Posted in MINNEAPOLIS 9:45pm Jan 29 2008 - London 3:45am 30/1
Buenos Aires 1:45am 30/1 - Jerusalem / Johannesburg 5:45am 30/1
New Delhi 9:15am 30/1 - Beijing / Manila 11:45am 1/30 - Sydney 2:45pm 30/1

“It is my eager expectation and hope
that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage
now as always Christ will be honored in my body,
whether by life or by death.”
(Philippians 1:20 ESV)

By Gloriscope staff

Greece and Christians all over the world are mourning the loss of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and all Greece, who died in Athens yesterday, Monday January 28. He died from liver cancer at the age of 69.

After the Greek Orthodox Church had announced his death, church bells were ringing in Athens and flags were lowered to half mast on public buildings, including the parliament building and the ancient Greek ruins of Acropolis.

The Greek government has declared four days of official nationwide mourning, but Greek people are mourning Archbishop Christodoulos spontaneously in churches, homes and at workplaces, because he was very popular among the people.

His body was transferred yesterday from his home in northern Athens to the Cathedral of Athens (see picture), where his body will lie in state for three days, displayed to the general public. Thousands of crying people dressed in black, carrying flowers and candles, have gathered at the cathedral to give their beloved archbishop their last respects. He will probably be buried this Thursday, January 31.

His Beatitude Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and all Greece was the Chairman of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church and the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church for nine years. The Church now has twenty days to choose a new leader among some 80 candidates.

The death of Archbishop Christodoulos is a major event in the Greek Orthodox Church and the worldwide church. Archbishop Christodoulos will be buried with all state and church honors. His funeral will be presided by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria.

Numerous visitors from foreign churches and countries are expected to come to the funeral, including representatives from the Vatican (the Vatican already confirmed its participation). Among the foreign dignitaries there will be Archbishop Demetrios of the Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Archbishop of Cyrpus, Chrysostomos III.

His battle with cancer

Archbishop Christodoulos suffered from diabetes and two unrelated cancers: Liver cancer and cancer of the large intestine. His cancer was discovered on June 9, 2007, while he was admitted to the Aretaeion Hospital in Athens for gastrointestinal problems. He aws diagnosed with the adenocarcinoma of the colon (cancer of the large intestine) and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer). He wanted that the public should be fully informed about the status of his illness.

After his status suddenly worsened on July 2, a liver tumor was discovered and a liver transplant was required urgently. On August 18, 2007, he was flown to the United States for a planned transplant at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida.

The liver transplant was planned for October 7. However, the transplant operation had to be canceled, because the medical team found during the surgery that his cancer had spread in the abdominal region.

After ten weeks in the Miami hospital, Archbishop Christodoulos was flown back to Athens on October 26. On arrival he declared with a weak voice how happy he was to be back home among his people. He was receiving chemotherapy at his home in the northern Athens suburb of Psychico. A stream of Greek and foreign visitors was visiting him over the next days and weeks.

A few days after his return to Greece, he received the ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and on December 22 he received the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel and the Albanian Orthodox Archbishop Dr. Anastasios ( who is of Greek origin).

The physicians treating Archbishop Christodoulos announced January 21, 2008, that his cancer entered a “critical stage” and he was put on oxygen, because he was not able to breathe normally any more.

During the last weeks and days before his death, he declined intensive treatment of his liver and intestinal cancer in a hospital. He died at his home at 5:15 Monday morning, January 28, 2008.

Greek President Karolos Papulias said that Archbishop Christodoulos had touched the people with the way he was going through his suffering, giving them a message of dignity and courage.

________________________

Send your feedback to: feedback(at)gloriscope.com

Related story:
Archbishop Christodoulos of all Greece: His biography and achievements

________________________

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

Published in the U.S.A. Copyright © 4T4C News Corp. 2008. All rights reserved.