First of all, remember, LORD, our Bishop Raphael and grant that he may serve your holy churches in peace, safety, honour, health, and length of days, rightly discerning the word of your truth!

His Grace Bishop Raphael (Pavouris) of Ilion is an Assistant Bishop within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Based in Edinburgh, he is responsible for overseeing the spiritual life of Orthodox communities across Scotland and Northern England.

Background and Education

Born on September 20, 1967, in the island of Lesvos, Greece, Bishop Raphael has a strong academic and theological foundation. He studied Theology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens before moving to the United Kingdom to complete his PhD in Ecclesiastical History at the University of Glasgow.

Ordination and Title

• Priesthood: He was ordained as a deacon and subsequently as a priest in 2003 at St. Luke's Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Glasgow.

• Episcopacy: On March 9, 2021, he was ordained as a bishop.

• The See of Ilion: Upon his ordination, he was granted the titular see of the ancient Diocese of Ilion (Troy) in Asia Minor, connecting his modern ministry with the ancient history of the Church.

Role and Ministry

Bishop Raphael serves as an Assistant Bishop to Archbishop Nikitas, the Primate of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.

• Jurisdiction: His primary pastoral focus is the Orthodox community in Scotland and Northern England.

• Base of Operations: He is based at the St. Andrew's Community in Edinburgh.

• Focus: Known for his service as a spiritual father, he is deeply committed to Orthodox education, regular pastoral visitation of parishes, and the liturgical life of the faithful in the north of the UK.

• Spiritual Father: He is spiritual Father for many including all the nuns of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Chrysopigi, Chania Greece.