With so many distinguished personalities gathering in Athens during the four-day period of May 26-29, under different circumstances, it would be considered the secular event of the year – especially concerning the crème de la crème of the Greek-American community. However, due to the modesty and humility that inherently suits the ethical profile of the organization, the 4th International Conference of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Religious Freedom passes almost unnoticed. And this certainly cannot be anything but deliberate, although few events could gather such prominent figures, especially of international significance, in the same city. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Father Alexander Karloutsos, Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the U.S., Archon Exarch Athanasios Martinos as President of the Pammakaristos, Brotherhood of Archons of Europe (the European branch of the Archons), Greek-American billionaire John Catsimatidis, former Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos, Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis, among many other distinguished figures, universally and locally, will take the stage during the four-day event.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: At the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Thessaloniki
The composition of the conference resembles a photo album of a multidimensional elite with people from every sector of professional and the intellectual community, but with a common code of communication and interests in Orthodoxy, under the prism of active defense against all kinds of threats. Among the members of the organization of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are well-known figures of great power and prestige such as Achilleas Konstantakopoulos, President of TEMES (Costa Navarino etc.), Andreas Dracopoulos, President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, epidemiologist Sotiris Tsiodras, criminologist Sakis Kehayoglou, shipowners, lobbyists, clergymen, university professors, among others. Additionally, two of the most important speakers at the four-day event are Gintaras Grusas, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vilnius (Lithuania) and President of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences, and Dr. Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, Professor of International Relations at Boston University, has taken on the role of coordinator in one of the panel discussions. However, beyond all the aforementioned, especially for the 4th International Conference on Religious Freedom, representatives from 22 countries around the world will converge in Athens, underscoring the global scale and prestige that the institution of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate has acquired over time.
