The former Bishop of Thessaloniki, Anthimos, formerly known as Dionysios Roussas, passed away at the age of 91.
He was born in October 1934 in Salmoni, Ilia and after completing his studies in 1952, he passed the entrance examinations of the Philosophy and Law Schools of the University of Athens, choosing the former. In 1957 he received a degree from the Faculty of Philosophy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
He then worked as an unpaid assistant to the chair of Byzantine Philology and as a teacher at the Hellenic Pedagogy schools, of which he was also the director of a secondary school, while he also studied at the Theological School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
In 1964 he was ordained Deacon by Metropolitan Gabriel of Thera and the following year, in 1965, he was ordained Elder. From 1965 he was superior of the Holy Church of St. Basil on Metsovo Street, Athens, where he remained until his election to the Metropolis of Alexandroupolis in July 1974.
In 2003, after the death of Metropolitan Panteleimon II of Thessaloniki, he was transferred to the vacant Metropolis of Thessaloniki, from where in August 2023 he submitted his resignation to the Archbishop of Athens due to health problems he was facing.
