Piraeus, Greece, March 3, 2020
Ant1 News
His Eminence Metropolitan Kallinikos (Karoussos), the retired hierarch of the Piraeus Metropolis of the Orthodox Church of Greece, reposed in the Lord on Saturday, February 29, reports Romfea.
Met. Kallinikos labored as a clergyman of the Church for 50 years, 28 as Metropolitan of Piraeus, before his retirement in 2004.
The beloved hierarch had been experiencing health problems following a stroke and was admitted to the ICU on February 16. He reposed in the Lord on February 29, and the Metropolis of Piraeus announced a 3-day period of mourning in his memory.
Met. Kallinikos, who began his ecclesiastical “career” as a lay preacher, was known as a man of fiery spiritual discourse and unparalleled social work. From the first days of his pastoral ministry in the Metropolis of Piraeus, he set about staffing the parishes with worthy and missionary clergy and worked towards the spiritual cultivation of the youth, establishing spiritual centers, camps, schools, and a Church magazine and radio station.
“And until he left this vain world, he did great things. Most importantly—he touched, shaped, and reshaped many human hearts,” reads one reflection on the Metropolitan’s life and legacy.
For several days, the faithful from throughout the Metropolis and beyond flocked to bid farewell to their beloved former archpastor and spiritual father. Several hierarchs and numerous clergymen also arrived to pray for the repose of the soul of the newly-departed Met. Kallinikos.
His funeral was served today at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Piraeus by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens with a number of hierarchs of the Church of Greece.
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Met. Kallinikos (Konstantinos Karoussos) was born on September 20, 1926 in Vartholomio in Ilia, Greece. He began teaching as a catechist in Patras in 1948. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1956 and to the priesthood in 1959. In 1973, he founded the Monastery of Panagia Chrysopigi and became the abbot. He had previously served as the abbot of the Monastery of Varlaam of Meteora. He was consecrated as a titular bishop in 1975, and on January 12, 1978, he was elected Metropolitan of Piraeus, where he served until his retirement in early 2006. He continued to serve as abbot of the monastery until he retired in October 2019.
He notably founded the “Church of Piraeus” radio station and magazine, which is considered one of the most vibrant and spiritually-uplifting ecclesiastical periodicals. He also served as the director of the catechetical schools of the Archdiocese of Athens and authored more than 70 religious and spiritual books.
He also developed an extensive charity network throughout the Metropolis.
May his memory be eternal!
