On October 13th, the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Pope Theodore II, celebrated the consecration of the Holy Church of the Resurrection of the Lord in the city of Blantyre, Malawi. The event was celebrated by the Christians with traditional local dances and songs, as a significant change in the region, which was previously characterized by outlawry, as pointed out by His Eminence, Bishop of Blatterbury, in the past. Malawi’s Member of Parliament, Felix N’jawala, who represented the country’s Parliament at the event. Furthermore, the Chief of Police in the area Mr. Mazonga who represented the country’s Security Forces asserted that within this place “there is salvation”, while the local tribal chief Mr. Magasa stressed that this church “is the most beautiful in the area” and thanked the Patriarchate of Alexandria for the great gift it has offered to the people of Malawi. And indeed, the magnificent Church of the Resurrection, which was erected at the expense of the Brotherhood of the Foreign Mission of Thessaloniki, is impressive with theschool complex of the Holy Metropolis operating right next to it with more than 200 students. Also, in an adjacent area, there is a translation centre and printing house of the local Church, where it has so far translated more than 100 different (mainly ecclesiastical) publications and even in the local Chichewa dialect. Finally, there is a medical clinic for the needs of the natives in the same area. “This church and all these facilities were built for you, the children of Malawi,” said the MacPatriarch, who was accompanied on this visit by the relevant Metropolitan, Mons. Zambia and Malawi Mr. Joachim, Theophil. Bishop John of Mozambique and Theophil. Bishop Nicodemus of Nitria.
The construction of the Resurrection of the Lord in Blantyre, which is also the centre of the mission in the region, began in the year 2009, when the Diocese of Zambia and Malawi secured the ownership of the site.
In fact, the Malawian MP representing the country’s Parliament expressed the view that it would be good to expand the church space even further. And the Alexandrian Primate promised that he will do everything possible to make use of this space and even build a hospital for the area. At the same time, he also expressed his great satisfaction that these days he is close to the Malawian flock he served until his election to the Patriarchal Throne of St. Mark’s as Metropolitan of Zimbabwe, a country that is small in size but great in importance. Finally, he thanked the Venerable Metropolitan of Zambia for the works and activities he has developed in the region, as well as the Archpriest Commissioner of Malawi, Rev. Fr. Hermolaos Iatrou, and the sacred clergy.
