[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 104 (Thursday, June 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H5004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP ELPIDOPHOROS

  (Mr. BILIRAKIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of His Eminence 
Archbishop Elpidophoros, who was recently elected the new Greek 
Orthodox Archbishop of America.
  Archbishop Elpidophoros was born in Constantinople, Istanbul, Turkey, 
in 1967. Since August 2011, he has served as the abbot of the 
Patriarchal Monastery of Holy Trinity in Halki, where I had an 
opportunity to meet him this past April. What a wonderful, wonderful 
person.
  Madam Speaker, our beloved seminary is located there as well.
  He is an expert theologian. I was so blessed to have a conversation 
with him. He is kind and honorable. We could hope for no better 
qualities in our new archbishop.
  He replaces Archbishop Demetrios, who has retired after 20 years at 
his post.
  Archbishop Elpidophoros leads a church of more than 1\1/2\ million 
Greek Orthodox Christians in the United States, promoting the values of 
orthodoxy at every opportunity.
  I wish Archbishop Elpidophoros the best in all of his endeavors and 
congratulate him on this great achievement. May God's grace be upon him 
in his new role.

                          ____________________