Orthodox Churches

Ninth Anniversary of the election of Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria

On 9^th October 2013, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa officiated at the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Patriarchal Cathedral of St Savvas the Sanctified in Alexandria, on the occasion of the completion of nine years since his election and elevation to the Apostolic and Patriarchal throne of St Mark.

Present on this distinguished day to join in the prayers were His Eminence Gabrile Metropolitan of Leontopolis, patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria, His Grace Nikodimos Bishop of Nitria Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo and His Grace Niphon Bishop of Babylonia, Hegumen of the Holy Monastery of St George. Also present were the Honourable Consul General of Greece in Alexandria Mr. Christos Kapodistrias, the Honourable Chairman of the Hellenic Communityof Alexandria Mr. Ioannis Siokas, as well as Chairmen of Societies, and Associations of the Great City. 

First ever Orthodox prayer service is celebrated in North Korea

Bishop Innokenty of Ussuri, a vicar of the Vladivostok diocese, visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from October 9 through 16 at the invitation of the DPRK Orthodox Committee and the Orthodox parish in Pyongyang. The visit was timed to the 65^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and the DPRK.

Georgian Patriarch opens in Tbilisi exhibition of Russian icons

On 15 October 2013, an exhibition “The ‘Measured Icon’: Its History and Its Present”, organized by the Russian Club of Orthodox Maecenases, was presented at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Tbilisi. Opening the exhibition was His Holiness and Beatitude Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia. Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), a DECR staff member, took part in the event with the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

DECR representative takes part in the celebration in Georgia

On 14 October 2013, the Georgian Orthodox Church celebrated the feast of Mtskhetoba-Svetitsokhoveli dedicated to the great shrines of the Life-Creating Pillar and the Chiton of the Lord, which was brought to Georgia in the 1^st century. The feast is celebrated in Mtskheta, the ancient capital and spiritual centre of Georgia, where the shrines are kept.

The feast of Saint Thekla the Protomartyr at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Monday the 24^th of September/7^th of October 2013, the feast of St Thekla, Great-Martyr and Equal to the Apostles, was celebrated by the Hagiotaphite Brotherhood at the chapel dedicated to her memory within the Central Monastery which lies to the west of the Church of Sts Constantine and Helena.

Vespers was held in the evening by the week’s vicar, while his fellow vicars participated during the Great Entrance and the Breaking of Bread. Hagiotaphite Prelates, Hieromonks and monks joined them in prayer.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk leads solemn act at St. Petersburg Theological Schools

On 9 October 2013, the commemoration day of St John the Theologian, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission, rector of the Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute for Post-Graduate and Doctoral Studies, led a solemn act at the St. Petersburg Theological Schools, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of Bishop Ambrose of Peterhof, rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy.