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| National Commander Anthony J. Limberakis [2nd, from left] welcomes friends and guests to the Archon reception held before the opening of the 39th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress in Washington, D.C. |
The Order of St. Andrew held a reception before the official opening of the 39th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, which was held in Washington, D.C. The evening reception, held on Sunday, July 13, at the Marriott-Wardman Park Hotel, allowed Archons and their spouses and guests the opportunity to interact with one another and provided the opportunity for open dialogue pertaining to religious freedom issues surrounding the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
National Commander Anthony J. Limberakis opened the evening with a warm welcome to all the Archons and their guests, including visiting hierarchy which included His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain, the Patriarchal representative, as well as all members of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese.
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Archbishop Gregorios offered remarks on behalf of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, thanking the Archons for their continued support and efforts to fight against religious intolerance and subtle persecutions that the Ecumenical Patriarchate faces daily by the Turkish government.
Archbishop Demetrios also expressed his gratitude to the Order of Saint Andrew, commenting on their recent efforts to establish legal status rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which was an integral part of the favorable verdict in the Prinkipos orphanage case held in the European Court of Human Rights.
