Nine years have passed since the time when His beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa as the then Metropolitan of Zimbabwe laid the foundation stone of the Church of St George in the Kamponje area of the city of Blantyre in Malawi. Yesterday, 15th October 2011 His Beatitude conducted the inauguration of this church in great emotion.
Thousands of African Orthodox faithful expressed through their traditional songs and dances their great joy for this great event, which followed the Divine Liturgy conducted by the Alexandrian Primate and concelebrated by His Eminence Ioakeim Metropolitan of Zambia and Malawi, His Grace Ioannis Bishop of Mozambique and His Grace Nikodemos Bishop of Nitria and Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo.
Prior to the end of the Eucharistic gathering His Beatitude awarded the Cross of St Mark to Mr George Tselingas and to his father Mr Antonios Tselingas, honouring in this way those Greeks who give from their heart so that the message of the Gospel can be passed on to even the farthest reaches of the African continent. Addressing Mr George Tselingas His Beatitude said that this day belongs to all of us but more especially to the love you have shown and to your parents who loved Orthodoxy, particularly your mother Stella, whom today I name as “Greek Mother of Malawi…”.
Turning to the indigenous Orthodox faithful he said “this earth on which we stand is your land. You must love it and protect it because it is your home, the country of Malawi, which is steadily becoming a strong country and you are its children, its future”.
Present at the inauguration ceremony and the Divine Liturgy were the Honorary Consul of Cyprus in Malawi Mr Michael Michael, representatives of local authorities ad many faithful.
Note that the Church of St George in Kamponje, Malawi, is the nucleus of a large missionary centre which includes a nursery school for at least 200 children, a park, reading area, library, dressmaking school and a clinic.
