NEW YORK – When Michael R. Pompeo was Secretary of State he paid a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Phanar on November 17, 2020.

On Friday, October 29, 2021in the presence of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew himself Pompeo will give the keynote address at the Founding Members Banquet of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation in New York City. Pompeo will also discuss the persecution of Christians and the state of religious freedom around the world.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is scheduled to be present at the Banquet during his October visitation to the United States, during which he will be honored for his historic and unparalleled 30-year ministry as Ecumenical Patriarch.

Prior to the November 17, 2020 meeting, on September 24, 2020 Pompeo also met with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to discuss issues involving the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus.

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros stated: “I am pleased that Secretary Pompeo is going to give the keynote address at the Founding Members Banquet. When we met in 2020, I was grateful for his ready ear to listen to concerns around security for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, peace in the Mediterranean, and the seizure of Aghia Sophia. He had sincere and informed concern for the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and minorities in Turkey.”

Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and Chair of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation, said: “Secretary Pompeo’s visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate last November was an honor for all those who love and revere the Mother Church of Constantinople. During his visit to the Phanar, the Secretary discussed with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew issues of fundamental rights and religious freedom. He is a superb choice to give the keynote address at the Founding Members Banquet.”

A watershed initiative of the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the mission of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation is to grant economic independence to the Ecumenical Patriarchate so that it may fulfill its apostolic mission in perpetuity. Founding Members of the Foundation have committed to ensuring the financial foundation of the Holy Mother Church the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople by pledging $100,000 over 10 years.

The Banquet is being held under the auspices of the Nicholas J. and Anna K. Bouras Foundation, which is itself a Founding Member of the Foundation. The Nicholas J. and Anna K. Bouras Foundation has pledged to match the Founding Member donation of each Metropolis of the Archdiocese of America, up to one million dollars. This was made possible through the efforts of the National Secretary of the Order of Saint Andrew, the Hon. B. Theodore Bozonelis, who stated: “Secretary Pompeo’s meeting with His All-Holiness made clear his commitment to international religious freedom and understanding of the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Church and the world. We look forward to his keynote address with joyful anticipation.”

The Foundation has been established as an endowment by the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “Ours is a global mission and invitation for everyone across the various Eparchies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to be united as one. Together, we can ensure that the Ecumenical Patriarchate – ‘the Light’ – continues to shine in the darkness,” declared a press release of the Archons.