Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations
8 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075
Tel.: +1 (212) 570-3593
Email: [email protected]
Web: ecumenical.goarch.org
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Rev. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian, PhD
Ecumenical Officer and Director, Department of Inter-Orthodox Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
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Rev. Fr. Nicholas Anton
Director of Programs, Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Relations
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V. Rev. Archimandrite Chrysostom Onyekakeyah
Project Coordinator Mission and Outreach Development
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Ourania Markaki
Project Coordinator for the UN and Special Assistant, Department of Inter-Orthodox Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
Inter-Orthodox
As the exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Archbishop is the Chair of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. As such, the Department supports the Chairmanship of the Assembly by planning the annual meeting, staffing the Orthodox-Catholic dialogues, liaising with the secretariat and other hierarchs. Furthermore, the Department handles all Archdiocesan interactions with the other Orthodox Christian jurisdictions, generally, including in the United States of America and abroad.
Ecumenical
The Department is responsible for all the inter-Christian memberships and dialogues in the United States of America. It also maintains relationships with individuals and other churches including the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church.
Partnerships:
- Christian Churches Together (CCT)
- Christians for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
- Church World Service (CWS)
- Creation Justice Ministries (CJM)
- Joint Commission of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches
- Joint Committee of Orthodox and Roman Catholic Bishops
- National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCCC)
- Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation
- United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
- World Council of Churches
- National Workship on Christian Unity
- Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross
Interfaith
The Department interfaces with an infinite number of other religions and faith groups, for example Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. The primary platforms of engagement, aside from bilateral relationships, are through institutional partnerships.
Partnerships:
- American Jewish Committee
- Appeal of Conscience Foundation
- Commission of Religious Leaders of NYC
- KAICIID Dialogue Centre
- Multi-Faith Alliance for Syrian Refugees
- New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS)
- Religions for Peace USA
- Tanenbaum
- World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP)
- Parliament of the World's Religions
- Islamic Society of North America
Church & Society
Whether developing relationships under the umbrella of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical or Interfaith, the Department follows two basic tracks: 1) theological dialogue and 2) united action on social issues. Furthermore, Orthodox Christian implementing agencies and organizations fall under the Assembly. Due to this significant overlap, the Archdiocese’s engagement on social issues has always been a responsibility and mandate of the Department.
The primary outlet for Department’s social engagement is through its work at the United Nations (“UN”), which the Department considers UN Programs a pan-Orthodox ministry of the Archdiocese.
Both the UN, but also externally, the Department works from a human rights perspective on human trafficking, water and sanitation, public health, racism, creation care (the environment), gender equality, children and youth, Middle East peace, the refugee crisis, and much more.
United Nations
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council of North and South America (GoArch at UN) at the United Nations is a pan-Orthodox effort of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America under the direction of the Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. GoArch at UN has been an accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) at the UN since 1985. As a member of the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and a General Consultative member of ECOSOC, GOAC assigns representatives to participate in meetings and advocacy.
GOA Girl Delegate Program at the United Nations
With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the GOA Girl Delegate Program provides a platform for girls to address issues related to rights of girls all over the world, their individual rights, and their beliefs through the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese at the United Nations. This competitive program welcomes and empowers young women from parishes within the Archdiocese to advocate for their values at the UN.