The Metropolitan of Pelusium at Our Fraternity’s Synaxis
His Eminence Metropolitan Narcissus of Pelusium attended the synaxis of the Orthodox External Mission Fraternity on Sunday, January 11, where he also blessed the Vasilopita for the new year.
His Eminence shared his rich experiences from missionary work in various regions of Africa, recounting his journey from Bishop of Nubia (South Sudan) to Metropolitan of Accra (Ghana and Ivory Coast) and from there to Metropolitan of Naucratis as an administrative executive of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, where he formed a comprehensive picture of the Orthodox Church’s Missions on the African continent.
He presented the Metropolis of Pelusium, which takes its name from the muddy terrain of the region. The Metropolis, where he has served since 2022, includes three large cities in Egypt with a total population of over 3 million: Port Said, Damietta, and Mansoura. He made special mention of the renovation work on the Church of the Transfiguration in Port Said, which was in a state of disrepair and has been fully restored, as well as the construction of a new Church of Saint Panteleimon in New Damietta. He also referred to the historic Greek community of Port Said, which consisted mainly of workers from Kasos employed in the Suez Canal. Many graduates of the city’s Greek school later staffed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece.
With moving testimonies, he described the extremely difficult conditions in South Sudan: the 35-year war that led to independence in 2011, the presence of weapons and landmines, the lack of basic infrastructure, diseases such as malaria, and the region’s tribal complexity. A characteristic reference was made to an incident where, due to the absence of an censer, he was forced to use a rusty Kalashnikov magazine to place the incense!
His Eminence praised Ghana as the “best mission,” emphasizing the innate faith, piety, and dignity of the Ghanaians, who discovered Orthodoxy themselves through a book by the late Bishop Kallistos Ware.
Finally, he stressed that Church administration requires transparency, self-sacrifice, prayer, and adaptability to the peculiarities of each place. “In Mission, you will not change others to be like you, but you must change and adapt.”
Previously, the Metropolitan of Pelusium celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Church of Panagia Acheiropoietos, where he preached to the large congregation.
