Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni met with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine following the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Patriarchate and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture for the protection, conservation, and documentation of the relics and manuscripts of the venerable Patriarchate. The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister of Culture and Patriarch Theophilos discussed the next steps following the signing of the Memorandum, with the aim of beginning its implementation immediately.

At the same time, extensive reference was made to the need for protection and restoration works at the complex of the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre in the Plaka district of Athens, as well as at Goumenos in Elis, a particularly important Byzantine church that requires restoration after sustaining damage from a recent earthquake in the area.

Lina Mendoni assured His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of the support and commitment of the Ministry of Culture, as well as of the immediate commencement of the program for the documentation and digitization of the sacred relics of the metochia of the ancient Patriarchate in Greece.

Also present at the working meeting were Archimandrite Fr. Ieronymos, Exarch of the Holy Sepulchre in Athens; Archimandrite Fr. Christodoulos, Secretary of the Holy and Sacred Synod; Dimitris Angelosopoulos, Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem; and associates of the Minister of Culture.