Father Antonios was born in Chios, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. He was raised in Drapetsona, a poor suburban area near Athens. He has 4 brothers.[1][2] He studied education, and Theology[3] Right after his graduation, he took part in Christian missions in African countries. [4]
Work
In 1998 Father Antonios, then 26 years old, was ordinated a priest and founded the charity "Kivotos tou Kosmou" (Ark of the World) at Kolonos, an impoverished neighbourhood of Athens.[5] He kept Kivotos independent from the official Church of Greece.[6] In 2015, amidst the Greek refugee crisisKivotos tou Kosmou expanded to the island of Chios, to host refugees.[7][8] It has since helped hundreds of orphans or abandoned children.[9][10] Father Antonios utilized his basketball skills to approach teenagers.[10] His inclusion of immigrants met the criticism of far-right activists and politicians.[6]
In 2015, Kivotos also expanded in Pogoniani, a village near the city of Ioannina, with an agricultural school in a rural Greek area, that received European Union's GENE Global Education Award 2020/2021[11]
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