The Deputy Foreign Minister for Greeks Abroad, Terens Quick, together with the Greek Egyptians of Athens and Greeks hailing from communities of many African countries, today attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated at St. Athanasios, Metochion of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, in Kypseli.
The liturgy was said by His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, who was also celebrating his birthday.
In his statements, Mr. Quick stressed:
“The Hellenism of Egypt is one of the most important pillars of the Greek community abroad, all the more so in a country like Egypt, to which we are linked by many things.
I have experienced the Greek Egyptians, both here and in Egypt, as they chart a course contributing to both Greece and Orthodoxy, which is glorified in the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the primate of which is not simply a Patriarch, but also a Missionary.
I have known His Beatitude for many, many years. From the time when he hiked through the vastness of the African continent, doing work that perhaps very few hierarchs can show for themselves.
We agreed with His Beatitude that, in December, together with my colleague Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis, who is competent for ecclesiastical affairs, we will carry out a visit to the Patriarchate of Alexandria. And with regard to my own portfolio, with His Beatitude’s help, given that he knows every square inch of Africa, I will plan a tour of African countries, places where no representative of the Greek government has ever been, very simply to shake the hands of the Greeks -- in some places a handful, in others, more -- who live, endeavour and are wonderful ambassadors of the homeland.
November 25, 2016