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As a token of love and respect, Vladyka Daniel presented Patriarch Bartholomew with a painting by an artist from his hometown of Buchach, Ternopil region of Ukraine: “The Flame That the Lord Lit – No Darkness Can Extinguish.”
“When outside the darkness devours the city in its eternal abyss and it seems that all hopes have already died out, a bright star appears in the sky, which informs everyone that someone has come into the world who can light an unquenchable flame in the heart of each of us . And then our task is to preserve this holy spark and pass it on to everyone who needs it…. A little girl carries a symbol of love, kindness and faith in her hands through a cold, dark city, but she is not afraid at all, because she knows that in her hands is an eternal flame that no evil can extinguish.”
Archbishop Daniel stated that he had an opportunity to buy this painting at an auction – 100% of the proceeds from the sale were given to Buchach volunteers for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Now, the painting has found a home in the heart of world Orthodoxy – under the care of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew!
His Eminence Metropolitan Antony is scheduled to return to the United States of America on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, while archbishop Daniel embarks on a week-long visit of the Ukrainian Orthodox communities in Bavaria, Germany.
