Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria expressed gratitude to the Egyptian authorities that allowed the churches to operate today. On the Feast of the Epiphany, the service of the Blessing of the Waters was celebrated in an atmosphere charged with emotion at the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Alexandria.
“In this great city of Alexandria, I would like to thank God that we have the opportunity to keep our churches open with the permission of the state authorities. We have the chance to greet our brothers in Greece, the Prime Minister, the Archbishop, Cyprus, the President and the Archbishop,” he stressed.
Patriarch Theodore greeted in his homily “all of our brothers who celebrate and rejoice the Feast of the Epiphany worldwide.” “Some people are sad at home but the blessing of God will come to their hearts. Some others are hoping for a better future,” he said.
The Patriarch also thanked the Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Athanasios Kotsionis, for his presence.
He also greeted the Greek Communities, the Brotherhoods and the Associations of the parish. The Chair of the Hellenic Naval Club of Alexandria, Lilika Thlivitou, the vice-president of the Greek Community of Cairo, Michalis Grunstein, the Patriarchal Vicar of Alexandria, Metropolitan Narcissus of Naukratis, Bishop Germanos of Tamiatheus, the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, Fr. Nikodimos Totkas, and the clergy also attended the service.
“May the blessing of God be with us, may the good old days come again, and may we all together – as a family – always have the blessing of Christ. Loneliness is tiring for humans. When we are all together it is as if we were in paradise on Earth,” he pointed out. He also wished: “The blessing of baptised Jesus Christ who will bring courage, hope and light in the darkness and in the difficult times due to the pandemic.” “May the Mediterranean region, which was blessed, send the message of reconciliation of the peoples,” he added.
The Patriarch of Alexandria did not cast the Holy Cross into the sea this year since the celebration did not take place at the facilities of the Greek Naval Club. The Patriarchate of Alexandria and the parish followed the guidelines of the Egyptian authorities so as to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
