The Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, wished “Happy Resurrection” in Greek and caused… excitement!!! In the snapshot he is seen with Archbishop Elpidophoros. Photo from video
🔺By Sotiriος M. Tzoumas
The image of an Archbishop is not a personal matter; it is institutional weight, historical continuity, and spiritual responsibility. That is why every public appearance, every word, every reaction must reflect seriousness, restraint, and awareness of the role.
The recent appearance of Archbishop Elpidophoros during the Good Friday service in New York unfortunately caused more awkwardness and negative comments than respect and admiration. Not because of the presence of the mayor — institutional contacts are entirely legitimate — but because of the way the event was presented and promoted. Crudeness is not an asset! It is a burden!
The much-discussed “wow” exclaimed by the Archbishop upon the (supposedly unexpected but fully prearranged) appearance of the Mayor was not merely an unfortunate moment. It is a symptom of a broader tendency toward superficial communication and a pathological projection of the ego, which turns the sacred into a communicative snapshot. At one of the most solemn moments of Orthodoxy, at the hour when “the One fairer in beauty than all mortals” is being buried, the focus shifted from the message of the Crucifixion to a staged “surprise.” This alone says a lot, precisely because it means nothing!
If the Archbishop wishes to follow in the footsteps of great figures of the Church, such as the late great Archbishop of North and South America Iakovos, he must understand that the magnitude of those initiatives did not lie in public relations, but in their moral depth and their clear historical purpose. Iakovos did not impress; he expressed. He neither sought nor uttered a “wow,” but embodied authority and inspired respect and enthusiasm among the faithful. And ultimately, our collective memory and conscience attribute a different stature to Martin Luther King than to Mamdani, even if the latter is the mayor of New York. And even if he said “Happy Resurrection” in Greek, he certainly did not mean it!
Comparisons, therefore, with historical personalities or emblematic movements cannot be made lightly. The presence of a political figure, however courteous it may be, does not constitute a historic moment. And it certainly cannot be paralleled with figures and struggles that shaped global consciousness. Such analogies do not elevate; on the contrary, they expose.
Moreover, the excessive promotion and the almost uniform reproduction of “praising” publications in Greece create the impression of a “communication construct” that is far removed from the truth of ecclesiastical life.
The Church has no need for communication tricks; it needs authenticity.
Archbishop Elpidophoros has the opportunity — and the responsibility — to restore the weight where it belongs: to the message, to ethos, and to ministry. Seriousness is not a stylistic choice. It is a prerequisite for credibility.
Because, at the end of the day, what remains is not impressions, but measure. And measure is what separates the institution from the image.