Veria, Greece, July 1, 2025
Photo: Romfea
Representatives from ten Local Orthodox Churches came together on Sunday evening, June 29, for the traditional Pan-Orthodox Vespers at the Bema of the Apostle Paul in Veria.
June 29 marks the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, during which the entire Church of Greece celebrates its founder, the Holy Apostle Paul.
The service was presided over by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria, Naoussa, and Kampania, with participation from hierarchs representing the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Georgia, as well as the Churches of Cyprus, Greece, and Poland, reports Romfea.
All the Churches were represented by hierarchs, save the Church of Poland, which was represented by a hieromonk.
Photo: Romfea
The celebration began with a public procession of the holy icon and holy relics of the Apostle Paul, along with the venerable head of St. Silouan the Athonite, from the Metropolitan Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul to the sacred site of the Apostolic Bema.
During the service, Met. Panteleimon read an encyclical from Patriarch Bartholomew regarding the First Ecumenical Council, which served as the theme for this year’s Pauline Conference. The Metropolitan expressed particular gratitude to the participating hierarchs and emphasized the significance of the gathering at the historic site where Paul preached to the people of Veria:
We Veriotes especially glorify the all-blessed name of Jesus, at which every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, because He deemed us worthy to know Him through His chosen Apostle, the chief Apostle Paul, who preached in our city, in this very place, at his historic Bema, proclaiming Him as the only-begotten and consubstantial Son of God with the Father. To him, the teacher of the Veriotes, the great Apostle Paul, belongs primarily our gratitude and appreciation for the completion of the 31st Pauline Conference with the Pan-Orthodox Multi-Hierarchical Vespers at his Bema.
The Bema of St. Paul in Veria
Photo: Romfea
The Bema (meaning “tribunal” or “platform” in Greek) in Veria is a modern memorial monument built to commemorate the Biblical account of the Apostle Paul’s preaching in ancient Berea, as recorded in Acts 17:10-15. After facing opposition in Thessalonica, Paul and his companion Silas traveled to Berea, where they found a more receptive audience among both Jews and Gentiles.
Unlike the ancient Roman bema (judgment seat) that still stands in Corinth where Paul was tried before Proconsul Gallio, the Veria bema is a contemporary structure designed to honor the tradition that Paul preached from this location during his missionary journey through Macedonia around 50-57 AD.
The monument serves as the focal point for the annual Pauline celebrations, which attract Orthodox faithful and visitors from around the world. Each year on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the site hosts the Pan-Orthodox Vespers service that brings together representatives from multiple Orthodox Churches to commemorate St. Paul’s foundational role in establishing Christianity in the region.
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