The need to vaccinate citizens and combat the rhetoric of conspiracy theories, at the heart of the Archbishop's meeting with the Governor of Utah
Impressed by the persistent and continuous efforts of the Governor of the State of Utah of the United States of America, Spencer Cox, to promote the vaccination program to citizens, said the Archbishop of America Hopefully immediately after the meeting he had with him in the context of the first visit of the Archbishop of America to the State after 21 years.
As Archbishop Elpidoforos noted, the governor fights for the health of all citizens by telling them the truth about the pandemic, based on the assessments and judgments of scientists and opposing the rhetoric of conspiracy theories and all the misinformation about the issue.
in addition to, Archbishop Elpidoforos meets with Salt Lake City Mayor, Erin Mendenhol, and praised her efforts to address the problems of the homeless, but also for its approach to environmental issues, with the presentation of the multilevel work of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and, particularly, of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on issues of ecological responsibility.
The archbishop congratulated the mayor on organizing tree planting in the city and promised to return to Salt Lake City in 2022 to contribute to this initiative, together with the Greek Orthodox communities there.
The Archbishop of America also met with the Roman Catholic Bishop, Oscar Solis, with whom he discussed issues of inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue, "As the dialogue", as he pointed out, "It's the key to cultivating tolerance, to heal the wounds caused by hatred, to fight against prejudice and to promote peace and reconciliation between people despite the differences that divide them ". "It's very important, pointed out, despite our differences to listen to the other side and accept the common human principles and values ".
The Archbishop of America officiated in the Greek Orthodox Parish of Utah and came in contact with members of the Greek-American community., giving once again the message that “the Church is for us a place where we keep alive the religious, our cultural and linguistic identity ".