The Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Theodoros II, was a guest by phone on the show “Faraway words” on Wednesday, December 21. “Listening to the “Voice of Greece”, I mentally travel to my first post abroad, in Odessa, Russia then, Ukraine today. For hours on cold evenings, I’d move the dial of the radio that my mother had given me left and right, to listen to the “Voice of Greece”. I loved this station” he said characteristically to Natasa Vissarionos and added “Our ears were listening to the ‘Voice’ and our eyes filled with tears… Only those who are away from their homeland or sailors can feel these feelings…”.
The Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa Theodoros II spoke about his life’s journey from Crete, where he was born, to Odessa, and from there to Africa, the “Continent of the future” as he called it. He talked about the rich missionary work of the Patriarchate in the 45 countries of Africa, with the creation of schools, orphanages, medical and cultural centers, and as he said, wherever he traveled, even in the most remote parts of the African continent, he met Greeks. “There is no part of Africa, village, city, even in the jungle, where I have not met a Greek person. I go to them and we speak the Greek language,” he emphasized.
He also spoke about the project of renovation and restoration of historical Greek Orthodox churches such as St. Catherine in Suez, which opened its doors a few days ago, but also to the grandiose plan to renovate the largest church in the Middle East, the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of Christ in Port Said.
The living conditions in African countries, the children who play barefoot but keep a smile on their faces, the war in Ukraine where thousands of people of the Greek diaspora lived, the celebration of the great Christmas holiday in Africa and the Egyptian Greek diaspora, still going strong, starred in the conversation while the Patriarch sent his wishes for a good year to Greek Diaspora!