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Abp. Elpidophoros to Invest 47 New Archons in New York
Notable new members include bisexual LGBTQ activist Michael Huffington and Ivan Belya, who followed his brother Alexander in joining GOARCH's Slavic Vicariate after the latter was defrocked by ROCOR.
NEW YORK — On Sunday, October 18, 2026, Abp. Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America will preside over the investiture of 47 new Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate following the Divine Liturgy at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City.
The ceremony will serve as the concluding event of the annual Archon Weekend. During the investiture, Abp. Elpidophoros will present each new Archon with the Cross of St. Andrew and a Patriarchal Certificate identifying the Offikion assigned by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
According to the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Offikia represent historic ecclesiastical and public ministries that require education, legal knowledge, diplomacy, linguistic skills, intelligence, and, above all, devotion to the Church and its traditions.
A notable individual who is scheduled to become an Archon is Michael Huffington, the former U.S. Representative known for marrying Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington, who co-founded the Huffington Post.
After serving in the House of Representatives, Michael Huffington – a Republican – lost a race for U.S. Senate to longtime California Sen. Dianne Feinstein in 1994. Following a divorce from Stassinopoulos in 1997, Huffington came out as bisexual and became an activist for the LGBTQ cause. He has contributed millions in funding to establish a Huffington Ecumenical Institute at both Loyala Marymount University and Hellenic College Holy Cross.
Ivan Belya, another individual scheduled to be invested as an Archon, is the brother of Alexander Belya, Bishop-elect of Nicopolis. The latter was defrocked by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) after suing the jurisdiction for refusing to make him a bishop when he presented them with a forged letter from the Moscow Patriarchate. Ivan was also barred from communion. The brothers subsequently fled to GOARCH's Slavic Vicariate, where Alexander was elected as a bishop before the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America threatened to disband if he were consecrated.
Official communication from the Assembly of Bishops to Abp. Elpidophoros.
In July of 2022, GOARCH announced its decision to postpone the consecration of Belya to the episcopacy. Following this development, Belya threatened to file a lawsuit against the Assembly while already having ongoing litigation against ROCOR, which recently failed.
The following year, Abp. Elpidophoros announced his intention to move forward with the consecration.
This was met with a final letter from the Assembly, which can be read here.
To this day, Belya has not been consecrated but is still referred to as "Bishop-elect" in official GOARCH communications.
Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons and Archon Grand Aktouarios, said the organization represents the “nobility of the Church” and carries the responsibility of defending the Ecumenical Patriarchate and serving as goodwill ambassadors of the Phanar.
Limberakis said the 2026 class was selected for its “exemplary Christian stewardship,” adding that the new Archons are being called to a greater level of service to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He congratulated the new members, declaring, “Axios!” and expressed gratitude to the Committee to Recommend New Archons, chaired by Archon Constantine G. Caras, Esq., for overseeing the selection process.
Previously, the UOJ reported that the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are scheduled to give Cardinal Timothy Dolan the Athenagoras Human Rights Award.
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