Newly appointed Archbishop Elpidophoros arrives at the US

Newly appointed Archbishop Elpidophoros of America pledged to bring closer "the many Orthodox communities that live in isolation from one another" and to fully serve his flock in the United States.

"I also pledge to you that I shall give my life, my energy, my utmost for the highest goals of this noble Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate," the archbishop said on his arrival at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Wednesday, where he was welcomed by Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, bishops, and other church officials, as well as Honorable Consul General of Greece Konstantinos Koutras.

Elpidophoros also said he looked forward to working with bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church in the US.

"We should embrace every corner of our Archdiocese – every young person, every senior, every marriage, every hurt, every lack, every doubt. And I especially want to draw closer to our fellow Orthodox Christians in the United States. We have so many Orthodox communities that live in isolation from one another, but we are all brothers and sisters of the same family," he said.

[ANA-MPA]