Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statement to the newspaper ‘To Vima tis Kyriakis’ regarding the visit of Pope Francis (05.12.2021)

The visit to Greece, following the emblematic visit to Cyprus, of the Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City State, comes at a symbolic juncture.

Greece celebrates 200 years of freedom and at the same time more than 40 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states.

These relations are founded on common values, such as respect for International Law, the protection of human rights and the peaceful coexistence of peoples and religions.

I had the opportunity to meet the Pope again yesterday, after the audience in October 2019.

In the context of strengthening the ties between our states, I recently visited the Vatican, where I met with the Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin.

We share concerns about numerous common challenges.

At the top of our agenda is our intention to work further together to protect the Christian populations in the Middle East, who are unfortunately under daily threat, as well as for their peaceful coexistence with the majority Muslim population.

We have agreed to coordinate our efforts with certain countries of the Western Balkans to promote security, stability and tackle extremist Islamist ideologies, as well as nationalism, which have re-emerged in our neighborhood.

Of course, we both share a particular interest in the protection of religious and cultural heritage, as well as of religious freedom. In this context, we forcefully raise the issue of the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, as well as the closure of the Theological School of Halki.