Leadership 100 Members Testify In Support of Ecumenical Patriarchate

Leadership 100 Chairman Emeritus Constantine Caras and members, Dr.  Stamatios Kartalopoulos and Anita Kartalopoulos traveled to Warsaw, Poland to testify on September 26 and 27, 2016 before the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Caras and Dr. Kartalopoulos who represented the Archons of the Order of St. Andrew at the OSCE meeting, had a private meeting with the United States State Department delegation and provided them with the most current information regarding the status of our Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey.

At the Discrimination Session of the OSCE, Caras presented his paper outlining the discrimination faced on a daily basis by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. On the following day, Dr. Kartalopoulos presented his paper at the Freedom of Thought, Conscience, Religion and Belief Session.

This year, for the first time, the National Philoptochos Society was also represented at the OSCE meeting. Philoptochos national Legal Advisor, Anita Kartalopoulos, spoke in support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and specifically in support of the Order of St. Andrew and the “Five Issues” which the Order advances. 

The Turkish Ambassador to the OSCE, present for both sessions, replied to all three speakers at the conclusion of their remarks. 

All three speakers also met with the Constantinopolitan Society representative, Eirini Stefanou, who fully supported and reiterated the concerns of the Order in her own remarks, as well as with the diplomatic delegation headed by Ambassador Kastanas from Greece and conveyed the Order’s concerns for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. 

The OSCE is the world’s largest such organization whose 57 international members and 11 partner states address issues relating to security and cooperation in all areas of society worldwide. Over 2,000 international delegates participated in the conference.  Meeting participants include representative from the US State Department, governmental and diplomatic corps representatives from all 57 member states, NGOs, civil societies and international organizations.

The OSCE works for stability, peace and democracy for more than a billion people, through political dialogue about shared values and through practical work that contributes to sustainable progress. The OSCE's comprehensive concept of security covers the politico-military; the economic and environmental; and the human dimensions.