SW News: At Ground Zero in New York, which was the epicenter of the terror attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, a new Greek Orthodox shrine has come up, replacing the old church that was destroyed in the attack.
Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop of Constantinople, Bartholomew 1 ceremoniously opened the doors of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at ground zero on Tuesday, November 2. The patriarch was on a 12-day visit to the US. During the blessing of the new church, believers were reminded of the painful memories of the attack on US soil.
The patriarch also said, "We stand here today on this hallowed ground at the World Trade Center, where the world changed in a cruel and terrible moment 20 years ago. This sacred ground of the American experience is where the Orthodox Christian faith will take the lead in manifesting to the world that good is mightier than evil, that there is life beyond death and that love will always triumph over hate."
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava designed the new shrine located opposite the World Trade Center Memorial Plaza. The church will be opened next year. The earlier church was destroyed when the south tower toppled in the attack. The ceremony on Tuesday was conducted outside the church with the patriarch blessing a large cross, decorated with a wreath, that was later placed on the dome of the church by a crane.
Patriarch Bartholomew 1 and the clergy went in procession around the church with crosses and candles before blessing a few items from the earlier church that weren't destroyed in the attack. They included a contorted bell and a torn icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The patriarch blessed the church's glass doors with holy water and tapped them with his crosier before he opened them.
The top prelate also signed an illustrated the Book of Gospels to be used in the liturgy. While presenting the relic of St. Nicholas' hand as a gift to the church, Patriarch Bartholomew 1 said, "We bring his physical and spiritual presence, in the sacred relic of his holy hand, which will find an eternal resting place within this National Shrine."
The shrine will also have a separate room for non-Christians to meditate, reflect on their faith, and remember their loved ones who died in the attack. The Patriarch of Constantinople is given prominence among all the Eastern Orthodox patriarchs but does not have the powers enjoyed by the pope.