2019 -- S 0886

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LC002606

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

THANKING HIS EMINENCE ARCHBISHOP DEMETRIOS, GERON OF AMERICA, FOR

HIS MANY YEARS OF FAITHFUL AND SELFLESS SERVICE TO THE AMERICAN

GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY AND WISHING HIM WELL IN HIS RETIREMENT

     Introduced By: Senators Raptakis, Gallo, Nesselbush, Algiere, and Euer

     Date Introduced: May 22, 2019

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America, was born

Demetrios Trakatellis in Thessaloniki, Greece on February 1, 1928, to Georgia and Christos

Trakatellis. His Eminence graduated from the University of Athens School of Theology with

distinction in 1950, and was ordained a Deacon in 1960, and a Priest in 1964; and

     WHEREAS, His Eminence moved to the United States in 1965 and attended the Harvard

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences where he studied New Testament and Christian Origins

and was awarded a Ph.D. with distinction in 1972. He later returned to Athens to accept an

ecumenical position with the Archdiocese of Athens where he was responsible for the theological

education of the clergy and the ministry to the young. In 1977, he earned a second Doctorate

degree in theology from the University of Athens; and

     WHEREAS, From 1983 to 1993, he served as the “Distinguished Professor of Biblical

Studies and Christian Origins” at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in

Brookline, Massachusetts, where he taught many of the most distinguished and respected Greek

Orthodox clergy members. He also taught as a visiting professor at the Harvard Divinity School;

and

     WHEREAS, On August 19, 1999, His Eminence was elected Archbishop of America,

Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and head of the Eparchial. During his distinguished

twenty years as the leader of the Greek Orthodox community in the United States, Archbishop

Demetrios was a beloved figure who worked tirelessly to tend to his flock, to fight discrimination

where it existed, to comfort the sick and the poor, to help lead interfaith discussions and

cooperation with other religious communities, and to advocate for religious freedom and peace

across the globe; and

     WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Archbishop Demetrios traveled the globe in support

of Christian and religious understanding and unity, and to advocate on behalf of those suffering

from injustice. Under his guidance and direction, the American Greek Orthodox Church worked

hard to respond to the needs of contemporary families, and established and broadened the scope

of the Church’s Department of Philanthropy to meet the needs of the Greek Orthodox community

and to address contemporary cultural and social issues that were having an adverse impact on the

lives of many of the faithful; and

     WHEREAS, Archbishop Demetrios, in his capacity as the leader of the Greek Orthodox

community in the United States, has met and engaged in discussions and dialogue with many

world leaders. He met and received Presidents William Jefferson Clinton, George W. Bush, and

Barak Obama, United States Secretaries of State, members of Congress, and numerous state, city

and local leaders. He has offered prayers at both the Republican and Democratic National

Conventions, and presented remarks at the White House commemorating Greek Independence

Day; and

     WHEREAS, After the horrific and devastating attack on September 11, 2001, which

claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people and also destroyed or damaged many landmark

structures including the edifice of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Demetrios

immediately went to Ground Zero and amidst the smoke, ashes, tears and despair, offered prayers

and succor to the injured and to the families who grieved over the loss of loved ones. The

Archbishop also worked tirelessly to raise funds, two million dollars altogether, to support the

families of Greek Orthodox victims, and to assist the families of firefighters, Port Authority

Personnel, and Cantor Fitzgerald employees who perished on that tragic day. Archbishop

Demetrios also led philanthropic responses to help the victims and their families from other

disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, various California mudslides, and the Tsunami in Asia in

2004; and

     WHEREAS, Archbishop Demetrios has received many awards and honors in recognition

and honor of his exemplary service as both the leader of the American Greek Orthodox Church

and as a respected world religious leader and humanitarian. He was invited by the Greek

government to visit Greece in 2002 where he met Church and government officials, addressed the

Greek Parliament, and was honored by the University of Athens. In 2003, he was given the honor

of leading the delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Vatican and met Pope John Paul

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II. He was also awarded the highest honor of the Republic of Cyprus, the Medal of the Great

Cross, and in 2004, was invited by then-President George W. Bush to be a member of the

Presidential Delegation to the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece; and

     WHEREAS, In 2007, in honor of his 40th Anniversary to the Episcopacy, His Eminence

was recognized with a special tribute at the White House by President Bush. In 2008, he also

received the Great Cross of the Order of the Phoenix, the highest honorary distinction of the

Hellenic Republic, and the Isiah Award from the American Jewish Committee. In 2015, he was

awarded the title of “Geron” in recognition of his “invaluable services to the Mother Church, the

entire Orthodoxy and the Theological Literature”; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby thanks retiring Archbishop Demetrios for his many years of dedicated and devoted service

to the American Greek Orthodox community, and wishes him a most happy and fulfilling

retirement; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios.

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