This afternoon, in the venerable Patriarchal Church of St. George at the Phanar, Great Vespers brought together His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in a profound manifestation of the “dialogue of love”

“This moment transcends the ordinary and enters the realm of the sacred for your community,” His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros said, addressing the parish of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine Church in Flushing, NY. orthodoxobserver.org/sacred-relic...

orthodoxobserver.org/moving-the-e... “As Christians from both families increasingly live, work, study, and teach together in the same localities and the same institutions, there is a growing desire to move forward and act on the official dialogues.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7eQ... Watch Yannis Papakonstantinou’s full keynote address from our conference on AI & theology.

During its 2025 Clergy-Laity Assembly, the Metropolis of Chicago issued two important updates regarding its new Metropolis Center, Chancellor, and Vicar General. orthodoxobserver.org/city-of-chic...

Watch highlights from His Eminence’s remarks at the Observer’s conference: “Do the Divine and Digital Intersect?”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwKr... Watch His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros’s remarks at the Observer’s conference on artificial intelligence.

Fr. Spiro was a featured speaker at the U.S. Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Summit, a gathering of national leaders dedicated to eradicating human trafficking across the country. Read about the summit here: www.goarch.org/-/fr.-peter-... 📸 FREEDOM Ministry

This past week, His Eminence visited Chios, a Greek island facing intense wildfires. There he spoke to residents, officials, and the firefighters. Read about the visit here: www.goarch.org/-/archbishop... 📸 OO/Dimitrios Panagos

Often, OVC volunteer work reflects the reality of Christian service. One often marked by practicality and the plain logistics of giving care to those who need it most. Read about two OVC volunteers’ experiences here: goarch.org/-/ovc-parks-fr… 📸 courtesy Harry Parks/Anastasia Friesen

The Archdiocese’s Girl Delegate Program gives girls the opportunity to gain firsthand experience in international relations, global policy discussions, and public leadership. Read here: goarch.org/-/chudley-girl… 📸 Demetra Chudley/Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith

On August 24, parishes across the Archdiocese will celebrate College Student Sunday, a day to offer prayers for our college students and work to ensure that they each have a spiritual home away from home. Read about it: goarch.org/-/css-25 📸 courtesy of OCF

The OCPM urges Orthodox Christians not to see incarceration as a distant, abstract policy concern, but as a pastoral and spiritual reality already present in our parishes. Read the full article here: www.goarch.org/-/-you-are-n... 📸courtesy of the OCPM

From Camp Saint Paul to the streets of Hamilton Heights, New York, this week’s generosity and stewardship extended far beyond campgrounds. Read about the week at the camp here: www.goarch.org/-/camp-saint... 📸 courtesy of Fr. Elias Villis

We’ve highlighted the events that will be open to the public during Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s U.S. visit in September. Refer to them here: www.goarch.org/-/ep-public-... 📸 by OO/Brittainy Newman

Today, on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we are reminded that millions are enslaved in our time. Scripture exhorts us: “Speak out for those who cannot speak” (Proverbs 31:8). As Orthodox Christians, we cannot remain silent. Join us: freedom.goarch.org #EndTrafficking #FaithInAction

On July 20, 2025, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew condemned an Israeli attack on a church in Gaza. Read His All-Holiness’s statement here: www.goarch.org/-/ecumenical... 📸 OO/Brittainy Newman

Now that the IOCC’s repairs are completed, 212 students and staff in Uganda are back to school. Read the full article, including an update on the IOCC’s other projects in the region here: goarch.org/-/after-iocc-r… 📸 courtesy of International Orthodox Christian Charities

On July 8, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met over 80 children from Ukraine. His All-Holiness addressed them with compassionate words. Read the @OrderStAndrew’s statement about the moment here: goarch.org/-/ecumenical-p… 📸 courtesy of Archons

“The day and memory are bitter.” His Eminence @elpidophoros.goarch.org issued an encyclical on the Day of Remembrance of the Hagia Sophia. Read the full message here: www.goarch.org/-/hagia-soph... 📸 by OO/Brittainy Newman

Archbishop Elpidophoros met with a delegation from the Greek Orthodox Community of Antioch who expressed profound gratitude for the GOA’s support of earthquake survivors in Turkey. Read about the meeting here: goarch.org/-/antiochian-d…

The pilgrims spent the day in the ancient city of Nicaea. Follow them as they walk in the footsteps of the First Ecumenical Council’s attendees, including Emperor Constantine the Great: www.goarch.org/-/pilgrims-r... 📸 OO/Brittainy Newman

Today’s emotional pinnacle for the New Rome pilgrims was a visit to the Hagia Sophia—once the Great Church of Christendom, now transformed into a mosque. Read about the history and the pilgrims’ experience here: goarch.org/-/hagia-sophia… 📸 OO/Brittainy Newman

Yesterday, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over from the Patriarchal throne, which His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew noted as a particular joy. Read about the pilgrims’ first day in Istanbul here: www.goarch.org/-/he-patriar... 📸: OO/Brittainy Newman

Before departing the city, the pilgrims in Rome made one last stop at the only Greek Orthodox Church in Rome. Read about the moment here: goarch.org/-/pilgrims-vis… 📸 by OO/Brittainy Newman

The Leadership 100 Fund, whose mission is to advance Orthodoxy and Hellenism in the U.S., has appointed Penny Panayiota Deligiannis as their new executive director, effective February 2026. Read the full release here: goarch.org/-/leadership-1… 📸 courtesy of Deligiannis

The “From Rome to New Rome” pilgrimage began their last full day in the Eternal City at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Read about the end of the pilgrimage to here: goarch.org/-/faithful-par… 📸 by OO/Brittainy Newman

Following a private morning audience with Pope Leo XIV at Castel Gandolfo, the “From Rome to New Rome” pilgrims continued their journey at the monastery of Grottaferrata. Read about it here: goarch.org/-/following-a-… 📸 by OO/Brittainy Newman

In the words of Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, "May this meeting be the dawn of that blessed and luminous day in which future generations, communing from the same chalice, may partake of the Holy Body and precious Blood of our Savior, and in love, peace, and unity, praise and glorify Him.”