NEW YORK -- A bomb was thrown into the compound of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and exploded on the roof of the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George the Trophy-Bearer at midnight, Istanbul time (5 p.m. EST).

The interior of the Church had not been inspected at the time of this report. The explosion shattered part of the roof, damaged metal gutters, hurled shrapnel around the courtyard and shattered numerous windows.

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was not in the compound at the time of the explosion.

Although no one was in the courtyard at the time of the explosion, the Tritevon, Reverend Deacon Nektarios, was severely injured by shrapnel and glass shards that penetrated the windows in the office across, where he was working. First reports are that he is in serious condition, but he is expected to recover.

A previous attack in September of 1996 also damaged the Cathedral of St. George, but no one was injured.