Blessing Rabbis and Rejecting Christ: The September Prayer of Elpidophoros
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Subdeacon Nektarios, M.A.
On September 23rd, 2026, the Arch-Heresiarch Elpidophoros of the New Calendarist Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America presided over an ecumenical prayer event at the Appeal of Conscience Gala, where he offered an ecumenist benediction for the organization’s founder, the Christ-denying Jewish Rabbi Arthur Schneier. The organization describes itself as:
Founded in 1965 by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF) has worked worldwide on behalf of religious freedom, human rights and the protection of Houses of Worship. This interfaith coalition of business and religious leaders remains at the forefront of promoting mutual understanding and interreligious cooperation, standing against voices that spread bias, hatred, and division. The Foundation believes that to heal our wounded world, we must emerge as a united human family, seeking improvement by advancing peaceful coexistence and “Respect the Other” [1].
At this event, Elpidophoros offered an ecumenist prayer before and in honor of the Christ-denying rabbi in which he entirely discarded even the appearance of speaking as an Orthodox Christian bishop and, seemingly with deliberate intent, omitted any reference whatsoever to the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Instead, the Arch-Heresiarch asked God to bestow “Divine Blessings upon Rabbi Schneier,” despite the fact that this rabbi denies the Divinity of Christ and rejects Him as a common criminal who deserved to be killed. In the full address, Elpidophoros stated the following:
My Dear Rabbi Schneier,
Distinguished Honorees,
Friends of Appeal of Conscience,Invocation:
Let us commence our fellowship this evening with prayer:
We give You thanks, O Creator of Heaven and Earth, for the witness of truth, righteousness, and understanding that the Appeal of Conscience Foundation has brought to our world since its inception, under its intrepid leader, our beloved Rabbi Arthur Schneier.We ask Divine Blessings upon Rabbi Schneier, the Appeal of Conscience, and our noble honoree this evening, Raj Subramanian, for his contributions to connecting our world in the causes of peace, global health, and philanthropy.
God of our fathers, bless this celebration that we may ever serve the causes of religious freedom, human rights and dignity, and the peaceful co-existence and mutual respect of all peoples, with deeper commitment and renewed strength, always leaning on Your Majesty and Your Providence, to guide us in all our ways, and to keep us in Your paths. Amen” [2].
In addition to Elpidophoros, also present for this anti-Christian ecumenist prayer was Bishop Irinej of Washington-New York and Eastern America of the Serbian Patriarchate, who delivered a message to the gathered crowd on behalf of President Donald J. Trump. In his remarks, he stated clearly that this Jewish founded interreligious organization had worked with Serbian Patriarch Pavle in the “fostering of dialogue” [3].
The platitudes of these ecumenist bishops are always the same: “fostering dialogue,” “interfaith outreach,” and the constant barrage of ecumenist drivel. They comport themselves as ecclesiastical diplomats rather than hierarchs of the Orthodox Church, calling non-Christian and heretical communities their brothers and sisters rather than calling them to faith in Christ, repentance, and the true Faith.
Saint John Chrysostom, in his famous Adversus Judaeos, directs Orthodox Christians to “flee and shun their gatherings,” not to play secular politics and pray for “Divine Blessings” upon a rabbi who outright rejects the Divinity of Christ [4]. Saint John Chrysostom goes even further in his exhortation to Orthodox Christians, saying: “They slew the Son of your Lord; do you have the boldness to enter with them under the same roof?” [5]. And yet here we have two ecumenist hierarchs participating in an interreligious gathering, with Elpidophoros offering an ecumenist benediction for a rabbi while deliberately excluding Christ from the prayer so as not to offend those who rejected and crucified him.
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