On Bright Tuesday, April 22, 2025, parliamentarians from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario visited the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada to mark the first-ever “Orthodox Christian Week.”
At the invitation of Archbishop Sotirios, Members of Provincial Parliament Effie J. Triantafilopoulos, Aris Babikian, and Sheref Sabawy, gathered to celebrate Bill 167, Orthodox Christian Week Act, 2024.
Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta and MPP Tom Rakocevic, who introduced Bill 167 in the Legislature, were unable to attend because of prior commitments.
The Act, which received Royal Assent on December 19, 2024, states that “The seven-day period in each year starting on Orthodox Easter Sunday is proclaimed as Orthodox Christian Week.”
The Archbishop and parliamentarians engaged in a very fruitful discussion about the significance of faith and community in today’s society, human rights for all people of faith, as well as the protection of Christians around the world, particularly in the Middle East and for the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey.
Also joining the discussions were Bishop Athenagoras of Patara and Evagelos Sotiropoulos, the President of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Archons in Canada.
Archbishop Sotirios then provided the honoured guests with a tour of the Chapel of St. John the Theologian, Patron of the Patriarchal Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy.
Archbishop Sotirios earnestly thanked and expressed his appreciation for the righteous work of the parliamentarians, and wished upon them that the light, hope, and joy of the Resurrection guides their public service. In closing, the Archbishop gifted each elected official with an icon Panagia Torontoessa, together with the biography of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Apostle and Visionary, authored by Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis.
