PRESS RELEASE

It has come to the attention of the Ecumenical Patriarchate that a “Greeting Message”, ostensibly signed by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Rev. Protopresbyter Alexander Karloutsos from America, was sent through a mailing list addressing all Greek Orthodox Christians in America. The e-mail, from the sender “Bartholomew Greetings (Bartholomew_greetings@aboutus.org)”, asked for contributions to support the mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

We categorically state that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and especially the Ecumenical Patriarch, have no relationship with this counterfeit e-mail, and therefore we flatly denounce this mailing as fraudulent. We ask that any readers of this e-mail take these facts into consideration.

At the Patriarchate, the 7th of January 2008
From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod