Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate:
The White House proclaimed Tuesday, January 16, 2024 as Religious Freedom Day. The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate welcome this proclamation and are grateful to the Biden administration for issuing it. We hope that it will result in meaningful and consistent global action throughout this year and the years to come, to protect and defend those who suffer from persecution around the world for their religious beliefs.
The Archons have for years been at the forefront of efforts to defend religious freedom. Our Fourth International Archon Conference, Protecting Religious Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights, is scheduled for May 26-28, 2024 in Athens, Greece. The Archons’ first three International Conferences on Religious Freedom were extraordinary, historic and watershed events, held in Brussels, Belgium in 2010; Berlin, Germany in 2013; and Washington, D.C. in 2017. They included scholars, journalists, human rights advocates, diplomats, and politicians as speakers and panelists.
In addition to those conferences, the Archons have a daily commitment to raising awareness regarding the plight of our persecuted Christian sisters and brothers worldwide. Our website, ChristianPersecution.com, was founded in 2017 and is updated daily with news regarding persecution of Christians around the world.
Religious Freedom Day in the United States should likewise help to raise awareness of the cardinal importance of the freedom of conscience and the right to worship without fear of coercion or violence. As we have documented extensively at ChristianPersecution.com, in Turkey, Nigeria, China, Iran and elsewhere, the religious freedom that we can all too easily take for granted in the West is nonexistent, and Christians live in daily fear of being harassed, discriminated against, or even killed for their faith.
As Archons, we remain steadfastly and resolutely committed to defending the religious freedom of our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate and of Christians worldwide. We pray and hope that our efforts will result in sustained action to ensure that no one is harmed for expressing his or her belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Yours in the service of the holy Mother Church,
Anthony J. Limberakis, MD
Archon Megas Aktouarios
National Commander
