chemists about every 10 years in the week before Easter. Then it is given to all Orthodox churches to be used in baptismal ceremonies.
