CHERRY HILL, NJ –
A symposium on the life of the Ecumenical Patriarchate during the Ottoman period, as well as on the history and legacy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the ethnic cleansing of the Greek community in Smyrna in 1922, was presented by the Archons of Greater Philadelphia on November 19.
Around 100 Archons and friends packed the community hall of St. Thomas the Apostle in Cherry Hill, NJ to listen to the two interesting presentations offered by historian Archon Tom Papademetriou, PhD.
In his first lecture, Dr. Papademetriou noted that “the Ecumenical Patriarchate managed to survived to serve the needs of the Greek Orthodox faithful due in large part to individuals serving the Church who adeptly negotiated their Ottoman cultural, political and social landscape, and to the need of the Ottoman state”.
The second lecture offered a perspective on the history and legacy of the traumatic events of 1922 and how they impacted the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the next century.
Archbishop Elpidophoros gave the invocation and opening remarks and Archon Dr. Cary Limberakis, Regional Commander of the Philadelphia area, welcomed the attendees and introduced the featured speaker.
Dr. Anthony Limberakis, National Commander of the Order of St. Andrew, greeted the audience.
In attendance were also Bishop Apostolos of Medea, Rev. Fr. Christophoros Oikonomides, Chancellor of the Holy Metropolis of NJ, Dimitris Papageorgiou, Consul of Greece to New York, and Anita Kartalopoulos, National Philoptochos 1st Vice President, as well as, the President of the Federation of Greek Societies of Philadelphia, Georgia Chletchos and the St. Thomas parish president, Archon George Horiates.