Welcome to the Archbishop Spyridon E-Files website !

The Archbishop Spyridon E-Files is a long-term effort dedicated to assembling materials relating to Archbishop Spyridon, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America in the years 1996-1999.

A freely accessible resource, the E-Files strives to preserve such materials, and to make them accessible to all readers interested in Orthodoxy and, in particular, the Greek Orthodox Church in America.

The collection of such materials is intended as a contribution to the history of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and also, in many cases, the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It sheds light on many aspects of significant events heretofore insufficiently addressed. It also discloses a number of important facts previously unknown. More often than not, such materials offer an opportunity to shape a comprehensive perspective on the Church in America, and are undoubtedly far richer than data sources provided by reports and assessments in the media, online encyclopedias or specialized publications.

For purposes of further research and in-depth study, the E-Files also include many files pertaining to Archbishop Spyridon’s previous ministry in Italy. These are very useful to helping readers understand and form a well-documented and fuller assessment of the prelate’s ministry in America, as many goals set and pursued by him during that period resurfaced during his tenure in America, and continue to affect the state of the Church in America today.

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The E-Files consists of two major sections: the Primary Sources and the Secondary Materials. The former contains texts written or delivered by Archbishop Spyridon, as well as audio-visual media featuring the former primate. The latter is comprised entirely of secondary materials (e.g., biographical sketches, news items, comments and opinions, an image gallery and videos).

Research of both sections can be facilitated by lists compiled specifically for this purpose. The chronological list especially enjoys the advantage of providing readers an opportunity to follow the sequence of events in order, and correlate them in an undemanding manner, thus providing a broader angle for their interpretation and assessment.

Equally important as a research tool is the site’s search engine, which offers a variety of search options. Files, content and source lists can thus be quickly explored, making correlation and comparison of information a much simpler task.

The documents posted are available in various languages, mostly from Greek, English, and Italian sources. The variety of languages encountered here can engender a few difficulties for readers unfamiliar with different languages. But such issues are fairly easily overcome through automatic online translation facilities provided by modern browsers.

In many respects, the E-Files site is also a first on the Internet, as it puts a vast collection of documents –uncustomary in similar digital archival sites dedicated to church leaders– at the reader’s disposal.

As a work in progress, the E-Files also welcomes the contribution of any digital material (e.g., documents, letters, press clippings, photos, audio recordings and videos) related to Archbishop Spyridon and the history of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in the period 1996-99.