On Sunday, February 8, 2026, students from the Experimental Music Gymnasium of Pallini—the oldest music school in Greece—paid a visit to the Patriarchal See in Alexandria.
The visit took place within the framework of the twinning partnership between the school and the Averofeio Gymnasium and Lyceum of Alexandria, a relationship that has been in place since 1996.
The five-day educational trip of the students to Egypt forms part of a broader cycle of educational and cultural initiatives aimed at bringing together education with the history and culture of Alexandria.
The visit was proposed and organized by the school’s Director, Mr. Alexandros Galanopoulos, who previously served for five years as a teacher and Director of the Averofeio Gymnasium and Lyceum of Alexandria, as well as a professor at the Patriarchal School of Saint Athanasios.
The students visited the seat of the ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, where they were warmly and lovingly received by Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, His Beatitude Theodore II. The Patriarch’s heartfelt welcome filled the students with emotion, joy, and enthusiasm.
In his paternal address to the children, Patriarch Theodore spoke with simplicity and wisdom about the importance of music in the lives of the peoples of Africa. He emphasized that for Africans, music is not merely an art form or entertainment, but a way of life, a form of prayer, and a cry of hope—a means through which people express pain, joy, gratitude, and faith.
He underlined that through music, people in Africa learn to endure, to hope, and to share life with one another, as sound becomes a language of the heart that unites generations, tribes, and cultures.
The Patriarch encouraged the students to love music not only as a science and an art, but also as a spiritual gift and responsibility—one that can build bridges, heal souls, and bring light where there is darkness.
He also expressed his warm gratitude to Mr. Galanopoulos for his continuous love and support for the Patriarchate of Alexandria, as well as for his valuable past service at the Patriarchal School of Saint Athanasios, contributing significantly to the formation of generations of young people.
On behalf of the school, Mr. Galanopoulos thanked the Patriarch for the warm and fatherly reception and for the love with which he always embraces the student youth.
