Today, 17th November 2016, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria convened Presided over by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.
At the beginning of the session the Patriarchal tome was read of the establishment of the new Holy Diocese of Arusha and Central Tanzania, and then the filling o the vacant Metropolises of Carthage and Botswana, as well as the Holy Diocese of Arusha and Central Tanzania and the election of an Auxilliary Bishop of His Beatitude under the title of Once glorious Diocese Babylonos.
Elected as new Metropolitan of Carthage was His Grace Meletios Bishop of Naucratis; as new Metropolitan of Botswana was His Eminence Gennadios of Nilopolis; new Bishop of Arusha and Central Tanzania was the Very Reverend Archimandrite Agathoinkos Nikolaides, Director mof the Private Office of Hs Beatitude; as Auxilliary Bishop Babylonos was the Very Reverend Archimandrite Theodoros Dridakis, who will also be the new Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo. Entered into the order of retired Hierarchs of the Throne was Bishop Vasilios of Botswana, and given the title of Bishop of Arsinoe.
The deliberations of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria were completed in the evening with the reading of the Great Messages.
Curriculum Vitae of His Eminence Meletios Metropolitan of Carthage
His Eminence Meletios Metropolitan of Carthage (born Konstantinos Koumanis) was botn in Kalamata Messinia in 1970. He holds a degree from the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Athens, from the Department of Social Theology of the Theological Academy of Athens and the Catechetical School of Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece. He speaks English, Arabic and Russian. In 1996 he was tonsured a monk and ordained Deacon at the Holy Boulkanou Monastery in Messinia, by the later Metropolitan Chrysostomos Themelis of Messinia and as Priest in 2000. In 2007 he was appointed as Chairman of the Council for the administration and management of the Ecclesiastical Camps of the Holy Metropolis of Messinia for their renovation. He was the Abbot Advisor of the Holy Boulkanou Monastery during the years 2007-2008. In November 2008 he was seconded to the Patriarchate of Alexandria and was appointed as Parish Priest of the Patriarchal Church of St Savvas in Alexandria. In 2009 he received the Office of Sacristan of the Patriarchal Throne and in 2010 was enthroned as Abbot of the Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandra and All Africa. Since that time, he served in the Secretariat of the Patriarchate, was in charge of the Website and Internet Office and taught Ritual at the “St Athanasios the Great” Patriarchal Academy in Alexandria. He accompanied His Beatitude the Patriarch of Alexandria on official visits overseas and on missionary journeys throughout Africa. He was in charge of the organization of the Book issued in honour of the 10 years of contribution and ministry of His Beatitude. On 26th November 2014 he was elected as Bishop of Naucratis, ordained by His Beatitude Theodoros II Pope and Patriarch on 5th December 2014 and promoted as Metropolitan of Carthage on 17th November 2016.
Curriculum Vitae of His Eminence Gennadios Metropolitan of Botswana
His Eminence Gennadios Metropolitan of Botswana (born Stylianos Stantzios) was born in 1969 in Eslingen in the then West Germany. He studied at the Theological Faculty of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. He was tonsured as a Monk by His Eminence Spyridon of Langada and lived for 4 years at the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Langada. In 1990 he was ordained Deacon and in 1996 Priest (and on the same day was consecrated to the rank of Archimandrite) by His Eminence Prokopios of Philippon, Neapolis and Thasos. While serving as Parish Priedt in the Nikisianis Parish (Pangaiou), he was seconded from the Holy Metropolis of Eleftheropolis, to the Holy Metropolis of Buenos Aires (Argentina) where he served in the Secretariat of the Metropolis and in two Greek Communities. At the beginning of 2004, by order of the late Patriarch Petros VII of Alexandria he travelled to Port Elizabeth in the Holy Metropolis of Cape Town. Returning to Alexandria (by order of His Beatitude), he served in the Patriarchal Registry. Following the tragic accident of 11th September 2004, he was appointed as Chancellor by the Holy Synod, during the Substitution period. On the election of His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II, he was appointed Chancellor of the Holy Synod and Dean of the historic Cathedral of the Annunciation in Alexandria. On the election of His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II, he was appointed Chancellor of the Holy Synod and Dean of the historic Cathedral of the Annunciation in Alexandria. On 1st November 2006, by venerable proposal of His Beatitude he was elected Auxiliary Bishop of Nilopolis and his ordination by His Beatitude took place on the 26th of the same month in the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation in Alexandria and he continued to carry out his duties as Chancellor of the Holy Synod. On the 10th October 2010, he was elected as Provincial Bishop of the newly-established Diocese in Botswana, where he served till the end of 2013, when he was elected Metropolitan of Nilopolis, a Diocese which was promoted to Metropolis. He did post-graduate studies through a bursary from the Catholi Church (2008-2010) at the Urbaniana Pontifical University, holds a post-graduate title (Masters) and is a candidate for a Doctorate in Missiology at the Neapolis University Pafos. He is a member of the Mixed International Council on Theological Dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church and of the Patriarchal Synodal Council on Inter-Christians Issues and on the Provinces of the Throne. He speaks English and Italian. By proposal of His Beatitude he was elected as Metropolitan of Botswana by the Holy Synod on 17th November 2016, to the Diocese of Botswana which has been elevated to a Metropolis.
Curriculum Vitae of His Grace Agathonikos Bishop of Arusha and Central Tanzania
His Grace Agathonikos (Nikolaidis) the elected Bishop of Arusha and Central Tanzania was born in Giannitsa in the Pellis Province in 1964. He holds a Degree from the Educational Academy in Florina and from the Theological Faculty of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. He has been a monk of the Holy Monastery of St Dionysios of Olympos since 1986. He was ordained Deacon in 2001 and Priest in 2003. He served as Preacher in the Metropolises of Florina and Kitrous, and from 2004 to 2011 he served in various Missionary parts of Africa, following a blessing by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, then as Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of Tanzania. In December 2013 following an invitation from His Beatitude, he went to Alexandria where he served as Dean of the Saint Athanasios Patriarchal Academy, as Codicographer and Director of the Private Office of His Beatitude. On 17th December 2016 by proposal of His Beatitude the Patriarch, he was unanimously elected as Bishop of the newly-established Diocese of Arusha and Central Tanzania. He speaks English and the African language Swahili.
Curriculum Vitae of His Grace Theodoros Bishop of Babylonos
His Grace Theodoros, Bishop of Babylonos was born in Rethymnon, Crete in 1966 where he completed his secondary education. He is a graduate of the 4th Class of the Ecclesiastical School of Athens and holds a degree from the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Crete as well as from the Department of Social Theology from the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens. He attended lectures at the Ecole Pratique at the University of Athens IV (formerly the Sorbonne) and at the St Serge Institute of Orthodox Theology in Paris. He speaks and write English and Greek. On 7/8/1988 he was tonsured a monk and ordained Deacon at the Holy Monastery of the All Holy Virgin Akrotirianis (Toplou), in Siteia, by the late Metropolitan Evgenios of Ierapytne and Siteia. He was ordained Priest at the above Monastery on 22/7/2000 by the same Hierarch, who also consecrated him as Archimandrite on 25/3/2002 at the Holy Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in the city of Siteia. Apart from the Metropolis of Ierapytne and Siteias, he served at the Metropolis of France in Paris and Good Hope in Durban South Africa. In September 2012, following an invitation from His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa he went to Cairo where he first took over as Parish Priest of the Holy Patriarchal Church of St Nicholas and then as Dean of the Church of Ss Constantine and Helen in the Hellenic Community of Cairo. On the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross, 23/3/2014, His Beatitude awarded him the Office of Great Ecclesiarch of the Church of Alexandria. On 17th November 2016 by proposal of His Beatitude he was unanimously elected as his Auxiliary Bishop and took over the duties of Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo.
From the Chief Secretariat
