Biden, Orthodox Patriarch Discuss Climate, Religious Freedom
Peter Smith of the Associated Press reports, “President Joe Biden and the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians discussed ways to fight climate change and to end the coronavirus pandemic as well as the importance of religious freedom during an Oval Office session Monday.” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople also met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken amid rising tensions over Turkey’s treatment of Orthodox Christians. A spokesperson for Blinken said, “They discussed the U.S. commitment to supporting religious freedom around the world and opportunities to work with the Orthodox Christian community worldwide on issues of shared concern, as well as with religious minorities in Turkey and the region.”