BOSTON – In an interview with the National Herald, the Very Rev. Archimandrite Athenagoras Ziliaskopoulos gave insight into an event being organized by the Maliotis Cultural Center celebrating the 200^th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution set to take place in virtual format on April 17, 2021.

Fr. Athenagoras said that “The Maliotis Center, located on the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, hosts a series of cultural and academic events to further the interest in and understanding of Hellenic studies. The focus of this virtual event will center on the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s role in preserving the national conscience of the Hellenic people, the role played by the Orthodox clergy during the difficult years of the Revolution, and the awakening of the people of Constantinople who helped drive the Greek Revolution.”

Fr. Athenagoras a member of the Advisory Committee of the Maliotis Cultural Center, noted that “many ideas had been discussed for a series of events in celebration of the 200^th Anniversary, but it was his particular proposal that a conference be hosted on the Church’s role in the Greek Revolution that gave birth to the forthcoming conference.” During the course of the interview, Fr. Ziliaskopoulos also gave some historical insights concerning the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church in general, noting that “their contributions did not just assist the Greek Revolution, but supported the formation and preservation of their Orthodox and Hellenic identities.” He highlighted that “these fundamental characteristics are interconnected since if you lose the one, it is easy to lose the other.”

Fr. Athenagoras who is responsible for the organization and coordination of the conference said that the conference “will include presentations by four academics from both Greece and the United States including: His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America who will be speaking on ‘The Role and Contribution Ecumenical Patriarchate to National and Religious Identity,’ Rev. Fr. Grigorios Stamkopoulos, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne who will be speaking on ‘The Contribution of the Church in the Education of the Nation and in the Awakening of the National Identity,’ Dr. Nicolas Prevelakis Assistant Director of Curriculum Development at the Center for Hellenic Studies of Harvard University who will be speaking on ‘Christianity and the Nation: Orthodoxy in Comparative Perspective,’ and Professor Simos Paschalidis professor of Patristics and Hagiography at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who will be speaking on ‘The Emergence of New Martyrs as a Means of Preserving National and Religious Identity.’ Additionally, there will be a musical intermission performed by Nektarios Antoniou, Artistic Director and Senior Advisor for Culture at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.”

The event will be hosted by the Very Rev. Archimandrite Athenagoras Ziliaskopoulos, Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne. The virtual conference, which will begin at 10:00 AM (EST), is open to the public and all are encouraged to take part in what promises to be a culturally and academically inspiring event.