Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew successfully underwent a stenting procedure on Wednesday afternoon at Mount Sinai University Hospital in Manhattan.
As the statement from the Holy Archdiocese of America notes, the Ecumenical Patriarch is expected to be discharged today, Thursday, and according to the medical release, he is in good health.
USA: The Ecumenical Patriarch spoke with the new mayor of New York about police violence and racial discrimination
Before the successful stent placement, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had a meeting with the newly elected mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. They discussed matters of human rights, racial discrimination and police violence. The Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in America was the very first man Eric Adams met as New York mayor, given that the two men share a friendship built during the covid pandemic.
The Ecumenical Patriarch blessed the new mayor and stated how very much he hopes for a society of people progressing besides social and racial restrictions. Referring personally to Eric Adams, His Holiness said, he thinks high of the mayor’s twist, regarding Eric Adam’s police-abuse experience, namely reshaping the traumatic experience he suffered into a successful life, a successful career, ready to bring on changes and eliminate prejudices.
His Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, seemed well aware of Eric Adams’ story that led him to join the police force in order to help change it from the inside. Later he pursued a political career as Brooklyn borough president and now as the new mayor of New York City.
Eric Adams referred to the Black Lives Matter demonstration in which he had marched together with Archbishop Elpidophoros and spoke in praise of the Greek Orthodox Church of America. Eric Adams recalled that the late Archbishop James, was the first white religious leader to march with Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement in the United States, and he pointed to the historical importance of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s peaceful protest down Brooklyn streets.
"It was such an important move. This very march Archbishop Elpidophorus joined, was a reflection of the 1965 Selma, Alabama civil rights march, that Martin Luther King and Ecumenical Patriarch had walked together. This so very striking commitment of the Orthodox Church of America to the civil rights movement, is only to make clear that this is not some philosophical belief, or rather some theological rusted mechanism of thinking, but rather some vivid and outspoken religious and political practise”.
“Religion has to be part of the way we live our lives. This is the path taken by the Archdiocese and I'm very happy to be here right now, as I begin my journey in New York City as the 110th mayor," noted Eric Adams.
Black Lives Matter movement
The Archbishop has repeatedly highlighted the importance he attaches to the issue of social justice throughout the Black Lives Matter movement. The Archbishop having participated in peaceful protests unfolding on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, having raised his own voice on the issue of racism and discrimination in America, he stated that “We are all Americans and we are protecting the American values…human dignity, freedom, against racism and any kind of discrimination and violence.”
The Archbishop's action was hailed at the time by Eric Adams, who was serving as Brooklyn Borough President. The relationship between the two sides extended during the pandemic period when Eric Adams had honoured Mr. Hope, thanking him for the assistance the Archdiocese had provided to vulnerable groups in the community who found themselves exposed to the economic impact of the pandemic.