Serbian Orthodox Church

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 2, 2005

HOLY SYNOD OF ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE ELECTS NEW METROPOLITAN OF SAN FRANCISCO

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople elected Bishop Gerasimos of Krateia, chief secretary of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Metropolitan of San Francisco on Tuesday, February 22. Metropolitan Gerasimos will succeed the late Metropolitan Anthony, who died on December 25, 2004.

Metropolitan Gerasimos was born on August 2, 1945 in Kalamata, Greece where he completed his primary and secondary education. In September 1969, he matriculated to Hellenic College in Brookline, graduating in 1973 and continuing his studies at Holy Cross. On December 16, 1979 he was ordained a deacon and appointed archdeacon to His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, serving in this position until 1996. From 1980 until May 1986, he was director of student life at Hellenic College/Holy Cross. In 1990, he was reappointed to this post and held it until 1998, when he became director of admissions and records. In 2000, he was named administrative assistant to the president of HCHC.

Source: http://www.ec-patr.gr

RECTOR OF MOSCOW SPIRITUAL ACADEMY ARCHBISHOP EVGENY OF VEREJA VISITS ST SERGEI THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE IN PARIS

The rector of the Moscow Spiritual Academy, His Eminence Archbishop Evgeny of Vereja, visited the St. Sergei Theological Institute in Paris on March 1, 2005. During the course of discussion with the professors, the necessity of working together on the study of the religious and philosophical legacy of Russian emigres was emphasized.

Source: http://www.mospat.ru/index.html

PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA RECEIVES MAYOR OF ATHENS AND MR CONSTANTINE MITZOTAKIS

On Sunday, February 20, 2005 His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa received former Greek premier and honorary New Democracy president Costas Mitsotakis and his daughter, Athens mayor Dora Bakoyannis, in Alexandria. His Beatitude emphasized the historic place of Hellenism in the Alexandrian community, the place of the Alexandrian patriarch throughout history on the African continent, and the future of the Greek Orthodox community in Alexandria. Also present at the meeting were the ambassador of Greece in Cairo, Mr. Panayiotis Vlasopoulos, the consul general of Greece in Alexandria, Mr. Theoharis Lalakos, and representatives of Greek organizations. After the meeting the guests from Greece visited the patriarchal monastery of St. Savvas.

PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA VISITS SOUTH AFRICA

His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa, together with Archimandrite Markos Theodosi, visited South Africa on February 26, 2005. On this occasion His Beatitude said it was a special honor to find himself among Orthodox Greeks in Cape Town, emphasizing the importance of the preservation of the Orthodox faith in this region.

Source: http://www.greekorthodox-alexandria.org/News/2005/february.htm

GRADUATES OF CETINJE SEMINARY VISIT THE HOLY LAND

Professors and students of the St. Peter of Cetinje Seminary who departed on February 23 for a two week-long graduation trip to the Holy Land have visited the Sinai and presently are in the region of Galilee, where they have venerated numerous holy shrines.

Hieromonk Petar (Dragojlovic) reports that the first destination of the group of pilgrims was the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv, from where they set out for the Sinai Peninsula. “We spent three days there are guests of the monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Katherine and venerated her holy relics. We then visited the 2,285-meter peak of Horeb, where God gave the tablets with the law to the Holy Prophet Moses. His Grace Bishop Joakim of Polog and Kumanovo, who heads our group, served Holy Hierarchal Liturgy there. In the Sinai we also visited other holy sites, such as the Cave of St. John of the Ladder, where he undertook his ascetic labors, and the Cave of the Holy Prophet Elijah, where he hid from the evil empress Jezabel. We also visited the small ascetic retreat of St. Gregory of Sinai, the great hesychast who through his student Romylos of Ravanica breathed hesychasm into the Serbian people as well,” said Hieromonk Petar. He added that during their stay in the monastery of St. Katherine, they served Liturgy together with the brethren of that holy shrine, as well as in the small chapel dedicated to the Holy Martyr Triphon, which is located just above the monastery itself.

“After a three day-long stay in the Sinai we went to the extreme north of Israel to the region of the Lake of Galilee to the city of Tiberiada. Yesterday and today we visited many monasteries in the region of Galilee. In Nazareth we visited the Greek Orthodox church of the Annunciation, in the place where the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Most Holy Theotokos, and then Cana of Galilee, the place where Christ performed his first miracle by turning water into wine.

“Today we served in the monastery of the Holy Apostles in Capernaum, where we also visited the old city walls and the house of birth of the Holy Apostle Paul, as well as numerous other holy shrines. Yesterday we also visited Mt. Carmel where the Holy Prophet Elijah in his zeal for God’s truth, according to the Holy Scripture, brought fire from the heavens with his prayer and where he cleansed Israel of lies by killing the false prophets.

“Tomorrow we plan to visit Mt. Tavor, which will conclude our visit to Galilee,” said Fr. Petar. He said that the group of pilgrims from the Cetinje Seminary would continue their visit to the Holy Land with a six day-long stay in Jerusalem, where they will view the greatest holy shrines of this ancient city.

Z. V.

Source: Svetigora Press

[Serbian Translation Services]