“I take on this responsibility with gratitude, but at the same time, I am overwhelmed,” declared His Grace Bishop Atanasie on Friday after being elected to the office of Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church has entrusted me with the mission in a diocese where the largest number of Romanians from the Romanian diaspora currently reside. I will strive to serve it with love, gentleness, kindness, responsibility, seriousness, sacrifice, and dedication,” said the newly elected Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
In his statement following the vote, the hierarch thanked God and expressed his gratitude toward the Synodal members, especially Patriarch Daniel and Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe, as well as Bishop Siluan of Italy, his spiritual father.
Archbishop-elect Atanasie mentioned that Metropolitan Iosif changed his life 24 years ago when they met in Lyon: “Then, as I was escorting him to his car, where I discovered that the whole metropolis was in a single trunk, I understood that everything starts with mission, dedication, and sacrifice.”
The newly elected Archbishop of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recalled that it had been 60 years since the establishment of the first and, for a long time, the only Romanian Orthodox parish in London dedicated to Saint George.
“Since then, another 30 years passed before new parishes opened, and another 30 years for us to be here today, in a newly established archdiocese with over 63 parishes, several monasteries, and hermitages.”
Also, during Friday’s working session, the Holy Synod elected the first Bishop of Ireland and Iceland.
The Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, along with the Diocese of Ireland and Iceland, was established on February 29, 2024. The new dioceses are part of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe.
Over one million Romanians live in the United Kingdom, currently served by 63 Orthodox parishes, mission points, and three monasteries.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
