He will celebrate the 50th anniversary of retrieving the Golden Cross in 1974 in the presence of AB Iakovos!!
By Nick Stamatakis
A few minutes ago, we received an announcement from AHEPA about their banquet in Tarpon Springs this coming Epiphany of 2024, which will undoubtedly raise many eyebrows and even more questions: “Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain have replied that they will be attending AHEPA’s Epiphany Banquet! We all are grateful that His Eminence Elpidophoros extended an invitation to Archbishop Nikitas to attend Epiphany in 2024. Archbishop Nikitas retrieved the GOLDEN cross on January 6, 1974, and will be celebrating His 50th anniversary.”
The announcement is followed by a photo of the 18-year-old Nikitas holding the Cross at the Epiphany of 1974, followed by another photo of AB Iakovos in the same year with a white dove sitting on top of his miter.
This whole announcement, underlying not simply the “Greekness” of Nikitas (Loulias) but the fact that he is a flesh out of the flesh of this community, born and raised in Tarpon Springs, a graduate of HCHC, a cousin of Congressman Billirakis having worked in his office in DC and therefore knowledgeable in Hellenic issues, makes it more than evident that his presence this Epiphany at Tarpon Springs conveys a much bigger message. (Please link here for his official biography).
Helleniscope was and is aware of the blemishes in Nikitas’s past. However, on September 27, 2021, a few days after the fateful mistake of Elpidophoros’s participation in the inauguration of the Turkish House NYC, we supported the idea of him being the next Archbishop of GOA. We wrote then (link here for the full article): “…The best choice among the names I heard recently is Nikitas (Loulias), Αrchbishop of Thyateira (United Kingdom), an American-born clergyman, checking most of the boxes the Greek-American community would demand after the Elpidoktonos debacle. He will certainly not have any inclination to support the Turks, as he had enough experience at the office of Michael Bilirakis (Gus Bilirakis’ father) in DC to know very well all the “Greek” issues at hand. There are other names, of course… More important than installing a new archbishop is the way this should happen. The Patriarch has a great opportunity in his hands as he is holding under consideration the new Charter of GOARCH. Many rumors have circulated that some form of administrative autonomy for the Church is being discussed – although the Patriarchate is always interested in something more than spiritual control.”…
The developments of the next few weeks may prove that this was yet another prophetic article by Helleniscope…
BELOW IS THE AHEPA ANNOUNCEMENT – INCLUDING THE PHOTO OF THE 18-YEAR-OLD NIKITAS RETRIEVING THE CROSS…
December 3, 2023, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
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Archbishop Elpidophoros of America and Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain have replied that they will be attending AHEPA’s Epiphany Banquet! We all are grateful that His Eminence Elpidophoros extended an invitation to Archbishop Nikitas to attend Epiphany in 2024. Archbishop Nikitas retrieved the GOLDEN cross on January 6, 1974 and will be celebrating His 50th year anniversary.
The AHEPA Banquet will be held on Friday, January 5, 2024 at the beautiful Matheos Hall of Holy Trinity Church in Clearwater, Florida. The Holy Trinity church is located at 409 S. Old Coachman Road, Clearwater, Florida, 33765. Doors open at 6:00 pm and Dinner is scheduled at 7:00 pm. Your choice of dinner, provided by Safety Harbor Spa Catering will be either Braised Short Rib, Chicken Piccata, Vegetarian/Vegan, or Salmon Athena. Emmanul Gonatos’ Odyssey Band will provide music.
If you need a room, Maria Touloumis of Safety Harbor Spa has extended a discounted rate of $189.00 per night. The address is 105 N. Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor, FL 34695. Maria has extended a special rate of $189.00 per night. Room rates are 3 days pre and post the dates listed. Maria indicated that this includes a 20% Spa discount.
Attached is an AHEPA Banquet Submission Form that MUST be completed and mailed with your payment. The Price per person is $125.00. NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR. Please do this as soon as possible.
Let’s be careful what we wish/ed for. The fact that the authoritarian wacko Elpidoktonos might be considering Nikitas next in line should give us pause…for great worry. How long can the Greek Orthodox faithful endure this fiasco – Elpie + Bart…?
You are correct… We are entering a very low point in the history of his Church and the Greek-American community. We have hit bottom…
From Anna to Kaiafa , or from
Kaiafa to Anna?.
Helleniscope may want to research the correct spelling of AB Nikitas last name. It is Lulias.
His First Cousin, John M. Lelekis
Thank you John…
So, is helleniscope suggesting he is still a good choice? I agree with the above comment that if Elpi is in any way giving him the nod, this should give us pause.
Lord have mercy and God help us! I have just stepped away from the GOA for a less problematic jurisdiction, though I will continue to visit and help the GOA parish as I am able and pray for better days.
Nick …the headline of this article should be …Ahepa Secret Society “Uses Church to recruit and promote a secret agenda that undermines the foreign policies of America and has a Negative influence on Greek Americans and Greek of Greece! The Ahepa is a secret society and unlike the Philoptohos and PTO .are not recognized as an authorized affiliated of the Greek Orthodox Church! Hosting a Tarpon Springs Epiphany dinner event by the Secret Society of Ahepa..is nothing less than the State Department PR department hosting a Dinner event to celebrate the promotion of Epi to Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of North America , when Bartholomew make the Turkish National, head of our church in America!
President Kennedy described the Aheipa and all secret Societies like the “Free Masons” “John Birch Societies” etc etc.
The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment.