Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Santiago and All Chile
Orthodox Archdiocese of Santiago and All Chile
The Orthodox Archdiocese of Santiago is a Metropolia of The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch with jurisdiction over all the Republic of Chile. Its Current head is the Metropolitan Archbishop Sergios Abad.
Brief History
The Great Migration of Christian Arabs from Lebanon, Palestine and Siria to different parts of the Americas during the late XIXth Cetury and early XXth Century, brought the Orthodox Faith to Chile.
In 1910 the first Orthodox Presbyteros arrives to Chile from Siria. The 24th of October of 1917, the Saint George Cathedral is innagurated, being the first Orthodox temple in Chilean territory.
In 1978, His Beatitude Elias IV, Patriarch of Antioch visits Chile with a delegation of Bishops.
In 1984, Chile receives the visit of His Beatitude Ignatius IV, Patriarch of Antioch and a delegation of Orthodox bishops.
In 1996, after being a Patriachal Vicary since 1951, the Orthodox Church in Chile was raised to the level of Metropolia, being elected His Most Reverend Emminence Sergios Abad as its first Metropolitan Archbishop.
Current Situation
The Archdiocese has 6 parrishes today, and counts on 7 priests, four of them having a degree in Theology. Services are conducted in Spanish, since most of the people that attend the church are practically Chilean despite their Arab ancestry. There is also an increasing number of non-Arab Chileans that are joining Orthodoxy.
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