By Lambros Karpodinis
“Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center will present the 2026 Beacon of Hope Award to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during its annual Beacon of Hope Dinner on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at Casa Cipriani in New York City.”
And in case you have an extra quarter million dollars sitting around, there’s your chance to get rid of it:
Sponsorship opportunities for the 2026 Beacon of Hope Dinner include:
Light of the World — $250,000
Guardian of Hope — $100,000
Anchor of Hope — $50,000
Friend of Saint Nicholas — $25,000
Bearer of Light — $3,500
Individual seats — $1,500
The most profane use of Saint Nicholas’s name is this: if you spend $25,000, he becomes your “friend.” Saint Nicholas was a bishop born into wealth who devoted his family’s fortune to helping the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable. These sinful and ignorant people are selling St Nicholas’s friendship as if they have his permission.
And woe to those who are not part of the high elite. They will watch with envy, as the “insiders”, the favored ones by the Saint, are indulged by extra benefits that vary by “level” and may include priority seating, program recognition, advertising, video acknowledgment, and access to the VIP reception. Maybe they’ll add massage?
And you are dismayed at the seating arrangements on the airplane, with its various upgrades that benefit the ones who have a thick wallet. At least airlines are not hypocritically selling you friendship with a saint.
But the hypocrisy does not end there. The organizers of this event are somehow connecting it to America’s 250 th birthday, the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and the rebuilding of the St Nicholas church.
Why is it hypocrisy? Because the St Nicholas shrine is a reminder of the avarice, non-transparency, outright lies and cover-ups, and the theft of tens of millions of dollars donated by the faithful, for which no one was punished.
Not a day goes by without the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America finding a way to divide and scandalize parishioners, reinforcing the view that, for them, the church is not a representative of Christ on earth but a fundraising vehicle—one that offers no transparency while courting and extracting as much money as possible from the elite.
Beyond the impropriety of selling Saint Nicholas’s friendship, there are other concerns:
A church should not take sides in a war. No side is free from brutality; war is, by definition, an orgy of killing. The church’s role is not to favor one nation while disregarding the other. People in both countries would rather live in peace, raise their children, and grow old at home.
A church’s role is not to engage in politics but to condemn war and offer comfort to people on both sides. God will judge who is responsible for the violence. Few things are more disturbing than using human suffering as a fundraising opportunity, and few things are more abhorrent, anti-Christian, and repugnant than promoting “luxurious accommodations” while others are killing and dying.
There is no other church that has fallen so far from its mission as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America. Worship of Christ has been replaced by greed, avarice, and selfishness.
Very well said, Bob.
Although in this case I agree with what Bob writes, I noticed that he leaves Bartholomew out of the picture.
We cannot blame only GOArch and Elpidophoros for honoring Zelensky, while his boss Bartholomew is the one who -according to former CIA agent John Kiriakou- pocketed $15 millions in order to sign the Ukraine autocephaly!
And also, we cannot disregard the fact that Zelensky is not a Christian and he is a war criminal, targeting Russian Orthodox civilians!
We cannot disregard all the above and focus on the specific event only with an accounting approach…
John Kiriakou has partially retracted this statement- God knows under what pressure. But the indications we have are so many
As far as I can tell, this is not Bartholomeaus’ idea. Its the St Nicholas church board. He is currently in Greece for the past 30 days and has fallen off the face of the earth. He might be vacationing in luxury.
This is not an accounting issue. The exorbitant charges reveal the ignorance and greed that have overtaken the organizing committee. My concern is the inappropriateness of holding a fundraiser tied to the death and suffering of millions of people.
The dissonance lies in offering “extra benefits”—for a price—while the people at the heart of the fundraiser continue to suffer. It is akin to “dancing on graves.” Enough has already been said about the politics involved. The “selling” of St. Nicholas’ friendship is a blasphemy without equal.
You raise a good point, Bob. But, knowing the GOA like I do, nothing is done without Bart’s approval or at least his acquiescence.
He’s a clever fellow, when it comes to doing something controversial. Remember the “multiple spoon heresy” of a few years back? He didn’t authorize it but he didn’t stop Elpi from proposing it. When the backlash got too severe, he threw Elpi under the bus.
George – absolutely correct…
St. Nicholas is not a church. It is an abomination.
Price of paper goods must be rising. Whoever runs this “shrine” must be feeling pressure to cover costs to run this public restroom.
I wonder if Philoptochos has any thoughts about all their money going to a “church” that hosts art shows, and now dog and pony shows ? Maybe Eldpidofthoros should give them a shiny service award.
This hideous event should be held at AIPAC, or Turkey Center in NY.
The separation of Church and State; traditionally outlaws’ political propagandas at religious events in the USA! Why fund Zelensky’s Civil
War Crimes to humanity from a Hellenic Religious Institution-St. Nicholas
Greek Orthodox Church??? Blasphemous!!!
Tucker Carlson: “They Hate Russia Because It Is Christian”
By Helleniscope – August 9, 2026
US political system is a ‘fraud’ – Tucker Carlson! Americans are played against each other while political leaders fail to represent them,
“The Archbishop should relinquish his annual romp at the White House, concentrate on our church’s myriad challenges and leave the politicking to lay people. A representative of the community should be the president of AHEPA, since he is the only elected representative of any Greek civic organization. ”
Lambros Karpodinis Brick, NJ
published letter to the Greek National Herald
Bob, my condolences — but your article and Helleniscope’s framing completely miss the real issue. The Zelensky dinner is not just a GOARCH scandal. It is part of a political‑religious operation involving the U.S. State Department, and “identified” congressional and adminstration actors, foreign agents, and media networks.
For years, you and Helleniscope have blamed only Bartholomew, Elpidophoros, and GOARCH, while censoring every comment that names the State Department, political collaborators, or foreign‑policy networks responsible for the persecution of Orthodox Christians.
The federal criminal complaint makes this clear: religion is being weaponized for geopolitical warfare, resulting in persecution of Orthodox Christians and destruction of canonical churches.
The warning is simple: “When an Orthodox institution honors a leader accused of persecuting canonical Orthodox Christians, it sends a devastating message to the faithful worldwide.”
Honoring Zelensky under an Orthodox dome is spiritually catastrophic. It tells persecutors their actions carry no consequence and tells victims their suffering is expendable. And that the Orthodox Churches sanctify these foreign policies .
Col. Douglas Macgregor’s testimony explains the motive: Western elites see Orthodoxy as an obstacle to their geopolitical aims. Zelensky’s ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church — openly backed by the State Department and leaders of the US Senate and House— fits this agenda exactly.
GOARCH is being used as the delivery system. The political machine behind it is what Helleniscope keeps hiding — and keeps censoring.
This is why real Orthodox Christians will sign the petition… and unlike the honoring of Zelensky, The Criminal complaint honors not only the Orthodox Christian Churches and faithful of Urkaine , but in memory of the persecuted and murdered Orthodox Christians of Cyprus which bring Justice to their families ! What Greek Ortodox Christian would not support this ? We all can draw our own conclusions!