WARM WELCOME TO THE MINISTER OF TOURISM MR. THEOHARIS BY THE ALEXANDRIAN PRIMATE

His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, gave a warm welcome to the Minister of Tourism of Greece, Mr. Harry Theoharis on Saturday 3rd April 2021.

The Minister of Tourism, Mr. Theoharis, expressed his gratitude to the Patriarch of Alexandria, during the meeting they had at the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St George in old Cairo.

Mr. Theoharis characteristically emphasized to the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Africa:

‘Thank you because as the Patriarch of the land of Egypt and all of Africa you maintain Thermopylae, in a very difficult environment you are a tireless, vigilant guardian of our Orthodoxy, of the history of this place, but also of the current effort for the spirit and the Word of God to reach the ends of the earth ‘.

And the Minister of Tourism added: ‘So you have this very difficult role but also a role to play as a bridge not only between your particular homeland, Crete, but of all Greece, with the beautiful country of Egypt.’

Welcoming Mr Theoharis in the presence of the Patriarchal Vicar of Cairo His Eminence Nicodemus, Metropolitan of Memphis, said:

‘I would like to welcome the Minister of Tourism Mr. Harry Theocharis, here in the’ Rotunda of the East, with great love’, stressed Patriarch Theodoros, and to express our great gratitude to my blessed homeland, Greece, because it assists us in our great cultural work but also in our missionary efforts with great love’.

Making special reference to the importance of tourism for both countries, His Beatitude stressed that, ‘tourism is a lung of prosperity for our two countries, for Egypt and for our Greece. Personally, I feel very grateful to the Minister, because my special homeland is Crete, and as you know, large hotels, large units welcome thousands of people to enjoy our sea, and the fresh air ‘.

He concluded that ‘with your presence, Minister, you will help Egypt, a country that is so friendly towards Greece. And I want to thank you that accompanied by my dear friend, Ambassador Mr. Nikos Garilidis, you give a dynamic presence to the hospitable people of Egypt, who also expect so much from tourism and we all make great efforts so that tourists can come again as they did in the past. And I want to tell them that Egypt is a safe country. They should not be afraid. They should come to visit it to enjoy the great hospitality and love of the Egyptian people and to admire the culture ‘.

In conclusion the Minister, Mr. Theoharis, was taken on a guided tour of the place where Saint George was martyred, to the Museum of the Holy Monastery, to the place where, according to the church tradition the Holy Family took water from the well of the Monastery, while he also visited the Greek Cemetery, where many Greeks from Cairo lie in peace.

The Minister of Tourism is in Egypt following an invitation from the Egyptian Government on the occasion of today’s historic parade of the Pharaohs who re to be transferred from the Archaeological Museum to the Fustat Museum, in Old Cairo, representing Greece at this great event for the Land of the Nile.