Archbishop Elpidophoros of America led a memorial prayer service at the St. Nicholas National Shrine in New York for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks, marking 25 years since the assault on the World Trade Center's Twin Towers.
Speaking after the service, Elpidophoros said intolerance and hatred should never again be allowed to harm the sacred site of the national shrine of St. Nicholas or the city, adding that the church stood there to declare that mutual respect, dialogue and understanding were the only way forward.
A call to reject division
The Archbishop, who presided over the ceremony, urged those present to reject division and to defend the values represented by the shrine, which he said plays a special role as a living memorial at Ground Zero.
He said they could not bring back those who were unjustly lost, but could preserve nobility, heroism, courage and, ultimately, their humanity in a sacred space open to everyone.
He added that an entire generation of Americans had now grown up since September 11, which made preserving the memory of the attacks even more important, and that the collective responsibility to keep that memory alive would grow with each passing year.
The original Church of St. Nicholas stood beside the World Trade Center and was destroyed when the South Tower collapsed on September 11, 2001. It was later rebuilt at Ground Zero as a national shrine and non-denominational space for reflection, under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which Elpidophoros leads as archbishop.
Dignitaries and survivors attend
Those attending included New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, Ronald Hicks, the Greek Consul General in New York, Iphigenia Kanara, and the Cypriot Consul General, Kyriakos Poyiatzis. Representatives of religious communities and public bodies, first responders, survivors, victims' families, priests and a crowd of worshippers were also present.
Flags, anthem and personal testimonies
The ceremony opened with the presentation of flags and the playing of the United States national anthem, followed by remarks from the shrine's parish priest, Father Andreas Vythoulkas, who asked those present to observe a minute of silence and reflection.
Personal testimonies from Anthoula Katsimatidis and Father Panteleimon Papadopoulos were especially moving. Both spoke about what they experienced on September 11 and about how that day continues to affect the lives of New Yorkers and Americans more broadly.
Mamdani on rebuilding the shrine
Mayor Mamdani spoke about the rebuilding of the shrine, describing it as a powerful symbol of New York's recovery. He recalled the respect shown by first responders toward the site of St. Nicholas after its destruction, when they carefully retrieved Bibles, candlesticks and other sacred objects of the church from the rubble.
He said the solidarity shown by citizens had been overwhelming, and that the memory of the tragedy remained alive at St. Nicholas.
