On Sunday 11th October 2009, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa ordained His Grace Savvas of Burundi and Rwanda in the Holy Patriarchal Church of St Savvas the Sanctified in Alexandria.
His Grace is the first Bishop of the newly established Diocese, which has two countries in its jurisdiction; two of the most suffering on the African continent and on the planet, as His Beatitude emphasized in his address saying that “this fact leads the steps of the Alexandrian Church to support the indigenous population even more and to offer its philanthropy through the establishment of this Diocese”. He went on to praise the service of the new hierarch to this day in the ancient Patriarchate in which he has held various successful positions.
In his reply. His Grace Savvas expressed his gratitude for the great honour bestowed on him by His Beatitude, thanked clergy and lay people who came to his assistance as a priest, and promised to give of himself in the “missionary spiritual field of this much-suffering African area”.
Participating in the Ordination of His Grace were His Eminence Kyrillos of Rhodes, His Eminence Nicholas of Ermopolis and His Eminence Dimitrios of Irinopolis, together with His Grace Gabriel of Mareotis, His Grace Spyridon of Kanopos and His Grace Gennadios of Nilopolis. Also present was His Eminence Emmanuel of Khartoum.
Present also were the Honourable Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Mr. Ioannis Diakofotakis, the Archon Logothetis of the Patriarchate Mr. Spyridon Kamalakis, the Chairman of Brotherhood of Officers Professor Theodoros Panagopoulos, representatives of Greek societies, as well as a group of pilgrims from his birthplace of the new Bishop, the island of Halki, led by Mayor Eleni Panagi.
