The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Karolos Papoulias welcomed the Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, Sotirios. The Archbishop was accompanied by the graduated of the Toronto School of Theology as well as 80 Greeks who live in Otawa and Montreal.
Mr. Papoulias welcomed the Greeks and he underlined the importance of their presence in Greece “especially during a period when we give a big fight to overcome our financial crisis”.
He also expressed the belief that Greece will overcome all the difficulties and he added: “The oldest of you have to know that the Greek people have a lot of stamina. And we have overcome a lot of difficulties in our lives, we experienced wars, starvation and grief but in the end we overcame all these, keeping our dignity. And we created things like you in Canada when you left some day to live there”.
The President of the Hellenic Republic thanked the mission being very touched and expressing the certainty that the Greeks of Canada and their children will never forget their second country, Greece.
Mr. Sotirios, on the other hand, emphasized on the fact that the 350.000 Greeks of Canada “live there being alive and not dead. We act, we work, we make great progress, always following and hearing the voice of Greece and Orthodoxy”. In addition, he said that the mission will go to visit the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Vartholomeos and will attend the Mass in the Theological School of Halki.
He also reminded of the recent resolution of the Canadian Parliament asking the opening of the Theological School of Halki and the respect of human rights on behalf of Turkey.
As far as the financial crisis Greece is facing is concerned, Mr. Sotirios communicated the faith of all Greeks living in Canada that “Greece will overcome this crisis because Greece never dies”.
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