Archbishop Elpidophoros of America hosts Greek ministers, UAE delegation

First, His Eminence welcomed Deputy Foreign Minister Harry Theoharis of Greece, who was in the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly’s annual meetings. Their discussion, among other matters, touched on the 11-day visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States, which concluded Thursday, Sept. 25. The Archbishop conveyed his best wishes for the successful conclusion of the minister’s visit.

Then, Archbishop Elpidophoros welcomed Stavros Papastavrou, Greece’s Minister for the Environment and Energy. In their discussion, the minister expressed optimism about a new era in Greek–American relations as U.S. investment in energy comes into focus. His Eminence offered his warmest wishes for success in carrying out such a critical portfolio.

Next, His Eminence warmly welcomed Dimitris Avramopoulos, member of the Hellenic Parliament and former European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship. His All-Holiness’s visit, during which the Ecumenical Patriarch met with President Trump, senior political and business leaders, and members of the Greek American community. Mr. Avramopoulos expressed his appreciation for the important role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and of the Archdiocese, calling it a vital eparchy of the Ecumenical Throne.

In the afternoon, the Archbishop received a delegation from the UAE-based Muslim Council of Elders. The delegation was led by Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, representative of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, and Co-President of Religions for Peace. Judge Abdelsalam, who played a pivotal role in preparing the 2019 Document on Human Fraternity signed in Abu Dhabi by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb, became the first Egyptian and Arab Muslim to receive papal knighthood in recognition of his work promoting tolerance and interfaith dialogue.

His Eminence and Judge Abdelsalam affirmed their shared commitment to advancing interfaith understanding, peace-building, and addressing emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence. Archbishop Elpidophoros also briefed the delegation on the upcoming Orthodox Observer Conference on Theology and Artificial Intelligence, to be held October 30–31 at the Maliotis Center at Hellenic College–Holy Cross. The conference will feature speakers including Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Dr. Yannis Papakonstantinou, Distinguished Engineer at Google Cloud and Adjunct Professor at UC San Diego. The Archbishop extended an invitation to Judge Abdelsalam to attend.