In a special ceremony held on Friday, February 2, 2024, at the Kalamata Dance Hall, Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa was conferred the title of Honorary Citizen of the Municipality of Kalamata, following a unanimous decision of the Municipal Council.
The Mayor, Athanasios Vassilopoulos, expressed, “We are honored to welcome the first Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa to our city, marking a significant moment in the historical journey of the Church of Christ through the centuries.
The Municipal Council unanimously voted and proclaimed the Patriarch Honorary Citizen of Kalamata, expressing with its unanimity our common understanding of his important and beneficial contribution to the Church and Orthodoxy, but also our heartfelt gratitude for his great missionary, humanitarian, and social work.”
Subsequently, Anastasios Iliopoulos, the President of the Municipal Council of Kalamata, announced the Municipal Council’s decision, proclaiming the Patriarch of Alexandria as an Honorary Citizen. This esteemed recognition was extended in acknowledgment of his noteworthy missionary and social endeavors, along with his significant contributions to Orthodoxy.
In his reply, the Patriarch of Alexandria said: “I am delighted to be among you because you, Mayor, and the City Council of the capital of Messinia, the city of Kalamata, have chosen to honor me with the title of Honorary Citizen of the Municipality of Kalamata. In the morning, we solemnly celebrated the feast of the Presentation, celebrating the highest mystery of the Church, the Mystery of the Divine Eucharist. And now, we are all gathered in the jewel of the city, the Central Stage of the Kalamata Dance Hall, to officially bestow upon me the great honor of being named an honorary citizen of your city.
“I extend my deepest gratitude for this supreme honor, which, let me state, does not belong to me, the humble Patriarch Theodore, but belongs to the Church that the Lord promised me to serve for a long time.”
Municipal Philharmonic of Kalamata and the School of Byzantine Music of the Holy Metropolis of Messinia.
