In the Greek News FL newspaper, of the Greek community in Florida, I read that the 11th International Summer University “Greek Language, Culture and Media” organized by the University of Ioannina and the Maliotis Cultural Center of Holy Cross was successfully held in Boston last May. Dozens of journalists from media outlets in Greece and the Greek diaspora, university researchers from universities, participated in the program, which had the interesting topic: “Community Media: Challenges and Prospects for the Greek Language and Culture”.
The work of the program was honored by the Archbishop of America, Mr. Elpidophoros, whose statements on this issue were impressive, revealing and substantial, with bold proposals to the Greek Diaspora Media for the support of the Greek language, but also for the role of the Church both in Greece and in America, as well as for the reactions that he himself faces in his effort to keep Greekness alive.
An article by journalist Ioannis Mitsakos in Greek News mentions the Archbishop's interviews with well-known journalists from Greece and the Greek Diaspora, who provide information with abundant knowledge and boldness about what is happening in America regarding the structure of the Church and the defense of Greekness. It is therefore worth mentioning selectively the Archbishop's important statements to the journalists who had the honor of communicating with him.
Journalist Maria Denaxa pointed out the fact that, because the Archbishop defends Greekness, he has received polemics from various circles and centers in the United States. The Archbishop replied: Polemics…I don’t want to make it tragic, because it isn’t. There is a reaction, and I handle it in a way that doesn’t polarize it.
Journalist Panos Sobolos asked the Archbishop how the Greek media can contribute decisively to solving problems faced by the Archdiocese. And the Archbishop replied: “You must help them understand in Greece that the image they have of the Church is not the image of the Church in the USA, and its role and structure within society is different.” The Archbishop also clarified that in America there is no parish, the Greeks are organized in communities. The community is not governed by the priest, but by lay men and women. The Archdiocese of America is the Archdiocese of the communities, and this is what, in his opinion, makes the Church great. He believes that the lay man and woman, from whose small contribution the community and the Church live, are not decorative, and he added. “They cannot be the cows we milk. They have a say, they have a vote and they have a role in the administration of the Church. Therefore, the Church of America is not a Church in the sense that we understand it in Greece. It is the communal expression of the Greek American, a collective, democratic, organized and structured expression, which also includes his social activity, charity and sports events. The Community and the Church are a single whole. That is why it often contradicts the prevailing mentality in Greece, that: what business does the Church have to get involved with these? For this very reason, when the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs comes here to America and does not go to see the Archbishop, the average Greek American feels insulted. Not because he is the Archbishop, but because he is the Archbishop of all of us, so you despise me too. When he sees this disrespect from the homeland, it hurts him, because the Greek American holds the homeland in very high regard. So, this is what you can help us with, to convey, that is, that the Church in America is something else. The Archbishop has no personal ambition to direct national issues.” And he added characteristically: “I am an Archbishop. Whoever ascends to the government in Greece, I will be an Archbishop. If I have my health, if I can do anything, it is to help my homeland. I am in the service, at the disposal of the homeland. I do not have my own national foreign policy. I am a servant of the nation. The nation comes to me and says, Your Eminence, this is our line. We want you to promote these issues to the world. This is how we learned to do it in my homeland, Constantinople. We are people who serve Hellenism throughout the world. And this is our duty, because we are not people with only ecclesiastical duties. "It is therefore necessary to understand the different nature of the organization of Greeks in America."
The Archbishop then pointed out that every time Greece as a state tried to create a separate system, a lobbying system, that is, independent of the community here, it failed. It spent people's money and could not stand. And recently, as he himself learned, the state hired a company in which... for the employee, who will only answer the phone, the compensation will be 600.000 dollars. The relevant decision has already been published. "Will this company be able to open paths for Greek foreign policy?" the Archbishop wondered. And he emphasized: "I will not compete with any politician and any political party, I am a servant of God and the nation. This is my role. This is how we learned to be, this is how we were raised by the Phanar and by Patriarch Bartholomew.
At the close of the questions, Ioanna Lazarou, editor of Greek News and Radio FL, asked Archbishop Elpidophoros' opinion on why "Divide and Conquer" prevails instead of "Strength in Unity". "Aren't we Homogeneous? Don't we all support Greece? Why, for example, if I express a positive opinion about the Archbishop, is there an attack from those who oppose the Archdiocese? Aren't we all together?" His Eminence replied without mincing words: "This is the truth about how we should be. However, there are interests that the Archbishop may not serve. And it is natural for these people, who feel that their own selfish, mostly interests, are not being promoted, to criticize, and I accept the criticism. Criticism always helps me. It makes us better. I am bitter, however, about the mud and the lies, the distortion of reality, the organized campaign. A mud strategy, which does not help anyone, only helps division. It does not help me become better, because it is not even criticism. It is lies. You cannot do anything about lies and slander, and so these media inevitably slide into yellowness. And it is a shame to see historical media outlets of the Greek diaspora, which have a long history behind them, lowering the level so much that they yellow to a dangerous degree, to a degree that you can even describe them as fascist. But okay, these are heavy words. We will have to be patient to deal with such phenomena. If we do something good, it will be seen in the long run. And all of us here are judged. We are public figures anyway and everything we do is public. It is not something that happens behind closed doors. "So let's leave it at that. Whatever work we do, whatever effort we make, will be judged by time and will be tested both in history and in reality."
Finally, the Archbishop also referred to the use of the Greek language, saying: “I give two sermons in Greek and English. We clergy had made the mistake for years, when we spoke Greek, we spoke an incomprehensible language, and people considered that their Greek was always insufficient for the Church. When they heard my sermon in the Greek language, with simple words – not Greek-style and archaic expressions – they themselves gained their self-confidence. They now think: I may not know Greek well, but I understood the Archbishop. You know, most Greeks in America, when you speak to them in simple Greek, they understand what you are saying. They may not be comfortable speaking to you, answering you, having a dialogue in Greek, but they understand the elementary Greek from the Greek school or from the family. "When they gain this self-confidence within the Church, they also understand their Archbishop. This is progress. It is a click forward."
Archbishop Elpidophoros is admirable! With honest and straightforward answers, he responded to all the questions of the journalists, and through them to the majority of the Greek people, who are not sufficiently informed. And his answers are instructive for those who have ecclesiastical or political power in Greece. With the knowledge, courage and inspiration of a true Hierarch, the Archbishop of America offers valuable work and stands lovingly and supportively by the side of the Greek Diaspora.
Photo The White House – https://www.flickr.com/photos/191819781@N02/52830060526/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=148032383 - https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/ – (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
