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Panama City, Panama—His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, was warmly received at the Catedral Basílica Santa María la Antigua on January 29, for an ecumenical prayer service that the Catholic Archdiocese of Panama described as “historic,” attended by Orthodox and Catholic clergy and faithful. The service opened with a formal rite of reception at the cathedral doors led by Panama’s Metropolitan Archbishop, His Eminence Mons. José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta, O.S.A., who welcomed the Patriarch to what he called the “mother and spiritual heart” of the Church in Panama, referencing the cathedral’s historic status as the first diocese erected on the American mainland.
In remarks published by the Archdiocese, Archbishop Ulloa underscored the significance of the Patriarch’s visit amid multiple milestones: the First Centenary of the Archdiocese of Panama and the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, described as a shared foundation of Christian faith. In a line that captured the tone of the Catholic hosts, the Archbishop said the Patriarch’s presence was a “prophetic sign” in a world marked by division—an affirmation, he said, “that communion is possible” and that unity remains an urgent task. The Archdiocese also emphasized that the faithful prayed under the intercession of Santa María la Antigua, whom Orthodox Christians venerate as the Theotokos.
Accompanying His Beatitude during the visit was His Eminence Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, Exarch of Central America and the Caribbean, according to local reporting, along with Protopresbyter Alejandro El Brihi among representatives of the Greek Orthodox community.
Following the service, the Universidad Católica Santa María la Antigua (USMA) conferred upon Patriarch Theodoros II the “Francisco Javier de Luna Victoria y Castro” decoration. USMA reported that the Patriarch expressed gratitude to Archbishop Ulloa for allowing him to chant psalms “in his own language” in honor of the Theotokos, recalling his decades of monastic life in Crete; the Archdiocese quoted the Patriarch offering a prayerful wish for Panama: “peace, peace and peace.”
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