In recent months, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew personally have vigilantly followed the developments and tragic conflicts generally in the Middle East and the persecution of Christians there. In this regard, His All-Holiness has in manifold ways expressed his profound concern for the serious plight of
the refugees. It was within this spirit that he reached out with a representative to His Holiness Pope Francis in February and by personal letter on March 30th.
In the context of the interest and shared concern of Religious Leaders as well as the urgent need to assume a common initiative and action to sensitize the international public opinion as well as the appropriate bodies and agencies, His Holiness Pope Francis, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece will visit the island of Lesbos in the near future in order to meet with and support the refugees there.
This measure and initiative of the Religious Leaders will encourage and strengthen the thousands of suffering refugees, while inspiring the implementation of appropriate actions for the protection of the afflicted Christian Communities as well as the proper response to the critical refugee situation.
At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, April 5, 2016
From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod
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Ἀνακοινωθέν (05/04/2016)
Ἀνακοινοῦται ὅτι κατά τό τελευταῖον διάστημα, τό Οἰκουμενικόν Πατριαρχεῖον καί προσωπικῶς ἡ Α. Θ. Παναγιότης, ὁ Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης κ. κ. Βαρθολομαῖος, παρακολουθοῦν ἀγρύπνως τάς ἐξελίξεις καί τάς πολεμικάς συγκρούσεις εἰς τήν εὐρυτέραν περιοχήν τῆς Μέσης Ἀνατολῆς καί τάς ἐκεῖ διώξεις τῶν Χριστιανῶν. Οὕτως, ἡ Α. Θ. Παναγιότης ὁ Πατριάρχης ἔχει ἐκφράσει παντοιοτρόπως μέχρι σήμερον τήν ἀγωνίαν Αὐτοῦ διά τό μέγα θέμα τοῦ κύματος προσφύγων. Ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τούτῳ, ἐπεκοινώνησε δι᾿ ἐκπροσώπου Αὐτοῦ μετά τῆς Αὐτοῦ Ἁγιότητος τοῦ Πάπα Φραγκίσκου κατά μῆνα Φεβρουάριον, τήν δέ 30ήν Μαρτίου ἀπηύθυνε πρός Αὐτόν σχετικόν Γράμμα.
Ἐν τῷ πλαισίῳ τοῦ ἐγνωσμένου τούτου ἐνδιαφέροντος καί τῆς ἀπό κοινοῦ ἀγωνίας τῶν Θρησκευτικῶν Ἡγετῶν καί τῆς ἐπιτακτικῆς ἀνάγκης ἀναλήψεως κοινῆς πρωτοβουλίας καί δράσεων αὐτῶν πρός εὐαισθητοποίησιν τῆς διεθνοῦς κοινῆς γνώμης καί τῶν ἁρμοδίων Ὀργάνων καί φορέων, ἡ Α. Ἁγιότης ὁ Πάπας Ρώμης Φραγκῖσκος, ἡ Α. Θ. Παναγιότης, ὁ Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης κ. κ. Βαρθολομαῖος καί ἡ Α. Μακαριότης, ὁ Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Ἀθηνῶν καί πάσης Ἑλλάδος κ.κ. Ἱερώνυμος θά ἐπισκεφθοῦν λίαν προσεχῶς τήν Νῆσον τῆς Λέσβου, πρός ἐπικοινωνίαν καί ἐπιστήριξιν τῶν ἐκεῖσε εὑρισκομένων προσφύγων.
Ἡ κίνησις καί πρωτοβουλία αὕτη τῶν Θρησκευτικῶν Ἡγετῶν θά ἐπιστηρίξῃ καί ἐνισχύσῃ τάς χιλιάδας τῶν δοκιμαζομένων προσφύγων καί θά ἐμπνεύσῃ τήν ἀνάληψιν καταλλήλων πρωτοβουλιῶν διά τήν προστασίαν τῶν ἐμπεριστάτων Χριστιανικῶν Κοινοτήτων καί τήν ὀρθήν ἀντιμετώπισιν τοῦ μείζονος προσφυγικοῦ θέματος.
Ἐν τοῖς Πατριαρχείοις, τῇ 5ῃ Ἀπριλίου 2016
Ἐκ τῆς Ἀρχιγραμματείας τῆς Ἁγίας καί Ἱερᾶς Συνόδου
© www.patriarchate.org/announcements/anakoinothen-05-04-2016
In recent months, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew personally have vigilantly followed the developments and tragic conflicts generally in the Middle East and the persecution of Christians there. In this regard, His All-Holiness has in manifold ways expressed his profound concern for the serious plight of