PASTORAL TOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 126, 31 May 1938, Page 8

PASTORAL TOUR.

GREEK ARCHBISHOP.

WELCOMED BY ANGLICANS.

ADHERENTS NUMBER 1000.

After spending a fortnight on a pastoral tour of the North Island, Archbishop Timotheos, Orthodox Metropolitan, representing the Greek Church in Australia and New Zealand, who arrived in Auckland by the Limited express this morning, will leave by the Niagara for Sydney to-morrow.

He met Archbishop Averill at Bishopscourt this morning and a special service of welcome, attended by representative members of the Anglican clergy was held in the Bishop's Chapel. The Metropolitan replied briefly to- the

Archbishop Timotheos.

address of welcome delivered by his Grace, Archbishop Averill, who stressed the desire for unity the Christian world, particularly between the two Churches. Prayers were then conducted in Greek and English, after which the clergy were presented to Archbishop Timotheos.

In an interview the Orthodox Metropolitan explained that he had almost 1000 followers of his church in New Zealand, of whom Greeks were in the majority, the balance being made up of Russians, Syrians and a few Yugoslavs. He had occupied his present position, with headquarters in Australia, for the past five years, and before that he had been for 17 years the representative of the Greek Church in Rumania.

"I am greatly impressed with the scenery of the Dominion," said the Archbishop. "It reminds me of Rumania, and the kindliness of the people here has given me an impression that I cannot soon forget. I have been received in a wonderful manner by the clergy and laity of the Anglican Church, and also by members of the Government in Wellington. I think they must all be good people in New Zealand."

His Grace made a similar pastoral tour of New Zealand in 1933, and visited Rotorua for health reasons.