WASHINGTON (voa) – The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, has expressed satisfaction over his talks Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The two men met at the State Department as the patriarch opened a week-long visit to the United States. The church leader said the discussions focused on the role of religion in efforts to deal with terrorism and extremism. He said they also touched on such issues as the role of the Greek Orthodox community in the United States.
The patriarch travels to the White House later to meet with President Bush.
Wednesday, the patriarch will have talks with local Roman Catholic officials from the Washington and Baltimore areas before traveling to Boston to meet with U.S. Greek Orthodox Church leaders and visit church institutions.
Later this week, Patriarch Bartholomew will go to New York, where Saturday he will visit the site of the former World Trade Center, destroyed in September’s terrorist attacks on the United States. While there, he will conduct a memorial service for the victims at the site of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, also destroyed in the attacks.
The patriarch will conclude his visit Sunday and return to his home in the Phanar district of Istanbul, Turkey.
