THE ALEXANDRIAN PRIMATE’S MISSIONARY JOURNEY TO CAMEROON, IN CENTRAL AFRICA

On 24th November 2017, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, arrived at the airport in the capital, Yaounde, in Cameroon, Central Africa, accompanied by His Eminence Narcissus Metropolitan of Accra and Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria, for a pastoral missionary visit to the Orthodox Christians in the country and also to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his Election to and Enthronement as Metropolitan of Cameroon.

The Alexandrian Primate was welcomed by the local Metropolitan Gregory of Cameroon, the Chancellor the Very Reverend Archimandrite Prodromos Katsoulis, the Reverend Fr Antonios Bafaloukos, the Honorary Consul of Greece in Douala and Archon Referendarios of the Patriarchal Throne Mr. Anestis Arnopoulos, the Chairman of the Hellenic Community of Yaounde Mr. Errikos Balanos, the Great Lady of the Churches of the Throne Mrs. Chloe Balanos and representatives of the Holy Clergy.

In the morning, His Beatitude visited the Holy Cathedral Community Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, where an official Doxology was sung for his arrival, as well as the adjacent Metropolitan Mansion, where he was warmly welcomed. Visibly emotional, in his address he referred to his coming aas Metropolitan of Cameroon on 24th November 1997, 20 years ago. He spoke of the beautiful memories which he has of the Cameroon but also the toils and anxieties of those days, for the progress and development of the Orthodox faith. He also commemorated beloved persons, old friends and colleagues of the Missions, thanking Holy God, for the blessing of his ministry in the missionary country of the Cameroon.

The local Metropolitan His Eminence Gregory welcomed the Primate of the Alexandrian Church to the Holy Metropolis of the Cameroon, expressing his deepest gratitude and the joy of the whole local Church for coming to the Cameroon to bless the Orthodox faithful, giving them hope and strength in their struggle. He also prayed that his Patriarchal tenure will be long and blessed by God.

Immediately thereafter, His Beatitude visited the Ambassador of the Arabic Republic of Egypt in the Cameroon, His Excellency Mr. Cherif El-Leithy, with whom he held productive talks on subjects of mutual interest, together with His Eminence Gregory Metropolitan of the Cameroon, His Eminence Narcissus Metropolitan of Accra, the Honorary Consul of Greece in Douala Mr. Anestis Arnopoulos and the Chairman of the Hellenic Community in Yaounde Mr. Errikos Balanos.

In the afternoon of the same day His Beatitude the Patriarch departed for the largest city in Cameroon, Douala, so that tomorrow he could conduct the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy in memory of the Great Martyr Saint Catherine, in the Holy Church of Ss Constantine and Helen, as well as to visit the Hellenic Community in the city.