His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew continued his Apostolic Visit to the United States on Thursday, September 18, 2025 in New York City. The Ecumenical Patriarch returned to Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, where he performed the Thyranoixia (Door-Opening) during his last visit in 2021, and celebrated a Doxology service, offering a series of moving reflections on the importance of the Shrine.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and other Hierarchs welcomed His All-Holiness to the Shrine, including the Proistamenos, Fr. Andreas Vithoulkas. Also present was the Spiritual Advisor of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Rev. Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Alexander Karloutsos; and numerous Archons, including the Chairman of the Friends of Saint Nicholas, Archon Michael G. Psaros.
Dignitaries, including the former Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, as well as many community members and parishioners were also on hand. Dozens of young children from the A. Fantis School in Brooklyn and St. Demetrios in Astoria, waving flags bearing the emblem of the Ecumenical Patriarchate greeted His All-Holiness with great enthusiasm and presented him with bouquets of flowers.
At the monument next to the central door of the beautiful church, His All-Holiness laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. He spoke about the “eternal” mission of the Shrine, stating that the large number of people who have visited the Shrine demonstrate that “from the Bosphoros to the Hudson River, we are all citizens…of one earth that is the home of us all.”
His All-Holiness observed that the Saint Nicholas Church and National Shrine was a place of “memory and prayer” which “provides comfort to all who come to this holy ground.” He also recalled his first visit to the area, only six months after the terrorist attack: “When we first came to Ground Zero on March 9 in 2002, with then-Archbishop Demetrios… we prayed for those who had perished… it was nearly unimaginable that something glorious became of the World Trade Center site… but the resilience, determination and fortitude of the American people is a powerful thing to behold… We express our undying gratitude and respect to the Port Authority and especially to our friends and coworkers… for the exceptional cooperation and coordination which made St. Nicholas National Shrine an integral area of this amazing resurrection.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that “love is what brought this renewal about in the first place, love for those who perished that fateful day, love for the memory of the heroes of 9/11 and of all those who gave of themselves to bring healing and resurrection to this place often at the cost of their health and even their hearts, and love for the way of life that was injured monstrously by the act of terror.”
After the Doxology service, His All-Holiness presented Fr. Vithoulkas with the gift of a cross, and presented an icon to Port Authority Chief of Major Capital Projects Steven Plate and his wife Nancy.
The original Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was destroyed during the September 11, 2001 attacks. The new Church and National Shrine is both a functioning church and a national memorial.
