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Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus
During his lifetime, the most
contradictory views have been expressed concerning the personality and
conduct of Archbishop Makarios. He was a classical example of the
time-serving prelate, a superb diplomat who had an exceptional flair for
appropriate conduct, a staunch defender of Orthodoxy and wise leader
who helped the church to maintain its organization. His behavior often
looked opportunist, but he was able to carry on his shoulders the heavy
weight of responsibility for the conduct of ecclesiastical and political
affairs during the most tragic and perplexing period of Cypriot
history. His interest in expanding Orthodoxy in Africa is well known,
and can only hope that the good work he started in this field will
continue and bear fruit. His soul will forever rejoice with the progress
and the expansion of the church all over Africa.
Archbishop Makarios, President of Cyprus, died on 3rd August 1977.
“It is with profound shock and great
sadness that I have learned of the tragic and untimely death of
Archbishop Makarios. President Makarios’ life-long struggle for the true
political independence of Cyprus, social and religious justice for all
people and his personal devotion to the service of humankind were
admired by the many friends who will remember him for a long time. The
noble ideals and universal principles for which Archbishop Makarios
lived should remain a guiding-light for the entire world. In his passing
away Kenya has indeed lost an irreplaceable friend.” (Mzee Jomo
Kenyatta, President of Kenya)
Building a Nation — Building a Church
In Cyprus as well as in Kenya — and
perhaps universally too — the name Makarios will always be associated
with the end of the era of Colonialism.
Cyprus was a very important place in the
history of colonial rule. The leader of the struggle for the
independence of the island was Archbishop Makarios, who was at the same
time the head of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus and the “Ethnarch” — the
leader of the Nation.
Kenya, at the same time, was also under
colonial rule and the people or fighters, known as MauMau, were also
trying to liberate Kenya from the British administration. Their leader
was Jomo Kenyatta, a fervent nationalist and sincere fighter.
It was during the time of his exile that
Archbishop Makarios tasted the need of establishing missionary work in
Kenya. When he was freed from the Seychelles Islands, he spent one week
in Nairobi on his way to Athens. It was then that he met the Kenyan
people for the first time and made public statements about freedom and
justice to those under British administration.
On Sunday 14th April 1957, Archbishop
Makarios celebrated the divine liturgy in the Cathedral of Sts.
Anargyroi, Nairobi, thus becoming the first Orthodox bishop ever to
officiate in that church. This day will remain a memorable
ecclesiastical event in Kenya.
Official Visit to Kenya — January 1970
In January 1970, Archbishop Makarios paid
an official visit to Kenya as the guest of President Kenyatta. He was
given the warm welcome of a hero and national leader. Upon his arrival
at the airport, African Orthodox priests were waiting to welcome him. As
Archbishop Makarios came to know of the existence of the African
Orthodox Church, he felt the need to spread the Orthodox faith and love;
the spirit of peace and freedom, which was his deepest wish and desire.
On his way back to Cyprus Archbishop Makarios made the following statement:
“What especially moved me is the fact
that in the eastern region of Africa there are there are thousands of
Africans who follow the Orthodox faith. I sincerely believe that Greece
can contribute to the christianizing of hundreds of thousands of
Africans and through Orthodoxy the Greek spirit will shed light through
the immense African continent.”
Archbishop Makarios was already showing
his deepest desire, which he would very soon communicate to the
Patriarchate of Alexandria, as the whole of the African continent was
under its jurisdiction.
On July 1970, Patriarch Nicholas of
Alexandria paid an official visit to the Church of Cyprus. Archbishop
Makarios speaking to the press made the following remarks:
Answer 1: Through the visit in Cyprus of
His Beatitude the Patriarch of Alexandria Nicholas, the friendly ties
existing since ancient times between the Patriarchate of Alexandria and
the Church of Cyprus became stronger. In addition, wide areas of
co-operation were delineated.
We have exchanged opinions with the
Patriarch on the advancement of the missionary work of the Patriarchate
in Eastern Africa. I think that the Church of Cyprus is in a position to
contribute in the effort of the Patriarchate to spread the Orthodox
Christian Faith among the indigenous population of the African continent
and especially in the Eastern African countries where already a few
thousand Africans have accepted Orthodoxy. For this purpose, the
Archbishopric of Cyprus is ready to contribute in the establishment of a
Theological Seminary in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi.
In my recent visit in Eastern Africa I
realized that there is a vast field for the development of such
missionary action. We are also in a position to help, although in small
measure, with the provision of priests and teachers from Cyprus for the
fulfillment of the spiritual needs of the Greek Communities under the
Patriarchate. Moreover, when we have a School of Theology in Cyprus, the
establishment of which has already been decided, this will also serve
as a spiritual source for the Patriarchate of Alexandria as well, and it
will significantly contribute in providing for human resources and
offering spiritual support to it.
Beyond the co-operation of the two sister
Churches in the spiritual and educational fields, we are willing to
support the Patriarchate financially, as well. We are aware of the
difficult conditions and the financial problems the Patriarchate of
Alexandria is facing. We will help the Patriarch in his plans for
development of the space of the old buildings of the Monastery of St.
Savvas in a way that it will provide a sustainable income for the
Patriarchate.
Private visit to Kenya — March 1971
“The Cypriot leader, who arrived here on
Friday on a three day private visit, has every reason — as he said in
Embakasi — to feel comparatively at home in Kenya… the Archbishop said
he was happy to be in Kenya briefly, secure in the belief that the
Orthodox community were winning because Kenya’s Uhuru struggle was
entering its most crucial phase. Most of the local ‘Karinga’ (who were
also known as Independent and Orthodox) denominational leaders and
educators, among them some of the ordained priests now playing host to
President Makarios, were in detention. President Makarios’ visit should
be able to disabuse those who in their calculated ignorance misinterpret
African-Christian-Orthodoxy as ‘paganism’.” (Henry Gathigira, “Makarios
quite right to feel at home” — Sunday Nation, 21st March, 1971).
An Offering to the Youth of Africa — The Foundation Stone of the Theological Seminary is Laid
Before leaving Cyprus for Kenya, (March 1971), Archbishop Makarios made the following statement:
“The purpose of my visit to Kenya is of
purely religious nature and importance. I am going to Nairobi where
today I shall lay the foundation stone of a Seminary to be built by the
Cypriot Archbishopric. The Seminary will greatly contribute, I believe,
to the promotion of missionary work in East Africa. The Seminary will
cater for African youth, who, once educated in the Orthodox Religion,
will subsequently serve as priests and missionaries on the African
continent.
I realized the possibilities of
developing missionary work in Africa a year ago, during my state visit
to East African countries. I have since had the idea that the
establishment of a well-organized Seminary would be a significant
contribution to this end. The idea has been readily adopted by H.B.
Patriarch Nicholas of Alexandria, under whose jurisdiction comes the
Orthodox Church all over Africa. The realization of this idea has also
been encouraged by the fact that the Kenyan government has made
available a suitable site for the construction of the Seminary and
particularly by the very favorable attitude of President Jomo Kenyatta
towards the project.
The existence of a very wide field for
Christians in Africa is also evidenced by the fact that Africans have
been joining the Orthodox Church in large numbers. During my three-day
stay in Kenya, I shall conduct mass christenings of some 5,000 natives
in two towns. It can be said that there has been no similar event since
the christianisation of the Slavs. And I am certain that many thousands
of Africans may adopt Orthodoxy. I am glad that the Church of Cyprus has
been given the divine blessing and privilege to be able to contribute
to the development of missionary work in African countries.”
An Apostle of the African Nation
As a modest and unassuming man,
Archbishop Makarios, full of charm and kindness, inspired many among the
Africans and elsewhere, and linked his life with the missionary work in
Africa in such a strong way that the locals consider him as an Apostle
of the African Nation. He did indeed manifest all his charisma and used
it to increase the Orthodox faith in Africa as a duty of his
ecclesiastical mission to the world.
Mass Baptism
On two occasions, during his visit to
Kenya in 1971, he performed mass baptisms of more than 5,000 people,
mostly of the Kikuyu tribe. The ceremonies took place at Waithaka and
Nyeri.
Archbishop Makarios communicated with the local Archbishop, Metropolitan Nicodimos, through the following letter:
His Eminence
The Metropolitan of Irinoupolis Mgr. Nicodimos,
c/o The Honorary Consul of Cyprus
Filios Grammenopoulos,
Muthaiga Road, P.O. Box 30515,
Nairobi
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Kenya notified us that his Government accepted with pleasure our
petition for the provision of land for the establishment of a
Theological Seminary. We are in the process of finalizing the matter and
we intend to visit Nairobi soon. Dr. Mistidis informed us that in the
next few days thousands of indigenous people from Nyeri and Riruta will
join Orthodoxy. We will be pleased if Your dear Eminence postponed the
baptisms for a few days in order to give to us also the joy of
participating in the ceremony of baptism, to coincide with the laying of
the foundation stone of the Seminary.
Nicosia, I February 1971
MAKARIOS OF CYPRUS
At the same time, Archbishop Makarios also sent the following letter to Patriarch Nicholas:
Your Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch
of Alexandria and All Africa, beloved to me and most erudite brother
and co-celebrant, Mgr. Nicholas,
During the recent visit in Cyprus of
Your beloved to us Beatitude, we gave You the promise to contribute
within our capabilities in the development of the missionary work of the
ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria in Africa. As a first step toward
realization of this promise, we decided to build in the capital of
Kenya, Nairobi, an Orthodox Theological Seminary for the Orthodox
indigenous people of Eastern Africa.
We already contacted the Government
of Kenya which has given a large piece of land suitable for building
this Seminary. His Eminence the Metropolitan of Irinoupolis Mgr.
Nicodimos has been informed of the steps taken. Following the successful
outcome of our actions, we have instructed an Architectural firm in
Cyprus to prepare plans for the above-mentioned Seminary, which we will
present to the Holy Metropolitan of Irinoupolis before their final
approval.
Because the above-mentioned, our dear
brother-in-Christ requested for us to visit his province as soon as
possible and strengthen his God-pleasing work morally and materially, we
recently decided to travel to Nairobi on the 19th of March for a
four-day visit, during which we will lay the foundation stone of the
above-described Seminary. We have arranged this visit together with the
Government of Kenya and His Eminence the Metropolitan of Irinoupolis.
Having orderly communicated the above to Your dear Beatitude, we are convinced that You will also rejoice at this news.
Asking for Your prayers and blessings
for the success of the goals of our trip, we embrace you and remain
your’s, Your Beatitude and brother in Christ,
Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus, 8 March 1971
MAKARIOS OF CYPRUS
After the performance of those baptisms it was reported in the African press that:
“….there had been requests by members of
the Orthodox Church all over the country for Archbishop Makarios to
baptize them…. This will not be possible because of his departure for
Nicosia tonight… His Beatitude, the President of the Republic Archbishop
Makarios, yesterday conducted mass christenings of 1,000 Africans, men
and women of all ages, in an atmosphere of devout concentration at a
suburb of Nairobi… All members of His Beatitude’s entourage acted as
godfathers to one or more children, most of them chose to be named
Makarios. His Beatitude gave a silver cross to each and every one
baptized.”
A Theological Seminary and a Technical School
On 22nd March 1971, Archbishop Makarios
laid the foundation stone of the Orthodox Seminary in Riruta, outside
Nairobi. At the end of the ceremony, he gave the following address:
“Your Excellencies, dear brothers, ladies
and gentlemen — When, a year ago, I visited this country, at the kind
invitation of my friend President Jomo Kenyatta, I had the opportunity
to meet many African Orthodox Christians and also Orthodox Christians in
other countries of East Africa, with whom I discussed their religious
problems. These meetings and discussions led me to the idea of
establishing a Theological Seminary in Nairobi, which would serve the
religious needs of the Orthodox Church in East Africa. And today, with
the blessing of God, I place the foundation stone of the Seminary of
this beautiful site, which was so generously made available for this
purpose by the government of Kenya. Our action today in founding this
Seminary is to help our African brothers in their search for the ways of
God in Christian virtue and brotherhood. With the blessings of Almighty
God we create here a center from which new Apostles of Christ will
spread the word of the Lord in this part of the world and administer the
comforting joy of the gospel in the hearts of our beloved African
brothers.
This Seminary, beyond the religious
purpose which it will serve, will constitute a symbol and an expression
of a permanent link of friendship and brotherhood between the people of
Kenya and the people of Cyprus. The foundation of this Seminary
constitutes yet another corner-stone in the consolidation of the
existing friendly relations between our two countries; relations that
have been founded by the belief in common ideals and common struggles.
I am deeply grateful to President
Kenyatta and the government of Kenya for the generous gesture in making
available this splendid terrain, thus making my idea of establishing
this Seminary a reality. I also wish to express my warm thanks to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya, Dr. Mungai, for his valuable
contribution to this project, and to all those who have helped in
various ways.
Parallel to the Seminary, I have plans
for the establishment of a Technical School for Kenyan boys and girls. I
believe that such an institution will contribute in a small way to the
efforts of the great leader of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, to develop the
technical and industrial possibilities of this wonderful country. We,
in Cyprus, are following with great interest the untiring efforts of the
government of Kenya and especially of its inspired leader to make this
country prosperous and happy. A great deal has already been achieved in
many fields since Kenya has gained its freedom. And now, with the
blessings of God, I place this foundation stone of the Orthodox
Christian Seminary with the wish to have the joy of inaugurating it in
the future.”
The proclamation of the foundation read as follows:
“In the Glory of God the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit. The President of the Republic of Kenya being
H.E. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa
being H.B. Nicholas VI and the Bishop in the Holy Archbishopric of
Irinoupolis being the Metropolitan Nicodimos, today in the day of the
week being Monday the twenty-second of the month of March of the year of
our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one in a holy ceremony
and by the hand of H.B. the Archbishop of Cyprus and President of the
Republic of Cyprus, Makarios III, the foundation stone was laid of this
Theological Seminary in Nairobi which is to be built by the expense of
the Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus.”
Metropolitan Nicodimos made the following speech that very historic day:
Your Beatitude, the Archbishop of New
Justinian and All Cyprus, Mgr. Makarios. We offer hymns and doxologies
to the Founder of our most Holy Church, our Lord Jesus Christ, on this
notable day and holy moment during which we see with great joy and
gratitude the brotherly and most kind assistance which the Church of the
martyr Apostle Barnabas promised a year ago to her sister Church of the
martyr Apostle and Evangelist Markos, to be materializing.
We are especially elated and rejoicing,
Your Beatitude and Holy Brother, because among the Hierarchs of the
autocephalous Orthodox Churches you are the First Who is visiting this
remote comer of the African continent in which the Holy Metropolis of
Irinoupolis does its mission work, and thus justifiably could be called a
Missionary Metropolis, and with a heart pulsating with holy and
humanitarian feelings and with pure and guileless intentions comes to
the assistance of Orthodox brothers in need in the titanic work which is
taking place here through the grace of God.
You are the Orthodox Hierarch who does
not only knows how to struggle for the noble ideals of the
Hellenic-Christian spirit and civilization, but also the only one who
has suffered everything for these ideals.
Your love to our most Holy Orthodoxy,
Your open mind and Your intuition for holy and great work led Your steps
here, and with the intelligence and wisdom which are characteristics of
Yours, You are taking on the great project of founding and radically
restructuring the Orthodox Seminary, which is destined to become a light
for all Africa in spreading the messages of our Hellenic Orthodox Faith
to our African brothers throughout this continent.
Through this work, and like another
Pantainos, Origen and Athanasios the Great, you are transmitting the
Orthodox Christian truth to our African brothers thus making them
partake of the high truth of the sweet Jesus of Nazareth.
Most respected Holy Brother,
Our joy is so great that not only me
personally, but also my flock, cannot find words to express our
gratitude to You, the Great National Ethnarch.
Through this help of Yours, and through
the expression of Your love for the mission work of my Metropolis,
through Your generositv. through Your most kind gesture, allow us to
consider You a Great Benefactor of the Metropolis of Irinoupolis, and
ardently wish that Lord our God grant You health and length of days, for
the glory of our dear Orthodoxy and our beloved country, the eternal
Greece.
Your four-day visit here allowed Your
Beatitude, holy Brother, to observe the life and action of our holy
mission. You saw the difficulties we are facing, You are a witness of
the numerous kinds of impediments and difficult-to-solve problems we are
dealing with. We are begging You to become, after your departure from
here, a herald of all these things you saw with your own eyes, so that
the everywhere pan-orthodox flock of our most Holy Church is moved to
come and assist us in our work for which we strive day and night.
Holy Angel of the Church of Cyprus,
Allow me to express to You the brotherly
gratitude of His Beatitude, my Venerable Father and Master, the Pope and
Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Mgr. Nicolaos the VI; of the
Holy Synod of the Church of the beloved Throne of Apostle Mark; of my
devout flock; and mine personally, and assure You that we will never
forget this great and kindest assistance from You.
Finally in conclusion I wish that God our Lord grant to your struggles bright and glorious success.
I also beg that you carry the brotherly
greetings of my flock in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to our Cypriot
brothers and assure them that we all pray to our Savior, Lord Jesus
Christ, to help them in their most noble struggle.
May the years of His Beatitude Makarios, the most Eminent Archbishop of New Justinian and All Cyprus be many!
The same morning the President of Kenya
had met Archbishop Makarios and said that the Archbishop’s name was like
a passport throughout Kenya, whose people considered His Beatitude as a
symbol of struggle and a fighter for world freedom. President Kenyatta
also expressed great joy for the spreading of Christianity in Kenya by
Archbishop Makarios and said that he, himself was a Christian.
Common struggle for freedom
Early in the morning of 23rd March,
Archbishop Makarios, on his arrival at Nicosia International airport,
made the following statement: “My short visit to Kenya has been for me a
religious experience that I shall always recall with emotion. Thousands
of Africans of every age, families and individuals, have adopted the
Christian Orthodox Religion through baptism. Within two days, I
conducted mass christenings of more than 5,000 persons. And the numerous
arrival to the christening would continue for days, if it were possible
to prolong my stay in the country.
The mass christenings conducted
constitute an event that will occupy a position in our Church history
and, especially, in the history of foreign missionary work by the
Orthodox Church. A black Orthodox Church is being built and expanded at
this moment in the eastern part of the African continent. And the flock
of this Church will, in the future, will number millions of Africans. I
am glad that among the godfathers of this African Church is the Church
of Cyprus.
My visit to Kenya was of a religious
nature and had no official character from the political point of view.
However, there were many friendly manifestations towards Cyprus both by
the Government and the people. Yesterday morning, I had a meeting of
common interest in a cordial atmosphere. The laying of the foundation
stone of the Seminary was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Kenya, Mr. Mungai, who in an address to the gathering referred to
Cyprus’ and Kenya’s liberation struggles and stressed the friendly bonds
between the two countries.”
Seminary completed a month before the “coup d’état”
The construction of the Seminary was
completed in June 1974, a month before the “coup d’etat” against
Archbishop Makarios. Archbishop Makarios spent about five months in
exile, during which he was trying to find a peaceful solution of the
Cyprus problem. When he returned to Cyprus in December 1974, the island
was in great distress, owing to the two invasions by Turkey. He did
everything he could: he used all his qualities and gifts to improve the
conditions of the 200,000 refugees.
Therefore, the Seminary was not in a
position to open, but when the general situation was improving he
decided to start preparing the function of the school.
On the 29th of March, 1971, Archbishop Makarios speaking at the session of the synod of the Church of Cyprus said:
Talking about joining the Christian
flock, we wish, dear Brothers, to share with you the joy we personally
experienced when a few days ago we visited Kenya. With God’s blessing,
we conducted mass baptisms of about five thousand indigenous people who
all became through the holy baptism members of the Orthodox Christian
Church. We were moved when we confirmed that many more thousand of the
indigenous population were ready to accept the Orthodox faith. These
mass baptisms constitute the beginning of the firm establishment and
extension in the Eastern part of Africa of an Orthodox Church which will
possibly soon count millions of faithful. We are rejoicing because the
Church of Cyprus is one of the godparents of this African Orthodox
Church. In order to contribute to the development of missionary work in
Africa, we decided to build a Theological Seminary at the expense of the
Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus, and we already set its foundation. This
Seminary will be preparing priests and missionaries for the advancement
of the Orthodox Christian Religion in the African continent. We have no
doubt that this work has the blessings and the support of the members of
the Holy Synod.
On another occasion Archbishop Makarios
visited privately Kenya and on his departure day, the 17th of September
1972 made the following statement:
“After a four-day stay in Seychelles, on
my return I remained in Nairobi for two days. I met the President of
Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta and I had unofficial meetings with other Government
officials. During my stay in the capital of Kenya, I dealt with issues
concerning the soon-to-be-completed Theological Seminary and I was also
present at a large assembly of indigenous people who had accepted the
Orthodox Christian Faith. My contact with the indigenous Orthodox
strengthened my conviction in the great possibility for spreading the
Orthodox Church in the African continent.”
Archbishop Makarios communicated the following information to the Patriarchate of Alexandria:
Your Beatitude the Patriarch of
Alexandria and All Africa, beloved to me and most erudite brother and
co-celebrant, Mgr. Nicolaos,
It is with great joy that we are
informing Your beloved to us Beatitude, that the Theological Seminary
under construction in Nairobi at the expense of the Holy Archbishopric
of Cyprus, and whose foundation stone we set in March 1971, is nearing
completion. Already the main wing of the College, consisting of the
classrooms, has been completed. This College, as Your Beatitude is aware
of, comprises, in addition to the classrooms and the Library, dormitory
and residences for the teachers. There is provision in the plans for
the erection of a Church and a building to house the Archbishopric.
With God’s blessings, we will be in
Kenya from the 9th of next month December, responding to invitation by
the President of Kenya Mr. Jomo Kenyatta, to be present at the
celebrations for the national day of the country. During the period of
our visit we would like, if Your Beatitude approves, to hold the opening
ceremony for the completed main wing of the above-mentioned College,
and probably baptize a good number of indigenous people.
Before our travel to Kenya, we intend
to send there His Grace Bishop of Constantia Mgr. Chrysostom, in order
to do the necessary preparations together with the local Church
administration. More information on this matter can be provided to Your
Beatitude by our Assistant Bishop, the commissioner of the present
letter.
Dutifully and orderly having communicated this to Your Beatitude, we are brotherly requesting , Your blessings and approval.
Additionally, in our wish to fulfill a
promise given to Your Beatitude for the contribution of our Holy
Archbishopric in the creation of sources to sustain the ancient
Patriarchate of Alexandria through the development of the space which
the old Patriarchal Building occupies, we are taking the opportunity to
send along with the Bishop of Constantia, the Architect Mr. Andreas
Philippou, in order for them to get informed of Your thoughts regarding
this project, toward the realization of which we are happy to
contribute.
Embracing You, we pray to God to keep and protect You for many years and in good health.
Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus,
27 November 1972
Your brother in Christ,
Makarios of Cyprus
August 1976
Archbishop Makarios’ next visit to Kenya
was delayed due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and it was not until
August 1976 that he had an opportunity to see the buildings of the
Seminary as well as of the Technical School completed.
During his stay in Nairobi, (10th – 22nd
August, 1976) Archbishop Makarios was present at a divine liturgy which
was celebrated at the Holy Trinity church, Mugauga. In a sermon that he
made on that occasion, he said:
“Once again I am visiting your
country. My ties with Kenya go back to the days of my exile to the
Seychelles, 20 years ago. At that time Kenya was a British Colony and
the Kenyans, under the leadership of Jomo Kenyatta, were struggling for
freedom and independence. When I was released from the Seychelles and on
my way back I came to Nairobi, where I stayed for a week. Jomo Kenyatta
with some leaders were then in prison. During my short stay, I visited
camps where many freedom fighters were detained. I also met many leading
personalities from whom I learnt certain details of the then prevailing
situation. A few years later, your struggle for freedom was crowned
with success and Kenya got its independence and so did my country,
Cyprus.
Kenya now under the leadership of the
great leader, Jomo Kenyatta, is making significant strides towards
development and progress. Cyprus and Kenya since their independence have
developed and maintained very friendly relations and have co-operated
in many fields.”
During my official visit here, at the
kind invitation of President Kenyatta, I conceived the idea of
establishing a Christian Orthodox Seminary to meet the needs of the
African faithful. With the permission of the Government and the
blessings of Patriarch Nicholas of Alexandria, under whose jurisdiction
comes the diocese of Irinoupolis and the entire Orthodox Church in
Africa, I founded the Seminary in Nairobi. I planned this short stay
here on my way back from the Colombo Conference to exchange views with
your Metropolitan Most Reverend Froumentios, and to make arrangements
for the opening of the Seminary that was completed three years ago. I
hope that by next January the Seminary will function and will receive
students from Kenya and East Africa generally. The students will be
prepared for priesthood. I shall have the pleasure of being with you
again at the official opening of the Seminary.
Taking this opportunity, I wish to convey
to you and to all Kenyans heartfelt greetings from the people of Cyprus
and the expression of our appreciation for the stand of the Government
and the people of Kenya on the Cyprus problem. President Kenyatta proved
a trusted friend of Cyprus at critical moments. As you know, my country
has been invaded by Turkey and a great part of Cyprus is now under
Turkish occupation. Turkey violated the independence and territorial
integrity of my country and the people of Cyprus are striving once again
for freedom. In our struggle we have the support and solidarity of all
freedom-loving countries and Kenya is among the first. Despite the many
difficulties, we do not lose hope that we will be able to restore our
territorial integrity. We are determined, not to submit to brutal force.
Justice may have been trampled upon temporarily but, at the end, it
will prevail. God is just, and He will see that justice is done.
Once again my dear brothers and sisters
in Christ, I express my thanks for the warm welcome and the
manifestations of your love to me and to my country. I bestow upon you
the blessings of the Church of Cyprus. May the Grace of God be always
with you and may the Spirit inspire and guide you in your life.”
Orthodoxy in East Africa — the Role of Archbishop Makarios
Future historians will assess Makarios’
great role in establishing a good relationship with Africa and
especially Kenya, when he baptized thousands into the Orthodox faith and
founded the Theological Seminary. His remarkable work for the African
people and his contribution to the expansion of Orthodoxy were much
appreciated by the African people as well as by the leaders of other
Orthodox churches.
The full significance of the meaning of
the life of Archbishop Makarios, his work for Africa and the renewal of
Christian vision, is something which cannot yet be seen, but which we
may come to see if we are faithful to the vision that he himself both
saw and followed.
He dreamed of an Africa full of the light
of Orthodoxy through his love for all human beings — nothing is lost of
what has gone before, but all is transfused with a new light in the
completeness of the picture in the Heavenly Glory.
The Makarios Theological Seminary Today
Much hope rests in the Makarios Seminary for the future needs of the rapidly growing East African Orthodox missions.
Source: orthodoxresearchinstitute.org
See also
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