On the Sunday of Pentecost, 23rd June 2013, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, officiated at Orthros, and conducted the Divine Liturgy and the Vespers of Kneeling at the Holy Patriarchal Church of St Nicholas in Cairo, together with the new Bishop Leonid of Argentina and South America of the Russian Church, who till recently was Exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate in Cairo), as well as with His Grace Nikodimos Bishop of Nitria Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo and Niphon of Babylonia, Hegumen of the Holy Monastery of St George in Old Cairo.
Honouring the service with their presence were the Ambassador of Cyprus Mr. Sotos Liasides, the Consul General of Greece in Cairo Mr Yiannis Hatzantonakis, the Deputy Chairman of the Hellenic Community of Cairo Mr. Nicholas Vadis and the representative of the Arabic Speaking Orthodox community, Mr. Houry.
His Beatitude awarded the new Bishop Leonid the Supreme Commander of the Apostle Mark, thanking him sincerely for his contribution to the Alexandrian Church, and spoke of his lengthy association with him, when he started studying in Greece, also completing his studies in the Greek language.
He also thanked the New Bishop at the official lunch which was hosted later in his honour at the Patriarchal Vicariate, in the presence of the Russian Ambassador to Egypt Mr. Serge Kirpichenko and his wife and during their conversation they spoke of the close fraternal relations between the two Patriarchates.
In conclusion, during the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy the holy relics of Saints Evmenios and Parthenios who lived at the Holy Monastery of Koudouma in Crete, were venerated by the faithful.
