Alexandrian Holy Synod establishes 5 new dioceses

Meeting in Alexandria under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa on Monday, the Holy Synod of the Church of Alexandria resolved to establish 5 new dioceses for the Church, reports the Patriarchate’s website.

The decision came on the first day of the session that is scheduled to run through Friday.

At the proposal of Pat. Theodors, the Synod decided to establish the new Metropolis of Katanga and the Dioceses of Malawi, Gulu and East Uganda, Toliara and South Madagascar, and Goma and Kisangani.

Archimandrite Theodosius Tsitsivos was elected as the Metropolitan of Katanga, and Archimandrite Daniel Biazis, the secretary of the Holy Synod, was also elected as the new Metropolitan of Aksum.

The new Diocese of Malawi was created by dividing the former Metropolis of Zambia and Malawi and will be led by Archimandrite Photios (Hadjantoniou), the abbot of St. Sabba’s Monastery in Alexandria, who was born in Nikaia, Attica in 1954.

The newly-established Diocese of Gulu and East Uganda will be led by Archimandrite Sylvester (Kisitou), also from the Monastery of St. Sabba in Alexandria. He was born in Uganda and studied theology in Greece.

The Diocese of Toliara and South Madagascar will be led by Archimandrite Prodromos (Katsoulis), who was born in Sparta, Greece, in 1982.

The bishop for the new Diocese of Goma and Kisangani has not yet been chosen.

The Synod also resolved to raise the Bishop of Rwanda to the dignity of Metropolitan. The Diocese is currently headed by His Grace Bishop Innokentios of Burudi and Rwanda.