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Dear Readers and Friends,
As we enjoy these summer days, we have an opportunity to reflect on the busy last few months. This season is perfect for appreciating the numerous projects that allowed us to collaborate.
Reflecting on recent efforts in inter-Orthodox, ecumenical, and interfaith relations at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, we recognize the importance of building bridges of trust and understanding. As His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros rightly said while receiving the 2024 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award: “Every human being has the right to be understood on their own terms,” emphasizing the crucial need to “choose love, for it is the conjoining of our spirits, and the touchstone of all faith worth believing.”
A highlight of this season was the 2024 Clergy Laity Congress in San Diego, CA, in July. It was an honor to present the work of our Department to all the delegates as we look forward to continuing our mission of fostering relationships.
Wishing you all a blessed summer,
Happy Readings!
Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian, Ph.D.
Director, Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations
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Creation Justice Ministry
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Last May, Rev. Nicholas Anton, represented the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese at a meeting of Creation Justice Ministries, and was elected on the executive board. Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes Christian individuals, congregations, denominations, and communions to protect, restore and rightly share God’s creation. As Christian’s we need to light a path to a more sustainable future, and as is written in Genesis 1:14, “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good”.
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Global Coptic Day June 1st
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Rev. Nicolas Kazarian represented His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at the Global Coptic Day Celebration in Brooklyn. The work of The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York & New England in mission and outreach is phenomenal!
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To know more about Global Coptic Day, click here |
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Archbishop Elpidophoros Honored with 2024 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award on June 10
On Monday, June 10, 2024 His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America was honored with The Interfaith Center of New York’s 2024 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award.
The James Parks Morton Interfaith Award is named in tribute of The Interfaith Center of New York’s founder the Very Rev. James Parks Morton and recognizes individuals or organizations that exemplify an outstanding commitment to promoting human development and peace — values shared by the world’s great religious traditions.
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Ecumenical Patriarch’s Name Day Celebration
On June 11, at Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros presided from the throne the celebration in honor of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, patron Saint of our beloved Spiritual Father, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
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Juneteenth Ecumenical Prayer Service
To commemorate Juneteenth, the national holiday marking the end of slavery in the USA, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America organized an Ecumenical Prayer Service at Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero in New York City. Rebuilt following its destruction on September 11, 2001, the Church stands as a symbol of faith and resilience, welcoming people of all beliefs.
Above the altar, the striking “Platytera ton Ouranon”(Πλατυτέρα τῶν Ουρανῶν) icon of the Virgin Mary, with arms outspread over New York City, embraces individuals of diverse ethnicities, races, and religions.
On June 19, 2024, this icon greeted attendees of the Ecumenical Prayer Service themed “Healing the Wounds of Slavery.” The Ecumenical Prayer Service was convened with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and with the participation of Christian leaders from various Church denominations.
The service was led by Rev. Samuel Davis and included riveting remarks including: a powerful sermon from Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, President and General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA and a keynote address by John Wetzel, Founding Board Chair of Keystone Restituere Justice Center and CEO of Phronema Justice Strategies.
Lastly, the service concluded with an address by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros on remembrance, truth, and its necessity in healing our nation.
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At the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church
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Workshop “Ecumenical Families: A Pastoral, Theological and Canonical Approach” at the 2024 Clergy-Laity Congress on July 2, 2024.
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H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros with Leadership 100 Chairman Demetrios G. Logothetis and the Patriarchal Representatives at The Official Exhibit Opening at The 47th Clergy-Laity Congress in San Diego, CA.
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His Eminence Elpidophoros of America with the Philoptochos Society.
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Ecumenical Guests during the Divine Liturgy on Thursday, July 3, 2024.
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2024 Clergy Laity Congress
During the week of July 4th, the 2024 Clergy-Laity Congress officially took place and was hosted at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina at San Diego.
This event ensured an uplifting celebration centered around community spirit, empathy, and dedication to helping others. Featured were enlightening workshops and motivational keynote speakers, while the convention provided the Clergy, Leadership 100, Philoptochos society members, delegates from churches, as well as diplomats and more influential people a special chance to unite, share insights, and reaffirm their passion for positively impacting those facing hardship.
You can press on each event and panel individually to learn more information:
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Ministry Panel on “Orthodoxy in America: The Role of the Assembly of Bishops” organized by the Department, on July 3, 2024.
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Invocation offered by Rev. Nicolas Kazarian at the American Bible Society
On behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, Rev. Nicolas Kazarian, Ecumenical Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, offered the invocation during the installation of the American Bible Society’s new President and CEO, Dr. Jennifer Holloran. During the invocation, Rev. Nicolas mentioned the importance of scholarship on the Bible. He reminded those present of the words taken from John 1:1-4, in which it is stated: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
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The Department at the United Nations
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18th International Human Rights Summit
During this threeday conference, Ourania Markaki and intern Georgia Diamantopoulos had the amazing opportunity to hear from delegates from countries all around the world on the issue of human rights.
The conference focused on “Driving Change through Human Rights Education”
Some key takeaways from this conference were:
- The importance of creating a community of educated civilians.
- Importance of defending human rights.
- Creating a space where all the communities have a place where their human rights are protected and defended.
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Participation at HLPF
The High Level Political Forum (HLPF) is the main UN platform on sustainable development. It has a central role in the follow-up and review of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs. All UN Member States as well as representatives from civil society organizations participate in the HLPF, which meets under the auspices of ECOSOC.
The theme this year is “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions.”
Taking part in the HLPF gives us a chance to raise our voices on important issues like poverty and climate action in order to collaborate with other state-members and create beneficial change for our world.
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Representation at the Special economic, humanitarian and disaster relief assistance
Ourania Markaki (center), and the two interns at the Department, Georgia Diamantopoulos (left) and Alex Angelis (right) attended the conference for humanitarian and disaster relief assistance at the ECOSOC chamber of the UN. There they discussed about the importance of coordinated and collaborative approaches for all member states to follow International humanitarian law. There were more than 25 member-state presentations who presented their international stance on the matter.
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Upcoming Side-Event on Preventative Measures for Wildfires
During October, we will be hosting the UN Side-Event on Preventative Measures for Wildfires inside the UN. We are hoping to collaborate with different Missions to accomplish a climate action against the degradation of the environment.
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The Girl Delegate Program at the United Nations
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Visit of GOA Girl Delegate Georgia
Girl Delegate Georgia Yatrakis was not able to attend CSW68 in March in person but followed along virtually. When she found out she was coming to New York to visit family, she reached out to Niki to see if there were any girl centered events in which she could participate. Niki organized an informal meeting with a mission representative. This personal tour of the UN and meeting session gave Georgia invaluable insight into the workings of the United Nations.
Local Conversation Circle
In the lead up to International Day of the Girl (IDG) and the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the GOA Girl Delegates hosted a local girl-led Conversation Circles to discuss the 30-year anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The purpose of the Conversation Circle is to come up with ways for collaborative advocacy within their communities and globally, and to increase the visibility and amplify the voices of girls to encourage their participation and leadership in the political process in the local, national and global arena.
By way of background, in 1995, during the Fourth World Women Conference in Beijing, the international community adopted the Beijing Declaration, a document that sets strategies to achieve gender equality. Recognizing the specific challenges faced by girls, Section L of the Beijing Declaration stands out for its groundbreaking focus. Section L sheds light on the harsh reality that girls are often subjected to various forms of discrimination, disadvantage, and violence throughout their lives. It represents a significant international acknowledgement of this critical issue, placing the rights and well-being of the girl child on the global agenda.
The GOA Girl Delegates focused on several key points from Section L including cultural and professional discrimination and gender-based violence. The girl delegates were given the opportunity to share their unique perspectives regarding these topics and the discussion provided unique insight and allowed for the reevaluation of the Beijing Declaration. This space reviewed the progress made, identified ongoing obstacles that hinder progress, and developed crucial steps needed to strengthen and expand Section L.
After the conversation circle, we submitted a summary of the discussion to be included as part of a packet that was submitted to UN Women to inform the discussion and advocacy efforts at IDG and CSW69.
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Town Hall
The 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) Global Adolescent Girl Leadership Town Hall served as a platform for adolescent leaders aged 19 and under to present recommendations in reference to the CSW69 priority theme on financing, strengthening institutions, and poverty. GOA Girl Delegate Evangelina Benakis was nominated and selected to participate in the Town Hall and GOA Girl Delegate Beatriz Fino Morfogen was nominated and selected to be part of the planning committee.
Adolescent girls require specific and nuanced attention at both the Summit of the Future and during the review of the BPfA, distinct from the broader category of ‘young people’. Girls face multiple challenges, including social marginalization, limited access to education and healthcare, and systemic biases related to both gender and age. These factors significantly hinder their active participation in decision-making spaces. While the proposals for national youth consultative bodies, a global standard for meaningful youth engagement, a framework to track progress, and avenues for youth participation in UN decision-making processes are crucial, there is a risk that they may overlook the unique needs of girls.
During the Town Hall, only 100 adolescent girl leaders who were nominated and selected will have a candid discussion with the Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs (ASG) Dr. Felipe Paullier and UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, to pose critical questions about issues and priorities they believe are currently overlooked, with a clear focus on socializing them to the Summit of the Future Action Days and the BPfA.
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Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
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Peace of Mind
Peace of Mind is a composite training program on mental health crisis response that includes a clinically-based course (Mental Health First AidTM, owned by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing) which is augmented by a theologically-based presentation developed by the Assembly of Bishops.
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