Yesterday at noon, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, visited the Metropolis of Thessaloniki and met with Metropolitan Philotheos of Thessaloniki, in the presence of the former Metropolitan Anthimos.
The Metropolitan of Thessaloniki welcomed the Archbishop of America, expressing his joy for the visit. “We have among us the spiritual leader of the Church in the United States, but also more broadly,” Philotheos said: “Please know that always the Metropolis, both during the days of Metropolitan Anthimos and during our humble ministry, remains and is always hospitable. We look forward to next Sunday, to co-officiate, at the Metropolitan Church of St. Gregory Palamas”.
For his part, the Archbishop of America stressed that the new Metropolitan of Thessaloniki “has from the first moment been so widely and warmly and fervently accepted, that it is truly a pride and joy for the Church” and added that the flock and the authorities of the place surround him with “such fervor and such spontaneity” that “it means that they have seen something, they have felt something, and this is genuine.”
The former Metropolitan of Thessaloniki also greeted the Archbishop of America with warmth and a customary exchange of gifts followed.
After the meeting, Archbishop Elpidophoros left for Athens, where today at half past nine in the morning he will have a meeting with Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, at eleven in the morning with the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou and at five and a half in the afternoon with the US Ambassador to Greece George Tsounis.
The Archbishop will return to Thessaloniki again on Friday and will remain until Sunday to participate and speak at the events for the National Day of Remembrance of the Greek Jewish Martyrs and Heroes of the Holocaust.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
