THE PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA RECEIVED THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE N. PANAGIOTOPOULOS

With ‘Ti Ypermacho’ and the playing of the National Anthems of Greece and Egypt, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, received today at noon, December 4, 2020, in the Throne Room of the Ancient Secondary Throne Patriarchate, the Minister of National Defense of Greece Mr. Nikos Panagiotopoulos, who is paying an official visit to Egypt.

‘A big thank you to our homeland, our mother Greece,’ said the Alexandrian Primate for the full support of the Armed Forces in the missionary work of the Orthodox Church in Africa. He also thanked his friend – as he said – the Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis and asked the Minister of National Defense to convey his wishes and greetings.

At the same time, he expressed his great satisfaction for the cooperation of Greece and Cyprus with Egypt, the country that is ‘the door of Africa’, as he stressed.

In fact he expressed his joy for the support given by the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi himself for the work of the Patriarchate of Alexandria.

Finally, Patriarch Theodoros γαωε the Minister of National Defense an icon of the God-crowned Kings, Saints Constantine and Helen, and in particular from the church of the same name in Cairo, built by donation from Nestor Tsanaklis, who came from Komotini, “so that we can keep the flame, Orthodoxy, Hellenism, Greece, Egypt and Cyprus alive in our hearts. ‘Hellenism exists, with Greece being a beautiful country full of light and love and we protect Thermopylae, here where the souls of the Patriarchs rejoice and where our Patriarchate and our Communities are present’, concluded the Patriarch of Alexandria Theodoros.

For his part, the Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikos Panagiotopoulos expressed the honor that is for him, his visit to the site of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, that ‘as in the past there was a lighthouse in Alexandria, today for us this lighthouse is the Patriarchate of Alexandria itself ‘, as he pointed out characteristically.

He stressed, in fact, that ‘we understand the difficult conditions under which you carry out your work.’

‘Be well and always continue your work with which you give us strength. Always at your disposal ‘, Mr. Panagiotopoulos pointed out, addressing Patriarch Theodoros, whom he congratulated for his missionary work and the celebrating patriarchal church of Saint Savvas of Alexandria.

Referring to the work of the Greek Armed Forces, the Minister of National Defense, who was received yesterday by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and is in Egypt to see at first hand the final phase of the major aeronautical exercise ‘MEDUSA’, stressed that ‘the Greek Armed Forces are carrying out their mission in full.’

Egypt, Greece, Cyprus and this year France and the United Arab Emirates are participating in the ‘MEDUSA’ exercise, which is taking place in the Sea off Alexandria.