Having completed a very creative and enlightened tour in Western Kenya, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa and his entourage returned to Nairobi.
On the morning of Saturday, November 28, the Patriarch visited the ‘Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus’ Patriarchal Seminary in Riruta. In the Guest Hall of the Seminary he met with the guardians of the Association of the African Orthodox Church who manage the traditional affairs of the Orthodox Church in Kenya.
During the meeting, the Patriarch called on the Elder Guardians to work with their Bishops with unity and love for the good of the church, the Elders with their experience in matters of tradition and race and the Bishops with their ecclesiastical experience and canonical jurisdiction, emphasizing that all problems have their solution, if the correct procedures are followed and if the the key and motivation for a fair and constructive solution is the good of the Church and its members. He also informed them that the ground of the Patriarchate adjacent to the Cathedral of the Holy Unmercenaries will soon be utilized, which will effectively contribute to meeting the functional needs of the parishes in Kenya.
Subsequently, it was jointly decided to amend the operating constitution of the Association, the final form of which will be ratified by the Patriarch.
Afterwards, the Patriarch visited the Holy Church of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene in the Togoto area and offered a memorial service at the tomb of the late Bishop George Gadounas of Nitria, the pioneer Bishop in the struggle for Kenyan independence from the English yoke.The prayer was attended by more than 100 priests since the late Bishop, in addition to being a fighter, was also very loved and popular.
Addressing the priests present, His Beatitude referred to the remarkable missionary activity of the late Bishop in Kenya and the solid foundations he laid for the Orthodox Church.
Finally, he asked his clergy to have as an example in their lives the struggles of the late Bishop George and to always support the Elder Metropolitan Makarios who this year completes 40 years of Missionary activity in Kenya and who initially undertook this great work after the encouragement, guidance and advice of the Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus.
The blessed tour of the Patriarch in Kenya ended with the meeting he had with the Ambassador of Egypt Mahmoud Ali Talaat. The Ambassador of Egypt expressed his joy that the Patriarch is in Kenya and stressed that it was a great blessing for him to welcome him to the House of Egypt.
His Beatitude in turn thanked the Ambassador for his love and asked him to convey to the President of Egypt his thanks and blessings with his best wishes for the success of the blessed work he is doing for the good of his country and for the peaceful coexistence of the peoples of the region.
