Archbishop of America: Never again shall intolerance and hatred bring harm to this hallowed ground

25 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero held a memorial service honoring the lives lost on one of the darkest days in American history.

Gathering on the sacred ground, steps from the World Trade Center Memorial, attendees experienced prayer, heard the personal experiences of September 11 and learned of the resilience of St. Nicholas Church, the only house of worship destroyed on 9/11.

Attendees included New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani; Ronald Hicks, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York; Consul General of Greece in New York Iphigenia Kanara; Consul General of Cyprus in New York Kyriakos Pogiatzis; Consul General of Romania in New York Mihaela-Simon Florea; interfaith leaders; public officials; first responders; survivors; family of victims; chaplains; clergy; and faithful.

Presiding over the service, Archbishop Elpidophoros called on those gathered to reject division and uphold the values the Shrine represents.

“Never again shall intolerance and hatred bring harm to this hallowed ground, nor to our city,” Archbishop Elpidophoros said. “The Saint Nicholas National Shrine stands to…