Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and all Africa welcomed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis by presenting him with the highest distinction of the Patriarchate, the Grand Cross of Mark the Apostle.
“I am glad because today, after such a dynamic meeting with the enlightened leader of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, you visited a friend from the past who is waiting for you in Greek Alexandria. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to welcome you to Greek Alexandria.
I am glad that God deemed me worthy to become a missionary and preacher of love and fraternity as long as I left Crete. I want to thank you for meeting a missionary Patriarch,” said the Patriarch.
“,” said the Patriarch, praising the very good cooperation with the Egyptian president and the Egyptian authorities.
The Greek prime minister reaffirmed the full support of the Greek State in the mission of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.
“I would like to extol the course of an enlightened Hierarch, who started from Crete, to spread the love of Christ all over Africa, and I see in you the missionary of love, care, humanity. And of course, as you rightly said, a continent opens its doors, a forgotten continent for many, but for many others the continent of the twenty-first century with enormous potential, enormous prospects,” stressed the prime minister addressing the Patriarch of Alexandria.
Government sources say that during their meeting they exchanged views on the actions of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on the African continent and on issues of contemporary concern, including the pandemic.
According to the same source, Kyriakos Mitsotakis reaffirmed the unwavering support of the Greek State in the mission of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and in particular of its works in humanitarian, cultural, social and educational fields.
He thanked him for the contribution of the Patriarchate and himself for strengthening the presence of the Greek community in a vulnerable but important region, such as Africa.
At the same time, he asked Patriarch Theodore to support the training and educational programs related to the Greek language and Greek Orthodox education under the auspices of the Church there.
The Patriarch expressed his satisfaction with the attitude of the Egyptian authorities in matters of religious freedom and religious and cultural rights that the Orthodox Church enjoys in Egypt.
The prime minister was accompanied by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas, the Ambassador of Greece to Egypt, Nikolaos Garilidis, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, Panagiotis Kontoleon, the Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister, Eleni Sourani, the National Security Adviser, Athanasios Dokos, the Government Spokesperson, Aristotelia Peloni, and the Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Athanasios Kotsionis.
Source: ANA-MPA