Orthodox Observer, 8 E. 79th Street, New York, NY (2025)

08/21/2025

From FREEDOM Ministry:

"Father Peter was honored to participate as a featured speaker at the U.S. Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Summit, a three-day gathering of national leaders dedicated to eradicating human trafficking across the United States.

The summit convened attorneys general and senior representatives from multiple states, the former U.S. Ambassador for Trafficking in Persons, the Governor of Virginia, as well as top law enforcement agencies, athletes, and national organizations on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was scheduled to participate in the program but was unable to attend.

Father Peter delivered remarks on each day of the summit, beginning with an opening prayer reflection, followed by a presentation on survivor services and the dignity of labor trafficking survivors, and concluded the event reflecting:

'As we work to restore dignity in others, we must remember the dignity given to us by our Lord. We are image-bearers of God, the King, the one who is the Prince of Peace. The same hands that shaped Adam from the dust shaped us with intention and care. The same breath that gave life to humanity fills our lungs with purpose today.'

The summit provided an important forum for state and federal leaders to deepen collaboration, exchange best practices, and renew their united commitment to eradicating both s*x and labor trafficking across the nation. As a result of his contributions, Father Peter has been invited to participate in two upcoming programs to further advance this vital work."

Photos courtesy of Ashleigh Chapman, Andrew J. Teixeira, Scott Kelsey

08/19/2025

The world has recently witnessed alarming environmental degradation—with climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and the pollution of natural resources—accompanied by a widening gap between rich and poor and the ongoing failure to implement ecologically sound and sustainable policies.

Yet for nearly four decades now, one religious leader has discerned the signs of the times and called people's attention to this social and ecological situation. His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has persistently proclaimed the primacy of spiritual values in determining environmental ethics and action.

His endeavors have earned him the title "Green Patriarch" – coined and publicized by the media in 1996, while being formalized in the White House in 1997 by Al Gore, then Vice President of the United States. In 2008, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World for "defining environmentalism as a spiritual responsibility."

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offers a refreshing, alternative way of seeing ourselves in relation to the natural world. As a religious leader, the Ecumenical Patriarch's initiatives to protect the environment are worthy of emulation. His worldview, derived from the ancient values of the Orthodox Church, deserves our attention today.

Full article outlining His All-Holiness's environmentalism in the comments below.

🖋️ Article by Fr. John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Throne and theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issues
Photo by Nicholas Manginas

08/19/2025

Throughout charred-black trees and razed hills, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America surveyed the decimation of the Greek island Chios on Aug. 16.

Since late June, wildfires have destroyed an estimated 10,000 acres in the island’s northwestern evergreen thickets. The widespread flames led to the evacuations of thousands of residents of the region and now Chios fights a second blaze, which has destroyed homes and damaged local power grids, leaving many without electricity.

The initial fire was caused by a discarded cigarette, but the flames are now are fueled by strong, northerly winds that occur at the brink of the Aegean Sea during the summer months. The major heatwaves that have seared parts of southern Europe, along with the drought-heavy previous months, created the ideal conditions for fire’s spread.

Archbishop Elpidophoros spoke strongly about the crisis, signalling solidarity with those impacted by the most severe succession of burnings Greece has faced in years.

“With great sorrow I visit the places where the destructive wildfire of human negligence and indifference passed before me.” Archbishop Elpidophoros said in Greek, in a field blackened by ash. “We see the consequences of human error, when the paradise we all inherited—the earth, our beautiful nature, and for us Greeks in particular, this paradise called Greece—is turned into a wasteland, a hell, a place of terror, fear, and grief for us all.”

Archbishop Elpidophoros met with the firefighters, residents and local officials responding to the crisis. This is a continuation of his expression of support for the people of Greece upon his arrival to the island a week ago.

We must first find a way to protect our nature, to safeguard and love our environment. Secondly, we must all work together so that what destruction has left behind, we can restore—transforming our land once again into paradise,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said.

Over the past week, around 150 fires have started throughout the Greek archipelago, where 5,000 firefighters have been sent to contain the flames. Containment efforts have been complicated by extreme weather.

Article by Salvatore Ambrosino
Photos by Orthodox Observer/Dimitrios Panagos

08/19/2025

On Aug. 1, 2025, a cohort of faithful from the United States journeyed to Constantinople to partake in the Pilgrimage of Discovery, an annual week-long trip awarded to Orthodox Christian young adults across America.

The trip, funded by the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, with the mission of increasing American Orthodox awareness of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s ties to the Mother Church of Constantinople.

While there, the group visited many important cultural and religious sites, the Hagia Sophia, the Orthodox Christian cathedral now converted to a mosque, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Holy Theological School of Halki.

At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the pilgrims presented gifts from their hometowns to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Photo courtesy of Pilgrimage of Discovery 📸

08/15/2025

Today is truly a day of glory, when the Mother of our God is enthroned as Queen of Heaven and Intercessor for the world! Through the grace of Her Son, our Lord, she is received into the celestial heights, there to live forever as a promise of the Resurrection for all humankind.

As brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are therefore also the adopted children of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. She miraculously gives birth to every one of us through Holy Baptism, and nourishes and feeds us from her own Body, with the milk of the teaching of the Fathers that flow from her, and with the very Body and Blood of Christ which can never be exhausted.

She is truly our mother, and we may we all bless her as did the woman who exclaimed: “Blessed is the womb that gave birth to You, and the breasts that You suckled” (Luke 11:27).

Icon: Koimisis (Dormition of the Theotokos), northern Greece, c. late 14th-early 15th century.

08/14/2025

This week, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America visits the fire-stricken areas of Chios, Greece, where wildfires continue to rage across the island's northwest portion.

Traveling to offer his support to the island and its faithful, today Archbishop Elpidophoros met with His Eminence Metropolitan Markos of Chios and Civil Administrator of Mt. Athos Alkiviadis Stefanis, as well as several Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Greek Americans of Chian descent. His Eminence will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Chios on Sunday, and on Monday he will offer an address at the Metropolis of Chios's library entitled "The Library of the Schole of Halki."

Photos by Orthodox Observer/Dimitrios Panagos

08/13/2025

Fr. Peter Spiro, Director of the FREEDOM National Ministry, recently traveled to the parish of St. Demetrios Church in Warren, Ohio. Since they first learned about the FREEDOM Ministry, the St. Demetrios parish has made supporting survivors of human trafficking an ongoing, heartfelt mission—collecting clothing, purses, and shoes, as well as raising survivor assistance funds during their annual church festival.

Stephanos Valantasis, son of Proistamenos Fr. Costa, learned that the FREEDOM Ministry's St. Barbara Chapel was in need of a large crucifix. While fellow parishioner Tim Boumont skillfully crafted the wooden cross, Stephanos hand-painted the Christ figure with great care. Following his homily during a Paraklesis service, Fr. Peter was presented the crucifix as a gift for the chapel, making this third visit of his especially meaningful.

The parish youth then joined in preparing both the new crucifix and the collected donations for their journey back to Tennessee, where they will bring hope and support to those in need. Fr. Peter expressed his deep love and gratitude for the beautiful support and outreach that the parish contributes to help survivors of human trafficking.

Article courtesy of FREEDOM Ministry ✍️
Photos courtesy of Presvytera Maria Constantine 📸

08/12/2025

Nicholas Athanasopoulos is a 2025 graduate of St. Joseph’s University who centered his undergraduate research thesis on the Arvanites, an ethnic group living in Greece and descending from Albanians. Nick is from Cresskill, New Jersey and attends the Metropolis of New Jersey Cathedral of St. John the Theologian in Tenafly, New Jersey. At St. Joseph’s University, under Dr. Kazuya Fukuoka, Chair of the Political Science Department, Nick Athanasopoulos chose to study how the Arvanites perceive their identity in contemporary Greece as his Political Science thesis research project.

Descendants of ethnic Albanians, Arvanites moved into Greece as early as the 14th century during the era of the Eastern Roman “Byzantine” Empire in the aftermath of the Black Plague. During the Black Plague, many ethnically-Greek villages in the countryside were ravaged by the disease and left abandoned and viable for resettlement by groups like the Arvanites.

Nick’s research was inspired by his yiayia Maria, who one day told him she knew how to speak some Albanian. She told her grandson she learned it from people in her village, Kranidi, where there was a dense Arvanite population. Nick was curious about the implications of what his yiayia shared with him. Were they partially Albanian by blood?

Nick decided to research the roots of Arvanite populations in Kranidi. The Arvanites mostly settled in the Northern Peloponnese around Corinth, Kranidi, and Arcadia–where Nick’s namesake, his Pappou Niko, is from. Nick was interested in exploring the ultimate question of what it means to be Greek. What does it mean to be of a specific ethnic identity, he asked, and are we defined purely by blood or culture?

As Greece has modernized and become part of the global world, Arvanites are part of a story that is unique to them, but affects rural Greece more broadly. Greece is quickly urbanizing as tourism continues to increase with the rise of social media, and as the country urbanizes, life in rural villages and countryside deteriorates. There is an emphasis in Greek culture and global society to be “modern.” Many necessary advances have uplifted rural communities, but Nick’s study intends to highlight what we can learn from the past, our ancestry, and our connection to the “old world.”

Over time, religious observance has also steadily declined in Greece. Nick notes the importance of protecting institutions like the Church that foster culture through hymns, language, and dance. Modern technology has de-emphasized the importance of community, causing people to grow more isolated, alone, depressed, and anxious. “There is an immense loss when that culture is lost and that is what Greeks and Greek Americans are fearing now,” Nick states.

Though ethnic and linguistic minorities like the Arvanites have lived in Greece for centuries, these minority groups have been marginalized and assimilated in the majority Greek culture over time. The loss of these minority cultures brings a loss of creativity, collaboration, and ingenuity, as our larger Greek cultural identity is bolstered by retaining the contributions, cultural and otherwise, that minority groups provide. Just as Greek Americans make unique contributions to American culture, so too have Arvanites to Greek culture.

Nick noted that difficulties arose in his research because Greece does not have a census the way the U.S. does. The assumption is that everyone is ethnically Greek and speaks Greek, so officially tracking Arvanite speakers was complex.

Nick’s study utilized research reports he translated to English from Greek and Albanian. He read interviews and reports by anthropologists who studied Arvanite communities. Many Arvanites did not want to be perceived as Albanian, but as Greek, or said that their cultural and linguistic identity was fully Greek and they felt no connection to Albania or the larger Albanian diaspora.

However, the Arvanites are not a monolith. Others did identify with their Albanian origin, and Nick found this to be particularly true in the 1990s, when Albanian immigration to Greece began again after the Cold War and fall of Albania’s socialist regime. Many Albanians settled in the Greek countryside to perform cheap manual labor and subsequently connected with old Arvanite communities. One Arvanite interview Nick found described this connection as a reunion with “long-lost siblings.”

The biggest takeaways Nick gained from his research were the importance of both multilingualism and the maintenance of connection with tradition. “Don’t pursue modernity at the cost of your traditions,” Nick stated. Many Arvanites did not see the value in passing down their language, neglecting multilingualism. As a result, a linguistic tradition which existed since the 14th century is effectively gone.

“As second or third-generation Greek Americans, we are at risk of losing our connection to Greece,” Nick says. “We can learn from the Arvanites so we do not make the same mistake and deprioritize the importance of multilingualism.” If Greek Americans, like the Arvanites, fail to preserve their ethnic and linguistic distinctiveness, they too may become homogenized into the majority American culture.

In addition to stressing this lesson, Nick’s research on the Arvanites memorializes an important part of medieval and modern Greek history; recognizes the importance of multiculturalism and retaining culture; and presents the Arvanites to a greater American audience.

Article by Sara Tsugranis 🖋️
Photos courtesy of Nicholas Athanasopoulos 📸

The Orthodox Observer’s profiles highlight inspiring Greek Orthodox individuals who are making meaningful contributions to our community. Through their work, service, and personal journeys, they exemplify the richness of our faith and culture while fostering connection, compassion, and purpose.

08/11/2025

During his upcoming Apostolic Visit to the U.S. in September 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will engage with clergy, youth, and laity at numerous public events, offering the faithful opportunities to receive his blessing and participate in worship services.

One such public event will take place on September 23, 2025, when His All-Holiness will visit Fordham University and the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at the school's Rose Hill Campus in New York City. A celebratory concert by Ca****la Romana Choir will take place at 6pm in University Church (overflow: Leonard Theatre, Fordham Preparatory School).

Further details about the Patriarchal Visit will be announced in the coming weeks.

Photo courtesy of Ca****la Romana 📸

08/07/2025

In a poignant homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew called the ongoing starvation of Gazans “a shame for the human race.”

His All-Holiness delivered the homily at Halki, in the Skete of Metamorphosis Chapel, visiting the recently-restored chapel to officiate the Service of Door-Opening (Thyranoixia) on the eve of the skete’s feast-day, yesterday, August 5.

“When someone has entered this area of the vision of Jesus in another form, they have been freed from the slavery of need and pain,” said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, referring to the significance of the transfiguration of Christ. “But the others? The many? They still await on the slopes of Tabor for the Transfiguration, in order to be freed from pain, illness and need, just like our brothers in the suffering land of Gaza.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew then denounced the killing of Gazans and referenced the scenes of child starvation circulating throughout mainstream media:

“We watch in horror the scenes of civilians, innocent children dying from hunger, but also captives digging their own graves,” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said. “It is truly a shame for the human race, for all of humanity, as I also said yesterday. To be more precise, these images portray nothing human at all. They are, quite literally, inhuman.”

In another part of his homily, His All-Holiness discussed the long-suffering nature of the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople, which are mirrored in the history of the Skete of Metamorphosis Chapel. Restored for a second time after multiple vandalizations, the skete stands as “a true witness of the unspoken sighs of our people,” said His All-Holiness.

The Ecumenical Patriarch expressed gratitude for the restoration, thanking Archon Aktourarios Dr. Steve Yallourakis and his wife Dr. Anna Yallourakis for their funding, as well as His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkon for his efforts. Thanks to their faithful support, His All-Holiness said, the chapel now stands before us “‘in another form,’ fully renovated, truly transfigured.”

Also present at the service were His Eminence Archbishop Nektarios of Anthidon; His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkon; His Grace Bishop Kassianos of Aravissos, Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Halki; Ali Ercan Akpolat, Honorable Mayor of the Princes’ Islands (Adalar); and a multitude of clergy and faithful.

Link to the Ecumenical Patriarchate's report below.

Article by Corinna Robinson and Salvatore Ambrosino 🖋️
Photos courtesy of Ecumenical Patriarchate/Nikos Papachristou 📸

08/06/2025

From the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (AEP):

"Immense progress has been made in recent decades in dialogue between Christians of differing faith traditions, as well as between Christians and non-Christians. His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has just provided valuable insight into the precise nature of the unity and mutual understanding that could be expected to be achieved from this dialogue. In his keynote address on July 29, 2025 at the World Council of Religions for Peace conference in Constantinople, His All-Holiness explained in detail the proper spiritual approach to dealing with the challenges that all people of faith face today.

His All-Holiness began by recognizing the significance of holding such a conference in Constantinople, which for nearly two millennia has been the home of the sacred center of the Holy Orthodox Faith. 'In this City,' he said, 'whose stones still bear the echo of centuries where the oikoumene was defined not as a geographical expanse but as a spiritual horizon, and where the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople continues to bear witness to the universal calling of Orthodox Christianity, a contemporary conscience convenes to confront a situation of planetary crisis.'

The Ecumenical Patriarch noted also that the real challenge the world faced was deeper than the daily headlines: 'The challenge, however, is not located primarily in its visible manifestations, in the economic instability that transforms into the asphyxiation of entire peoples, in the unbridled technological progress that places under question the very concept of human agency, but in something deeper, in an underlying condition that permits these phenomena to manifest with such destructive intensity.'

His All-Holiness explained that 'the diagnosis, as it is articulated in the context of the initiative ‘Religions for Peace,’ recognizes as a fundamental problem a dominant, usually unavowed, worldview. It concerns a prevailing materialism with a character of reductive simplification, a way of viewing the real that contracts human flourishing to its material dimension, systematically excluding any reference to the Sacred.'

People of different faith traditions, he explained, could unite together in combating that shallow and inadequate materialism: 'Within this landscape of spiritual desolation, interreligious dialogue emerges not simply as a theological preoccupation or a luxury of peaceful times, but as an inexorable necessity, as an act of collective resistance. The encounter of the different religious traditions, each one a bearer of a unique experience of the Sacred, becomes the necessary condition for the confrontation with a globalised meaninglessness, for the re-articulation of a discourse that dares to speak of love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and self-sacrifice not as abstract moral values, but as active elements of a fuller reality.'

The Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that this common action was 'not an attempt to create a new, syncretistic religion, nor a substitution for the unique worldviews that characterize each religious tradition. Its purpose is, on the contrary, the highlighting of a field of consensus, the mapping of those points where the different experiences of the Sacred converge, creating a common front against the dominion of materialistic reductionism.' He likewise stressed that 'the response of the religious communities cannot…be defensive or negative. The denunciation of the dangers does not suffice. What is required is the projection of an alternative, positive view of man and of society, a view rooted in the conviction that human beings are relational beings and society a relational whole.’

His All-Holiness stated that 'the meeting place of the world’s religions' is 'to be found…in the acceptance of a common mission: that of testimony. Each religious tradition is called to testify, from the heart of its own revelatory experience, against the nihilism of the age, offering as an antidote not a general spirituality, but the wealth of its own, unrepeatable otherness.'

Therefore, he explained, 'the true basis for common action is not the convergence on a theory, but the journeying-together in a deed.' With profound and compelling simplicity and wisdom, His All-Holiness continued: 'We meet in essence not when our theologies coincide, but when our communities share bread with the hungry, care for the sick, defend the wronged. Unity is forged in the common resistance to the forces that attempt to efface the human face. In this struggle, the diversity of our spiritual weapons is not a weakness, but a wealth.'

Where does Christian truth fit into all this? It is found in the humility that is found at the heart of the entire enterprise. The Ecumenical Patriarch explained that 'the Christian testimony… offers to this dialogue a perspective that does not seek to dominate, but to serve: the image of God as a communion of Persons, as an eternal relationship of love. Peace, under this prism, is not a static state of equilibrium, but a dynamic, eschatological reality – the expectation of a final reconciliation of all things in Christ. The common action of the religions, therefore, draws its deepest meaning not from an existing agreement, but from a common hope for a future world of justice and love.'

His All-Holiness concluded with this moving summation: 'We are not called, therefore, to compose a new global religion of consensus. We are called, each from the standpoint of his faith, to constitute a global alliance of conscience, a prophetic testimony that will keep open the horizon of transcendence in a world threatened with asphyxiation within the confines of the material. Our unity is not founded on what we believe in common, but on our common love for humanity and on our common reference to the mystery of the one God. This is the only viable peace.'"

Photo by Brittainy Newman/Orthodox Observer

08/06/2025

From Hellenic College Holy Cross (HCHC):

"Eight students recently completed the biennial Asia Minor Travel Seminar, an immersive four-week academic program exploring Hellenic heritage in Asia Minor and the Pontos region, including the Black Sea coast. Funded by HCHC’s New York Life Insurance Company Center for the Study of Hellenism in partnership with the Dean C. Zoë S. Pappas Interdisciplinary Center for Hellenic Studies at Stockton University, the seminar was led by HCHC alumnus Professor Tom Papademetriou, Ph.D. of Stockton University.

The seminar included students from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Stockton University, University of Toronto, UC Berkeley, Fordham University, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and Simon Fraser University. In Athens, participants worked in the archives of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies, reading oral histories from Pontic Greek refugees. Lectures covered Pontic civilization, and cultural visits included the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Asia Minor Hellenism in Nea Filadelfeia. The second part of the seminar travelled the entire Black Sea coast from Trabzon (Trapezounda), Gumushhane (Argyroupolis), Ordu (Kotyora), Giresun (Kerasunda), Samsun (Amisos), Amasya (Amaseia), and Istanbul (Constantinople), ending with the blessing of attending Divine Liturgy at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

'Aside from seeing the amazing monastery of Panagia Soumela and trailblazing to visit the abandoned monastery of St. John Vazelon, it was incredibly powerful for students and faculty alike to read testimonies from village residents, and then actually visit those same villages—sitting outside a former church in the village square and discussing their lives. It was a moment where our students connected the past with the present, allowing us to understand the profound impact of history on the people and places that continue to carry the legacy of Hellenism in Asia Minor,' said Dr. Papademetriou.

Dr. Nicholas Ganson, Director of the New York Life Insurance Company Center at HCHC and Dean of Hellenic College, added: 'Visits to sacred sites like Hagia Sophia of Trebizond, Panagia Soumela, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate provided the students with a profound encounter with the enduring spirit of Hellenic culture. I’m grateful to Tom Papademetriou and Paschalis Kitromilides for leading this seminar.' This was the sixth seminar since the Center’s founding in 2010."

Photos and article courtesy of HCHC 📸🖋️:

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