The hope and wish that yesterday’s participation in the Divine Liturgy of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, celebrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the symbol of Pontic Hellenism Panagia Sumela, in the presence of many of our emigrants from the United States, be the beginning of a new tradition about the Hellenism of the Diaspora, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America expressed in his statements.

“Here is the monastery, which is the center of the heart of every Pontic and every Greek, Pontic or not, a holy place where we hear the whisper of the monks and the whisper of the hearts of all who pray and ask for blessings from our Virgin Mary,” emphasized the Archbishop of America. year,” he continued, “it was a great blessing to be here and celebrate together with our spiritual father, the great Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in the spiritual cradle of Pontus, in the religious and spiritual center of Pontic Hellenism, which remained closed for five years due to repair and restoration works, and also because of the pandemic conditions.We are very happy as Greek-Americans to be with him, and we promise that from now on we will come to this pilgrimage every year.”

In fact, in the context of the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy, the Ecumenical Patriarch ordained the Ukrainian theologian Epiphany as a deacon in the presence of his sister, who also fights for the freedom of her homeland and received special permission to attend it.