December 4, 2011
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| Vice President Joe Biden lights a candle with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Church of St. George at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, Turkey; December 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann) |
Following their meeting, the Vice President and the Ecumenical Patriach were joined by members of the Holy Synod, Metropolitans, and Greek community leaders for continued discussions – not to mention an abundance of the local dessert of choice, Turkish Delight.
Vice President Biden then had the opportunity to tour the Church of St. George at the Patriarchate with His Eminence Archbishop Demitrios Trakatellis, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, with whom the Vice President recently met in New York City. A beautiful day in Istanbul, the tour included a stroll through the Church’s mosaic adorned courtyard. It was a special honor to later light a candle at the Church with the Ecumenical Patriarch.