EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). My inbox is flooded with questions from many of you regarding the presence of AB Makarios of Australia in Havana to mark the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas. Why send Makarios and not Elpidophoros? Or AB Iakovos of Mexico? Part of the answer lies in the repeated attempt of the Mitsotakis mafia family to bring Makarios (Griniezakis – a known member of the “family” from Crete) closer to America in hopes that soon he could replace Elpidophoros and the “Family” would establish their rule in the Greek-American community. It is a known secret whispered in the 79th Street Headquarters that AB Elpidophoros’s days in America are numbered, and he will soon depart to an unknown direction – hopefully to oblivion… He caused immense problems here, and since Trump’s landslide victory (that gave rise to a global wave of rejection of the LGBTQI ideology and everything with it), there is no room for him here… Time to pack and go… But if Makarios is brought here he would cause even more problems: he is also a known supporter of LGBTQ causes – he proved it in Australia… And his arrogance has no ceiling…
There is a more straightforward explanation, though: Makarios has two passports/citizenship, Greek and Turkish. Australia (and most countries) do not allow anyone to have three passports. Makarios hopes one day (mostly in his dreams, or to put it better, in his hallucinations) to become a Patriarch; he does not want to normalize his life in Australia by getting an Australian “permanent residence” and eventually citizenship. So every few months he has to travel somewhere (mostly Greece and Turkey) to renew his visa!! What a way to be a “leader” of any Church!… Absolutely reprehensible!!
But the visa problems persist here in America also – and the list is long. We learned recently that Fr. Gideon (Varytimos), Aka “the pizza man”, is on his way back to Istanbul. “Family health issues” were presented as the cause, but the faithful have a hard time believing them – as the “visa problems” are widespread in GOA…
PS. To be fair, I have to admit that I had recently heard numerous reports that Fr. Gideon had improved tremendously since his early days when he was literally “growling like a donkey,” as Helleniscope described it. He has become a well-liked and well-spoken priest… Unfortunately, he is leaving now… But this is no way to train anyone, “on the job”, or as we say in Greek “στου κασίδη το κεφάλι έμαθε μπαρμπέρης..”
January 26, 2025, 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 of Australia attended music event in Havana (PHOTOS)
On Friday, January 24, as part of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the inauguration of the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in Havana, a remarkable musical event was held at the nearby Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, a 16th-century Catholic church.
The event was attended by Archbishop Makarios of Australia, representing Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the anniversary celebrations in Havana.
He was accompanied by Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, Bishops Athenagoras of Myrina, and Timotheos of Assos. The government of Cuba was represented by Fernando León Jacomino, Deputy Minister of Culture, and Leira Sánchez Valdivia.
During the captivating evening, Cuban musicians performed classical music, offering the audience a feast of harmonious melodies that received warm and enthusiastic applause.
At the conclusion of the event, Archbishop Makarios praised the performers in his closing remarks, drawing a connection between the harmony of the music and the kindness of the Cuban people, whose warmth and hospitality deeply impressed him.
Paraphrasing the words of the great Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who said that one must be a lover of music to understand the harmony of tones, the Archbishop remarked: “To understand Cuba, you must be a lover of beauty—you must be a lover of music, art, nature, and the noble feelings that distinguish the human spirit.”
He assured the audience that Cuba has gained a fervent ambassador in him, promising to continually speak of the country and its blessed people.
He added, “But do not expect all peoples to understand you. There will always be those who cannot hear or comprehend your heartbeat. Yet, Cuba moves forward.”
Concluding his heartfelt address, the Archbishop of Australia recalled an exhortation: “If we cannot be saints, at least let us be noble people,” and noted, “I witnessed this here in Cuba. I encountered a kind-hearted people who truly touched my heart.”
Finally, Archbishop Makarios expressed his admiration for the local Shepherd, Metropolitan Iakovos of Mexico, and conveyed the warm wishes and blessings of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to all. He concluded by wishing that God would personally bestow all the blessings of heaven upon the people of Cuba.
Hmmm… My questions are different: since when does a hierarch of the OC goes to a concert, especially one that is held under the crucifix of our Lord? Was this concert inside a church or a separate room within the Church? People are up in arms in Ukraine that their Churches are turned into concerts and movies buildings by the schismatics. No one is concerned about a concert under the Crucified God that is attended by canonical orthodox bishops? This is very strange to me.