U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew yesterday, during a brief visit to Turkey that angered Turkish officials.
Popmeo Tweeted that he was “honored” to meet Bartholomew and called the Ecumenical Patriarchate a “key partner” as the Trump Administration continues to “champion religious freedom around the world.”
Pompeo also tweeted photographs of his meeting with Bartholomew, as well as visits to St. George Cathedral with his wife Susan, inside the Patriarchal compound in the Phanar neighborhood of Istanbul.
According to a press release by the Patriarchate, the hour-long discussion focused on issues that concern the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Greek Community of Constantinople, and the Orthodox Christian faithful in the country.
They also discussed Orthodoxy in the world and the progression of inter-Christian dialogue, as well as the dire situation of Christian communities in the Middle East “which have been severely tested by war, while a large number have experienced uprooting and exile,” according to the Patriarchate.
Bartholomew also spoke about the work of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Greek diaspora, in general, which he called “a brilliant and dynamic part of American society.”
In addition to Pompeo, his wife and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield, present in the meetings were Metropolitans Emmanuel of France and Maximos of Silivria, the V. Rev. Archimandrite Joachim, Dn. Kallinikos Chasapis, who is currently a deacon at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Mr. Panteleimon Vingas, an advisor to the Patriarch.
