His Eminence Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg (Ecumenical Patriarchate), President of the Orthodox Bishops’ Conference of the Benelux, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology by Radboud University Nijmegen on 11 May 2026, following the public defense of his doctoral dissertation entitled: “The Orthodox Parish of Saint Catherine in Amsterdam” (1752–1886).
For his doctoral work, Metropolitan Athenagoras was supervised by Professor Dr Peter Nissen, who sadly passed away in February 2026, and Professor Dr Heleen Murre-van den Berg, both of Radboud University Nijmegen. The rector of our institute, Fr Michael Bakker, was part of the assessment committee.
In this way we wish to congratulate Metropolitan Athenagoras once again with his succesful completion and defense of his dissertation, and with being awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology.
More information about the dissertation, including a summary, can be found on the website of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Belgium.
