While on his official visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, His Grace Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk visited the Monastery of the Holy Trinity on the Island of Halki. His Grace was accompanied by Priest Michael Asmus, Consultant for the Department of External Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate as well as pilgrims from Russia.

Upon arriving in Halki, Bishop John visited the gravesites of fallen Russian warriors who perished during the Russo-Turkish War in 1828-1829. Vladyka then blessed a newly-restored monument dedicated to the fallen Russian warrios which was vandalized about one year ago. The Russian Consulate as well as Russian individuals living in Istanbul worked jointly to restore the monument. After blessing the monument, Bishop John served a Litya to all the fallen warriors as well as to the departed Metropolitan Amphilophius.

Bishop John then arrived at Holy Trinity Monastery. Up until 1971, the monastery served as the center of the Halki Theological School of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. After visiting the buildings of the former school, a small luncheon was held where Bishop John interacted with the pilgrims. In honor of his visit, Bishop John presented the brethren of the monastery with literature for the monastery library.

Before leaving Istanbul, Bishop John met with the abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery, Metropolitan of Bursa and Exarch of Bithynia, Elpidophoros.