On March 9, 2025, the Sunday of Orthodoxy, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, presided over the Divine Liturgy and the procession of the holy icons in the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos of Alexandria, concelebrated by the Most Reverend Metropolitans Elder Gabriel of Leontopolis, Patriarchal Vicar General, Panteleimon of Ptolemais, Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod, and Germanos of Tamiathus, Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of Saint Savvas the Sanctified of Alexandria
Before the end of the Eucharistic Synod, a memorial prayer was sung for the repose of the souls of the venerable benefactors, donors, presidents and members of the venerable Greek Community of Alexandria. A prayer was also sung by His Beatitude for the Christians who were unjustly and violently killed in their ancestral homes, wherever they were, by civil or military conflicts or who fell victim to unjust attacks of religious intolerance and fanaticism.
During his speech, the venerable Primate of the Patriarchal Throne of St Mark referred to the great feast of the restoration of the holy icons, emphasizing the power of faith, which gives hope to man to continue his life blessedly, peacefully and creatively, overcoming with mental strength obstacles, adversities, setbacks and frustrations, to overcome every multifaceted Golgotha and to reach painfully, but victoriously, the all-important Resurrection.
“This reality is tangible in the long-suffering African land, where the Sunday of Orthodoxy is experienced as a daily triumphant act of the Holy Gospel and the Church of Christ over the invisible, but also visible in recent times, forces of “silvery love”, which want to keep man, the crown of Divine creation, captive of dark forces, subjugated, a prey to temporary expediencies. However, my beloved children, blessed children of Mother Africa, stand well, stand courageously! The Lord God lives, He who does only wonderful things!” His Beatitude emphasized.
Referring to the innocent victims of armed conflicts, to children orphaned by their parents as a result of civil conflicts, military hostilities or instigated conflicts, he expressed his sorrow for their unjust death. “In the tragic hours of the maternal heart torn by inconsolable pain, in the harsh moments of destruction of goals and purposes of life, in the horrific acts of captivity and killing, of malice and hatred, our prayer, thought and sincere love accompany the families of the victims, the wounded, the inconsolable parents. We stand by them as firmly committed to combating every form of terrorism, injustice, violence, war, illegality, irregularity, intentionality, cover-up or indifference. We stand by them, serving only unity, love, reconciliation, dialogue, brotherhood, as humble angels of empty tombs, as apostles of the ineffable messages of divine love, which calls for the synergy of human existence for the prevalence of peace. God is the helper and protector of all! Eternal is the memory of our unjustly murdered brothers everywhere on earth. May the triumph of the restoration of holy icons become in the 21st century a triumph of the restoration of the incalculable value of the living image of God, of man,” concluded His Beatitude.
The Divine Liturgy was attended by was attended by the Most Honorable Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Mr. Ioannis Pyrgakis, the President of the Greek Community of Alexandria, Mr. Andreas Vafiadis, the Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces of Greece and Egypt, Ms. Lilika P. Thliviti, President of the Hellenic Naval Club and the Association of Greek Scientists “Ptolemy”, representatives of historical associations and organizations, etc.
The joy of the bright day was completed with the consecration to Archimandrite of Hieromonk Sosthenes, a clergyman from Tanzania, who completed his studies at the “Athanasius the Great” Patriarchal Academy of Alexandria and will return to his homeland “bringing in practice the triumph of Orthodoxy to the constantly illuminated by the Unfading Light of the Most Holy Orthodox Church in Africa,” as His Beatitude said.
A festive assembly followed in the adjacent parish hall of the Holy Cathedral.
