“Mt. Athos is a truly spiritual place,” US Ambassador to Athens Geoffrey Pyatt tweeted on last week, commenting on his first visit to the historic monastic community’s Vatopedi Monastery.

“I profoundly thank Abbot Ephraim for introducing me to the rich history of Vatopedi on my first stop here,” Pyatt said on his visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Greece.

“I was also impressed by the Monastery’s innovative research and ideas on its organic herbal products,” he added.

Pyatt also said that he met with Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos during the visit.

“We had an important discussion on Orthodoxy worldwide and US support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” the US ambassador said.

This article was initially published by ekathimerini.com