By MARIA PAPPAS
STAFF WRITER
On Monday, Nov. 18, Aristotle Papanikolaou, Ph.D., was inaugurated as the first Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, attended the event and commended Dr. Papanikolaou for his accomplishments.
Demetrios also spoke of the blessing that is the Orthodox Christian Studies Center and he hopes that has it flourishes in the future.
Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, bestowed the honor on Papanikolaou. He opened his speech by describing the dream of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University.
He spoke of the milestone achieved through this installation, namely the Christian family created through the uniting of orthodoxy and the Christian faith. The Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University was founded by Dr. Papanikolaou, along with his close friend and fellow Fordham professor George Demacopoulos, in 2012.
Fordham University is currently the only school in the nation with an Orthodox Christian Studies Center, a fact that was proudly pointed out by the event’s speakers.
Papanikolaou earned his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Fordham in 1988. He graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and received his Master of Divinity and was valedictorian. In 1998, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. He has authored and edited several books and is currently a professor of theology at Fordham.
The Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture is named after His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, who is the leader of the 1.5 million members of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
As the Archbishop Demetrios Chair, Papanikoalou will continue as a leader of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, as well as continue the study of Orthodox Christianity.
After his formal installation of Dr. Papanikolaou gave his inaugural lecture, a presentation entitled “Violence and Virtue.” The lecture discussed virtue ethics as they relate to war. Dr. Papanikolaou believes that the struggle to learn how to love is important in relation to war, but according to Christian social ethics, violence does not make love impossible.
Dr. Demacopoulos, co-founder of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, was pleased with the attendance.
“[The attendance] is a testament both to Dr. Papanikolaou’s intellectual reputation and to the support of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center,” Demacopoulos said. “[Papanikolaou] is exceptional at bridging the divide between the academy and the broader community, and we look forward to Fordham continuing to be the mecca for Orthodox Christian studies and Orthodox Catholic dialogue.”
