Consecration of Bishop Nestor for Western Europe celebrated by the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Moscow Patriarchate / Православие.Ru

Moscow, September 7, 2010

Nestor (Sirotenko), Bishop of Kaffa

On September 6, 2010, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, two Patriarchs—His Holiness Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and His Holiness Theodore II of Alexandria— presided over the consecration of Bishop Nestor (Sirotenko), who will serve in Western Europe, reports the press service of the Moscow Patriarch.

Archimandrite Nestor was raised to the rank of Bishop of Kaffa, a vicariate of the diocese of Korsun. The center of the Korsun diocese is located in Paris, and it includes parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in France, Spain, Switzerland, and Portugal.

Patriarch Theodore has been in the Stavropol region of southern Russia to rest and receive curative treatments. He and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill exchanged embraces at the service, and Patriarch Kirill emphasized that he is always a welcome guest in Russia.

The head of the Church in Africa on his part stated emphatically that Patriarch Kirill enjoys immense authority not only for the rank of service which he bears, but also for his outstanding personal qualities.

Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia

Patriarch Theodore gave his speech partly in Russian and partly in Greek, the latter language being translated by Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Department of Church External Relations for the Moscow Patriarchate. From 1985–1990, Patriarch Theodore served in the rank of Archimandrite as the representative of the Church of Alexandria to the Moscow Patriarch (the podvorye was located in the city of Odessa during those years), and learned Russian well there.

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Bishop Nestor (in the world Evgeny Yurievich Sirotenko) was born September 4, 1974 in Moscow. From 1991–1995, he studed at the the Historical-Archival Institute of the Russian State University of the Humanities.

From 1991–1995 he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Economic relations of the Russian Federation. At the same time, he had the obedience of acolyte in the church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Peredelkino (where the Patriarchal residence is located).

In 1995 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary.

On March 28, 1998 he was tonsured a monk, on April 24 of the same year he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on November 29, 1999, he was ordained a hieromonk.

In 1999 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, and was later sent to the St. Sergius Institute in Paris.

From 2000–2004 he served as a student in the seminary for the Achbishopric of Russian parishes of the Constantinople Patriarchate in Western Europe. In 2001, he was appointed rector of the Church of Christ the Savior in the town of Asnieres, France, by Archbishop Sergei (Konovalov). In 2004 he graduated from the Theological Institute, and as an extern of the Moscow Theological Academy.

On March 26, 2004, he was appointed by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate to the service of Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun. From May 10, 2004 he was appointed to serve in the Cathedral Church of the Three Holy Hierarchs in Paris. On January 15, 2008, he was appointed dean of the parishes of the diocese of Korsun in France. Just before Pascha of 2008, he was raised to the rank of Igumen. On June 1, 2008, he was appointed rector of the Cathedral Church of the Three Holy Hierarchs.

From February 2008, at the appointment of Archbishop Innokenty of Korsun, he lead the working group of the Korsun diocese in the building of the new cathedral church in Paris. From 2009, he was the head of the disciplinary council, and instructor of pastoral theology in the Paris Theological Seminary.

By decision of the Holy Synod of May 31, 2010, he was chosen to be vicar bishop of the Korsun diocese with the title of Bishop of Kaffa. On August 28, 2010, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia raised him to the rank of archimandrite.