On 7th September the Commissioner of the Presidency of Cyprus, Fotis Fotiou met with His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa in Nicosia.
During the meeting, issues related to the Greek Orthodox Churches and Monasteries abroad under the Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa as well as problems they face, were discussed.
Then, issues related to the Expatriates and possible actions and events with the organized groups of our Diaspora were discussed, in which the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa can contribute to the effort made to keep expatriate Hellenism in their roots, traditions and culture.
Mr. Fotiou stated that the support of the Patriarchate and the Patriarch himself in dealing with the problems faced by our Expatriates is crucial and thanked him for that.
Reference was also made to the NOSTOS Tripartite Program, since NOSTOS IV was recently held with the participation of young people from Cyprus, Greece and Egypt. During their visit to Egypt, the young people had the opportunity to meet the Patriarch at the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
The Commissioner assured the Patriarch of the continued support of the Cypriot Government of the Patriarchate, but also of the difficult work he and the Patriarchate are carrying out in African countries that face many problems, especially where there are organized groups of our Expatriates.
For his part, the Patriarch thanked the President of the Republic, the Commissioner for the Presidency, and the Government for their continued support of the work of the Patriarchate and especially for the great work being done in Geri, where the main goal is to help the thousands of repatriated citizens from Africa, amounting to 35 thousand.
He also thanked the President of the Republic for his contribution to the decision of the President of Egypt, Mr. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, to provide a space for the construction of a cultural center in Cairo.
This center will not only be a reference point for Hellenes Abroad but also an important tool for learning the Greek language, history, traditions and our culture. Source: Cyprus Press and Information Office.
