Metropolis of Kinshasa

The Holy Metropolis of Kinshasa and Central Africa is a diocese under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa. Its territory includes the parishes and missions located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC) and the Congolese Republic (Congo-Brazzaville).

History

The see of Elisabethville (modern Lubumbashi) in Belgian Congo was established as Metropolis of Central Africa and All the Equator on November 28, 1958 by the Patriarchate of Alexandria with Metropolitan Kyprianos as the first ruling hierarch. He was succeeded by Metropolitan Nicodemus. In 1977, Metropolitan Timothy (Kontomeros) moved the see to Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire (modern Congo), and became the ruling bishop of the missionary activities of the diocese until his repose in 2003.

In 2003, Archimandrite Ignatios (Madenlidis), who had been a missionary in Kananga for twenty years, was consecrated as the Metropolitan of Central Africa. On November 11, 2006, His Eminence founded the Diocese of Kolwezi in Congo. After his resignation in 2010, Archimandrite Nikiforos (Mikragiannanitis) was consecrated on October 24, 2010 and enthroned in the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas in Kinshasa on December 19, 2010. On November 24, 2015, following the new administrative changes in the Congolese provinces by the government and the elevation of the see of Kolwezi to a metropolis, the metropolis received its current name.

Ruling Bishops

• Kyprianos (Papadopoulos) 1958–1973
• Nicodemos (Galiatsatos) 1974–1976
• Timothy (Kontomeros) 1976–2003
• Ignatios (Madenlides) 2003–2010

(lost territory to establish the Diocese of Kolwezi and the Diocese of Brazzaville)

• Nikiforos (Mikragiannanitis) 2010–2021

(lost territory to establish the Archdiocese of Kananga, the Diocese of Goma and the Diocese of Kisangani)

• Theodosios (Tsitsivos) 2022–Present

See also

• Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos, pioneering missionary to Congo.

Further reading

• Demetrios Aslanidis and Monk Damascene Grigoriatis. Apostle to Zaire: The Life & Legacy of Blessed Father Cosmas of Grigoriou. Uncut Mountain Press, 2001. 240pp. ISBN 9789608677814

Sources

• The Official site of the Metropolis of Central Africa of the Orthodox Church
• Patriarchate of Alexandria Archdiocese website
• The Ceremony of the Great Message of the Elected Metropolitan Mikiphoros of Central Africa