Early on the morning of 25th February 2008, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, began his missionary journey to the interior regions of Southern Madagascar .
The first stop was at the Parish Community of St Barbara in Andranovory, where a doxology was sung. Afterwards, the pupils from the adjacent Orthodox school sang church hymns and danced traditional African dances in honour of His Beatitude, who gave each of them stationery, sweets and icons.
His Beatitude then went on to the Parish of the Meeting of the Lord in Ankiliberenjy where the faithful and the pupils of the Orthodox Primary School sang hymns and songs and danced for the Alexandrian Primate. He gave them gifts and his paternal blessing. His Beatitude listened carefully to the plea for the opening of boreholes which are imperative for the local population, because of the drought which has devastated Southern Madagascar , as well as an agricultural school so that the locals could learn about systematic agriculture.
During the afternoon, His Beatitude returned the visit of the Local Administrator of Southern Madagascar, who promised donations of central plots to the local church for the philanthropic work and asked that the promise made by His Beatitude Petros VII for the building of an orphanage could be realized. His Beatitude promised that he would see to it with the help of the Church of Cyprus .
He then paid a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Toulear, who is also a doctor and returned from France to assist his country. He promised unreserved assistance in the support of the local church. An emotional moment was the attendance of the sole Greek, Mr Evangelos Parianos of the Isalnd of Samos, at these meetings. He has lived with his family in Toulear since 1952 and always assists the missionary efforts of His Grace Bishop Ignatios.
