Patriarchal Tour in Kisangani
The airplane has already arrived, and the door opens to reveal, for the first time in the history of the Diocese of Kisangani and Grande Orientale, the venerable figure of a uniquely great man of our world. A great man whose greatness, however, is not judged by earthly titles—which those holding the reins of the world’s ‘chariots’ always ostentatiously and haughtily display—but lies in something far more unseen and invisible to common eyes. The white-haired, venerable Patriarch and Shepherd of our land, who knows how to adorn himself and wear the garment of magnificent humility, which is the boast of saints and the root of all good in this world, has thus arrived in our land.
With his pilgrim’s staff in hand, on our African soil, and his heart turned towards heaven, he humbly descends and embraces his child, looking simultaneously into his face, and beyond his face, at the land he has trodden for over 5 years now, through the presence of his Bishop.
Kisangani. The glorious and historic capital of the eponymous Grande Orientale, by no means unknown in the history of Congo. The ‘island city,’ as the name of our city is translated, where the two great rivers, the Congo and the Tshopo, meet to embrace our poor world day and night, like two watery angels of life and eternal solace.
Walking now towards the Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, he bows and blesses our people, with tears in his eyes, amidst hymns and songs, dances and shouts of our land, amidst children, women, and men. Though adorned in tiara and purple vestments, he extended his hands with humility and paternal affection.
In his speech, he will praise his people, the local Bishop, the city’s authorities, representatives of other denominations, every common person, all the faithful, whom he himself invites into the Church, even though he knows the space is very limited for such a large crowd. He wholeheartedly prays for his Diocese, for the city of Kisangani, for peace in our land which is undergoing the trial of wars and local hostilities, specifically for peace in Ituri, but also for all of Congo, for the local government, for every common person, and especially for our young people. He mourns the loss of civilians, especially in 2025, and prays for the beginning of the Church’s great works, starting with the Greek Communities, for whom the time has come to demonstrate, through cooperation with the Church, the philanthropic face of the Hellenic Orthodox Spirit.
In the afternoon, he will perform the inauguration of the Holy Church of Saint Anna and Saint Catherine, from where he will pray that the Church becomes a missionary, educational, and monastic center for the region.
With a thirsty countenance, he will sit on the banks of the Congo River, gazing and praying secretly, without uttering a single word. Only one prayer is heard from his lips: “My God, grant the peace of this river of Yours to our city, to our Diocese, and fill it, like these serene waters of the Congo, with true believers who will water in spirit and fish in faith and hope for its countless spiritual fish.”
During the festive and solemn Divine Liturgy, he will once again lay hands upon the head of our first deacon, to bestow upon him the second degree of the priesthood and to pray that he becomes a foundation of love and sacrifice for his land, the rock of Faith and Truth. Father Petros, the Bishop’s first ordination to the diaconate, now becomes the first ordination to the presbyterate, by the hands of the Patriarch, in Grande Orientale.
The governor of the region will express gratitude once again for the Patriarchate’s interest and practical love for our land, and will pray that the Patriarch’s visit proves fruitful and marks the beginning of a new day for the work of the Orthodox Church in Orientale.
The time for departure has come. Have a good journey, most venerable, beloved Father, and may we meet again soon.
Polycarpos of Kisangani
