Ecumenical Patriarch pays tribute to Archbishop Sotirios of Canada ahead of resignation (VIDEO)

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered warm words of appreciation for Archbishop Sotirios of Canada during the Divine Liturgy celebrated today at the feast of St. Kyriaki Church in Kontoskali, Constantinople.

Archbishop Sotirios attended the service in prayerful participation, while the Ecumenical Patriarch highlighted his more than five decades of dedicated ecclesiastical service to the Mother Church, the Greek Orthodox faithful of Canada, and the wider Greek community.

In his address, Patriarch Bartholomew praised Archbishop Sotirios’ longstanding and multifaceted contribution to the life and mission of the Church, recognizing his tireless efforts in strengthening Orthodoxy and serving the faithful throughout his ministry in Canada.

The Patriarch also referred to Archbishop Sotirios’ intention to submit his resignation to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On this occasion, he once again expressed his gratitude and satisfaction for the Archbishop’s many years of fruitful and devoted pastoral service.

Archbishop Sotirios (Athanassoulas) was born to George and Anastasia in Lepiana, Arta, in Epirus, Greece in 1936. He graduated from the University of Athens School of…