Phanar hierarch in U.S.: To be an ecumenist means to be a Christian

Archbishop Elpidophoros. Photo: facebook.com/kyriakos.caros

On June 11, 2021, the head of the Phanariot Archdiocese in the United States, Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis), stated that "ecumenism lies at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian."

During the liturgy, which took place in the Cathedral in honor of the Apostle Bartholomew of the New York Diocese of the Episcopal Church of the United States, Archbishop Elpidophoros noted “there is no gulf too wide or a bridge too far that he is not willing to traverse in order to pursue the love of Christ for each and every human being" for the head of Phanar, Patriarch Bartholomew.

According to Archbishop Elpidophoros, "His All-Holiness has engaged the Orthodox world, imploring that freedom and authentic witness be the standard for the exercise of our faith and that we not fall into nationalistic schemes and machinations."

“In 2016, at the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, held on the island of Crete, our Patriarch urged the assembled Council Fathers to choose dialogue rather than division – even in the face of nationalist interests that could interfere with the Council's deliberations,” said the Phanar spokesman in the USA.

Archbishop Elpidophoros noted that "ecumenical commitment lies at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian."

He also said that while praying in the temple of the U.S. Episcopal Church, he felt a "special privilege" and "challenge."

“It's a privilege because genuine ecumenism takes nothing for granted. And it is also a challenge, because "Dialogue of Love" and "Dialogue of Truth" go hand in hand. And thus, there cannot be one without the other,” said the head of the Phanariot Archdiocese in the United States.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Phanariots in the United States celebrated the name day of the head of Phanar in an Anglican temple.

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