Patriarch Bartholomew hospitalized in New York after stent procedure

NEW YORK

Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew was staying overnight in a New York City hospital after having a stent placement on Nov. 3 afternoon at the conclusion of his U.S. visit, according to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Bartholomew, 81, underwent the procedure at Mount Sinai Hospital following an angiogram that determined the need for the stent, according to the archdiocese. A stent is a tube placed in a clogged blood vessel to increase blood flow.

He was expected to be released Thursday, it said. Further details were not immediately released.

The hospital treatment delayed Bartholomew’s return home to Turkey, which had been scheduled for Wednesday at the conclusion of a busy 12-day U.S. itinerary.

The trip, his first to this country in several years, also began with an overnight hospital stay in Washington when he felt “unwell” a day after his arrival, church officials said.

He resumed his itinerary, meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House and receiving awards from Catholic and Jewish organizations.