wfn.org | GOAA - Archbishop Demetrios Meets with President George Bush

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0215
Web: http://www.goarch.org
Email: communications@goarch.org

For Immediate Release
April 2, 2004

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH WELCOMES ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS
ON THE OCCASION OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

Washington, DC -  President George W. Bush welcomed His Eminence Archbishop
Demetrios, spiritual leader of 1.5 million Greek Orthodox, to the White
House on the occasion of the celebration of Greek Independence Day.  Some
150 government officials, Greek and Cypriot diplomats and Greek Americans
from throughout the United States, joined in the celebration held in the
Old Executive Office Building.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Demetrios thanked President Bush for his
generous invitation and stated, "On this special Greek Independence Day, as
Greek Americans and Orthodox faithful, we are joyfully aware that we have
been blessed to live in this beautiful country, a country that constantly
fights for liberation from and freedom for, for everyone in the United
States of America and all over the world?We humbly assure you that our
Greek American community is adamantly and even sacrificially committed to
exactly the same ideas, and we fervently pray for the full success of your
significant efforts on this matter, as well as for the health and happiness
of you personally Mr. President and your truly distinguished family (Full
Text attached)

President Bush warmly welcomed everyone in attendance and acknowledged the
presence of several individuals including Andrew Natsios, the director of
the USAID and though he noted that CIA Director George Tenet was not able
to be present, he enthusiastically reaffirmed his confidence in him. He
also, welcomed the presence of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece
Panagiotis Skandalakis, Ambassador of Greece George Savvaides, Ambassador
of Cyprus Euripides Evriviades and Alex Spanos, who had hosted an event for
the President the previous evening.

President Bush enthusiastically endorsed the upcoming Athens Olympics and
announced that his father, President George H. W. Bush would be leading the
American delegation to the Athens this summer.

ADDRESS
OF HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS OF AMERICA
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 183RD CELEBRATION
OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY
MARCH 25TH, 1821

THE WHITE HOUSE
April 1st, 2004

Dear Mr. President,

Once again, as representatives of the Greek American Community, we have the
distinct and great honor of being your guests in celebrating Greek
Independence Day.

This is a celebration of the 1821 Greek War of Liberation, an amazing
achievement on the part of the Hellenes, an event based on a dynamic faith
in God and a burning passion for freedom, an event of astonishing spiritual
depth, human quality and historic significance. This war, however, was not
an isolated phenomenon, which suddenly appeared as a solitary comet, or a
lonely meteor but rather it was like a shining star in a constellation of
similar stars.

The 1821 fight for regaining independence and establishing a free country
again belongs to a lengthy chain of similar fights and has a long past
history. It is directly related to events that happened in the distant
past. It is in substantive continuity with the battles of Marathon in 490
B.C., of Thermopylae and of Salamis in 480 B.C. It is displayed the spirit
of the years between 334 and 323 B.C., when Alexander the Great reached
India having successfully fought gigantic battles throughout Asia. The 25th
of March 1821 is directly linked to one thousand years of the Byzantine
Empire, years replete with wars of the Byzantine Greeks in multiple fronts
against formidable enemies who were constantly attacking and threatening
the freedom of the Christian Orthodox Empire of the East.

Thus, the War for Independence in 1821 has been an integral part of a long
tradition of uncompromising battles, fights and wars undertaken by the
Greeks for thousands of years in defense and promotion of freedom,
independence and self-determination.

Behind the "1821 Liberation War," one can easily see a passionate adherence
to freedom as a gift from God, an unquenchable thirst for liberty as a
destiny of every human being and a non-negotiable position in matters of
self-determination.

There is, however, a very particular aspect Mr. President that has to be
underlined here. All the above-mentioned wars --the 1821 included-- were
not only wars aiming at a liberation from; a liberation from any
oppression, subjugation, domination by the evil, controlling by dark
inhuman powers. They also were wars aiming at a liberation for, a freedom
for.

A freedom for creating a prosperous life for all, a freedom for producing
culture and building civilization, a freedom for establishing justice and
peace, a freedom for eliminating any and every form of enslavement, a
freedom for the development of fine arts and the promotion of sciences and
wisdom.
"Liberation from" and "freedom for," were the distinctive markers of the
1821 War of Independence. And they have been, as in the past, the
distinctive marker of the Greek Orthodox people in the years that have
followed. There was a freedom from and a freedom for in the Balkan wars of
1912-1913, in Greece's participation by the side of the Allies in the First
World War of 1914-1918, and in the Second World War of 1939-1945 against
the evil powers of the Nazis and the Fascists which threatened not only the
freedom but the very essence of humanity. And it is the freedom from and
the freedom for that is the inspirational force for the truly noble Greek
Orthodox Cypriots today, fighting for this precious freedom for all
inhabitants of this tormented island of the East Mediterranean, be they
Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Mennonites, Maronites and
Latins.

Mr. President,

On this special Greek Independence Day, as Greek Americans and Orthodox
faithful, we are joyfully aware that we have been blessed to live in this
beautiful country, a country that constantly fights for liberation from and
freedom for, for everyone in the United States of America, and all over the
world. And we are thankfully aware that in you we see a President committed
to liberation from and to freedom for, for individuals, families, societies
and nations living on this earth of ours.

We humbly assure you that our Greek-American Community is adamantly and
even sacrificially committed to exactly these same ideals of liberation
from and freedom for. And we also humbly assure you that we fervently pray
for the full success of your significant efforts on this matter as well as
for the health and happiness of you personally, Mr. President, and of your
truly distinguished family.

###

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