The Oncology Unit of Children “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis-ELPIDA” visited the Archiebishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos on Wednesday, December 24th 2021.
His In All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch was welcomed by the President of the Association “ELPIDA-Association of Friends of Children with cancer” Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, the Administrator of the Children’s Hospitals “H Aghia Sofia” and “P.&A. Kyriakou” Mr. Manolis Papasavvas, the Head of international relations and of Greeks living abroad of ELPIDA Mrs. Afroditi Doriti-Plakiotaki and the Secretary General of the Association “ORAMA ELPIDAS” Mrs. Ino Konstantopoulou.
The visit was surrounded by emotion and devotion because right after His arrival, the Patriarch made a prayer for the children under treatment and their families to the Church of Aghia Anna situated to the external yard of the Unit.
After that, the little patients with their parents and the members of the medical and nursing staff have welcomed the Patriarch to the entrance of the Unit offering to Him a Christmas card which they had especially prepared for Him.
“Your presence means a lot for all of us but mainly for our little patients and their parents. It is an ultimate moment to the history of our Association because by blessing us you give hope and love, smoothing in this way the pain and anxiety of children and parents. The prayer that you have just done to the small church of Aghia Anna has warmed our hearts and souls giving us strength to continue our fight against the children’s cancer and I wish to thank you from my heart on behalf of our children, parents, medical and nursing staff. I humbly bow my leg with respect before your great sensitivity and your meritorious and multi-dimensional work. You are a most distinguished personality worldwide and you are the Ecumenical Guardian of our Orthodox faith taking care with your actions and words to reach to the end of the world the moral lessons of our Church for love, solidarity, modesty and brotherhood” Mrs. Vardinoyannis said to her speech.
The Administrator of the Children’s hospitals “H Aghia Sofia” and “P.&A. Kyriakou”, Mr. Manolis Papasavvas has thanked the Patriarch for his honorable presence and has in details analyzed the work achieved to the Unit emphasizing the exceptional assistance of “ELPIDA”.
His In All Higheness, The Ecumenical Patriarch has praised with the warm words of heart and great emotion, the work of Unit and Mrs. Marianna Vardinoyannis personally in his speech for the power of love and science. “We congratulate you for your most valuable offer to the children and the support to their parents. Love is the utmost truth of our life, the power which supersedes the human measure and we always receive it as a gift and grace. Where love exists, as in this holy place and the hearts of the people working here, everything is covered with the smell of hope and Recreation while the God of Love is present. Love is turning over the so called self-understanding and makes miracles. Science is a tremendous power that treats illness, saves lives and offers health. When it is exercised with respect to the human being is a blessing of God. The co-existence of love and scientific knowledge creates hopes for a future full of optimism. I congratulate you Mrs. Vardinoyannis for all you have done and your worldwide recognition and respect is fair and righteous.
The visit the Ecumenical Patriarch has reached to the top with the signing of a “Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Associations “ELPIDA” and “ORAMA ELPIDAS”, providing the support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the one part to the fight against the children’s cancer and on the other, the effort to sensitize the human being for the need of increasing the number of volunteers of bone marrow donors. The Ecumenical Patriarchate participating to the project “Make Greece Compatible” of the Association “ORAMA ELPIDAS” will contribute to the sensitization and increase of the number of the volunteers of bone marrow donors.
The Memorandum of Cooperation has been co-signed by His In All Holiness, the Archiebishop of Constantinople and New Rome Bartholomeos, the President of the Association “ELPIDA- Association of Friends of Children with cancer”, Mrs. Marianna Vardinoyannis, and Mrs. Afroditi-Doriti Plakiotaki in charge of the International relations and the Greeks who live abroad.
Mrs. Vardinoyannis, in a gesture of gratitude for His tremendous support has awarded to the Ecumenical Patriarch “The Gold Ribbon of ELPIDA” and the “Statute of ELPIDA” with the mother who is holding in her hands a child while the Ecumenical Patriarch has offered to Mrs. Vardinoyannis one symbolic souvenir for the signature of the “Memorandum of Cooperation”. His In All Holiness has finally set the star with His Name to the “Wall of Stars of ELPIDA” with the wish this star to light and bless parents and children.