Archbishop Elpidophoros says Paul Sarbanes was a 'true giant' of the diaspora

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America said he mourns the death of Paul Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat who served in the US Congress for more than three decades, calling him "a true giant of the omogeneia (diaspora) and the nation."

"It is very difficult to speak of Senator Sarbanes' accomplishments, as they are virtually numberless; but through them all, he was a devoted husband and father, a devout Orthodox Christian, a faithful member of the Church, and a prudent, humble, and diligent servant of the People of his beloved Maryland and the American Nation," he said in a statement on Monday.

"His devotion to the freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and his concern for his ancestral home of Greece, as well as for Cyprus, merit special praise. He kept a close eye on affairs across the Atlantic, being ever-vigilant for the interests of his brethren in faith and patrida ...