During the recent visit of Patriarch Theodoros II to Burundi from 27th November to 4th December, upon the request of Metropolitan Innocentios, the Patriarch blessed and relieved him of his duties as the Metropolitan of Burundi and Rwanda.
The request came in due to the poor health state of Metropolitan Innocentios which has been inconsistent for close to four years now.
Born in 1967 in Eastern Uganda in the city of Jinja, Metropolitan Innocentios Byakatonda studied in the United States at the Holy Cross Hellenic College in Boston and for long has been involved in service to the Orthodox Mission in Africa in different countries such as Kenya, where he served as a Vicar General and left a notifiable impact on the growth of Orthodoxy in that country as well as having an instrumental role in the prosperity of Makarios III Orthodox Theological seminary in Nairobi.
He has served as the Hierarch of the Metropolis of Burundi and Rwanda for 11 years since November 21, 2012, when he was elected by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa as Bishop of Burundi and Rwanda with the main sea in Bujumbura.
During his tenure, Metropolitan Innocientios continuously fronted the development of Orthodoxy in the countries he served.
The metropolitan will finally retire back to his home country in Uganda in the City of Jinja where he will continue providing words of wisdom and spiritual guidance. He will open up personal social media handles where he will continuously deliver his sermons, homilies, and other content.
