Reminding the debt of all Orthodox Christians in the United States of America to have a strong voice in defending justice and equality in support of the oppressed and the downtrodden, does the Archbishop of America Hopeful in his message for Independence Day, on the day of the national holiday of the 4th of July.
"This is our offer and this is our thanks, underlines the Archbishop, as we are all very blessed to live in this land of freedom, which many defended with personal sacrifices. All together, notes, we must work to make this wonderful country a place of praise to the Lord in words and deeds, so that all citizens of our nation, without exception, are happy and blessed ". "All, observes, let us thank God for this wonderful state of the republic of america. We know that every form of government has imperfections, as those who handle the affairs of the state and legislate are also people with imperfections. Nevertheless, let us be discouraged because we know very well that in this country, from one end to the other, there is a will to correct the injustices of the past and to find a common ground for all to reconcile and settle them ", The Archbishop states and underlines that "this is exactly the spirit of Democracy, this is the spirit of a people, that's the spirit of america ".
Such as, in fact, characteristically emphasizes, "The gifts of the Republic are not self-evident and the citizens who receive them have the obligation to participate in public life regardless of their personal political beliefs".
Finally, Archbishop Elpidoforos points out that the Orthodox Church has invaluable moral principles and values, but fully recognizes the right of other people to disagree with them. "All, Well, we owe - urges- to fight for the acceptance of the different in a spirit of love, regardless of whether the different view, minority or majority, considers our view to be wrong. Because, either we all have the same rights or there is no safe right for any of us ".