Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday received the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos at the Maximos Mansion.
In a brief discussion held before the TV cameras, Mitsotakis referred to the recent loss of the Archbishop of Albania, who died on Saturday.
“The days are difficult for Orthodoxy as a whole. I believe that we were all touched by the loss of the Archbishop of Albania. I had the good fortune to know him personally. He was indeed a great hierarch and a great man, who accomplished unmatched work in Albania, essentially rebuilding a destroyed Church, but first of all he was a man of God who cared for people. For this reason, I will have the opportunity, we will also be together at his funeral in Tirana to honour him as he deserves,” the premier said.
“He was indeed one of a select few. I met him and had been with him since High School. May God grant him rest. Thank you for sharing in both our mourning and our bitter loss but these things are only human…. Today we have come to tire you, to greet you, to meet you in person and talk about our matters, your matters, the matters of our time,” replied the Archbishop.
According to government sources, the premier and the Archbishop discussed current issues concerning the relations between the Church and State, especially social issues in the context of deepening mutual support between the two institutions.
