Protopresbyter of Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America participates in ecumenical prayer service

Brooklyn, NY—According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations, Rev. Protopresbyter Andreas Vithoulkas, Archiepiscopal Vicar of the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine in New York, represented His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America during an ecumenical prayer service celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. 

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros is currently leading a commemorative pilgrimage to Turkey, where those celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea will visit the Phanar and receive the blessing of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and visit sites of religious and cultural importance in the area.

The aforementioned ecumenical prayer service was held on Tuesday, May 20, at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was organized by the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, with the participation of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York.

In his homily, which took place during Wednesday Mass on May 21 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Cardinal Dolan shared that he had the opportunity to attend the service organized by Maronite Catholic Bishop Gregory Mansour.

“He had a lot of different religious leaders there, and we observed with prayer the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea,” Cardinal Dolan said. 

Cardinal Dolan went on to state to the parishioners present that this was the council which “gave us the Creed we say every Sunday.”

After speaking about the Council of Jerusalem, which is found in Acts 15, Cardinal Dolan stated, “That was the first of the ecumenical councils. There have been 21 of them. Most of us can remember the Second Vatican Council, 1962-1965. We’re grateful that Jesus remains alive in His church.”

Next month, a Juneteenth Ecumenical Prayer Service is scheduled to take place at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and National Shrine in New York for the second year in a row.

Last year’s service saw participation from leaders of various Christian denominations, including Bishop Vashti McKenzie, a retired bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and current president of the National Council of Churches of Christ.

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