Heretics and a Lesbian Cleric: Archbishop Elpidophoros’ Latest Ecumenist Scandal
- Subdeacon Nektarios, M.A.
- 11 minutes ago
- 6 min read
By Subdeacon Nektarios, M.A.
On January 30th, 2026, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOARCH), in cooperation with the World Council of Churches, once again participated in a blasphemous public display of heresy by conducting a joint ecumenical prayer service inside Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York. This event was led by the Arch-Heresiarch Elpidophoros, head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. As is evident from their own publicly posted YouTube video, the service lasted over an hour and consisted of the graceless pseudo-bishop Elpidophoros, together with other so-called “Orthodox” bishops and priests, publicly praying the Our Father alongside a wide assortment of non-Orthodox heretics [1].
Among the participants at this blasphemous event were the Papist Cardinal Dolan, a personal friend of Elpidophoros, a number of Monophysite hierarchs, Lutherans, Anglicans, and other Protestant sectarians. At this event, Papists and Monophysites were given time to lead these supposed “Orthodox” clergymen in prayer through an ecumenical prayer service created specifically for the occasion and composed of non-Orthodox prayers [2]. In addition to leading prayers, these heretics were also permitted to deliver sermons to the audience, during which they openly preached their heretical ecumenical theology and even exchanged the so-called “kiss of peace.”
At this heretical event, the program included prayers taken from the ecumenically condemned Monophysites, followed by a heretical address delivered by the Arch-Heresiarch Elpidophoros. In this address, he openly and bareheadly preached an anti-Orthodox homily, explicitly rejecting Orthodox dogmatic ecclesiology. He declared that Orthodox Christians must “move beyond our ecclesial insularity” and that “we must endeavor to intentionally embrace the diversity that already exists in the Body of Christ.” This so-called “diversity” is nothing other than theological diversity. In effect, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and its primate are publicly promoting the heretical branch-theory of ecclesiology, according to which the Church is said to exist outside of Orthodoxy. This explains why Elpidophoros calls for the abandonment of ecclesiological exclusivity—that is, the confession that the Orthodox Church alone is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, and in fact the only True Church of Christ [3].
In addition to his absolutely heretical and blasphemous preaching and abandonment of Orthodox Christian ecclesiological doctrine, this event differed from Elpidophoros’ usual ecumenical gatherings in that, on this occasion, he invited three female “clerics” to lead Orthodox bishops, priests, and laity in prayer. One of these women was a female cleric from the Anglican sect; another was a so-called “bishop,” Bishop Katrina Foster, Presiding Bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), an openly homosexual cleric of that sect [4]; and the third was from an unidentified denomination dressed in Latin priest vestments. During the event, Elpidophoros allowed Dr. Kirsten Guidero, a female “pastor” of the Episcopal sect [5], to take center stage and lead the congregation in joint prayer while standing at the center of the ambo, directly in front of the iconostasis saying,
O refuge and shelter, Lord Jesus Christ, look with compassion on refugees throughout the world who suffer the agony of displacement and the loss of their homes. Move us to manifest our communion with you, with them, and with each other through gestures of hospitality and loving help. [Congregation Repeats: Lord, have Mercy].
O Christ our Savior, we pray for the people of Armenia and Artsac and their kindred throughout the world who long ago turned to your light through the preaching of the Apostle Thaddius and the miraculous witness of St. Gregory the Illuminator. [Congregation Repeats: Lord, have Mercy]. Shine the light of your righteousness and wisdom on all your creatures. Make us children of light and children of the day, so that we may always live our lives reverently and become for all the world worthy lampstands for your life-giving light. [Congregation Repeats: Lord, have Mercy].
For you are our Savior, and to you be glory, dominion, and honor now and always and unto the ages of ages. [Congregation Repeats: Amen] [6].
Here once again we see a perfectly clear image of where the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America stands with respect to Orthodox doctrine, ecclesiology, and the pan-heresy of ecumenism. Judged according to Orthodox theology, their repeated actions give every appearance of indifference toward Orthodoxy itself and instead advance a vision of religious unity that collapses Orthodoxy into communion with heretical sects, mirroring the priorities and assumptions of the contemporary secular and “woke” worldview.
What is particularly notable about this event is that the pseudo-bishop Elpidophoros appears to be continually testing the limits of what he can do without provoking serious resistance from his laity. This hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate openly prays and conducts services with Monophysites, Nestorians, Jews, Muslims, and adherents of other world religions, and has now added to that list homosexual female clerics from some of the worst sects of Protestantism. He has gone so far as to permit these female pseudo-clerics to lead prayer inside Orthodox churches themselves.
We could, of course, enumerate the numerous canonical violations and ecclesiological abuses that took place at this blasphemous and disgusting event, but by now most readers understand that this behavior is largely routine, especially for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Are the laity going to rise up, protest, and correct their bishops in the only way bishops truly care about—by withholding their tithes and allowing episcopal coffers to run dry? Of course not. They will remain silent and obedient, because, in the words of Peter Heers, one must wait for an Ecumenical Council before separating from such bishops.
