NEW YORK – On Wednesday evening, March 2, 2022, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was conferred an honorary doctorate of the Department of Greek Philology by the Democritus University of Thrace at a ceremony held on campus in Komotini.

In his speech, entitled “The Ecumenical Patriarchate as a Body of Peace and Mutual Understanding Between People and Cultures,” the Archbishop addressed the crisis in Ukraine, reaffirming solidarity with Ukrainians and announcing a major fundraising effort to help those most affected by the Russian invasion.

The GOArch Ukrainian Relief Fund, established in collaboration with the IOCC, aims to raise $1 million for both immediate and long-term support of the Ukrainian people. Early today, His Eminence also donated $100,000 to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, to support the efforts of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

In his upcoming Encyclical on the crisis, Archbishop Elpidophoros states, “We join our spirit to the spirit of His All-Holiness and exhort all our Faithful: offer prayers and tangible support for all the Ukrainian People, those of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and those of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate, those of the Ukrainian Catholic and Jewish communities, and all who find themselves in the dire circumstances of war.”