Information Service of PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA VISITS THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH FROM MAY 9 TO 16, 2002 At the invitation of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle and of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the primate of the Patriarchate of Alexandria - His Beatitude, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Petros VII (Papapetrou) is going to visit the Serbian Orthodox Church, in the period May 9 to 16, 2002. The programme of the visit includes meetings of His Beatitude Petros VII with the highest church and state representatives. In addition, he will visit the Dioceses of Srem, Backa, Banat, Sumadija, Branicevo, Montenegro and the Littoral, and Zahumlje and the Herzegovina, respectively. In honour of the visit of the Alexandrian Patriarch to the Serbian Orthodox Church a concert of spiritual music BLESSED IS HE THAT COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD will take place in the Saint Sava's Memorial Church at Vracar, on May 9, at 19:00. The best domestic choirs and soloists will participate in this concert. On the feast of the Saint Basil of Ostrog, May 12, the primates of the two sister Churches will serve the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy in the Saint Sava's Memorial Church at Vracar. His Beatitude Petros VII was born in Cyprus in 1949. He was educated in Nicosia, Alexandria, Athens - where he graduated in theology in 1978 - as well as in Dublin (Ireland). The new Head of the Patriarchate of Alexandria speaks Greek and English, and understands French and Arabic. He was ordained a Hierodeacon in the Holy Monastery of Macheras in 1969, and from 1970 to 1974 he served as a Deacon to His Beatitude Nicolaos VI, the then Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, whereas in 1978 he was ordained a priest at the Holy Monastery of Pentelis. That same year he was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite and at the same time appointed Patriarchal Vicar in charge of the Patriarchal offices in Cairo. On 15th August 1983, at the venerable request of the Patriarch of Alexandria, he was consecrated a bishop by the Archbishop of Cyprus. On 14th June 1990, with the approval of His Beatitude Parthenios III, the then Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, he was unanimously elected Metropolitan of Accra and West Africa. A year later, namely in 1991, H.B. Parthenios III, appointed him Patriarchal Exarch in the Archdiocese of Irinoupolis - East Africa (Kenya - Uganda - Tanzania). In the end of 1994, he was named Metropolitan of Cameroon and West Africa. The Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, His Beatitude Petros VII, was elected by the Holy Synod on 21st February and his enthronement ceremony on the ancient Holy See of Alexandria took place on 9th March 1997.He has always been faithful and dedicated to his duties in the Patriarchate of Alexandria and to the Orthodox Church, offering very positive service to the Mission work of the Orthodox Church in Africa. The new Patriarch has participated in interdenominational and inter-Orthodox meetings as a representative of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. |
