The meeting between US President Joe Biden and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the White House ended in a very good atmosphere.
In the Oval Office
According to the Twitter post of the Archbishop of America Elpidoforos “His Holiness raised with Mr. Biden the need for immediate action of the political leadership on the climate crisis, the promotion of vaccines against COVID – 19 in developing countries and the reopening of the School ».
The two men exchanged warm conversations and smiles as the excellent personal relationship they maintain is known.
Meeting with Blinken
Earlier, Bartholomew had an excellent meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the State Department.
Mr Blinken praised the Ecumenical Patriarch, and recalled his visit to Istanbul in 2011 with then-Vice President Joe Biden, where His Holiness had welcomed them to Fanari.
According to ekirikas, the head of US diplomacy reiterated the firm principle of the US government to defend the right to religious freedom, both in foreign policy and at home, referring to the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Religious freedom
“The United States strongly supports the principle of religious freedom and we do so through our foreign policy, as well as in our own country. “His Holiness Church is spread all over the world, and here in the USA,” said Mr. Blinken, among others.
For his part, the Ecumenical Patriarch thanked the US official for the long-standing US support to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and reviewed his previous visits to Washington and the State Department.
“We are grateful to the US Government, the US Government, for their continued support of the Ecumenical Throne, the ideas and principles we seek to uphold, and at the same time to survive in our historic headquarters in Istanbul,” he said. Patriarch.
Persecution of Christians
Also present at the meeting was the Archbishop of America Elpidoforos, who, in a post on social media, stressed that the Ecumenical Patriarch, talking to Mr. Blinken, expressed his concern about what Christians are subject to in the sensitive area of the Middle East.
At the same time, he reiterated the belief that there should be political action to tackle the climate crisis, and emphasized interfaith dialogue.
Mr Blinken reaffirmed that the reopening of the Halki School remains a top priority for the Biden government.
