With great solemnity, the Sacred Commemoration of the Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit was celebrated in Alexandria over the two days of 16–17 February 2026, on the occasion of the name day of Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and All Africa.
On the day of the feast, the Patriarch presided over the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified in Alexandria. He was flanked by Archbishop Symeon of Sinai, Pharan and Raitho, Abbot of the Sacred Imperial and Autonomous Monastery of Saint Catherine on the God-trodden Mount Sinai, together with the Metropolitans Nicholas of Hermopolis, Nicodemus of Memphis, Savvas of Nubia, Narkissos of Pelusium, and Germanos of Tamiathus, as well as the Bishops Kosmas of Constantinianis, Stephanos of Hippo, and Damaskinos of Mareotis. From within the Holy Sanctuary, Bishop Nicodemus of Nitria was also present in prayerful participation.
Attending the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy were the Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Ioannis Pyrgakis, the President of the Greek Community of Alexandria, Andreas Vafeiadis, the Captain of the Hellenic Navy, Chrysostomos Ragkos, Naval Attaché to Egypt, presidents of associations and representatives of Greek, local, and Arab-speaking communities, as well as a multitude of devout faithful who came to offer their filial greetings to the Beacon of the Church of the Apostle Mark.
In his address to the Archbishop of Sinai, the Patriarch expressed his joy and heartfelt gladness at the latter’s honored presence on the day of his name feast, emphasizing the historic and spiritual bond between the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Sacred Imperial and Autonomous Monastery of Saint Catherine of the God-trodden Mount Sinai.
In elevated ecclesiastical discourse, he referred to the centuries-long course of relations between the two ecclesiastical institutions in the land of the Nile, which, as he characteristically noted, were tested over the centuries but ultimately became firmly established in peace and canonical order, especially following the agreement of 1932, the fruit of wise ecclesiastical stewardship and responsible dialogue.
With paternal boldness, he likened Archbishop Symeon to a “new Moses,” called to lead the Sinaitic Brotherhood amid contemporary challenges toward the safe harbor of grace and salvation, while stressing that the Patriarchal embrace of Alexandria remains ever open.
Deeply moved, the Patriarch referred to his blessed elder, the late Metropolitan of Rethymno (formerly of Lambi and Sfakia), Theodore Tzedakis (†1996), who, as the Patriarch noted, “implanted within me a love for the Holy Land and for the God-trodden Mount Sinai.” He recalled the accounts of the blessed hierarch of Crete from his eighteen-month residence at the Monastery of Saint Catherine, where he had been sent in 1973 by the Academy of Athens to study an important sixteenth-century manuscript. He further noted that from him he learned that the Archbishop of Sinai is also addressed as the “King of the Desert.”
Special mention was made of the stable and secure environment of Egypt, where for centuries the Orthodox presence has lived in peace and protection, expressing gratitude to the State and the country’s leadership for safeguarding religious freedom and social cohesion.
In response, Archbishop Symeon warmly thanked the Patriarch for the evident and genuine love he has shown toward him, noting that their acquaintance dates back to 1990, when the foundations were laid for a spiritual relationship and communication that has remained uninterrupted for nearly forty years. He expressed his gratitude for the constant support shown to the Sinaitic Brotherhood and emphasized that the honor bestowed upon him today “does not concern me personally, but constitutes recognition of the centuries-old history and spiritual tradition of the Sacred Autonomous Monastery of Saint Catherine.”
In conclusion, the Patriarch offered the Archbishop, as a special blessing and tangible sign of paternal love, his personal Patriarchal encolpia, so that whenever he wears them while officiating at the Monastery of Saint Catherine on the God-trodden Mount Sinai, he may remember in his prayers the Ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria, and that the Lord, through the intercessions of Saint Catherine, may also strengthen the great missionary and philanthropic work carried out on the African continent.
At midday on the same day, the official reception of Archbishop Symeon took place in the Throne Hall of the Patriarchal Cathedral of Alexandria, in the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, as well as the hierarchs and clergy of the Throne.
On the eve of the feast, the Archbishop presided at the festal Vespers in honor of Saint Theodore the Recruit at the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of Saint Sabbas.
The celebrations concluded in an atmosphere of spiritual emotion and ecclesiastical unity, with common prayer for the health and longevity of the Patriarch and for the peaceful course of the historic spiritual institutions of Alexandria and the God-trodden Sinai.
It is particularly worth noting that this constitutes the first official visit of Archbishop Symeon of Sinai, Pharan and Raitho to the Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria following his episcopal consecration. With filial reverence and ecclesiastical consistency, the Archbishop came to offer respect and love, and to receive the Patriarch’s blessings and prayers, as a continuation of a relationship shaped through centuries of Orthodox witness.
This official visit represents a union of the desert with the missionary witness of Africa, affirming that the sacred bonds remain unshaken by time and trial. It is not merely a ceremonial act, but a testimony that the desert and mission converse in love, sealing the living and unbroken spiritual unity of two historic and venerable centers of Orthodoxy.
Translation: Ioanna Georgakopoulou
