President Obama warmly welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch to the White House this morning.  The President reinforced our support for the mission of the Ecumenical Patriarch, a leader of global standing, and for the reopening of the Halki Seminary in Istanbul.  He also took the opportunity to reiterate the U.S. commitment to confronting global climate change and to applaud the Ecumenical Patriarch for his work on global interfaith dialogue.