John McCain at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, NYC

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., follows meet His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, down the stairs during a visit in New York City, Tuesday, June 10, 2008. (LM Otero, Associated Press / June 10, 2008)

Manhattan June 10 2008 Sen. John McCain and Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek-Orthodox Church in America, met at the Archbishop residence in Manhattan. (Viorel Florescu, Newsday / June 10, 2008)

Manhattan June 10 2008 Sen. John McCain and Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek-Orthodox Church in America, met at the Archbishop residence in Manhattan. (Viorel Florescu, Newsday / June 10, 2008)

Manhattan June 10 2008 Sen. John McCain and Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek-Orthodox Church in America, met at the Archbishop residence in Manhattan. (Viorel Florescu, Newsday / June 10, 2008) Manhattan June 10 2008 Sen. John McCain and Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek-Orthodox Church in America, met at the Archbishop residence in Manhattan. (Viorel Florescu, Newsday / June 10, 2008)

BY ERIK GERMAN erik.german@newsday.com
10:41 PM EDT, June 10, 2008

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain came to New York City for a pair of fundraisers Tuesday evening but, beforehand, found himself navigating the choppy waters of Greco-Turkish relations during a short photo-op with the head of American Greek Orthodox Church.

While McCain was posing with Archbishop Demetrios, a reporter with a Greek-language media outlet fired a question at the senator, asking why he did not sign a letter last year in which 73 other senators urged President George W. Bush to publicly support religious freedom for a Greek Orthodox minority living in Istanbul, Turkey.

McCain declined to answer directly, saying the matter was still under discussion. "Obviously we are in favor of religious freedom all over the world, especially those places where it seems to be about to disappear," he said, before declining to take other questions.

Speaking afterward, the archbishop said he and McCain had discussed the plight of Turkey's Greek Orthodox minority during the meeting, as well a long-running conflict between Turks and Greeks over the island nation of Cyprus, adding McCain had expressed "guarded optimism" about the resolution of the Cyprus conflict.

Cyprus has been partitioned into a Turkish Cypriot North and a Greek Cypriot South since 1974, when Turkey invaded the north in response to a military coup on the island that was backed by the Athens government.Gearing up for a campaign where he is expected to be outspent by Democratic contender Sen. Barack Obama, McCain scheduled the fundraisers just blocks apart in midtown Manhattan, beginning at the 21 Club on 52nd Street and finishing the evening at the St. Regis Hotel on East 55th.

But before getting down to business, he paid a brief visit to the 79th Street headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

During the half-hour meeting with Archbishop Demetrios, he discussed resolving conflict between Greek Orthodox believers and members of other faiths in countries neighboring Greece.

Archbishop Demetrios is the spiritual leader of America's 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians and by custom is known only by his first name. There are large concentrations of Greek Orthodox believers in several states that could prove battlegrounds in the November presidential election, said Jim Golding, the editor of the Orthodox Observer, a monthly church publication sent out to members nationwide.

Illinois boasts more than 38,000 Greek Orthodox believers, with 28,000 in Florida, more than 22,000 in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and 17,000 in Michigan, according to the religion data archive maintained by Pennsylvania State University.

Church spokesman Stavros Papagermanos insisted the Archbishop's meeting with McCain was not about the election, as the church does not endorse presidential candidates. Instead, he said, it came about only because the senator had crossed paths with the archbishop last year and wished to meet with him again while in town.

SOURCE: