Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America was among four Orthodox bishops who met yesterday afternoon with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback in Washington, DC.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the second annual Ministerial Conference on Religious Freedom at the initiative of the State Department. Bishop Irinej availed himself of the opportunity to reaffirm to the Secretary of State the established positions of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Church Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Dioceses in the United States, on matters of regional concern.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic also took part in the work of the Ministerial on Religious Freedom in Washington.
During the course of his stay in Washington, Bishop Irinej of Eastern America met with Congressman Steve Stivers.
In a sincere atmosphere, Bishop Irinej thanked Congressman Stivers for assuming the co-chairmanship of the Serbian Caucus from retired Representative Ted Poe. In like manner, Bishop Irinej had the opportunity to visit the office of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, also cochair of the Serbian Caucus.
In an open conversation, Bishop Irinej informed both Congressmen regarding the renewal of SALC, embracing Serbian community leaders from throughout America. The meetings will be held in Washington, DC, Capital of the USA, wherein participants will have the opportunity to speak with members of the House of Representatives and other representatives of the Government regarding current issues and problems confronting the Serbian community in the USA and other parts of the world where Serbs reside.
Bishop Irinej called the attention of the cochairs of the Serbian Caucus to current concerns of the Serbian people and the Serbian Orthodox Church in the region. He conveyed the positions of the Holy Assembly of Bishops and the recent Church Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Dioceses in the USA.
Source: Patriarchate of Serbia
