Archbishop Hieronymos: visited a structure hosting unaccompanied minor refugees in Aspropyrgos

The hosting structure for unaccompanied minor refugees of the AMKE of the Church of Greece “Synyparxis”, in Aspropyrgos, was visited today by the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymos.

He was received by the chairman of the Steering Committee of AMKE “Coexistence – Ecumenical Refugee Program”, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Ilio, Acharna and Petropolis, Metropolitan Konstantinos of Megara and Salamis and the general director of the Urban Non-Profit Company (AMKE), Archimandrite Panteleimon Papasynefakis.

It was attended by the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, the Deputy Minister, Sofia Voultepsi, the Mayor of Aspropyrgos, Nikolaos Meletiou, Heraklis Moskof, special secretary for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, Mary Pini, director of the Family Support Center (FSC) of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens . Archbishop Hieronymos was accompanied by archdeacon Ioannis Boutsis.

The Metropolitan of Ilio addressed a greeting, who referred to the history, the work and the actions of the structures of “Syniparxis”. In addition, he spoke about the knowledge that the children acquire, but also about the care of all partners and contributors who feel the space at home.

Afterwards, the Archbishop expressed his joy at being in the said structure and wished everyone health, and that the conditions we live in will be better and better. Then, he spoke about the problems caused by wars and uprooting and shared with the children corresponding experiences and sorrows from when he was their age. Afterwards, he spoke about the cooperation of the competent services of the State with the Church, so that the conditions are as good as possible and they offer the children supplies that will help them on their way in the future. He also invited the children to consult their teachers who love them and wished them to always be healthy, to fill their hearts with patience and fighting spirit and that God would help them realize their dreams.

Then, a greeting was addressed by Sofia Vultepsi, who, among other things, mentioned the good cooperation that the ministry has with the Steering Committee of “Coexistence”. He thanked the Archbishop for the operation of the structures, which, he said, is exemplary, while he pointed out the need to learn the Greek language, so that the children can cope with any demands. At this point, Father Panteleimon referred to the effort to learn the language and underlined that it is necessary for integration. In fact, he emphasized that all the children attend public schools, while in the structures there are teachers who provide remedial teaching.

The mayor of Aspropyrgos also addressed a greeting, who spoke about the operation of the structure and pledged that the structures of the municipality will contribute to the work of “Synyparxis”.

Soon after, a short celebratory event was held, after which the children presented the Archbishop with a painting painted by one of them, which depicts a woman gazing at the snow-capped mountains of Afghanistan and birds flying high, a symbol of freedom.

Afterwards, the Archbishop distributed souvenir gifts to all the children.

The event was coordinated by the director of AMKE, Fr. to live”.

After the event, Archbishop Hieronymos spoke to journalists about the structures, but also about the children who have come to our country on their own and emphasized that “we should not think about where they come from or what they believe. What they need right now is to find love and rest, and the Church will do that without discrimination. He will stand by them. Of course, not only the Church, but also the State” he said and talked about the good cooperation that exists with the state bodies, so that these children can also smile. “This joint effort bears fruit”, he noted and added that “in such an event, beyond national considerations and religious positions, it is love. The love that our Christ told us, that is born in a few days, for every person, because without love life has no meaning”.

The organization aims to advocate for justice, dignity and human rights of immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and Greek returnees. Also, monitor and study the migration phenomenon and asylum in order to design, conduct and implement programs to provide support services (e.g. legal and social counseling and support) to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, helping them to address their needs. At the same time, the purpose of AMKE is to cultivate and promote mutual intercultural understanding, as well as the acceptance and respect of “otherness”, through the undertaking of information and awareness activities.

RES-EMP

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