Athens, August 24, 2020
russianorthodoxchurch.ca
Archimandrite Andreas (Konanos), a well-known speaker and author from the Greek Orthodox Church whose works have been translated into numerous languages, has voluntarily stepped down from the priesthood after 20 years.
“Now I am ‘plain’ Andreas Konanos,” he writes in his statement, “An End, An Beginning,” published on Romfea today. He submitted his resignation to the Archdiocese of Athens today.
Konanos was born in 1970, ordained as a deacon in 1999, and as an archimandrite in 2000. In 2006, he began a radio broadcast that led to invitations to speak throughout Greece, Cyprus, America, and beyond.
“My dear friends, I wish you all well! Today is a milestone in my life. Something very important is coming to an end. And something new is beginning,” he writes.
While his statement does not directly address his status as a monastic, his language of an end and a beginning and of “plain” Andreas would seem to indicate that he no longer considers himself a monastic either.
“The reasons for my departure are many,” he writes, though his present statement was not written to go into those reasons. He remains grateful for his two decades of ministry as priest, which gave him the opportunity “to live amazing theanthropic moments and to meet beautiful people in all parts of the world.”
“And now, I move on,” he states.
He will continue to be inspired by God and to serve and love all, he writes, continuing to speak and write. He will now be able to serve “with more openness, breadth, and freedom,” he believes.
“I do not have to present holiness and great virtues, beyond the truth and honesty of my heart,” he writes. “It is this awareness that gives me joy and strength to move forward, having God and His Love always by my side.”
