New York, July 1, 2021
Photo: spzh.news
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople will visit America in October and November, during which time he will celebrate the anniversary of his enthronement as Patriarch and inaugurate the St. Nicholas Church at Ground Zero in New York.
In an encyclical published yesterday, Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced that the Patriarch will make his first visit to America in 12 years from October 23 to November 3.
He was initially scheduled to visit in May 2020 at the invitation of then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, though his trip was postponed due to the COVID pandemic.
The 30th anniversary of Pat. Bartholomew’s enthronement as Patriarch of Constantinople will be celebrated on November 2.
His visit will also “inaugurate the Centennial Celebration of the founding of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (1922–2022), which will be observed next year across the country.”
The Patriarch will arrive in Washington, D.C., where he will be welcomed “at the highest level of diplomatic and ecclesiastical dignity.” He will also visit the Metropolises of Pittsburgh and Chicago and participate in a “major ecumenical event” at the University of Notre Dame.
Finally, his visit will conclude in New York, culminating in the “Opening of the Doors” of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center, which is being built on the site of the former St. Nicholas Church that was destroyed on 9/11.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese recently published photos of the interior of the St. Nicholas Church:
Photo: goarch.org
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