Metropolitan Mark visited parish in Bologna
Pastoral visit strengthened parish life and prepared the faithful for Great Lent.
During his official visit to Italy, Metropolitan Mark of Ryazan and Mikhailov, the current administrator of the Patriarchal Exarchate for Western Europe, paid a visit to the parish of Saint Basil the Great in Bologna on February 20, 2026. The cleric was received by the local clergy and, after a prayer before the patron saint of the church, addressed the assembled faithful with spiritual words. This was reported by the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy. In his words, the Metropolitan encouraged the faithful to begin Great Lent consciously and in spiritual concentration, in order to prepare inwardly for the upcoming Easter feast. Subsequently, the parish leadership reported to him about the development of the parish since his last visit, including progress in the liturgical sphere and organizational matters, ongoing translation work, as well as restoration and beautification measures carried out at the church.
In addition to meetings with the faithful, Metropolitan Mark also visited significant Christian sites in Bologna. The visit was part of his pastoral journey to the parishes in Italy and demonstrated how important spiritual guidance and the strengthening of church life in the diaspora are.
Previously, the UOJ reported that an invitation to an Orthodox pilgrimage to Georgia was published.
