“GUARDIAN OF ALEXANDRIA, NEKTARIOS WE THE FAITHFUL HONOUR YOU AS A GODLY SERVANT OF CHRIST”

On Wednesday and Thursday, 8th and 9th November 2017, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, officiated during the Great Patriarchal Vespers and the Divine Liturgy at the celebrating chapel of St Nektarios, Bishop of Pentapolis, in the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas the Sanctified, Alexandria.

Participating in the Services were His Eminence Narkissos Metropolitan of Accra and Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria as well as Clergy of the Patriarchate, with the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Mr. Emmanuel Kakavelakis, the Chairman of the Hellenic Community of Alexandria Mr. Edmond Kassimatis, many faithful and teachers from the Hellenic Community Schools.

At the end of the Festive Vespers, His Beatitude the Patriarch led the procession with the part of the Holy Relics of St Nektarios, which is kept at the Patriarchal Monastery of St Savvas and then, with particular devotion, the Lamentations to St Nektarios were sung.

On the morning of 9th November, during the Divine Liturgy, the Alexandrian Primate was informed by the Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria the passing to the Lord of the retired Hierarch of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, His Eminence Ignatios Metropolitan of Pentapolis, an ardent missionary and tireless worker of the Gospel, in the spiritual vineyard of the Church in Africa. Visibly moved, His Beatitude expressed his sorrow on the loss of the chosen Hierarch, who stressed characteristically: “…he was a model preacher and a missionary, tireless and unshakeable worker of the Gospel of Christ and of Orthodoxy in Africa, a Hierarch of virtue, not covetous, ascetic and frugal in his life…”, emphasizing that the late Ignatios built many Churches in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Congo-Brazzaville, the imposing being the largest Orthodox Church in all of Africa, that of St Andrew in Kananga. He ordained many priests, built hundreds of schools, contributing to the education of thousands of children, while his most important work was the creation of the Orthodox Theological University of Congo, at which to this day tomorrow’s missionaries still study.

Immediately thereafter His Beatitude sang the Memorial prayers for the repose of the soul of His Eminence Ignatios of Pentapolis.