By Romfea.news
An event in honour of the Anglican Church was organized by the “Apostoli” NGO of the Church of Greece on Saturday for the valuable help and support it has received and continues to receive in response to the domestic economic and social crisis and the refugee and migratory flows of recent years.
The British Ambassador also honoured with her presence the event.
At the event, “Apostoli” was represented by the vice-president of the Board of Directors, Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia and Philadelphia, who conveyed the thanks and wishes of the Primate of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens to the Anglican Bishop in Europe, Robert Innes, the scholar Reverend Duncan Dormer, head of the United Society Partners in the Gospel-USPG, as well as the scholar Reverend Leonard Doolan, formal envoy of the Anglican Church and vicar of the local parish of Athens, for their valuable and multifaceted support during all the previous years, until today.
Metropolitan Gabriel pointed out the importance of the theological and confessional notion of “reception” (like the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple) of the Other, as a person of God, either a refugee, an immigrant, a foreigner or a person from different religion.
The “reception” of the Other is not only a proof of the uniqueness of the Christian faith and love, but it is also love in word and deed. We must always take into consideration the existing materials capabilities and infrastructure of Greece, and especially during the current difficult economic conditions and the long-term hardship and fatigue.
On their part, the Anglican church officials expressed their sincere solidarity and sympathy with the Greek people, praising the moral importance of the “Greek example”, and in particular the example of the Church of Greece and its various organizations in the reception and the hospitality of refugees from Syria and other conflict regions. Moreover, they underlined the importance of the good relationships of the Greek and Anglican Church that the two Churches shared for long time. Bishop Innes praised the rich charity work of His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece, while the USPG head congratulated the “Apostoli” NGO for developing many activities of quality.
In recent years, the Anglican Bishop Innes in Europe has provided financial assistance in distributing the parcels of the parishes of the Athens Archbishopric, while the USPG and Christian Aid organizations provided support for the Accommodation Facility for Unaccompanied Minors “Estia”.
