Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium met the Ambassador of France to Belgium, Hélène Farnaud-Defromont, at the Metropolis on the afternoon of Thursday, July 1, 2021.
The meeting was held on the initiative of the ambassador, who wanted to meet the head of the Orthodox Church and learn about the history and actions of the local Church.
The Metropolitan referred to the presence of the Orthodox in Belgium, their historical course since the beginning of the last century, the current situation with state recognition and the relations between the various Orthodox communities.
The ambassador listened with great interest to what the Metropolitan had said, and wanted to know how the Orthodox Church cooperated with the state in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metropolitan of Athenagoras referred to the difficulties caused by the pandemic and the good cooperation with the state bodies for its prevention.