LAST UPDATE 09:16
Today, Archbishop Elpidophoros met with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the White House on the concerns of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese over the seizure and re-conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
Following the meeting with the President and Vice President, the Archbishop stated:
“I am grateful to have met with President Trump and Vice President Pence in the White House and communicated our grave dismay at the re-conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, as well as ongoing security concerns for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and issues of religious liberty.
I am grateful to have met with President Trump (@POTUS) and @VP Pence in the @WhiteHouse and communicated our grave dismay at the re-conversion of #HagiaSophia into a mosque, as well as ongoing security concerns for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and issues of religious liberty.
— Elpidophoros (@Elpidophoros) July 23, 2020
In view of tomorrow’s day of mourning, we persevere in prayer but also bring our struggle to the highest levels of government for action and consideration.”
For his part, US President Donald Trump expressed his strong dissatisfaction to Archbishop Elpidophoros of America with the decision of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
After the scheduled 30-minute meeting that Archbishop Elpidophoros had with US Vice President Michael Pence in Washington, Mr. Trump, informed of the Archbishop’s presence in the White House, called him to his office and talked with him thoroughly about all the critical issues for about 15 minutes.
The US President seemed very annoyed and expressed his concern regarding the protection of human rights and especially the religious freedoms of minorities in Turkey. In fact, he is willing to offer his assistance and support to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and personally to Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as to Hellenism, and stressed that he would proceed immediately with the necessary interventions.
Mike Pence on twitter said that “America will stand firm with the Greek Orthodox Church in the call for Hagia Sophia to remain accessible as a source of inspiration and reflection for every person of every faith.
Protecting Religious Freedom at home and abroad is a foreign policy priority for the United States of America. We cherish the faith and charitable works of the 1.5 million members of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States.”
As I told Archbishop @Elpidophoros today, America will stand firm with the Greek Orthodox Church in the call for Hagia Sophia to remain accessible as a source of inspiration and reflection for every person of every faith. pic.twitter.com/OsuMMuXqBC
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) July 23, 2020
