HIS BEATITUDE IN THE EGYPTIAN CAPITAL
On 5th March 2010 His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, travelled to Cairo where he conducted the Service of the 3rd Stasis of the Akathist Hymn and preached the homily at the Holy Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Heliopolis.
Present were the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Greek Embassy in Egypt Mr. Dimitris Zevelakis, the Honourable Consul General of Greece in Cairo Mr. Gregory Vasilokonstantakis, the Chairman of the Hellenic Community in Cairo Mr. Christos Kavalis and other dignitaries.
A dinner was then served by the Parish Community in honour of His Beatitude who expressed his satisfaction and congratulated the Parish Priest Father Isidoros Salakos and the members of the Church Council for their ceaseless parish activities.
On Saturday 6th March 2010 His Beatitude visited the Holy Monastery of St George in Old Cairo and was given information regarding the renovation works.
He also received with great love the pupils from the High School in Kavala with whom he held discussions and expressed his gratitude to His Eminence Prokopios Metropolitan of Philippi, Neapolis and Thasos, for his contribution to the missionary Holy Metropolis of Kampala (Uganda).
On the afternoon of the same day he worked together with the Exarch of the Russian Church Archimandrite Leonid Gorbacev, for the pending Conciliar Visit of His Beatitude Kyril, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Church of Alexandria. He then held discussions with His Eminence Seraphim Metropolitan of Johannesburg and Pretoria regarding his upcoming visit to South Africa during Holy Week and the Resurrection.
That evening His Beatitude attended a dinner hosted by the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Greek Embassy in Egypt Mr. Dimitris Zevelakis, in honour of the President of the Athens Academy Professor Konstatinos Svolopoulos.
Finally, on the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent, 7nd March 2010, His Beatitude, together with Metropolitan Seraphim of Johannesburg and Pretoria and Their Graces Nikodimos of Nitria and Babylonos Niphon, conducted the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Patriarchal Church of St Nicholas in Cairo, in the presence of His Excellency the Ambassador of Cyprus in Egypt Mr. Kostas Leontiou, the Chargé d’ Affaires of the Greek Embassy in Egypt Mr. Dimitris Zevelakis, the Consul General of Greece in Cairo, the President of the Athens Academy, representatives of Greek organizations and societies, as well as many faithful. The homily was preached by His Eminence Seraphim who spoke of the theological meaning of the feast of the Veneration of the Cross, as well as the missionary effort of the Alexandrian Church and the upcoming inauguration of the new orphanage of the Patriarchate in Johannesburg which will be conducted when His Beatitude arrives in South Africa.