The President of SYRIZA Progressive Alliance, Alexis Tsipras, had a meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew.
During the meeting, Mr. Tsipras stressed:
“I wish above all health and strength and to continue the work of your ministry that closes 30 years of continuous and dynamic presence. Because it is very important to continue to transmit, to transmit this resounding message of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The universal and universal message that concerns both the need for the peaceful coexistence of peoples, but also modern messages. You are the first to set the agenda of the environmental crisis before it took on dimensions, 30 years ago.
Let me also remember your very important contribution and presence in dealing with the refugee crisis, a humanitarian crisis, in Lesvos in 2016. It is important, especially nowadays that you are losing this human dimension of the humanitarian crisis and the dimension of fear towards the different is emerging. , to recall this dimension. As well as your constant messages for the reopening of the Halki School that we met together in 2019, to address inequalities worldwide of social exclusion.
But also the most recent, the most relevant if you will, the message about the need to tackle irrationality and to defend science and life. The message about vaccination. ”
In his rebuttal, the Ecumenical Patriarch noted:
“It’s so simple and yet not many people are convinced. So simple. Mr President, thank you for your kind words. From Fanari, not only me personally but all of us, try to do our best, conveying and translating the message of the gospel under today’s data. The message of the Gospel is unchanged and has love as its center.
I also spoke yesterday about love as the central axis of our faith and our action. And with that we move forward. Both for the pandemic and for the refugee and for climate change. For all matters our Patriarchate expresses the message of the gospel and strives to help people live in peace and prosperity. This is what we do. It is our duty to do so.
I praise God who required me to complete 30 years on the patriarchal throne of Constantinople. It is something very rare, I think in history there is no other predecessor of mine who had this blessing, to be 30 consecutive years on the throne. Thank God! As my great predecessor, John Chrysostom, used to say: Glory to God in all.
And for the sorrows that happen in the life of the Church and in our personal life and we accept these with gratitude, because if God allows them he will say that he has a purpose, and he knows better than we do.
Thanks for visiting. Coincides with the day of my departure. Today at noon we return to Istanbul. We remember your visits there and especially your visit to Halki that you mentioned and the very important speech you made from the chest. We knew you had a written speech ready, but you felt euphoric I would say and you spoke very nicely I would say. We were impressed that you were not even a theologian. Thank you and I hope to see you again. Let the immediate danger of the pandemic pass, let us see you again “.
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