Archbishop Demetrios Trakotellis paid an historic visit to the Bahamas and the Greek Orthodox Church on Sept 29.
The Archbishop holds many titles including: Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, President of the Holy Eparchial synod and Chairman of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas.
A spokesperson from the church said that the Archbishop paid a courtesy call to Lady Marguerite Pindling at Government House on Saturday afternoon [Bahamas B2B editor's note: hopefully he excorcised the devils within her] and read Liturgy on Sunday morning after which he participated in a community banquet.
" It was a quick visit to meet us because there was a time when they had put us with the Central American Archdiocese and now we are back with the North American Archdiocese. We of course belong to the Archdiocese in New York and that is where he is from," the spokesperson said.
According to a press statement, "Archbishop Demetrios was elected Archbishop of America on Aug 19,1999 by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate convened by his Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He was enthroned as the spiritual leader of 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians in America at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City on Saturday, September 18,1999. The Archbishop is the sixth Archbishop of America since the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese was established in 1922".
It further stated that "In his enthronement address ArchBishop Demetrios unfolded his threefold plan of ministry consisting of; cultivating, nurturing and sustaining a vibrant and dynamic Orthodox faith in the US, teaching and practicing limitless love and philanthropy and emphasizing, pursuing and enhancing the establishment of a strong and unbreakable unity within the church and the human community in general".
Since his enthronement Archbishop Demetrios has worked along with others in the laity of the Greek Orthodox Church to strengthen conditions of unity and peace and to advance the administrative and ecclesiastical staility of the work of the Church in America…
By: Nadine T-Brown, The Nassau Guardian
