LAST UPDATE 13:52
Today morning, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the seat of Constantinople district, accompanied by the Protosyncellus Andreas, Deacon Kallinikos Chasapis and the Teacher and Instructor of Greek nation, Konstantinos Delikonstandis, Director of the First Patriarchal Office.
There, Bartholomew met with and congratulated the newly elected Mayor of Constantinople, Ekrem Imamoglu. He had already announced, by a message, his congratulations immediately after the election outcome.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew also expressed his wish that the new mayor, during his service, shall follow the principles of honest dialogue with every component of the society and respect to human and minority rights.
In his statements after the end of the meeting, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said of the newly elected mayor of Constantinople that he is “a man of good intentions”.
From his part, Ekrem Imamoglu emphasized that it is important that Constantinople, via the Patriarchate, is the center of a worldwide religion.
Bartholomew said that Constantinople is the center of Orthodoxy and Ecumenical Patriarchate, adding that the Phanar is not just an institution, but it contributes significantly to the culture and civilization over the centuries.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew characterized Mr. Efrem Imamoglu as a “man of good intentions” and thanked him for his immediate response to the former’s request for a meeting. Mr. Imamoglu stressed that “Our municipality shall be the center of faith, shall respect every religion and shall treat each religious doctrine equally. It shall become a center that shall pay respect to proposals and recommendations”.
As Imamoglu concluded, “it is important that the Patriarchate is in Constantinople. I stress this point. Everything will just turn out great”.