Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia - History

History

See also: History of Eastern Christianity in Asia

For some years, a small band of dedicated and devout Orthodox Christians kept the Orthodoxy flame alive in Hong Kong; while services with a priest were rare, they continued to live the ancient expression of Eastern Christianity. A small delegation, representing the St. Luke Orthodox Community, approached Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, requesting that the community be given a full-time clergyman, who could serve the needs of the faithful and offer Orthodox Christianity to the local people. With the efforts of the then Bishop Athenagoras (later Metropolitan of Mexico, Central America and Caribbean, with seat in Panama), a systematic plan was developed. Upon the research and advice of the Bishop, the Holy and Sacred Synod of Constantinople founded the new Orthodox Metropolitanate (Archdiocese) of Hong Kong and South East Asia in November 1996. On December 2, 1996, Archmandrite Nikitas Lulias was elected as the first Orthodox Metropolitan of Hong Kong and assigned the ecclesiastical responsibilities of Southeast Asia. On January 12, 1997, the Enthronment of Nikitas Lulias as the first Metropolitan of the OMHKSEA took place. The ceremony was held at the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Luke, Stanley Fort, Hong Kong, with Metropolitan Athenagoras of Panama representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Ten years later, in August 2007, Metropolitan Nikitas was transferred as Metropolitan of Dardanellia and OMHKSEA stayed vacant for a few months. On January 9, 2008, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate took the decision to split the huge area of OMHKSEA, by creating a new Metropolitanate in Singapore. Under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitanate of Hong Kong remained the countries: People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Philippine Islands, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. With the same decision, Archimandrite Nectarios Tsilis was elected as the New Metropolitan (Archbishop) of OMHKSEA. His ordination took place on January 20, 2008, in the patriarchal St George Holy Church of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Phanar, Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, and his enthronement is scheduled for March 1, 2008, in the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Luke, Stanley Fort, Hong Kong.

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