Their concern to the Ecumenical Patriarch for the division caused by the persistent publications of a specific author of the “National Herald” against the Archdiocese of America and Archbishop Elpidophoros is expressed in every way by prominent expatriates of the United States.
One of them, the Supreme President of AHEPA, Savvas Tsivikos, a very respected person in the Greek American community who represents thousands of expatriates, expresses in an official letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew his dissatisfaction with what is written and concerns the Greek American community in the United States.
In the letter (published by the specific diaspora media accused!), Tsivikos writes to the Ecumenical Patriarch that the diaspora media is wrongly “attacking our Archbishop and others for purely personal and possibly economic reasons. This division must stop.”
“These categories do not represent what is really happening in the Greek American Orthodox community in the United States. The implication that Archbishop Elpidophoros “divides” the Community is far from true. On the contrary, he unites the Community and our Church, in the name of our Ecumenical Patriarch,” Tsivikos stressed in his letter.
The Supreme President of AHEPA underlines that he speaks “from personal experience, as Supreme President of AHEPA, as a member of the Archdiocesan Council, as a member of the Leadership of 100, as a founding member of our dear Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation and as chairman of the Committee of Finance of the Metropolis of New Jersey. I deal with ecclesiastical issues every day.”
According to the representative of thousands of expatriates of America, during the past 4 years, under the leadership of the Archbishop of America, remarkable things have been achieved. “Our Archdiocese is in good financial condition. Our Greek Orthodox communities pay their financial contributions without any problem.
Saint Nicholas at Ground Zero has been completed and makes us all proud. The Hellenic College and the Theological School are moving forward positively, with increased enrollment. Finally, the pension plan for our priests, for the second consecutive year, is financially strong, as is our financial support to the Mother Church.
It is also important to note that the Archbishop has made Greek education a priority, having set aside $1 million for this vital program,” Tsivikos says.
“All these achievements are not made with a leader who divides. They are made because he inspires and unites,” notes the president of AHEPA in his letter. “Your Holiness, these baseless accusations are largely made by the same people since the time of the late Archbishop Iakovos.
As the Supreme President of AHEPA, as Archon of the Ecumenical Throne, as a committed Greek Orthodox Christian, I stand by the Archbishop and continue to work closely with him for the betterment of Orthodoxy, Hellenism and our Community here in the United States, as well as countless others,” he adds, requesting that he meet with him as soon as possible to analyze “in detail the existing issues and also to analyze why certain people (nominally) are working behind your back to destroy the Archbishop’s legacy here in the United States. These people promote unfounded accusations and division in the community so that they can control our Church.”
