His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew convened the Synaxis of the Hierarchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from from 1st to 3rd September 2021. More than 130 hierarchs from all over the world gathered at the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the Divine Liturgy celebrating the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year (Indiction) and then met at the Hilton hotel in Istanbul to discuss major issues afflicting mankind, especially the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus, which was addressed not only by the episcopate, but also by the prestigious professor of medicine Dr. Sotirios Tsiodras. Among other issues discusses were the proclamation of the Gospel in the 21st century, the modern geopolitical constituencies and the role of the Church in it, the inter-Christian and inter-religious relations, the pastoral care at all levels of the people of God and the role of monasticism.