The refugee issue, the financial crisis and the EU institutions were the main issues which ran through the debate this morning during the meeting of Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece with Minister of Interior, Sport and Integration of Bavaria Joachim Herrmann.
Joachim Herrmann thanked the Archbishop for the reception and was interested in information on the general situation of Greece stressing that the contribution of the Archbishop and the Church was very important.
The Archbishop referred to important issues of concern to the country, such as refugee issue stressing that this was a growing issue, created uncertainty and begged the question where Europe’s borders exactly are.
He added that “we are doing all we can, especially to help the unaccompanied minor refugees, but the problem has grown and it is difficult to tackle on our own.” The Archbishop also talked about how these people were treated from the rest of Europe and about the lack of respect for human rights.
He also wondered whether the European Union stood for what its founders had envisaged, stressing that its objectives were no longer the same. The Archbishop mentioned in detail the EU’s founding principles.
The Archbishop spoke about the social structures of the Church, pointing out that there was a period during which more than 55,000 portions of food were daily distributed within the territory under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Athens. He thanked the Greeks living in Germany and the German people for their support during the crisis years.
The minister agreed with the Archbishop’s views on the European Union and the refugee issue while pointing out that “the German people have shown understanding for the problems in Greece.”
