On 6 December 2025, the episcopal ordination of the Bishop-Elect of Eleusis, Timotheos, was celebrated with solemn ecclesiastical grandeur at the Holy Patriarchal Church of Saint Nicholas in Hamzaoui, Cairo.
The Divine Liturgy was presided over by Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa, who was flanked by Metropolitan Savvas of Nubia and Metropolitan Nikodimos of Nigeria, together with Bishops Prodromos of Toliara and Southern Madagascar, Athanasios of Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso, Stephanos of Hippo, and Damaskinos of Mareotis.
Metropolitan Nikodimos of Memphis was also present in prayer.
Present at the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy were the Ambassador of Greece to Egypt, Nikolaos Papageorgiou; the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Egypt, Poly Ioannou; the Consul General of Greece in Cairo, Symeon Linardakis; the Education Coordinator for North Africa and the Middle East, Georgios Kokorelis; the Greek Defense Attaché in Egypt, Navy Captain Stergios Poulios; the Cypriot Defense Attaché in Egypt, Artillery Lieutenant Colonel Nikolaos Parpotas; as well as the Vice President of the Greek Community of Cairo, Chrysanthi Skoufaridou, the Presidents of the Arab-speaking Communities, and representatives of local and expatriate organizations.
The Bishop-Elect of Eleusis, Timotheos, addressing Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa with filial reverence, expressed his profound gratitude and deep emotion for the great honor of his election and ordination.
He noted that the person of the Patriarch stands before him as a radiant example of missionary ethos, self-sacrificial love, and deep respect for every human being, regardless of origin or life circumstances.
Developing the theological meaning of mission, he presented it not as triumph or imposition, but as a “transmission of life” and an act of authentic communion, making clear that a bishop is called to be a father of unity, peace, and mutual indwelling, especially in today’s world of isolation and digital alienation.
He also spoke about his ministry in South Africa, where he has served since 2019 in the Holy Metropolis of Johannesburg and Pretoria. He expressed his profound gratitude to Metropolitan Damaskinos for his paternal ethos, kindness, gentleness, and missionary example — qualities that played a decisive role in his own spiritual maturation.
Concluding his address, His Grace entrusted his ministry to the venerable hands of the Patriarch, promising to work faithfully and devotedly for the witness of the Gospel in Africa, “the continent of the future.”
Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa, addressing the Bishop-Elect of Eleusis, Timotheos, with paternal affection, emphasized that his election to episcopal office is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and not a human choice. Drawing upon apostolic foundations, he underlined that the bishop is the visible sign of the unity of the people with Christ — the Shepherd who lays down His life for the flock.
The Patriarch described the Bishop-Elect’s journey as one guided by divine providence: from heroic Crete and its deep-rooted Orthodox tradition, to his theological formation in Boston, to his ministry in Athens, Cairo, and finally his missionary service in South Africa.
With profound theological insight, His Beatitude explained that the episcopate is not power but Cross, and a participation in the self-emptying of Christ. The bishop must be “pure before purifying, radiant before enlightening,” according to Saint Gregory the Theologian, and must draw his strength from the Eucharistic unity in which he becomes both “the one who offers and the one who is offered.”
In closing, His Beatitude called upon the Bishop-Elect to become a light and a source of hope for the fullness of the Church, to rekindle the gift of God within him, and to walk always in humility and obedience to the holy will of the Lord.
