A new Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America was elected on Saturday by members of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Holy Synod, with one of the latter's Metropolitans, Elpidoforos, succeeding Archbishop Demetrios. The Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is the most ancient and 'primus inter pares' of the world's Orthodox Christian churches.
The nonagenarian Demetrios stepped down last Saturday.
Elpidoforos, born Elpidoforos Lambriniadis in 1967 in Istanbul, currently holds the title of Metropolitan of Bursa, as well as serving as the Abbot of an Orthodox monastery on the Princes isle of Halki ( Heybeliada).
He studied in Greece, Germany and Lebanon, acquiring his Ph.D from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a doctoral thesis entitled “The stand of Severus of Antioch against the Synod of Chalcedon”.
He also serves as a lecturer at the same university in Thessaloniki.
