COMPLETION OF HIS BEATITUDE’S PASTORAL VISIT TO MADAGASCAR

On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 15h00, His Beatitude the Patriarch of Alexandria arrived in Antananarivo, continuing his missionary tour in the Holy Metropolis of Antananarivo and Northern Madagascar.

In the evening, His Beatitude and his entourage attended a dinner hosted in his honor by His Excellency the Ambassador of Egypt, Mr. Usama Khalil.

On Wednesday, September 14, 2022, His Beatitude presided over the Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Elevation of the Precious Cross in the Metropolitan Church of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the new See of the Holy Metropolis in the city of Antananarivo. At the end of the Divine Liturgy the Patriarch awarded the Commander of Worth St Savvas the Sanctified to Mr. Panagiotis Papaioannou and the Commander Savvas the Sanctified to Mr. Ioannis Antoniades for their valuable many years of contribution to the mission.

He then performed the inauguration of the new Metropolitan Palace, which will house the offices of the Holy Metropolis, the Metropolitan residence as well as guest houses for the lay and clerical members of the Missionary echelon.

In the evening, His Beatitude attended a dinner hosted in his honor by the Honorary Consul of Cyprus in Madagascar, Mr. Panagiotis Taloumis. In his welcome the Consul emphasized the dynamic presence of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Orthodox Mission on the island of Madagascar and thanked His Beatitude for his selfless pastoral care.

His Beatitude warmly thanked Mr. Proxenos for the invitation and referred extensively to the enormous contribution of the emigrants to Orthodoxy and Hellenism, not forgetting to mention the virtues that distinguish Mr. Taloumis who, as a genuine Arcadian descendant of Theodoros Kolokotronis, loves the church and our country.

In conclusion he awarded the Commander Savvas the Sanctified to his two sons Vasileios and Ioannis Taloumis.

On Thursday, September 15, 2022, in the presence of the State and Local Authorities, His Excellency the Ambassador of Egypt Mr. Usama Khalil, the Honorary Consul of Cyprus Mr. Panagiotis Taloumis and a crowd of people, His Beatitude inaugurated the new College of the Holy Metropolis under the name “Platon Academy”. It is a state-of-the-art and model building, with excellent architecture, fully technologically equipped, which is a jewel for the capital and will house around 450 students.

Then in his speech he thanked Greeks everywhere for the enormous material and moral support they offer to the mission. He also characteristically mentioned “the works we do for ourselves die, the works we do for others remain”.

He expressed the satisfaction and just praise of the Alexandrian Church to His Eminence Metropolitan Mr. Ignatios, whose important efforts he praised, both recent and those that have been accomplished during his 18 years of ministry on the island of Madagascar.

In the evening of the same day, the priests hosted a dinner in honor of His Beatitude, who spoke to them and gave them paternal advice. The Priests thanked His Beatitude for his paternal love and promised their full devotion to the Alexandrian church.

Today, Friday, September 16, 2022, His Beatitude Theodoros II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa left for the Patriarchal See, escorted to the state airport of Madagascar by the His Eminence Metropolitan Ignatios, His Excellency the Ambassador of Egypt, the Honorary Consul of Cyprus and the Holy Clergy. He productively completed, full of joy and satisfaction, his missionary tour, to this blessed end of the earth, where the lamp of Orthodoxy illuminates the peaceful life of its blessed inhabitants. Glory be to God.