Archbishop Elpidophoros of America met with Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, in New York City on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Mitsotakis and Archbishop Elpidophoros were originally scheduled to meet on Friday at the site of the under-construction Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas at Ground Zero, but plans were cancelled amid controversy over the Archbishop’s presence at an official event organised by Turkey and attended by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.
“The issue is closed. What matters is the unity of Hellenism, the inseparable relationship of Greece with the Archdiocese of America and the close relations of the archdiocese with its flock,” a senior Greek government source told state-run news agency ANA-MPA.
Anastasiades met with the Archbishop at the house of Cyprus’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Andreas Hadjichrysanthou. The meeting lasted for 20 minutes.
“What is important is the unity of Hellenism,” Anastasiades told media following the meeting.
For his part, Archbishop Elpidophoros said he was pleased to meet with both leaders.
“I was pleased to meet with the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic @kmitsotakis and the President of the Republic of Cyprus @anastasiadescy to reaffirm our deep commitments to the unity of the Church and Hellenism, in Greece, Cyprus and our communities around the world,” Elpidophoros tweeted on Saturday.
READ MORE: Mitsotakis focuses on diaspora and Greek-Turkish relations during NYC visit.
