At the beginning of September, by the grace of God, we made a pastoral visit to the Republic of Benin. Arriving in Cotonou, the largest city in the country, we met with the priests of the region and discussed the various issues of the parishes and especially the ever-increasing challenges they are facing from the various charismatic Pentecostal movements that are rapidly developing in the country. The next day and after a 4-hour drive, we arrived in the city of Abomey, which for centuries was the capital of the historic kingdom of Dahomey. Here the French colonialists met fierce resistance until they captured, exiled and killed the local lord. In this city there is an Orthodox Church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ and to Saint Moses the Ethiopian. The parish priest Fr. Moses, a native clergyman and history teacher at a college in the area, with great patience and prayer worked for the creation of small communities in neighboring villages. Noteworthy is the enthusiastic participation of a sufficient number of educated young people who are seeking a deeper acquaintance with Orthodox spirituality and the inauguration of the Orthodox tradition in the cultural data of their place. In other words, for the incarnation of the Gospel in the historical moment, in the here and now, which is the goal of the genuine missionary work of our Church.
On Saturday, September 5, in this Church we celebrated the funeral service of the mother of Fr. Timotheos, Archpriest Commissioner of Benin, with the participation of all the clergy and a large number of faithful who filled the church and the courtyard. Especially important was the presence of many academics, as Fr. Timothy is a professor at the Law School of the University of Cotonou.
The next day, Sunday, we went to the small community of the Nativity of the Virgin and St. Porphyry of Gazi.. We prayed with the small congregation of the area and discussed at length answering questions of faith. What we found very important was the testimony of their personal experiences of God’s presence in their lives. Among the various narratives, we listened with attention and admiration to the testimonies of the miraculous presence of Saints Spyridon and Porphyry in several cases of infertility. The testimony of a mother about the healing of her daughter, who had been crippled for seven years, through the intercession of the Saint, was shocking! A fact that led the local chiefs, the majority of whom were pagans, to expel the small parish from their village, just as Jesus was once expelled from the land of the Gadarenes. A hospitable place for our community is now the neighbouring village.
Full of experience and strength, we took the next day on the road back to our country, glorifying the name of the Triune God and praying that he continues to bless the efforts of his workers, clergy and laity, in the beautiful country of Benin.
† Alexander of Nigeria
