ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
As Bartholomew returns to Istanbul after his disastrous visit to the U.S., the Greek-American community reflects on the legacy of Archbishop Iakovos. Bartholomew’s watering down of the Faith, political maneuvering, and thirst for money sharply contrast with Iakovos’ true leadership—marked by courage, unity, and faith. Iakovos remains the standard by which all future leaders must be judged.

By Nick Stamatakis

As Patriarch Bartholomew flies back to Istanbul after his latest U.S. tour – falsely named “Apostolic Visit” in an “Un-Orthodox” way –  an old ache returns to the Greek‑American chest and with it a blessing: Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη to Archbishop Iakovos. At moments like this, our community instinctively measures churchmen by some rulers: courage in service of Christ, roots in Hellenism, and the number of people they reached. By that measure, Iakovos still stands head and shoulders above today’s hierarchy.

Iakovos, the yardstick

When America’s civil rights struggle turned deadly in Selma, Iakovos stood publicly with Dr. King—an image immortalized on the March 26, 1965, LIFE cover and remembered by civil rights historians and Orthodox laity alike. He didn’t send a statement; he showed up. That day, our Church’s witness became unmistakably American—and unmistakably Orthodox. Orthodox Christian Iakovos’s leadership also meant making peace at home. He didn’t punish critics; he hired them. Former Atlantis editor Takis Gazouleas—for years one of the loudest voices against him—was brought into the Archdiocese and ultimately served as press officer and communications director, knitting strong bonds between the Church and the Greek‑American press and community. That wasn’t weakness; it was confident leadership. Compare with today’s hires, like Safioleas (link here for the full report). Many of us also remember his pastoral friendships across disagreements—the late Captain Stelios Tatsis, may his memory be eternal, being one emblem of that spirit and of the lay backbone of our parishes: Iakovos did not dismiss him, he invited him to his office and to dinner.  Before long, he officiated at his son’s wedding! Even those who debated Iakovos testify to the respect that endured.

What we just witnessed

By contrast, the U.S. tour we just witnessed from Patriarch Bartholomew felt—once again—like public relations in search of a pastorate. Helleniscope captured the mood of many in the pews when it described the trip as a “disastrous ‘Apostolic’ visit,” charging that instead of strengthening the faithful, it showcased “arrogance, duplicity,” and “globalism, ecumenism, and empty green slogans.” This critique resonated in parish coffee hours from Queens to Tarpon Springs.

The most telling tableau? The unannounced photo‑op with Zelensky—not in a church or community hall but at Ukraine’s Permanent Mission to the UN, flanked by U.S. ecclesiastical handlers. The optics were unmistakably political. It was all capped with the polemical Nazi-related greeting – totally inappropriate for a religious leader in the midst of a war – “Slava Ukraini” / “Glory to Ukraine” by Bartholomew…

It was all accompanied by a flourish of titles and self‑congratulations. During the visit, Karloutsos was publicly elevated to Megas Protopresbyteros (Grand Protopresbyter) of the Holy and Great Church of Christ. Even supporters winced at the timing; critics saw it as emblematic of a Church culture more fluent in “titles” and PR than in repentance.

The Wound That Never Quite Healed: 1996

For Greek-Americans of a certain age, all of this reopens the 1994–1996 period, when Iakovos led the Ligonier Orthodox Hierarchs toward a united American Orthodoxy—and paid for it. Contemporary reports noted that Patriarch Bartholomew summoned Iakovos, demanded that signatures be withdrawn, and soon after announced Iakovos’s resignation, officially for age and health. Many of us felt then (and still feel now) that our Archbishop was stabbed in the back. That’s not folklore; it’s how the story reads in mainstream coverage.

Yes, Karloutsos will forever try to sell his narrative, as he usually does, insisting Iakovos submitted his resignation and that the Patriarch merely accepted it. But are there any faithful in our community who still believe his fallacious statements? With his Pharisaic performances, his unworthy “Presidential Medal of Honor,” and all the rest, there is only one title he truly deserves: “The Destroyer of GOA.” He is the man who transformed the GOA, once home to over half a million members, into the shrinking gathering of fewer than 125,000 today, facing daily financial and other challenges.

The pain remains that the American Church’s unity moment was squandered, and many have never forgotten the two men mainly responsible for this disaster: Karloutsos and Bartholomew. When even TNH—a newspaper that has never in 50 years had a negative word to say about Karloutsos and they were assisting in back stabbing Iakovos (and I don’t need any special “sources” to verify this – I was there to see it with my own eyes) turns against him, we all know that the “end” of the road is here for these two unworthy actors. “The end” has already been written, and we all expect their disappearance into the background. (See article by the “theologian” Kalmoukos from yesterday—link here).

Where We Go From Here

As Bartholomew’s plane touches down in Istanbul, the Greek‑American flock turns again to Iakovos for our bearings. His memory—Eternal Memory—is not nostalgia; it is a compass. If today’s leaders wish to be measured by that same yardstick, let them start where he did:

  • With truth‑telling instead of PR efforts and narratives.

  • With repentance, where policies have wounded the faithful. True repentance, not just “apology words” and “pseudo-admissions” of “mistakes.”

  • With solidarity for the besieged (whether in Ukraine, Cyprus, Gaza, or our own struggling parishes), expressed pastorally first and politically last.

  • With adherence to the Orthodox Faith and Traditions: As America’s youth, thirsty for traditional Christian values, returns to the roots of Orthodoxy, we need leaders who adhere to our Orthodox Faith and traditions. It’s ironic that our hierarchs, led by Bartholomew, chose this historic “Turning Point” to sell ecumenism and globalism… It is the road straight to Hell…

Until the so-called “leaders” repent, the contrast will remain stark: the shepherd who marched to Selma versus the prelates who marched to… Manhattan. The former still leads us—because he led us to Christ and expressed his patriotism, both Greek and American, in countless ways.

September 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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13 COMMENTS

    • I have to wonder about his motives: this is the same Kalmoukos and the same Diamataris who were working with Karloutsos to backstab Iakovos. As I said I need no sources to say this – I was there to watch it with my own eyes. For thirty years they didn’t say a negative word against Karloutsos… What gives now? They probably see the end of an era… Which unfortunately will include them also… they are one and the same with Karloutsos and one article will not change this…

  3. The Greek Orthodox Church in America is circling the drain of extinction.

    Converts are choosing the Antiochian, OCA, and ROCOR jurisdictions over the GOA, which is not interested in religion but in Greek political intrigue and White House photo ops.

    Seminary graduates for the priesthood now number in the single digits and are being told to have “ dual professions” , a sad admission of the fact that many parishes can no longer support a married priest and his family.

    Our hierarchs have never been trained in (nor do they care to be) in talent management, personnel development, financial practices, leadership, or Americanism. They see themselves as Byzantine princes in the court of the emperor of an empire that hasn’t existed for a 1000 years.

    Iakovos was the last archbishop who truly loved America and wanted to be American, while never forgetting his roots. All of his successors were pretenders.

    Athenagoras , Michael, and Iakovos were the high water mark archbishops . Since then, it’s been a race to the bottom with the # 1 hand holder and cheerleader being the notorious and unrepentant Alex Megas.

    There is no hope for our grandkids with such an assessment and I’m afraid it’s too late to turn this distressed enterprise around. It’s seen its best days.

  4. Seems that there was something around 1984 called the New World Order. Mr. S., Can you list any reasons why that movement may have contributed to all you write about regarding these unfortunate downturns? Any correlations ? Thank you for your cooperation.

    • You’re right to connect the “New World Order” talk of the 1980s with the economic and social downturns that followed. While there wasn’t a single organized movement under that name in 1984, the phrase was used by leaders and thinkers to describe the sweeping changes of the era — deregulation, privatization, and the rise of global financial institutions. These policies were sold as a new framework for prosperity, but they also weakened protections, fueled debt, and shifted wealth upward. Globalism is certainly directly related. The most important phenomenon is the transfer of wealth to the hands of the few.

      Up to the late 1980’s the existence of the Soviet/communist “scare” necessitated the strengthening of the middle class throughout the Western countries. Characteristically, in Europe we had expansive social welfare systems that protected the masses. The fall of communism gave the oligarchs the space to exploit the wealth of the masses and now we are living the extreme concntration of wealth in the hands of the top 1%. The main reason we are faced the rise of Mamdani and the likelihood of huim becoming a mayor is exactly this phenomenon: young people do not see a futre and they are strangled between low wages and high rents.

      Unfortunately for the oligarchs of the top 1%, the same phenomenon gave rise to Charlie Kirk – he has spoken repeatedly about the young people and the lower classes faced with impasses.

      We are seeing the first steps of a social revolt. The Zionists will among the first victims globally.

      The bottomline of all these phenomena is called ARROGANCE. Ancient Greeks called HUBRIS, but ancient people in Egypt, Mesopotamia and even the Hebrews themselves had already identified this SUPREME SIN. In modern days economic and other thinkers were speaking for the ultimate flaw of capitalism: GREED, which the other side of the coin called arrogance.

  5. Nick, your good friend Marcos would have no love or respect for Iakovos. Marcos probably views Iakovos as an ecumenist, modernist who abandoned traditional, patristic Orthodoxy.

    • JK – we had similar discussions on Anastasios of Albania. You judge someone as a whole. And Iakovos has proven – putting his own life on the line – that he is a leader and a man of God. Is there any chance we will utter these words for either Bartholomew or Karloutsos? NONE.

  8. Why hasn’t the national herald ever written a negative thing about karloutsos? Do we have any confirmation or just speculation. They are critical of everyone and anything that does not benefit them financially. We can therefore conclude the obvious. But does anyone know with any kind of certainty ?

    • I personally do not need proof. I was the main editorialist of TNH between 1990-1997. But anyone can now check their digital archive to verify the truthfulness of my statement. I myself follow their writings and I have asked several other people who do the same. Kalmoukos and the gang NEVER wrote ONE word against Karloutsos. I was an eyewitness, working daily in the office (and after 1994 remotely) in the years before the resignation of Iakovos (which finally happened in 1996) and I can offer my testimony that TNH was actively involved in the backstabbing of Iakovos. There are others who could testify the same.

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