On May 10, 2022, Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa presided over the Holy Patriarchal Church of St. Nicholas in the coastal district of Ibrahemia, Alexandria, in commemoration of the transfer of the holy relic of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia.
After the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch presided in the Patriarchal Order at the ceremony of the enthronement of the Bishop of Brazzaville and Gabon, Bishop Panteleimon of Naucratis, the Chief Secretary and Member of the Holy and Sacred Synod.
After addressing the enthroned Metropolitan, the Patriarch referred to his benevolent ministry in the Presbyterian Church of St. Mark’s for sixteen (16) consecutive years, from 2006 to date, of which the first seven in the Patriarchal See in Alexandria and the next nine in his mission in the African land.
He noted emphatically that “few archpriests in the history of the Throne have had their hearts tested and wounded by human wickedness and envy as much as yours in the exercise of your pastoral duties in equatorial Africa. But this trial has glorified you, my beloved son. Like gold, in a crucible, you were tried, but as the Three Children in a furnace, you glorified the Name of the Triune God, armed always with obedience to the Church, humility, and devotion to duty.”
He also mentioned that the historic Holy Church of St. Nicholas of Ibrahemia, of which the Patriarch performed the inauguration exactly one year ago, on May 10, 2021, after the completion of the renovation works under the tireless supervision of the distinguished and modest Patriarchal Commissioner of Alexandria, then Metropolitan of Naucratis, now Metropolitan Narkissos of Pelusium, will henceforth be the See of the Holy Metropolis of Naucratis in the wider region of eastern Alexandria.
In the end, he invoked the honors of the Virgin Mary and the blessing of Bishop Dorotheos I (Stekas) of Syros, who ordained Panteleimon, as well as his parents Andreas and Evangelia Arathymou, who live in Tinos, to accompany the Metropolitan of Naucratis in his new ministry near the Patriarch, while he expressed his grateful thanks to the Metropolitan Dorotheos II of Syros-Tinos, near whom Panteleimon resided as Preacher and Director of Services of the Holy Monastery of Syros, for his uninterrupted support to the Patriarchate.
In response to the above words, the Metropolitan referred to the multiple benefits he received from the Patriarch and the Patriarchate to his important pastoral ministry in the Holy Monastery of Brazzaville and the experience he gained from it, he stressed the power of prayer and forgiving love as an answer to every form of difficulty wherever it comes from and he expressed his lifelong gratitude and devotion to the Throne of St. Mark and his spiritual Father and Benefactor, “the always smiling, discreet and positive in thought and attitude of life, Patriarch Theodore, who knows perfectly well how to spread only joy through every action of His”.
The enthronement of Metropolitan Naucratis was attended by Metropolitan Narkissos of Pelusios, Patriarchal Commissioner of Alexandria, Bishop Germanos of Tamiathos, the Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of Saint Savvas of Alexandria and Neelopolis, Mr. Nicodemos, the Director of the Private Patriarchal Office, clergymen of the Patriarchal Court and the Archdiocese of Alexandria, representatives of the community authorities, etc.
Curriculum Vitae
Bishop Panteleimon (Arathymos) of Naucratis, Exarch of the Nile of Egypt, was born in the Holy Island of Tinos in the year 1974. He is a graduate of the Department of Theology of the Theological Faculty of the University of Athens and a graduate of the French Institute of Athens. He speaks English, French and Italian.
He was ordained Deacon in 2000 and Presbyter-Archimandrite in 2001 by Metropolitan Dorotheos A of Syros (1965-2001), while he served as Preacher and Director of Services of the Holy Metropolis of Syros, close to Metropolitan Dorotheos II of Syros (2001).
Called in September 2006 to the Patriarchate of Alexandria, he served successively as Director of Development Projects, Codicil of the Holy Synod, Director of the Patriarchal Private Office, and Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod. He is also a member of the Patriarchal Commission for European Affairs, as well as of the Inter-Orthodox Commission on Bioethics, and the Advisory Board of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), representing the Presbyterian Church of Alexandria.
He accompanied Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa during official visits and missionary journeys, while he represented the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria in inter-orthodox, inter-church, inter-religious, international, and scientific meetings.
On November 21, 2012, upon the proposal of the Patriarch of Alexandria, he was elected by the Holy and Sacred Synod as the first Bishop of the Holy Diocese of Brazzaville and Gabon, he was ordained as Archpriest on December 2, 2012, by the Patriarch Theodore II at the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of Alexandria, where he served as Priestly Supervisor during the years 2006-2012.
The Holy Diocese of Brazzaville and Gabon was established by Patriarchal and Synodal Tome on October 7, 2010, and was elevated to a Holy Metropolis on October 24, 2017.
During his pastorate, the Metropolitan completed unfinished Churches, the most notable being the Holy Cathedral of St. Demetrius Pointe-Noire which was consecrated by Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa, on 17 February 2018 during his official visit to the Congo, he built new Churches, he baptized many new Christians, he ordained new clergy, he made the ecclesiastical institutions of his ecclesiastical province a model, gave it economic autonomy through the creation of permanent sources of income, and achieved the recognition of Orthodoxy as one of the official Churches of the Republic of Gabon by issuing a Presidential Decree.
He also served as the first non-African President of the National Council of Christian Churches of the Republic of Congo in its fifty-year history, established it legally through the issuance of a Ministerial Decree, gave it its first legal statutes, thoroughly renovated its headquarters, and provided financial self-sufficiency.
On January 30, 2019, upon the decision of the President of the Republic of Congo, he received the highest honorary distinction of the country, the medal and title of Knight Officer of the aforementioned Republic.
On January 12, 2022, he was elected as acting Synodal Bishop of Naucratis, again assuming the duties of the Chief Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa.
