His Grace Atanasie, recently elected as the first Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, bid farewell to the Romanian Orthodox community in Italy on Sunday after 17 years of ministry.
The archbishop-elect celebrated his final Divine Liturgy at the Eparchial Center in Rome, where he urged the faithful to cultivate virtues, referencing the Gospel passage on the Last Judgment.
The Romanian Orthodox Church’s Holy Synod, which elected him on October 25, 2024, granted Archbishop-elect Atanasie exceptional permission on February 6 to exercise his responsibilities as archbishop, excluding the distribution of holy antimensia and official representation before British and Romanian authorities until his formal enthronement.
Before his episcopal ordination, Bishop Atanasie served in various leadership roles within the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, including Eparchial Secretary, Administrative Counselor, Exarch of Monasteries, and Eparchial Vicar.
His enthronement as Archbishop of Great Britain and Ireland is expected to take place later this spring.
Photo: Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy
