PASTORAL CARE FROM THE HOLY DIOCESE FOR THE ARABIC –SPEAKING ORTHODOX FAITHFUL OF THE CONGO

On the evening of Sunday 1st December 2013, His Grace Panteleimon, Bishop of Brazzaville and Gabon, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Cathedral of St Dimitrios in Pointe-Noire for the Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians from Lebanon, who work in the Congo.

This initiative taken by the local Church is undertaken for the spiritual satisfaction and liturgical needs of the Lebanese Orthodox who face the problem of communication, outside of the borders of their large community, as they do not speak enough of or none at all of the French language. They work ceaselessly the entire week (including Sundays), particularly in the field of building and the public works in the country.

In order to overcome this pastoral problem, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Arabic and French, while a small choir of Lebanese faithful chanted the hymns and did the readings in Arabic.

The evening Divine Liturgy will in future be celebrated by the Bishop every week.