Presence of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymus, The new metropolitan of Fthiotida Symeon was enthroned today at the Holy Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Lamia………
In Park Square, down town, Mayor Efthymios Karaiskos officially welcomed their new pastor, local authorities, clergy and institutions of Lamia.
Mr.. Karaiskos made special reference to the late hierarch Blessed Nicholas and the expectations of the people of Fthiotida from the new hierarch. In his rebuttal, the new metropolitan remembered his first contact with the city of Lamia when he served his military service and called on all residents to open their hearts "because I want to talk to them now", as he said.
Subsequently, with a procession and the accompaniment of a military procession and the philharmonic orchestra headed to the church, where the chief secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, Bishop Philotheos of Oreon, read the circular of the Holy Synod and the Presidential Decree and immediately afterwards the enthronement took place.
The Metropolitan of Demitriados and Almyros Ignatios, as vicar of the Metropolis of Fthiotida, welcomed the new metropolitan and immediately afterwards the Minister of Finance addressed a greeting, Christos Staikouras, as a representative of the Government. Subsequently, The Minister of Education and Religions addressed a greeting, Niki Kerameos, the governor of Central Greece, Fanis Spanos, and the General Hierarchical Commissioner Neophytos Rafailidis, as a representative of the Clergy.
In his passenger speech, the metropolitan of Fthiotida, including, pointed out that he does not want to be a programmatic speech or a statutory speech, nor does he intend to draw any kind of lines and goals or to develop a theological treatise and stressed that "this speech today is a speech of the heart. Heart deposit. Public confession ».
indeed, addressed to the Archbishop, but also to all those present, and called them to open their hearts "because in her I look forward, I follow her, I want to talk to her today. To her, after all, I am going to officiate the word of truth, the gospel of righteousness, the joyful message of salvation ", reported.
Subsequently, write down: "Open your heart, my beloved children of Fthioti land. I address to all of you, because he speaks to you today, not intellect, nor the thought nor the romantic visions of your new bishop and metropolitan, but my heart speaks to you. And in my heart you are already and will always be all of you. And you who are present today and those who are absent. All without exception, of any origin, of any existential position, of any particularity, as long as you breathe oxygen and walk on earth and gaze at the sky within normal limits, "within limits”, of our local Church of Fthiotida you are all in the embrace of my heart. Whether you actively participate in the sacramental life of our Church or not. In my heart you are already and will always be. Whether you feel our Church a loving and tender mother or not yet. You are already in my heart again and you will always be. Either you have come from infancy to the ‘Holy Baptism of our Church’ or you are still a catechism member of our Church. You are already in my heart again and you will always be. Either you accept the offer of life that our Church brings or you are in search of meaning in other paths. You are already in my heart again and you will be forever. And if you still question everything, and if you still refuse to accept anything, and if you still feel frustrated by everyone and everything, and if you still want to tear down and overturn everything, your place in my heart is and will be not just a given, but I dare say scandalously privileged. I do not come into your life to be a lifeless and carnal symbol of an institutional power, that through the formulations of an external etiquette or formal ritual I will be firmly imposed on the horizon of your life. I come to serve your being as the father and shepherd of your heart. "He came to be ministered to, but you minister”. I did not come to serve me, but to serve you. I want to be the despot of your heart, the bishop and metropolitan of your heart, as I have been in other ramparts of my ecclesiastical ministry so far, Symeon in the heart of my brothers ".
The metropolitan of Fthiotida wanted, also, to confess, as he said, before the Church that “I am not interested in either majorities or minorities. I am interested in everyone. Each one, each one and all together. No one will be missing from the altar of my heart, because no one is absent and will not be absent from the Holy Altar, from the Holy Table "and added that" I come for the poor, the weak, the aching, the sad ones, the despised of this world. I come willing to undergo trials, insults, insults, slander and even persecution for your love ".
Elsewhere in his speech, he stressed that "I will not ask you to come to me, but from today I begin and I come to you. Door to door, house house, in our cities and villages, everywhere, at the streets, in schools, in the stadiums, in the squares, in cafes, in the fields, in the flocks, in factories, bit by bit I will plow our metropolis "and he added that" as a symbolic expression of my mood and my intentions I announce that next Sunday, 24 November, my first Sunday after my enthronement tomorrow Divine Liturgy, I will perform my first Sunday Divine Liturgy in one of the small mountain villages of our Metropolis. I will officiate in Nikolitsi of the mountainous West Fthiotida in the Church of the Assumption, in the village which is a few tens of kilometers away from the seat of our Metropolis and which at the moment has only one resident. That’ this one, for each one, about’ this guardian of the village and for every custodian of the history of our place I will work there next Sunday. Bless him, to embrace him and tell him and reveal to him that our Church is the mother of all and that his bishop is for’ him father, brother, friend, intimate.
I come to knock on the doors of all your hearts. Open to me! I do not come to invade by force. I come to meet you, I come to give you your names, both for the earthly books of my hierarchical prayers and for the heavenly books of the last Kingdom, I come to hear you, to share with me your joys and sorrows, to rejoice together and cry together, "They rejoice after those who rejoice and weep after those who weep”».
He felt, after all, the need to reassure the faithful that “for me there are no colors and shades. My color is one and only: the color of Fthiotida. And the democratic verdict of the citizens of Fthiotida, in the formation of which I will never get involved abusing my position, will always enjoy my honor and respect ".
End, He stressed that "I lovingly devour all but our blessed people. The blessed people of Fthiotida, the worthy children of the glorious Roumeli. I praise and thank God, trusting in my hands a hardworking and active people, pious and honest, authentic and genuine, traditional and at the same time progressive, a patriotic people, civilized, noble, welcoming and open. I swallow you all, young and old, young and old, young children and the elderly. I bless you and I swallow you all. Address, Nevertheless, today and a special invitation, especially to young people, to our blessed youth, but also to every anxious person who wants to activate his potential, his talents, his gifts, even his minimal free time in the work of our Church. I invite the whole society to a creative dialogue, because only with honest dialogue, with mutual understanding and honest openness to one another we can do much for the love of Christ and for the love of our brothers and sisters. Let's create a volunteer movement together, of love and offering. Let us all put forward the essentials that unite us and put aside these consumables, perishables and vanities, that divide us and divide us. Our local Church and your bishop will be the visible point of unity, the islet of meeting all otherness ".
Several high priests were present, ministers, Members, the Goodwill Ambassador of Unesco, Marianna Vardinogianni, ambassadors, Presidents and Governors of Organizations, representatives of the Security Forces and the Armed Forces, local bodies and associations, clergy and many believers.