Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios underwent a successful stent surgery at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York on Wednesday and is expected to be discharged on Thursday, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced.
The procedure followed a myocardial scintigraphy examination earlier the same day.
According to people close to the Patriarch, Vartholomaios was already aware of the need for a stent and decided to undergo the surgery while in New York. He is expected to travel back to Istanbul on the weekend.
The Patriarch met on Wednesday with the new mayor of New York, Eric Adams, at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America headquarters. The two men spoke at length over human rights and racial discrimination. Eric Adams chose the Archdiocese as his first visit following his election on Tuesday due to his close friendship with Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.
Ecumenical Patriach Bartholomew was re-admitted overnight to hospital for an angiogram following chest complaints reports Open T
According to the news report the Patriarch complained of chest pains and discomfort and was immediately admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York for an angiogram with the possibility that he might have to undergo angioplasty to have stents implanted.
Earlier, Patriarch Bartholomew had a meeting with the newly elected mayor of New York, Eric Adams where he had the opportunity to talk about human rights, racial discrimination and police violence.
The new mayor chose the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as the first place he visited the day after his election, as he has developed a personal relationship with Archbishop Elpidoforos since the pandemic.
In turn, the Ecumenical Patriarch gave his blessing to the new mayor, emphasizing that it is important that all people can progress without social and racial restrictions. Referring to the personal experience of Eric Adams, His All Holiness congratulated him for managing to take the bad experience police abuse and turn it into a successful career that will allow him to make positive changes and eliminate prejudices.
At that point, it appeared the Patriarch knew Eric Adams’ personal story of police abuse very well; an incident which led him to join the police force in order to help change it from within.
He then followed a political career as president of Brooklyn County and now as the new mayor of New York.
Speaking to Greek news agency ANA, New York Mayor Eric Adams referred to the demonstration of the Black Lives Matter movement in which he had marched with Archbishop Elpidoforos and praised the Greek Orthodox Church in America.
The relationship is reminiscent of another moment in the history of the Greek Orthodox Church in America when Archbishop Iakovos went to Selma, Alabama as the first white religious leader to support Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and marched next to him during the US Civil Rights Movement.
UPDATE: Since publication His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew successfully underwent stent placement at Mount Sinai Hospital and is expected to be released tomorrow.