The visiting Head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Pope and Patriarch, His 
Beatitudes Petros VII, on Thursday paid a courtesy call on President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu.
His Beatitudes Petros who is on a week's visit to Ghana would also consecrate the Church's Cathedral at Abeka Lapaz, a suburb of Accra on Sunday, September 29. President Kufuor called for partnership between the State and the church because both of them work towards the improvement in the living standards of the people.
He said while activities of the state were geared towards the physical and material needs of the people the church complements it with the spiritual needs and "without the support of the church, the state would be saddled with a heavy burden to improve the standard of living".
President Kufuor commended the church and other religious bodies in the country for their co-operation, which he said "had not created any extremism in their activities but had lived together in peace and harmony."
Professor George Hagan, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture (NCC) said with the visit of the Pope and Patriarch would serve as a catalyst for the social transformation being embarked on by the government.
His Beatitudes Petros said the Orthodox Church had always supported dialogue between the various Christian doctrines, which had brought nations together, adding " all must learn to live in harmony with the love of God among each other to build the society of God".
He said the church, which was established about 2,000 years ago and 25 years in Ghana had assisted in the provision of social amenities such as schools and clinics in areas where they operated.
His Beatitudes Petros is the leader of the church in Africa and one of the Primates of the Universal Eastern Orthodox Church, which is the second largest Christian church after the Roman Catholic Church.
He is considered to be the direct successor of Saint Mark, the Apostle and Evangelist as St. Mark established the Orthodox Church in the Greek City of Alexandria in Egypt in 43 A.D. The Greek Orthodox Church is considered to be the first Christian Church on the African Continent established by an Apostle of the Jesus Christ.
