The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams made a pastoral and fraternal visit to the Archdiocese of Athens from 25 to 28 November, at the invitation of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos.
In accepting Archbishop Ieronymos's invitation to be his guest, Archbishop Rowan hoped to learn more about the witness and outreach of the archdiocese, to strengthen the friendship between the Church of England and the Church of Greece, and to reflect together on some of the pastoral issues that the two churches face in seeking to serve the common good in their respective societies.
The Archbishop's programme included meetings with the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr Karolos Papoulias, the Prime Minister Mr George Papandreou, the Education & Religious Affairs Minister Mrs Anna Diamantopoulou and Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Dimitris Dollis. He will also meet with the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronimos and other representatives of the Greek Church, as well as paying pastoral visits to a number of Orthodox parishes and social projects around Athens. Dr Williams celebrated Advent Sunday with the Anglican community in Athens, and also was present at a celebration of the Divine Liturgy. During his visit the Archbishop was awarded a doctorate honoris causa by the University of Athens for his work as a theological scholar and teacher.
This is the third such official visit by an Archbishop of Canterbury: Dr Michael Ramsey in 1962, and Dr George Carey in 1996.
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