Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at the Maximos Mansion on Tuesday afternoon (December 2), in a meeting that took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The meeting confirmed the close ties between the Greek government and the Greek Orthodox community in the United States.
The discussions lasted approximately half an hour and were also attended by Ambassador Nikolaos Nikolaidis and Archimandrite Vasileios Drosos. As part of his visit, Archbishop Elpidophoros is expected to meet with the US Ambassador to Athens, Kimberly Guilfoyle. Additionally, on Friday, December 5, he will be honored with an honorary doctorate from the Department of Administrative Science and Technology at the University of Patras.
What the Mitsotakis-Elpidophoros meeting signifies
On the surface, this meeting appeared ceremonial. In reality, however, it marks the formalization of restored relations between Mitsotakis and Elpidophoros, given that there had been coolness between the two sides in recent years, something the Archbishop of America confirmed in a recent interview with Real News.
As he mentioned, his visit to the “Turkish House” in New York strained his relationship with members of the Greek government, with him explaining that “the conflict was one-sided. I did not follow it. I did not respond with counterattacks, nor did I exploit opportunities to strike at government officials.” When asked how relations were normalized, Mr. Elpidophoros replied that “there were calm voices within the government and more broadly in the political world, people with national consciousness, who worked patiently during a period of great tension.”
