THE NATIONAL COORDINATED EFFORT OF HELLENES (CEH)

ISTANBUL (AP) April 7, 2009 -- The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians has thanked President Barack Obama for appealing for more religious freedom in a speech to Turkey's parliament. A church spokesman says Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who is based in Istanbul, met Obama in private for 15 minutes at the president's hotel on Tuesday. The spokesman, Rev. Alexander Karloutsos of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States, says Bartholomew also thanked Obama for advocating Turkey's entry into the European Union. According to Karloutsos, Obama said he would continue to promote religious freedom. In a speech to Turkish lawmakers on Monday, he urged Turkey to reopen a Greek Orthodox seminary, a key demand by the European Union to strengthen Ankara's bid for EU membership.