“I sincerely regret the pain I inadvertently caused to my Cypriot and Greek-American brethren, especially to my beloved flock,” said Archbishop Elpidophoros in a written letter issued by the Archdiocese of America, following the reactions to his presence at the inauguration of the “House of Turkey”.
Archbishop Elpidophoros also pointed out “I pray that a just and sustainable solution is found in the martyrdom of Cyprus, as the Cypriot people expect it, based on international law and the protection of human rights, as per the UN resolutions, and I work for this purpose”.
Read below the statement of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America:
“As a Greek from Constantinople, my family and I have experienced the terrible consequences of the uprooting from our ancestral homes, like many of my compatriots, but also of Imbros and Tenedos, due to another escalation of the Cyprus issue in the ’70s. I have grown up with this pain, which is why I understand the pain of our Cypriot brothers, as well as their feelings and reactions. I consider their expressions of the pain of people who lost everything: property, homelands, dreams, family, relatives.
So I want to declare to everyone that my presence at Monday’s event could never be a recognition of a calamity, a refugee, an occupation. My presence has always had the same constant orientation: honest and courageous dialogue, for a future with peace and protection of religious freedom. We are all united in defending our national interests, each in his own way and role. But united, committed to the same goal.
I sincerely regret the pain I inadvertently caused to my Cypriot and Greek American brothers, especially to my favorite flock. Archbishop Elpidophoros also pointed out “I pray that a just and sustainable solution is found in the martyrdom of Cyprus, as the Cypriot people expect it, based on international law and the protection of human rights, as per the UN resolutions, and I work for this purpose”.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America stands for a century next to Hellenism everywhere, defending its expectations. Our unity is my ministry and my obligation.”
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America:
