On December 3, 2011 Vice President Joe Biden met with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Demetrios of America, and the Holy Synod at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. He enjoyed a tour of the Church of Saint George and venerated the column upon which Christ was scourged. As a gift, he gave the Ecumenical Patriarch a book by Justin Martin titled Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted. Frederick Law Olmsted is best remembered for his landscape architecture, from New York’s Central Park to Boston’s Emerald Necklace to Stanford University’s campus. He said that Patriarch Bartholomew reminded him of Olmsted for his environmental consciousness. Before he left the Ecumenical Patriarchate Biden said "I don't want to leave from here". He also said: "I have met two great personalities, the Ecumenical Patriarch and Nelson Mandela." See photos of the visit here.
