Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, at the State Department, earlier today, Monday October 25, 2021.
Attending the meeting were also Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Joseph of Proikonisos, V. Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Private Patriarchal Office and Fr. Alex Karloutsos.
“They discussed the U.S. commitment to supporting religious freedom around the world and opportunities to work with the Orthodox Christian community worldwide on issues of shared concern, as well as with religious minorities in Turkey and the region”, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. “Secretary Blinken reaffirmed that the reopening of the Halki Seminary remains a continued priority for the Biden Administration. They also discussed the imperative of urgently addressing the climate crisis”, Price added in a statement.
According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, “His All-Holiness informed Secretary Blinken about various issues of concern to Orthodox Christians in the United States and throughout the world as well as about the vision and ministry of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to promote inter-religious dialogue and environmental awareness.
“The Ecumenical Patriarch and the Secretary of State held an extended and productive discussion on a number of issues. His All-Holiness raised concerns about the plight of Christians in the Middle East and Northern Africa, addressed the urgent need for appropriate political action in response to the climate crisis, and emphasized the role of inter-religious dialogue for mutual tolerance and peaceful coexistence”, said media Spokesman Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis.
Remarks by Secretary Blinken and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Before Their Meeting
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good afternoon, everyone. It is a special honor and a special privilege to have His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew here with us today at the State Department. I’ve had the pleasure of being with then-Vice President Biden and being received by you. It’s a great pleasure today to be able to have you here.
The United States stands strongly for the principle of religious freedom, and we stand for that in our foreign policy, and of course we stand for that in our own country. His All-Holiness’s church extends across the globe and here in the United States.
So I’m especially pleased to see him. I know you’ll be seeing the President. I know how much forward he looks to seeing you and to receiving you. But welcome, it’s wonderful to have you here.
PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW: Thank you. Thank you very much. It’s a privilege for us – for me personally and our delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate – to be received by your Excellency. We bring to you, to the American nation, the blessings and the greetings of the Church of Constantinople, the center of worldwide orthodoxy.
It is not the first time I am in this room. I remember my previous visits. I had the privilege to be received several times by your predecessors as well as by the previous presidents of the United States, as it is the case also today. This afternoon we shall have the honor and the privilege to be received by President Joe Biden.
We are grateful to the American administration, the administration of the United States, for the continuous support for the Ecumenical Throne and its ideas and values which we try to protect, struggling at the same time to survive in our historic seat in Istanbul.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you again. It’s so wonderful to have you, and I should also mention how much we appreciate the remarkable leadership of His All-Holiness when it comes to the challenge of climate change as we head into a truly, truly important meeting of the world in just a week. The focus that you’ve brought to this issue I think has made a tremendous difference, and we’re grateful for that as well.
PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW: Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you all.
