COMPLETION OF THE ALEXANDRIAN PRIMATE’S PASTORAL JOURNEY TO CENTRAL TANZANIA

On the Sunday of the Paralytic, 19th May 2019, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, officiated during Orthros and conducted the Divine Liturgy at the Orthodox Missionary Center in Kindamali, Central Tanzania, together with His Grace Sylvester, Bishop of Gulu and Eastern Uganda, His Grace Fotios of Malawi and His Grace Agathonikos, Bishop of Arusha and Central Tanzania.

With particular brilliance, religious piety and the participation of hundreds of local faithful from the broader region of Kindamali at the Holy Church of the Virgin Mary of Kykkos and Saint George, the Alexandrian Primate ordained to the deaconate, the Subdeacon Anastasios Kiyonga. The new Deacon, Fr. Anastasios is 32 years old, married and father of two children, he holds a degree from the Theological Seminary of Nairobi and from the School of Philosophy in Tambora. Before the dismissal oft he Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude awarded the office of Archimandrite to Hieromonk Markos Rutakiamirwa, who is holder of a degree from the Philosophical Academy oft he University of Dodoma, having majored in Linguistics. Both are members oft he translation team of the Diocese of Arusha.

Following the end of the Divine Liturgy, everyone present, headed by His Beatitude and all the leaders of the area of Iringa, went in procession to the courtyard of the adjacent Saint Nicholas Clinic, where the conducted the inauguration of this new Clinic which is donated by the Holy Metropolis of Nea Krini and Kalamarias.

On Monday 20th May, His Beatitude, together with his entourage went to the village of Impongo, where he conducted the sanctification and consecration of the Holy Church of Saint John the Theologian, which was constructed by the Brotherhood of External Mission in Thessaloniki and is situated in a very green mountainous region at an altitude of 1800m and is the jewel of the region.

The Patriarch then paid a pastoral visit to the villages of Ilalasimba and Makumbike, where he visited the Clinic and the Schools, which were built with financial assistance of His Eminence Metropolitan Demetrios of Irinopolis. Teachers, pupils and parents gave His Beatitude grand welcome with traditional dances and songs and very visibly moved, he addressed constructive and loving words. Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II, gave as a gift to the schools, an amount of money for the purchase of desks for the schools as the children are forced to sit in the sand and gave all the children sweets.

A lunch in honor of the Patriarch was given to 800 children from the schools and thousands of locals, which was donated by the Holy Diocese of Arusha and Tanzania and the concern of His Grace, Bishop Agathonikos. The Alexandrian Primate then bade farewell to the flock of the District of Iringa, thanked Bishop Agathonikos for the efforts he makes for his region, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos, the Metropolitans of the Church of Greece, the 4E television channel which covered his pastoral visit as well as all Greeks who from what they have, support and assist the Patriarchate of Alexandria in it’s missionary activities.