Orthodox hierarchs meet with US President Bush President Bush welcomes [from left] Bishop Ilia, Metropolitan Theodosius, Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Philip, Metropolitan Christopher, and Bishop Dimitrios at Oval Office. Two weeks before his retirement, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius was among several North American Orthodox Christian hierarchs who met with US President George Bush at the White House on Tuesday, July 9, 2002. The one-hour meeting with the hierarchs, called at the personal initiative of President Bush, was filled with “open, frank and honest discussion on a wide variety of topics,” according to Metropolitan Theodosius, who was accompanied by Protopresbyter Robert Kondratick, OCA Chancellor. “President Bush discussed a wide range of topics, including terrorism, recent events in Russia and Serbia, the situation of the rising number of immigrants to the US, the status of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and contemporary moral issues,” Metropolitan Theodosius added. “In discussing his plans for faith-based initiatives, President Bush clearly demonstrated his deep commitment to reaching out to as many people as possible.” The meeting opened in the Roosevelt Room, where, in addition to Metropolitan Theodosius, President Bush welcomed His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America; His Eminence, Metropolitan Christopher of the Serbian Orthodox Church; His Grace, Bishop Ilia of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America; and His Grace, Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, Auxiliary to Archbishop Demetrios. The President then led the guests to the Oval Office for further discussions. n
