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.
Read also
Hryshchuk: If UOC hands over its church itself, angle grinders aren't needed
An OCU chaplain called on UOC believers to accept the loss of the shrine for the sake of their own "enlightenment".
18th-century gates of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra presented in London
State art historians have identified masterpieces by Kyiv goldsmiths in London.
In mosque, OCU "bishop" and DESS experts dine at iftar during Ramadan
At an iftar in Kyiv, authors of expert assessments against the UOC were awarded Islamic orders in the presence of the deputy head of DESS and a "hierarch" of Dumenko's structure.
Shevchuk tells Budanov of UGCC’s “state-building role”
The head of the Uniates told the head of the Presidential Office that his Church was ready to partner with the state and presented him with a book on the work of special services in the Church.
Authorities decline to disclose Ukraine’s population size
The State Statistics Service acknowledged that it has up-to-date population estimates for the country, but has decided not to make them public.
Lithuanian govt vows to protect Orthodox Church from Russian intelligence
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has called for curbing the influence of Russian intelligence services on the Church, while an adviser to President Nausėda warned against labeling the entire structure a security threat.