The new Archbishop of America, His Eminence Elpidophoros, was warmly received at the White House Oval Office by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Also present were Vice President Mike Pence; US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar; and the Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Fr. Alex Karloutsos.
The Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America thanked the US president for his solidarity to Christians around the world, and especially for his support to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He also invited the US leader to visit the Archdiocese in New York City, saying the latter responded in the positive.
On Monday, His Eminence participated at an Ecumenical Prayer Service in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, hosted by the group, “In Defense of Christians”.
Prior to arriving in Washington, the Archbishop presided at the Divine Liturgy at the iconic St. Demetrios Orthodox Church in Astoria, New York. He was greeted by Archimandrite Nektarios Papazafiropoulos.
Archbishop Elpidophoros referred to the significance of the specific parish for Hellenism in Astoria and the wider New York City area.
