SOFIA, Bulgaria — The Latest on Epiphany celebrations (all times local):7 p.m.Organizers say that hundreds of thousands of people have participated in colorful Epiphany processions in more than 700 locations across predominantly Catholic Poland. Epiphany Procession Foundation spokeswoman Jolanta Stachacz, said Sunday that around 1.2 million people participated across the country. Dozens of Orthodox men dove into Istanbul’s cold waters to retrieve a cross to mark the baptism of Jesus Christ. On Sunday, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I led worshippers in the Epiphany, throwing a blessed wooden cross into the Golden Horn inlet. He said “we are here for everyone, for our religion.”The ceremony took place after Bartholomew granted independence to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, in a historic move that has angered Russia.

Source: National Post January 06, 2019 11:16 UTC