Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations

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The Department cultivates professional relationships with faith-based organizations, academic institutions, NGOs, and coordinates ecumenical and interfaith dialogues of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and pan-Orthodox activities of the Assembly of Bishops.

On Thurs. June 11, 2026, the Ecumenical Department participated in the annual meeting of the Committee of Religious NGOs...
06/12/2026

On Thurs. June 11, 2026, the Ecumenical Department participated in the annual meeting of the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations (CRNGO), hosted at the UN Office of the Baháʼí International Community. The Department was represented by Harry Parks, Program Coordinator and Special Assistant to the Director, who was accompanied by the Department’s summer interns Jack Rice and Nicholas Pandis.

The meeting opened with prayer and an opportunity for fellowship among CRNGO members. Following annual reports from the Bureau and the Climate Working Group, the results of the CRNGO Bureau elections were announced, including the election of Harry Parks as one of the Co-Chairs of the Committee. The rest of the meeting was dedicated to a fruitful and open discussion among members on CRNGO’s unique role in the UN landscape and opportunities for collective engagement in fostering interfaith dialogue and solidarity at the UN and beyond.

Grounded by CRNGO’s long history as a community that uplifts the importance of prayer and solidarity in the work of service and advocacy, the Ecumenical Department looks forward to participating in this new chapter in the life of CRNGO.

We are pleased to welcome Jack Rice as a summer intern to the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith R...
06/09/2026

We are pleased to welcome Jack Rice as a summer intern to the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Jack is a rising sophomore at Boston College majoring in International Studies and minoring in Philosophy and joins us for the summer as part Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Internship Program, generously funded by the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund. Over the next eight weeks, Jack looks forward to engaging with the diverse and multi-faceted work of the Ecumenical Department.

As we mark a decade since the historic convening of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete, we are c...
06/05/2026

As we mark a decade since the historic convening of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete, we are called to honor both the profound theological and ecclesial work accomplished at the meeting and reaffirm our commitment to the ongoing unity of Orthodoxy worldwide. The Council's witness remains as urgent today as it was in 2016 and its legacy deserves continued reflection and serious engagement in years to come.

In celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Holy and Great Council of 2016, we invite you to attend the 2026 Florovsky Lecture during the Annual OTSA Conference on Friday, June 12 at 7:00pm at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. Rev. Nicolas Kazarian will participate in a panel discussion on his experience during the Council.

Prior to arriving in the United States, St. Raphael lived in several centers of Orthodoxy, from his native Damascus, to ...
06/04/2026

Prior to arriving in the United States, St. Raphael lived in several centers of Orthodoxy, from his native Damascus, to Constantinople and the island of Halki where he studied, and to Kiev and Moscow.

It is in this way that, through his extensive travels and his acquisition of multiple languages in both colloquial and liturgical contexts, St. Raphael, by God’s providence, was well-prepared to undertake his mission in this new land: to help establish parishes for newly-arrived Orthodox immigrants of various ethnic backgrounds.

St. Raphael’s ability to move between cultures and to draw on the best of Orthodox customs makes him a model for our own time. He could speak to people in their own language and understood their traditions because of his life experiences, while also encouraging them to adapt to their new homeland. He upheld the teachings of the Church with vigor and protected his flock from ravenous wolves, while adapting to the realities and norms of the American experience without compromising the faith.

What, then, can we learn from St. Raphael’s life as we celebrate 250 years of the American democratic experiment?

Read more from His Eminence Metropolitan Saba of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America at the link in the comments below. Photo courtesy of St Nicholas Cathedral Archive

We are pleased to welcome Nicholas Pandis who will serve as a summer intern in the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumeni...
05/26/2026

We are pleased to welcome Nicholas Pandis who will serve as a summer intern in the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America through the generous support of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University. A rising senior at Fordham University majoring in Theology and Religious Studies, Nicholas joins us for his second summer with the Ecumenical Department, bringing both enthusiasm and curiosity to his work. Over the next seven weeks, he will continue to engage with the work of the Department on a variety of topics, especially in connection with the Ecumenical Department’s Church and Society portfolio.

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York City is a perfect example...
05/20/2026

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York City is a perfect example of an Orthodox ecclesiastical structure, drawing upon Byzantine architectural and iconographic traditions, yet adapted for a particular and specific American context of historic significance.

GRE 🇬🇷

Ο Ιερός Ναός του Αγίου Νικολάου – Ελληνικό Ιερό (Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine) στο Παγκόσμιο Κέντρο Εμπορίου της Νέας Υόρκης, αποτελεί ένα χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα Ορθόδοξου εκκλησιαστικού κτίσματος, το οποίο ενσωματώνει στοιχεία της βυζαντινής αρχιτεκτονικής και αγιογραφικής παράδοσης, ενταγμένα, ωστόσο, δημιουργικά στο ιδιαίτερο ιστορικό και πολιτισμικό πλαίσιο της Αμερικής.

Ο ναός, που ανεγέρθηκε εκ νέου στο Ground Zero, αποτελεί σήμερα ένα σύμβολο αναγέννησης, ελπίδας και πίστης ύστερα από τις καταστροφικές επιθέσεις της 11ης Σεπτεμβρίου 2001. Ο διεθνώς αναγνωρισμένος αρχιτέκτονας του Ιερού, Σαντιάγο Καλατράβα (Santiago Calatrava), δημιούργησε μια σύγχρονη αρχιτεκτονική πρόταση, ευθυγραμμισμένη με το νέο περιβάλλον του ανακατασκευασμένου Παγκόσμιου Κέντρου Εμπορίου. Παρ’ όλα αυτά, το οικοδόμημα διατηρεί τα βασικά και οικεία χαρακτηριστικά ενός Ορθόδοξου ναού, κυρίως τον επιβλητικό τρούλο που δεσπόζει στο κέντρο του. Όπως έχει αναφέρει και ίδιος ο Καλατράβα, πηγή της έμπνευσής του αποτέλεσαν οι ψηφιδωτές παραστάσεις και τα αρχιτεκτονικά στοιχεία της Αγίας Σοφίας στην Κωνσταντινούπολη.

Find the full story at the link in the comments below.

On April 30, 2026, Rev. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian and Harry Parks participated in the inaugural Faith-AI Roundtabl...
05/12/2026

On April 30, 2026, Rev. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian and Harry Parks participated in the inaugural Faith-AI Roundtable, organized by the Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities and Precognition in New York City. The roundtable was the first of several gatherings being organized around the world by the Interfaith Alliance and Precognition to inform the drafting of a Faith-AI Covenant. The Faith-AI Covenant aims to be the first multi-faith, multi-stakeholder, preventive, and global initiative framework bringing faith-based, technology, and advocacy leaders together as one voice to articulate a pragmatic and ethical path forward for AI that safeguards the sanctity of human life and dignity. A diverse group of around 30 faith-based, technology, and advocacy leaders took part in the roundtable. Both faith-based and technology leaders affirmed the importance of promoting dialogues and frameworks around AI that places technical expertise and moral wisdom on equal footing while simultaneously recognizing the growing need to uphold human-centered ethics in the development, use, and governance of AI.

While having come into full fruition in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Orthodox monastic movement in North America has...
05/06/2026

While having come into full fruition in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Orthodox monastic movement in North America has nevertheless, deep roots as it continues to support and accompany the development of Eastern Orthodoxy in the New World. The origins of Orthodox monasticism in North America, particularly the United States, can be traced back to the late 18th century while seeing significant development in the 20th century with new waves of immigration and the search for true spirituality.

Read more from the Observer and Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations's "America at 250" initiative at the link in the comments below.

Historians count Don Teodoro Griego, also known as Theodoros Griego, as the first Greek to set foot in America in 1528. ...
04/30/2026

Historians count Don Teodoro Griego, also known as Theodoros Griego, as the first Greek to set foot in America in 1528. He was the only person of Greek origin on the Spanish Narváez expedition; there is no evidence to suggest the Orthodox Christian faith was practiced by Theodoros or anyone else on the expedition. The expedition sought to find riches, gold, and other resources in the so-called New World. All but four members of the expedition perished, including Theodoros, whose memory is honored by a statue in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Apart from Theodoros Griego, the first Greeks to build a life in America were part of the Andrew Turnbull expedition which landed in Florida and founded the New Smyrna Colony in 1768. Spanish historian Pedro Pablo Moreno Loucas-Torres recorded that twenty members of the Greek Orthodox parish of Mahon, Minorca left with the Scottish physician, Andrew Turnbull, to establish New Smyrna, a colony of indentured servants working on indigo plantations. One of the Orthodox priests on Minorca, Fr. Theoclitos, joined the expedition in order to minister to the Greeks on their voyage to America. In addition to Fr. Theoclitos, there were two Catholic priests who joined the expedition, Fr. Camps and Fr. Casanovas, who ministered to the needs of the other indentured servants. The indentured servants included Minorcans, Italians, and Greeks; the majority of Greeks were from the Mani region of the Peloponnese, while others came from Corsica and other islands. In all, some 500 Greeks undertook this voyage not as colonists or immigrants, but as indentured servants who were promised a better life which failed to materialize.

Life was hard in New Smyrna as indentured servants struggled to adapt to their new environment while working the fields of the indigo plantations. The Greeks survived by leaning on their Orthodox Faith and were comforted by the ministry of Fr. Theoclitos until he tragically drowned during the Forni rebellion. The surviving clergy, both Catholic, attempted to advocate for better conditions for the indentured servants, which eventually led to Fr. Casanovas’s expulsion from New Smyrna. Life became so miserable that the Greeks and Minorcans of the colony escaped New Smyrna in 1777 in order to build a life in St. Augustine, the first and longest-inhabited city in the United States.

GRE 🇬🇷

Ο Δον Θεόδωρος Γκριέγκο, θεωρείται, κατά τους ιστορικούς, ο πρώτος Έλληνας που έφθασε στην Αμερική, το 1528. Ήταν το μόνο μέλος της ισπανικής αποστολής του Narváez με ελληνική καταγωγή. Δεν μαρτυρείται, πάντως, ότι ο ίδιος ή άλλα μέλη της ήταν Ορθόδοξοι. Η αποστολή αποσκοπούσε στην αναζήτηση πλούτου, χρυσού και άλλων πόρων στον αποκαλούμενο «Νέο Κόσμο». Από τους συμμετέχοντες, είχαν διασωθεί μόλις τέσσερις: όλοι οι υπόλοιποι είχαν χαθεί, ανάμεσά τους και ο Θεόδωρος. Προς τιμήν του μάλιστα έχει ανεγερθεί και ένα άγαλμα, στην παραλία Clearwater Beach της Φλόριντα.

Εκτός από τον Θεόδωρο Γκριέγκο, οι πρώτοι Έλληνες που επιδίωξαν να εγκατασταθούν στην Αμερική συμμετείχαν στην αποστολή του Andrew Turnbull. Οι άνδρες της αποβιβάστηκαν στη Φλόριντα και ίδρυσαν, το 1768, την αποικία της Νέας Σμύρνης. Ο Ισπανός ιστορικός, Pedro Pablo Moreno Loucas -Torres, αναφέρει ότι είκοσι μέλη της ελληνορθόδοξης ενορίας στο Μαχόν της Μινόρκας ακολούθησαν έναν Σκωτσέζο ιατρό, τον Andrew Turnbull, με σκοπό την ίδρυση της Νέας Σμύρνης: μιας αποικίας όπου συμβασιούχοι εργάτες δούλευαν στις φυτείες του ίντιγκο. Στην αποστολή συμμετείχε και ένας Ορθόδοξος ιερέας από τη Μινόρκα, ο π. Θεόκλητος, ο οποίος είχε συνοδεύσει τους Έλληνες κατά το ταξίδι τους προς την Αμερική. Μαζί του βρίσκονταν και δύο Καθολικοί ιερείς, ο π. Camps και ο π. Casanovas, οι οποίοι μεριμνούσαν για τις πνευματικές ανάγκες των υπόλοιπων εργατών. Οι εργάτες προέρχονταν από τη Μινόρκα, την Ιταλία και την Ελλάδα· η πλειονότητα των Ελλήνων καταγόταν από τη Μάνη της Πελοποννήσου, ενώ άλλοι προέρχονταν από την Κορσική και άλλα νησιά. Συνολικά, περίπου 500 Έλληνες πραγματοποίησαν αυτό το ταξίδι όχι ως άποικοι ή μετανάστες, αλλά ως εργάτες με δεσμευτικές συμβάσεις, τους οποίους ο ίδιος ο Turnbull είχε δελεάσει με την υπόσχεση μιας καλύτερης ζωής – μια υπόσχεση που τελικά δεν ευοδώθηκε.

Read more from the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations and Orthodox Observer's "America at 250" initiative at the link in the comments below.

Happy Earth Day!!As people of faith and goodwill from around the world come together to celebrate Earth Day, the Ecumeni...
04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day!!

As people of faith and goodwill from around the world come together to celebrate Earth Day, the Ecumenical Department is pleased to highlight the Multifaith Earth Day Celebration that will take place on Capitol Hill, hosted by Creation Justice Ministries, Ecumenical Advocacy Days and the WISC Energy & Ecology Working Group.

As a co-sponsor of this event, we encourage those in the DC area to attend in-person as well as view the livestream linked in our most recent story!

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