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NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

July 27, 1998

ARCHBISHOP SPYRIDON TO CO-CHAIR

LUTHERAN-ORTHODOX DIALOGUE IN SWEDEN

New York, NY - His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America and Orthodox Co-Chairman of the Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission, will travel to Sigtuna, a small town near Stockholm, Sweden, to participate in this year’s session of the Dialogue from July 31-August 8. His Eminence will be accompanied by the V. Rev. Archimandrite John Heropoulos.

Thirty-five renowned Orthodox and Lutheran theologians will gather in the Sigtunastiftelsen Conference Center to discuss the doctrines of &qoutGrace, Justification and Synergy&qout. Prof. Dr. Bruce Marshall of Northfield, MN, will present a paper entitled, &qoutSalvation as Justification and Deification&qout and Prof. Dr. Vlassios Phidas of Athens, Greece, will present a paper entitled, &qoutSynergy and Salvation&qout. Both professors will be the major presenters of the Joint Commission.

Joining His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, Co-Chair, who will be representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate, will be the Orthodox delegation including: Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima, representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Albania; Prof. Basil Anagnostopoulos of the Patriarchate of Alexandria; Albert Laham of the Patriarchate of Antioch; Prof. Alexy Osipov of the Patriarchate of Moscow; Bishop Dr. Irenej of Backa of the Patriarchate of Serbia; Rev. Prof. Dr. Viorel Ionita of the Patriarchate of Romania; Bishop George of Chkhondidi of the Patriarchate of Georgia; Metropolitan Chrysanthos of the Church of Cyprus; V. Rev. Prof. Dr. John Romanides of the Church of Greece; Rev. Dr. Jersy Tofiluk of the Church of Poland; Bishop Dr. Chrystoforos of Moravia of the Church of Czechlands and Slovakia; Protopresbyter Rovasti Olavi Merras of the Church of Finland and Prof. Totiu Koev of the Church of Bulgaria.

Co-Chair Bishop Dr. William Lazareth of Princeton, NJ, will lead the the Lutheran delegation which includes: Prof. Dr. Anna Marie Aagaard of Denmark; Rev. Dr. Ruth Albrech of Germany; Rt. Rev. Dr. Lark Eckerdal of Sweden; Prof. Dr. Karl Christian Felmy of Germany; Rt. Rev. Dr. Gnanabharanam Johnson of India; Rt. Rev. Prof. D. Georg Kretschmar of Russia; Prof. Dr. Bruce Marshall of Northfield, MN; Rev. Prof. Dr. Toomas Paul of Estonia; Rev. Prof. Dr. Hermann Pitters of Romania; Rev. Tasgara Hirpo of Germany; and Rt. Rev. Dr. Kalevi Toiviainen of Finland.

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