Prime Minister’s tour of St. Barbara
“We continue strong, we go the country in front of the difficulties. The best are in front of us ”was the message of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his discussion with residents of St. Barbara, where he was found earlier in the afternoon as part of his visit to the Student Boarding of the Apostolic Ministry of the Church, which hosted 70 Greek students.
The prime minister pointed out, among other things, that “I am with you today, at the beginning of the Holy Week, in a space that perhaps better than many others the extremely rich and multifaceted social work of the Church of Greece and the Apostolic Ministry: in this boarding house, which is home to 70 countries, To pursue their studies, whether they have chosen ecclesiastical schools or any other subject, inhabited in a place, in a “ark” of love and optimism. And indeed, Blessed are the work you are doing here at the boarding school is indeed great ”presence of the Minister of Education and Religions, Sofia Zacharakis, as well as the head of the Metropolitan of Agathangelos and of course students.
Indeed, Mr Mitsotakis had the opportunity to reaffirm that the issue of student housing is a key priority for the government: “I want to remind us that our government was the one that significantly increased the rental allowance for the student housing. It is our Government that, and through the Youth and Lifelong Learning Foundation, it launches reconstruction to student homes, which the truth is that they are not in very good shape. Here the boarding school is a standard structure that they would envy, to be honest, student homes that the state has. We know, however, that on the housing issues and especially the students’ roof, we must do more. We have repeatedly discussed it with the Minister. And I take on this commitment before you, you wish, so that we can work together so that the footprint of the Church in this crucial area is further enhanced. We have discussed extensively about the possibility of utilizing plots at your disposal in various parts of Athens, where a corresponding structure could be relatively easily built that can significantly increase the ability of the Church of Greece to accommodate children in need. “
In this context, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymos announced that the Church of Greece is constructing a new boarding house on Alexandra Avenue, which is to be founded in May. In addition, the prime minister also referred to the important role that sponsors play both in the multifaceted support and reconstruction of existing structures and in the construction of new ones and highlighted donors to modernize the boarding school in Agia Varvara:
“I would like to thank on this occasion and Silia Krithariotis and Nikos Tsakos for their very kind sponsorship and reaffirm that there are many sponsors who are on the side of the church to support her in her work. Our job, our mission, Blessed are, is to be able to facilitate such initiatives so that the Church of Greece will further increase its important social footprint. We have doubled the budget for the Apostolic Ministry and, as the following, there is an even greater share here for the boarding school, where this multi -dimensional upbringing of children is being done, in a spiritual environment and in a very interesting social context, “said the Minister of Education, Religious and Sports. “Together, individuals and the state, we become one of our help to our most vulnerable fellow citizen, we can bring a much better result that helps any new person, wherever he is born, have a equality of opportunities -and do so here at the boarding school.”
According to government sources during the visit, the prime minister toured the boarding house, lit a candle in the chapel of St. John Chrysostom and talked to students who were looking for religious hymns and traditional songs. Indeed, during the visit, the prime minister and the Archbishop referred to the government’s decision to expand the perimeter of the beneficiaries of the deafness allowance, including the age group of 18-65 years, which was aimed at both the state and the church.
Mr. Hieronymos noted: “The announcement and the result is very important. I have been working close to these people since my 25 years and I know what it means to be a home that has three, four deaf, what expenses they have and what difficulty of communicating. Somewhere they felt complained, unfair. I transferred it to government, ministries, ministers. He arrived at the Prime Minister. I convey the thanks of these people whose allowance is a good allowance, throughout their lives and not a year, two years and so on. They felt a security, confidence and weeping took me today to thank me, and I convey the thanks to the Prime Minister and his government. “
For his part, the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, stressed that “you were one of the first to have personally made me aware of an injustice that was finally corrected today. So this injustice is corrected. Our fellow citizens will be able to receive this allowance throughout their lives. In this way we do not just restore an injustice, but we give them, Blessed, and the ability to be able to have one more motivation for an equal participation in the social and economic life of our country. And because I know you have personally dealt with these issues very much, I think this decision of the government is also your own personal justification. “
In addition, in the context of the debate government sources, they note that the government’s recent decision to support 600 clergy positions by the Sinai Monastery with 600 clergymen. In this regard, the prime minister pointed out that “for the first time a very bold decision was made on the part of the state to allocate 600 clergy positions for our Embassy Patriarchates, but also for the Sinai Monastery, of which after decades the legal status is finally clarified so that we can finally clarify it so You are doing difficult areas of our planet and especially in Africa. “
Finally, Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent the message that the best are in front of us talking to citizens in Agia Varvara after his departure from the boarding school. In particular, he stressed that “let me say a big thank you. We continue strong, we go to the country in front of the difficulties. I wish you a good resurrection, Happy Easter and hold one: The best are in front of us. “