The Orthodox Primates, Honorary Members of the Academy of Crete

Iulian Dumitrascu – Romanian Orthodox News Agency – June – July 2016

Friday night, 24 June 2016, the ceremony for awarding the Primates of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches, present at the Holy and Great Council, the title of Great Benefactors and Friends of the Orthodox Academy of Crete was held. It should be mentioned that the Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop Anastasios of Albania were awarded this title before.

The members of the Holy and Great Council and local authorities attended the event.

In the beginning, His Eminence Amphilochios, Metropolitan of Kissamos and Selinos, delivered a sermon in which he expressed the joy and blessing to host the session of the Holy and Great Council at the Orthodox Academy of Crete. Metropolitan Amphilochios has also affirmed the “importance and significance of this singular and historical event of the Church which proves, among other things, the interest manifested by the entire world, who focused its attention on this blessed part of Crete, during the last few days, here, where the session of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church is taking place”. Then, Metropolitan of Kissamos evoked various personalities involved in supporting and developing the activity of the Academy of Crete, ever since its inauguration in 1968.

The General Director of the Academy, dr. Konstantinos Zorbas, read the decision of the Administration Council no 177/29 February 2016 on the proclamation of the Primates of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches as members of the institution. Konstantinos Zorbas expressed his gratitude to all those who have supported the Academy of Crete and proved their confidence to organise and host the session of the Holy Great Council. The Ecumenical Bartholomew awarded the Primates the diploma and medal of honour of the Academy of Crete.

All the Primates of the Autocephalous Churches took the floor and thanked for the distinction awarded. Besides the thanks addressed, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel congratulated the leadership of the Academy of Crete for the activities unfolded and encouraged them for what he was going to initiate in the future.

The list of the Orthodox Primates who have become honorary members of the Academy of Crete:

• His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (title awarded before);
• His Beatitude Theodor, Patriarch of Alexandria;
• His Beatitude Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem;
• His Beatitude Irinej, Patriarch of Serbia;
• His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania;
• His Beatitude Chrysostom, Archbishop of Cyprus;
• His Beatitude Hieronymos, Archbishop of Greece;
• His Beatitude Sava, Metropolitan of Poland;
• His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Albania (tile awarded before);
• His Beatitude Rastislav, Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

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