Metropolitan Athenagoras of Bizye fell asleep in the Lord

Metropolitan Athenagoras of Bizye, Hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne, passed away at the age of 84.

Georgios Anastasiades, born in Chicago in 1941, graduated from the Theological School of the University of Athens in 1965 and received a postgraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1973. He was ordained a Deacon in 1965 and a Priest in 1967.

On 22 August 1982, he was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of the Holy Archdiocese of America, under the minor title of Bishop Dorylaia. In addition to the Communities in Canada and America, he also served as Protosyncellus of the Diocese of Chicago. In 1974, he undertook the reorganisation of the youth of the Holy Archdiocese.

He served as Secretary General of the Office of Metropolitans and Bishops of the canonical Orthodox jurisdictions in America, Director of the Office of Inter-Church Relations of the Holy Archdiocese, Supervisor of its Community Departments, and Supervisor of the Academy of St. Basil. He represented the Holy Archdiocese and the Archbishop on numerous missions.

In April 1996, by order of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, he went to Hong Kong, where he successfully undertook the establishment of the new Holy Metropolis there, delivering to His All-Holiness the statute of the Holy Metropolis, approved by the State, during His All-Holiness’ official Patriarchal visit to Hong Kong in November 1996.

On 2 December 1996, he was unanimously elected the first Metropolitan of the newly established Holy Metropolis of Panama, now Mexico, enthroned on 25 January 1997.

In January 2024, after voluntarily resigning from the pastorate of the Holy Metropolis of Mexico, he was unanimously elected by the Holy and Sacred Synod as Metropolitan of the long-retired Holy Metropolis of Bizye.