His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa’s journey of love moved today to Mount Kenya.
Through the pastoral sensitivity and care of the Primate of the Second Throne Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, Theodoros II, today, accompanied by His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Makarios of Nairobi and the Very Reverend Archimandrite Athenodoros, Exarch of the Patriarchate in Cyprus, arrived shortly before noon at the Holy Church of St. Anthony in the village of Isamara of the Diocese of Nieri and Mount Kenya.
He was welcomed there by Clergy and faithful Christians of the Diocese with songs and dances.
A brief prayer was said and His Beatitude blessed the fruits and vegetables, produced by the Christians in the very fertile area of Nieri.
Welcoming him, Bishop Neophytos of Nieri thanked him for his fatherly affection and care that he shows on his face from the moment he enthroned him two years ago. He thanked all his priests and associates, as well as the people of God, who during this period supported him in the performance of his missionary and pastoral work.
His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa expressed his great satisfaction for the progress of Diocese and the Bishop who has made enormous efforts to fulfill the work of our Church, stressing in particular the contribution of the Church of Cyprus from the time of the late Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus to the current Archbishop, as well as the Hierarchs of the island of the Saints.
Addressing His Eminence Makarios, His Beatitude thanked him for the works he did during his ministry in this region. (Note that His Eminence Elder Makarios built five standard High Schools – Lyceums).
He then thanked the Exarch of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Cyprus, Archimandrite Athenodoros, who is always the link between the Patriarchate and the Church of Cyprus.
His Beatitude the Patriarch then laid the foundation stone of the new High School and said that as the many thousands as are the birds circling in the sky, so many must be the pupils who will attend this school which is under construction. And he concluded, saying: “We open schools, we close prisons”.
His Beatitude, together with the Bishops, the clergy and the faithful people of God, processed to the adjacent building where the Patriarch conducted the inauguration of the spiritual center, where the Diocese services will be housed (administration, offices, residence, refectory etc.).
A lunch was then hosted and then His Beatitude and his entourage returned to Nairobi late in the evening.
