“May God cut off our years and give them to you,” said in fluent Greek the new US Ambassador to Athens, Mr. George Tsounis, addressing Archbishop Ieronymos.
In their first formal meeting at the Archdiocese of Athens, the US Ambassador expressed his admiration for the Archbishop and his respect for all that the Church of Greece has done.
“It is a great honor to be in your office today and I have the opportunity to express my respect for your person for your contribution to society. We all recognize the contribution of the Church and all that it has done for people during the pandemic and the economic crisis.”
“You have not helped with words but with deeds. You are an example to be emulated,” the US Ambassador stressed. He stressed that he learned the concept of love in the Church when he was a young boy in his Long Island parish.
“We hope that in your service you will show interest and love for everything Greek and genuine. Because there is a lot of Greek that is not genuine,” the Archbishop said for his part.
He stressed that everyone in the Church works with love for people because the presence of the Church is necessary as long as there are people.
The Archbishop told Tsounis that during his term of office he will have the opportunity to show him around the structures and institutions of the Church of Greece together with his colleagues so that he can see for himself the great work the Church is doing for the country.
