The ordination of Panos Xenokostas as Archon Kastelion was held on the afternoon of Sunday, August 31, 2025, by the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew.
The ceremony took place at the Panseptic Patriarchal Church in Phanar, after the dismissal of the Great Vespers. Vespers for the feast of Indiction, and Hierarchs of the Throne, clergy, Archons Officiates of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and faithful from the City and abroad also attended.
The Patriarch thanked Mr. Xenokostas for his significant contribution to the reconstruction of the Greek shipbuilding sector and, by extension, to the broader economic and social development, as well as to the opportunity given to the new generation to be educated and employed in the shipbuilding industry.
In his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch noted: "It is certain that the way economic life is organized profoundly affects the entire course of human affairs." Sustainable economic development has inviolable conditions, which are linked to social justice and respect for the natural environment. The future does not belong to the so-called "market fundamentalism," but it is certain that it constitutes a brake on the path to a promising future. The great challenges of our times cannot be effectively addressed based on pragmatic, technocratic, and economocentric choices.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate, faithful to its sacred mission, always far from ephemeral and utilitarian considerations, proclaims the need for a reorientation of the economy, with a dual reference to the principles of "doing business healthily" and economic strategies on one hand, and to the respect for basic humanitarian and spiritual values, such as solidarity and justice, on the other. Man is not merely homo oeconomicus and a consumer unit, but has a spiritual nature and a high purpose. He is, as Saint Gregory the Theologian writes, "woven from both, heavenly and earthly," he is "a divinized being." There is no social and ecological sustainability at the expense of spiritual and moral values. The violation of these principles always has very negative consequences in all aspects and dimensions of life.
Subsequently, His All-Holiness emphasized: "The Most Reverend in Christ Brother, Archbishop of America, Mr. Elpidophoros, appreciates and praises your kindness, modesty, and sense of honor, your respect for the Church and its witness, your fidelity to ancestral traditions, your intelligence, and your modern spirit."
Concluding his speech, the Patriarch expressed his certainty that the new Archon, as a member of the Brotherhood of Officiants of the Holy Great Church of Christ "Panagia the Most Blessed," will expand his creative activities, continue his good works, and prove worthy of his trust.
For his part, Panos Xenokostas expressed his gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarch and emphasized that his contribution to the Church, society, and homeland constitutes a sacred duty and is part of the education he received from his parents.