Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith

The Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, a Greek Catholic priest, has served as Ecumenical and Inter-religious Officer of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles since November, 2000. As such he directs the Catholic Church’s relations with all other Faiths in Los Angeles. Additionally he is currently serving as CADEIO’s [the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers] liaison to Christian Churches Together, a growing Ecumenical movement, and as the co-coordinator of the Western Region’s Catholic/Muslim Dialogue for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Locally, Father Alexei served for many years as President of the Inter-religious Council of Southern California and is the recipient of numerous commendations and awards. In 2011, he was elected President of the Southern California Ecumenical Council, now the Southern California Christian Forum, a post he still holds.

Father Alexei taught a course entitled “Interfaith Dialogue Since Vatican II” at Mount Saint Mary’s University, as well as a course entitled “Current Trends in Ecumenical and Inter-religious Thought” as part of the International Institute of Tribunal Studies in Los Angeles. He is currently teaching an Ecclesia Certification Course at Mount Saint Mary’s entitled “Ecumenism and Inter-religious Relations: A Catholic Ministry,” as well as co-teaching an Interfaith course at Loyola Marymount University entitled “Literature and Faith in the Holy Land,” offered by the Jewish Studies Program at LMU.