AN ORTHODOX PRESENCE IN WAU, SOUTH SUDAN AFTER 32 YEARS

            On Wednesday 14 January 2015, His Eminence Narkissos Metropolitan of Nubia, arrived in the town of WAU in the western part of South Sudan which is called “Western Tropical” and is the capital of the BAR AL GAZAL District. There he met the remaining descendants of the Greeks. Note that the first Greeks who arrived in 1910 from Mytilene and Lemons immediately formed the Community, built the Church of the Prophet Elias as well as the Greek School; unfortunately though, of those 0 families very few remain because of the long civil war.
 

His Eminence gave an interview on the local radio station of the town mentioning and emphasizing the will of the Patriarchate for a more regular and dynamic presence in the area. He then went to visit the Orthodox Cemetery where the graves of the Greeks are and prayed the Trisagion service for the repose of their souls.
 

On the next day, 15 January, the Metropolitan conducted the Divine Liturgy after many years, and he, himself, rang the church bell which had been silent for decades, gave the people Holy Communion, baptized all the children which had remained un-baptized, and in his homily glorified God for these great blessings and emotions which they had all experienced in WAU, and stressed that all of this would not have been possible without the vigilant interest and particular love of His Beatitude for South Sudan.  
 

His Eminence Narkissos Metropolitan of Nubia met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr.Barnaba Marial Beniamin,  an outstanding personality in the country, who pledged full support of the Orthodox Church.