On behalf of the Greek government, Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis today, Thursday, 8 December, received His Holiness Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, at Athens’ “Eleftherios Venizelos” international airport. His Holiness is carrying out an official visit to our country, at the invitation of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece.
The Deputy Minister stated that the visit of the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt is historic and constitutes a high point in and proof of the excellent relations between Greece and Egypt.
A representative of His Holiness participated in the Athens Conference (18-20 October 2015) for Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East, which was held by the Foreign Ministry, under the auspices of Foreign Minister Kotzias, while in September 2015 he took part in the International Meeting of Christian and Muslim Religious leaders and their representatives, within the framework of the interfaith dialogue the Ecumenical Patriarchate is carrying out between Christianity and Islam.
There will be discussions with His Holiness regarding the potential for carrying out actions that will help towards the peaceful coexistence of all of the faiths in the wider Middle East region, as well as regarding the protection of religious and cultural heritage.
Consequently, the first visit of the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt to Greece will bring positive results for the further tightening of relations not just between the Churches, but also between our peoples.
December 8, 2016