With the bells of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of Agios Georgios of old Cairo ringing joyfully and with special splendor and spiritual rejoicing, the Orthodox Christians of Egypt, Arabs and Greeks honored today, Wednesday, February 17, 2021, the the African flock as is custom every year. venerable Name Day of His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, which he celebrated this year in Egypt and not with.
Of course, the global coronavirus pandemic, for the end of which the Primate of Alexandria prayed, also contributed to this event, but his presence in Cairo was also an opportunity for the Orthodox of the Land of the Nile to congratulate their Patriarch and Father and to receive his prayer and blessing, on the feast of the Great Martyr of St. Theodoros of Tyron.
At the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy the Alexandrian Primate was attended by the Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo His Eminence Nicodemus Metropolitan of Memphis, the Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria, Narcissus Metropolitan of Naucratis, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Arabic-Speakers His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas and His Grace Germanos Bishop of Tamiathus.
A touching moment was when the Patriarch thanked the Greek Ambassador to Egypt Mr. Nikolaos Garilidis for what Greece offers and does for the Second Throne Patriarchate, but also his Cypriot counterpart, Mr. Homer Mavromatis, for the great help and support from both Cypriot government and the Church of Cyprus, in the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Cairo Mrs. Maria Zisis and the Deputy Cypriot Ambassador Mr. Dimitris Christofidis, as well as the Defense Attaché of the Greek Embassy in Cairo Mr. George Hatzis (Navy).
The Patriarch of Alexandria also thanked the President of the Greek Community of Cairo, Mr. Christos Kavalis, as well as the President of the Greek Orthodox Arabic-speaking people of Egypt, Mr. Claude Nakas.
The Homily was preached by the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. George of Old Cairo, Archimandrite Fr. Damaskinos Al Azrai, who stressed the great importance of the presence of the Alexandrian Primate in the Rotunda of the Middle East especially on the day of his Name Day.
‘It is, however, a special blessing, a particular honor and bright spot in the modern history of the Holy Patriarchal and God-walked Monastery of St. George of Old Cairo, that Your Most Holy Beatitude choose to celebrate your Name Day here, at the Monastery which you love so much, and that the Grace of God found you worthy with your indefatigable care, diligence and vision to engrave your venerable name in golden letters in the choirs of the Founders of the Holy Monastery, as the Great radical renovator of the Great Rotunda of the East in the twentieth first century ‘, stressed among other things the Abbot of the monastery Fr. Damaskinos.
Immediately after the Divine Liturgy, a festive meal followed in the great Hall of the monastery, with a more moving moment the performance of songs and especially those dedicated by Patriarch Theodoros to all the mothers of the world, but also to all the expatriate Greeks, as well as African musical rhythms by the students of the Theological School of the Patriarchate ‘Athanasios the Great’.
