Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son at the Cathedral of Nairobi
On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, 16 February 2025, His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and All Africa presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Holy Anargyroi in Nairobi, and was joined by the Holy Clergy of the capital of Kenya and the surrounding areas, as well as Tanzania and Uganda.
The choir of the Cathedral and the choir of the seminarians of the Patriarchal School “Archbishop of Cyprus Makarios III” chanted the hymns for the Matins and Divine Liturgy. A large congregation of faithful believers flooded the Cathedral from the morning, while the Ambassador of Greece, Mr. George Psiachas, the High Commissioner of Cyprus, Mr. Savvas Vladimirou, the Ambassadors of Serbia and Romania and members of the Orthodox Community of Kenya including Greeks, Greek Cypriots, Serbs, Romanians, Russians, Bulgarians, Indians, Arabs and Ethiopians.
In his address, His Beatitude, among other things, referred to the Parable of the Prodigal Son and called on the priests who defected to return to the embrace of the Patriarchate of Africa, not as prodigal children, but as real children who ran away from their family due to misinformation and specialised and misleading propaganda from the sister Church of the North, propaganda that serves political interests and not ecclesiastical ones. They were called back into the embrace of the canonical Orthodox Church in Africa, her children, the Priests who were baptised by the sanctified hands of the Greek Missionaries of sacrifice and offering, who grew up and were nurtured near them, her children who grew up in the institutions of the Patriarchate, who were taught in the schools of the Mission, her children who married, were ordained, and baptised their children in the parishes of the Patriarchate, which is the Patriarchate of Africa and of Love, no matter how much foreign powers wish to denigrate it by finding ground in foreign places where religions are not controlled by state machines but allow the faithful to follow the path of faith and freedom.
Finally, His Beatitude thanked His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Makarios of , who for 46 consecutive years has been the sleepless guardian of the Patriarchate in Kenya, having as his supporters Their Graces, Bishop Neophytos of Eldoret, Bishop Markos of Kisumu, and Bishop Panaretos of Nyeri, as well as all their clergy and associates who, despite the challenges, remain faithful to their Father. Patriarch Theodoros thanked all the Ambassadors for their presence, and especially the Ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus, Their Eminences, Metropolitan George of Guinea, and Metropolitan Dimitrios of Irinoupolis, the Tanzanian businessman, Mr. Costas Giannakopoulos and commemorated the founders of the Cathedral and the deceased members of the Greek community of Kenya who built the Cathedral and the community spaces.
Metropolitan Makarios of Nairobi, in his response, once again welcomed the Patriarch of love to Kenya, referred to the challenges of the times and condemned the invasion of the Patriarchate of Russia into the Patriarchate of Alexandria, an uncanonical act that brought confusion to the clergy and the faithful and threatens the unity that the Patriarchate has struggled to cultivate in Africa for so many years. Among other things, he said: “Just as the war between Ukraine and Russia divided the two nations, families and even the Body of Christ, the same division is brought by the Russian Church to Africa and is hurting the spiritual life of the Orthodox… The Patriarchate of Alexandria was founded by the Apostle Mark, who was also the first Bishop of Alexandria, and any accusation against the Greek presence in Africa is due to ignorance and many other paradoxical motives.
Anyone who has known the work of the Patriarchate in Africa and especially in Kenya can testify to its great contribution and offering to the country. And just a tour of the Orthodox Schools and especially the Patriarchal Seminary is enough to testify to what has been said, without forgetting the hospitals, clinics, orphanages, etc. “. Finally, he thanked all those who support the Missionary work and asked the Patriarch to continue to support, love and protect his flock, and assured him that they will resist division having the blessings of Saint Mark and all his successors, but above all the wishes and love of their Patriarch Theodore II.
It is noteworthy that the Epistle of the Day was read by a blind student of the Patriarchal School using the Braille method. A festive meal followed for all the faithful in the community areas and in the courtyard of the Cathedral.
In the evening, the Ambassador of Egypt hosted a reception in honour of the Patriarch, in the presence of the Archbishop of the Anglican Church, the Secretary General of the Kenya Council of Churches, the Ambassadors of Greece, Cyprus, Jordan, Mozambique, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Romania, Serbia, Finland, Burundi, Algeria, Palestine, Ghana, Eritrea, Morocco, Tunisia, Bulgaria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the staff of the Egyptian Embassy and many business people. His Beatitude thanked the Ambassador for his love, referred to the support of the Patriarchate by the political and state authorities of Egypt, and decorated him with the Lion of Saint Mark.
