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Pataki, Demos & Bishop Andonios Hold Press Conference at Ground Zero

On Monday former Governor George Pataki, NY-1 congressional candidate George Demos and Bishop Andonios -who represented Archbishop Demetrios called a press conference at the former site of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.  The conference was an attempt to help rebuild the St. Nicholas Orthodox church that was destroyed on 9/11.

“I’m calling on the Port Authority officials to sit down with the church leadership,” Pataki said as he stood with Demos and Bishop Andonios of Phasiane.

“We must rebuild St. Nicholas and we must do it here at the World Trade Center site. It’s incredibly disappointing to me that almost nine years later, not only is it not underway, but there haven’t been negotiations between church officials and the Port Authority for over a year.”

Bishop Andonios in his speech stated: “It is a house of worship not simply for the Greek Orthodox community, but a monument to the 3,000 souls of all faiths that lost their lives.

He also accused the Port Authority of walking away from negotiations with the Greek Orthodox Church.

Demos who was one of the first to bring national attention on this subject said:
“This church must rise again and it’s our obligation to ensure that it rises from the ashes. The time has come for the Port Authority to do the right thing, stand up and rebuild that church”.

Demos also spoke out against the mosque’s proposed site.

“I’ve spoken out against the appropriateness of the mosque, not it’s legal right to be built…It’s not an issue of religious freedom. It’s an issue of sensitivity to the families of 9/11.”

Watch the speeches below:

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