On Wednesday, November 20, the Ecumenical Patriarch held a meeting with the members of the Permanent Committee on Greeks Abroad of the Greek Parliament in the Phanar.
During the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, the President of the Committee, MP Savvas Anastasiadis, and the other MPs: Ioannis Amanatidis (Vice-President), Kostas Skandalidis (Secretary), Georgios Karasmanis, Emmanouil Syntychakis and Maria Apatzidi (Members), together with the Secretary-General of the Greek Parliament, Georgios Mylonakis, the Head of the Department of International Relations and Greeks Abroad, Angeliki Matzavinou, the Secretary-General for Diaspora Greeks, Ioannis Chrysoulakis, accompanied by the Consul of Greece in Constantinople, Georgios Gaitanis, expressed the Greek State’s respect for the centuries-old institution of the Mother Church of Constantinople and informed the Ecumenical Patriarchate of their interest in Greek diaspora.
On his part, the Ecumenical Patriarch warmly welcomed the members of the Greek Parliament and other political and departmental officials. The Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the centuries-old offer and multi-dimensional ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which, within its canonical competencies and responsibilities, has always been serving the unity of the Orthodox Church.
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America also attended the meeting.