PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis was welcomed on Thursday by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Phanar, where he attended Epiphany services.
The spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians thanked Androulakis for his visit and his continuous interest in issues of concern to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek diaspora in Istanbul, Imvros (Gökçeada) and Tenedos (Bozcaada).
Androulakis said it was a great honor to meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch again, following a year of wars in the region and a climate crisis that struck Greece with painful consequences in Thessaly, the Dadia forest and Rhodes island ecosystem.
"Climate change is an issue in which the Ecumenical Patriarch has played a leading role, highlighting the need for global initiatives to face its extreme repercussions," PASOK-KINAL's leader said.
He added that he was "deeply saddened by the news of damage and inadequate maintenance of Hagia Sophia, symbol of Orthodoxy and a UNESCO monument of world heritage."
READ MORE: Archbishop Elpidophoros Celebrates Epiphany on Mount Athos, Leads Diverse Engagements in Greece.
