THE Orthodox Christian leader is in “good” condition after testing positive for Covid-19, said his office yesterday.

Patriarch Bartholomew I, 81, the spiritual leader of the 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, has been battling ill health in the past few months.

The Istanbul-based figure underwent a heart stent operation in New York, the United States (US) last month, and was hospitalised for a night after flying to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington in October.

He tested positive for the coronavirus during a routine check-up in Istanbul, said his office in a statement on Facebook.

“His All-Holiness, who is fully vaccinated, is currently showing mild symptoms, but his general condition is good.”

Elected in 1991, Bartholomew has been outspoken on the environment and has cultivated closer relations with Islam and Roman Catholicism.

He attended the investiture of Pope Francis in 2013, the first patriarch to do so since the schism between Byzantium and Rome in 1054. – AFP, December 25, 2021.