HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP GREGORIOS OF THYATEIRA & GB

I was born in Marathovounos, Famagusta, an agricultural village whose inhabitants, just like all the other poor people of Cyprus, were ‘slaves’ to the money lending few. Agriculture was not really ‘protected’ by the British colonial administration. Climatic conditions dictated whether farmers survived or went under. Farmers were forced to borrow in order to survive hence, the money lenders reigned supreme. ‘Tokoglifoi’ (loan sharks) as they were called were few in number but were extremely ruthless. That is the main reason why youngsters were not able to go to a higher school. There were of course exceptions. I was not among the fortunate ones.

Although my parents were hard working, they could not make ends meet. My father was not only a farmer but a mason as well and he devoted a lot of his time building houses for both Muslims and Greeks. Along with my brother I was on the verge of going on to higher education but our father’s untimely death, at the age of 62, put an end to such dreams. So I stayed in the village and worked in the fields and at the same time I tried to learn a trade. My brother-in-law had a shoemaker’s shop, so I went along with him.  I worked as a shoemaker for eight years.   Being the youngest of nine children I stayed in the village until I was eighteen years of age. Marathovounos grew to become a very big village. In the early 1950s, our primary school which was housed in three buildings had seventeen teachers.

Something about my education: I finished my village’s primary school and then, after an interval of eight years, at the age of twenty I enrolled at the Lefkoniko High School, which at that time consisted of four classes. My wish was to become a teacher. Thus in 1949, and following successful entry examinations, I was admitted into its second class. I then studied for a further two years at the Pancyprian Gymnasium in Nicosia.. However, in order to achieve this and, in accordance with the then policy of the Pancyprian Gymnasium, it was necessary for me to embrace the clerical state. This was achieved through the good offices of the late Archbishop Makarios III, who tonsured me as a monk in 1951. I was subsequently ordained into the diaconate in 1953. As a monk I spent the summer months of 1952 at the Monastery of Stavrovounion. On the completion of my studies at the Pancyprian in 1954, I enrolled at the Theological School of the University of Athens. I was appointed as deacon and helped with the church services. I was paid a small salary and with the savings I took with me I covered my expenses.

With my studies in Athens over, I was appointed to serve at the Church of All Saints in Camden Town. As deacon I arrived there on 6 April 1959. I was then ordained a priest by the late Archbishop Athinagoras Kavvadas and immediately assumed responsibilities there, first as an assistant priest and then as a priest-in-charge. After a few years I was appointed Chancellor of the Archdiocese, while at the same time retaining responsibility for my Church. In 1970, I was elected titular Bishop of Tropaeou and on 16 April 1988, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople unanimously elevated me to be Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain. I was enthroned on 29 May.

At my enthronement, I laid out ten objectives which would constitute the primary goals of my archiepiscopal service. I have dedicated all my time to faithfully serving the Church and in general, the Flock entrusted to my care in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere. I have paid particular attention to cultivating and achieving unity among the diverse elements of my Flock in all its configurations and particularly in matters relating to education. The lives of our compatriots in the UK had many ups and downs. The early settlers arrived into a country whose political, social and spiritual system was diametrically opposed to their own. Our people worked very hard in order to get a roof over their heads and also to educate their children. Religion has also played an important role. In 1948 the church of All Saints was established and ten years later that of St. Andreas in Kentish Town. Today we have around 100 churches throughout the UK. I must tell you that in the early 1950s many of our compatriots were approaching their 30s and even 40s. They had to settle down, to have a family of their own. I remember when on a single day (Sunday) we christened 25 children at All Saints Church.  Similarly, on another Sunday there were twelve weddings in the same church.

We have also made great strides in community education. Father Kallinikos Machaeriotis started the first school at All Saints Church. I must say that following the EOKA rebellion in Cyprus, Father Kallinikos was exiled from England. Of course the first school was established by the Cypriot Brotherhood in 1947, then the Greek Parents Association, All Saints Church and Saint Sophia. From here, however, we went from strength to strength. There are many schools and not just church ones. From organised local communities, churches were established. Wood Green, Bethnal Green, Camberwell and Shepherds Bush are a few samples.

We have to fight hard to keep our youngsters with us. It’s a struggle but together we can achieve a lot. I am of the opinion that our children know exactly what problems existed and how they were solved by our ancestors. The major problem facing us now is that of assimilation I.e. the dreaded ‘cutting-off syndrome’. Perhaps it is a natural process but we must preserve our identity, our traditions and our roots. It is like a war and it is the duty of the church, the family unit and all the associations to face it together, otherwise an unhealthy state of affairs will set in.

Your efforts to put on record the difficulties faced by those early settlers and their huge efforts under unforeseen conditions to survive in a far-away place, must be applauded. Our community has not succumbed. We might be fighting the forces of change which seemed to be stacked against us but we still hold dearly to our association and links, albeit from a distance, with Greece and Cyprus. In this respect the responsibility to preserve and consolidate our community falls on the shoulders of all of us.