ATHENS — President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou described her meeting with Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece at the Athens Archdiocese on Tuesday as "a fruitful exchange of views, in a climate of mutual understanding."

"The active solidarity with our suffering fellow citizens and his sensitivity to the problems of the country confirm the role of the Church as a vessel of meaning and trust," Sakellaropoulou said. She also noted that, during their meeting, they talked about the issues that currently concern Greece, with a focus on the pandemic and the impact that it has on the lives of all.

"There are many difficulties, but our shared and hopeful realisation is that the threat has brought us closer. We talked about the vaccine and the great hope it gives us and stressed the essential contribution of the Church in encouraging our fellow citizens to be vaccinated, so that we can all return healthy to our social life," the president underlined.

They also discussed the essential role that the Church has always played in crucial moments in Greece's history, Sakellaropoulou said, with a focus on its decisive contribution to the struggle for Greece's independence 200 years agp. "A contribution that will be highlighted in the events for the 200-year anniversary since the Revolution of 1821," she added.

On his part, Ieronymos thanked the president "for her kind thought in visiting the Archdiocese, thus showing that she respects and honours the Orthodox Church." He also pointed out that "this visit, symbolic and substantive in nature, due to the time at which it takes place, reflects and underlines the good relations that have always existed between Church and State and especially since the founding of the New Greek State until today."