Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria expressed his wish for an end to the fire in Cyprus in his welcome address to the Minister of Defense, Charalambos Petridis, at the headquarters of the Patriarchate as reported by ekalexandria.org.
The Primate of Alexandria prayed to the Blessed Virgin to stop the evil of the fire on the blessed island of Cyprus “to stop the hazardous fires, and to protect the people who are struggling to extinguish the fires so that peace and prosperity come again to this blessed island,” as Patriarch Theodoros said, expressing his sadness for the event.
At the same time, Patriarch Theodore warmly thanked Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiadis and the people of Cyprus for their support in the missionary work of the African Orthodox Church, with the minister assuring the Alexandrian Primate that Cyprus is on the side of the Patriarch.
The Primate of Alexandria stressed his great joy “that there is such a beautiful friendship between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, which includes a blessed sea, our Mediterranean and where Cyprus holds an exceptional and strategic position.”
“I want to thank you that Cyprus never forgot me in my missionary struggle. Many expatriates in Africa come from Cyprus and support me in my work,” said Patriarch Theodore, addressing the defence minister, thanking him for his visit to Egypt, as “this is how the two countries come closer,” he said. The Patriarch offered an icon of Saints Constantine and Helen of Cairo, a true copy of the icon kept in the homonymous temple of the Egyptian community in Cairo.
On his part, the minister offered the Primate of the African Orthodox Church a plaque with the relief of Cyprus and the symbol of peace and love, emphasizing that “we hope to go through these difficult times painlessly.” “We are always by your side in your difficult work in Orthodoxy and Africa,” he said.
At the same time, Petridis made special reference to the excellent relations between Egypt and Cyprus, emphasizing that “we have excellent and very close relations with Egypt, both bilaterally and on a tripartite level with Greece and other multilateral groups. Our goal is always security and peace in the wider region.”
On his part, Patriarch Theodore expressed his satisfaction with the extremely important tripartite cooperation between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, in all areas, noting that “strong military countries can be ready and give answers to all because God created us all to live peacefully and to be friends.”