OPA! The Dance of the Two Archbishops, Nikitas and Apostolos!! (Luckily Not A Belly Dance!)

ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ

PHOTO:  The Two Archbishops take to the dance floor at the Enthronement party… Luckily they avoided dancing Tsifteteli… Notably – and appropriately – Nikitas represented Bartholomew at the enthronement, known to be fond of tsifteteli dances and “singing boys” (otherwise known as “yousoufakia”) at the Bosporus shores… (Credit to Exapsalmos.gr for the photos).

By Helleniscope’s Editorial Team

So much for the solemnity of an enthronement. According to a very caustic report by exapsalmos.gr – accompanied by the two photos posted here – What was meant to mark a “new beginning” for the Archdiocese of Canada somehow found room for Archbishop Apostolos to take to the dance floor, first with his sister and then with Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira, who was present not as a private guest but as the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Had Nikitas been there merely representing himself, he could have danced all night — belly dance included, if that was his inclination. But when one carries institutional and patriarchal symbolism on one’s shoulders, a little sense of measure is not an unreasonable expectation. There is a difference between warmth and theatricality, between celebration and spectacle.

An enthronement is not a village fair, a wedding reception, or a family party where everyone is free to indulge the evening’s mood. It is a major ecclesiastical act, one that should convey seriousness, restraint, and a clear awareness of the occasion’s sacred nature. Instead, the sight of two archbishops dancing blurred that line rather efficiently. One almost expected the master of ceremonies to announce the next set. If this is what the much-advertised “restart” looks like in symbolic terms, then perhaps the first thing in need of restarting is the instinct for dignity.

Because in the end, no new era will be judged by speeches, ceremonial splendor, official dinners, photo opportunities, or improvised choreography. It will be judged by transparency, accountability, the quality of appointments, equal treatment, and leadership’s willingness to recognize and correct mistakes. If the new beginning is built with the same old habits — or worse, with the same habits dressed up as renewal — then this will not be a restart at all. It will simply be the old mentality with new faces. And that would be the real fiasco: not the dance itself, but the possibility that the choreography tells us more about the “new era” than all the speeches ever could.

September 27, 2026, www.helleniscope.com, n.stamatakis@aol.com

DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.

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