ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
From New York to New Jersey, the Phanar’s coordinated scheme to seize parish properties is now fully exposed. The attempted takeover of Astoria’s jewel parish, St. Demetrios, reveals the wider agenda of dismantling local autonomy and silencing dissent. But the community is uniting: parishioners, leaders, and organizations are preparing a coordinated legal response. The GOA hierarchy has lost the people’s trust — and the fight will now move to the courts – and likely to the streets.
By Nick Stamatakis
Since 2018, Helleniscope — and I personally — have been warning the Greek-American community of the systematic attempts by special interests and – since the arrival of the Archbishop (whom I, very rightfully, nicknamed Elpidoktonos) the Gang of Thieves of the Phanar to seize parish properties, strip away local independence, and centralize absolute control under Constantinople’s command. Today, those warnings have dramatically come to life — not only in New York, at the historic parish of St. Demetrios in Astoria, but also in New Jersey, in the Ukrainian community of Somerset…
The Legal Power Grabs: From New York to New Jersey
On October 1st, Helleniscope reported on the Archdiocese’s push to exploit New York State law in order to bypass oversight and seize parish properties (“GOARCH’s New York Power Grab — No More AG Oversight”). The move aims to transfer ownership of church buildings into Archdiocesan hands under the pretense of administrative streamlining — effectively cutting communities out of the governance of the very parishes they built and sustained.
At the same time, in New Jersey, a brazen attempt has been launched to seize Ukrainian Orthodox church property. As we reported (“The Gangsters of Phanar Are Trying to Grab Ukrainian Church Property in NJ”), the same methods of intimidation, legal maneuvering, and authoritarian control are being applied to communities outside the Greek sphere. These events confirm what we have always said: the Phanar operates as a centralized cartel of control, not as a spiritual shepherd.
St. Demetrios of Astoria: A Parish Under Siege
Against this backdrop, the Archdiocese escalated its assault on one of the most historic parishes in America: St. Demetrios in Astoria. The “Gang of Phanar” is drooling over the idea of owning or exploiting the parish’s property, valued at approximately $200 million. For several years, they wanted to turn St. Catherine’s School into an Apartment Building. The problem was the Attorney General, who delayed his decision. Now they think, yes, “they think”, that they “solved” the problem with the atrocious law introduced by Mike Giannaris…
PHOTO: Never vote for the traitor of our community, Mike Giannaris…
On October 3, 2025, the Archdiocese removed Parish Council President Kelly Manetas and council member John Stroubakis, just days after dismissing five other long-serving council members. These individuals, many of whom gave decades of financial and volunteer service, were punished for refusing to sign a document that would hand over full administrative and financial control of the parish to the Archdiocese.
Parish lawyers warned that signing the agreement would strip the community not only of governance but of ownership of its assets — churches, schools, and property built through generations of sacrifice. The council has therefore rejected the Archdiocese’s demand, despite mounting threats that the parish would be left “to God’s mercy.”
Meanwhile, Archdiocesan appointees have already caused severe financial damage. A recent case involving a school principal, who sued after being disparaged by a priest assigned by the Archdiocese, ended in a settlement of $150,000–$200,000 (including legal fees) — all of it paid directly from the parish’s funds.
The parish council has declared firmly that it will not surrender control, warning that any future appointments by GOARCH would be based solely on loyalty and blind obedience rather than competence or genuine service to the community.
Spin vs. Reality: A False “Collaborative Agreement”
While the Archdiocese has attempted to present its actions as part of a “collaborative agreement” to bring oversight and stability (as trumpeted in Orthodox Times and on GOARCH’s official website), the reality on the ground in Astoria could not be more different. Far from cooperation, the community is witnessing coercion, intimidation, and a dismantling of parish self-governance.
The contrast between official propaganda and lived experience could not be more apparent: the Phanar’s machine says “collaboration,” while the people feel subjugation.
A Critical Moment
The upcoming parish council meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, may prove decisive. St. Demetrios — once a jewel of the Greek-American community — now faces a moment of truth. Will the faithful defend their heritage, property, and autonomy, or will they submit to the relentless encroachment of the Phanar’s “Gang of Thieves”? We have spoken to several community leaders, and we understand that they are ready to take action. Some have already called Mike Giannaris’ office and used very harsh words. Others are preparing to send Giannaris a letter with – possibly – thousands of signatures, expressing their disgust fr his action: How come a liberal like Giannaris, who likely is an atheist, shows such a destructive interest in the Greek Orthodox Church? He has already lost the votes and the trust of this community – and it would be better for him to stay away from our meetings and events…
Other community leaders emphasized to us the need for a “coordinating committee” to be formed, which would begin preparing for legal action against the Archdiocese. At the bottom of this post, we are publishing again our initial legal analysis.
Conclusion: The Pattern Is Clear
From New York to New Jersey, from Greek parishes to Ukrainian communities, the strategy is the same. It has been taking place since AB Elpidoktonos arrived in 2019: removing dissenters, installing loyalists, demanding control of property, and silencing opposition.
For years, Helleniscope has been accused of exaggeration for warning of these plans. But today, as the crisis at St. Demetrios unfolds, no one can deny the truth: the Gang of Phanar is in action — and they have turned their sights on our very heart in Astoria.
October 1, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author. This article expresses the opinion of the author and shall not be interpreted as legal advice.
TO SUPPORT HELLENISCOPE OR BECOME A SUBSCRIBER, LINK HERE!!
====================================
THE SHAMEFUL GIANNARIS “LAW” AND OUR LEGAL ANALYSIS
HERE IS THE TEXT OF THE LAW THAT WAS JUST SIGNED BY GOVERNOR HOCHUL (HERE IN PDF LAW FOR GOARCH PROPERTIES SALE OR PURCHASE) AND BELOW THE BASIC TEXT
Introduced by Sen. GIANARIS — read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities
and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the religious corporations law, in relation to the court
approval process for the sale, mortgage and lease of real property of
a religious corporation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (d-1) of subdivision 1 of section 2-b of the religious corporations law, as amended by chapter 193 of the laws of 1985, is amended to read as follows:
(d-1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or the not-for-profit corporation law, any church referred to in subdivision two, three, four, five, five-a, five-b, five-c, five-d or six of section twelve of this chapter shall not be required to give notice to the attorney general of any application required by subdivision one of section twelve of this chapter or any application or petition required under section five hundred ten or section five hundred eleven of the not-for-profit corporation law.
Section 12 of the Religious Corporations Law is amended by adding a new subdivision 5-d to read as follows:
5-d. The trustees of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America shall not make application to the court for leave to mortgage, lease or sell any of its real property without the consent of its archbishop.
§ 3. Subdivision 6 of section 12 of the religious corporations law, is amended by chapter 381 of the laws of 1985, is amended to read as follows:
6. The petition of the trustees of an incorporated Protestant Episcopal church or Roman Catholic church shall, in addition to the matters required by article five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth therein, set forth that this section has also been complied with.
EXPLANATION–Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11305-01-5
S. 6991 2
The petition of the trustees of an incorporated African Methodist Episcopal Zion church shall in addition to the matters required by article five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth therein, set forth that this section has also been complied with. The petition of the
trustees of an incorporated Presbyterian church in connection with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), shall, in addition to the matters required by article five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth therein, set forth that this section has also
been complied with. The petition of the trustees of an incorporated United Methodist church shall, in addition to the matters required by article five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth therein, set forth that this section has also been complied with. The petition of the trustees of an incorporated Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America church shall, in addition to the matters required by article five of the not-for-profit corporation law to be set forth therein, set forth that this section has also been complied with.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
=====================
AN INITIAL LEGAL ANALYSIS
1. Equal Protection Concerns (14th Amendment, U.S. Constitution)
Selective denominational treatment:
The statute expressly singles out the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for unique treatment. Other churches remain bound by the general requirement of notice to the Attorney General or the general petitioning rules.This could be challenged as denominational favoritism because it privileges one religious organization over others without a neutral justification.
Courts have long held (see Larson v. Valente, 456 U.S. 228 (1982)) that the government cannot create classifications that favor one denomination over another without strict scrutiny.
Potential state constitutional problem:
New York’s own constitution (Article I, § 3) also contains protections against preferential treatment of particular religions. This law’s carve-out might violate that provision.
2. Establishment Clause Issues (First Amendment, U.S. Constitution)
By exempting only a specific church (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese) from oversight and even requiring its internal hierarchy (the Archbishop’s consent) to be recognized by civil law, the state arguably:
Advances one religion (Greek Orthodox) over others.
Excessively entangles the state with religion, because civil law is now incorporating internal church authority (Archbishop’s consent) as a condition precedent to a legal transaction.
The Supreme Court has often applied the Lemon test (from Lemon v. Kurtzman) and later refinements. Under Lemon’s “entanglement” prong, this could fail because the legislature is codifying a church’s governance rules into state law.
3. Free Exercise Clause Concerns
Interestingly, the law could be challenged not just for privileging, but also for burdening Greek Orthodox churches, because:
Unlike other churches, which can proceed with a petition based only on trustee action, these parishes now cannot act without the Archbishop’s consent.
This arguably restricts the autonomy of local congregations and transfers power to ecclesiastical leadership with state backing.
That creates a situation where the state is enforcing hierarchical church governance against members, which might implicate Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC principles (church autonomy).
4. State Constitutional Concerns (New York)
New York Constitution, Article XI, § 3 forbids the state from favoring or aiding one religion.
New York courts historically scrutinize religious carve-outs closely. Embedding the Archbishop’s consent requirement directly into statutory law is likely to raise red flags.
5. Potential Federal Statutory Issues
Civil Rights Act (42 U.S.C. § 1983): If local parish members believe their property rights are being curtailed by a state-imposed rule privileging ecclesiastical hierarchy, they may bring a civil rights claim under § 1983 for violation of equal protection or free exercise.
RLUIPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act) likely does not apply here, because this is not a zoning/land-use restriction by government, but rather an internal corporate governance law. Still, challenges could be framed in terms of disproportionate burden on certain congregations.
6. Practical Effect That Strengthens Challenges
For other denominations (e.g., Episcopal, Catholic, Presbyterian), trustees can file petitions directly.
For the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, civil law now enforces the Archbishop’s veto power.
This is not neutral, not generally applicable, and directly tied to denominational structure. That invites strict scrutiny.
Summary
This law creates at least three major avenues of constitutional attack:
Equal Protection (14th Amendment & NY Constitution) – denominational favoritism violates neutrality.
Establishment Clause – entangles state with religion and privileges one church.
Free Exercise / Autonomy – burdens local parishes by embedding hierarchical control into state law.
In addition, it risks challenge under state constitutional provisions forbidding denominational preference, and could give rise to federal civil rights litigation under § 1983.
October 1, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author. This article expresses the opinion of the author and shall not be interpreted as legal advice.
Your “spiritual leaders” only inclination in “ministry” is to bend …and force …and make… their will, your will.
They want the 200 million. The hell with all of you! They are thieves and bastards.
Mike Giannaris is a scumbag. He got his start thanks to the Greek community in Astoria and he has “thanked” the Greek community again and again by doing things to severly hurt it ever since he was first elected- like trying right now to build bike lanes right in front of Saint Demetrios church which would obstruct and impede students trying to go into and out of the school. He is a dishonest, degenerate, hypocrite, traitor piece of s***. Ask his first wife who divorced him! When he was first trying to get elected he came to a vespers service at Saint Catherine and was introduced by the priest and the church was encouraged to support him which they did. However he hates his own Greek heritage and never comes to church. He is a communist who supports socialism, transgenderism, and he is a huge supporter of Mamdani-the radical muslim communist who is running for mayor right now. He is not alone however, there are other Greek socialists just like him including Costa Constantinides and Aravella Simotas-who was thankfully voted out of office, however now she is-and you won’t believe this- in the St Demetrios Parish Council! No one would ever see her attending church, however she is interested for some strange reason in being a parish council member!? Isn’t that interesting?? Why? Also, she along with Giannaris and the other Democrats gave a literally STANDING OVATION (you can see the video on youtube) in the State Legislature when the late term abortion bill in 2019 was passed by the Democrats-which allows abortions up to the last minute of birth!! Does that sound like someone that should be in a church Parish council?? The Greek community has to not only stop voting for him but STOP inviting these pile of s*** people -most notably Mike Giannaris- to the parade, to the Greek home owners association and to other Greek events. HE IS A TRAITOR. HE HATES GREEKS. He is a Jannisary. STOP INVITING THIS SCUMBAG TO GREEK EVENTS! Who cares that he calls himself a Greek you idiots! WAKE UP! He only does that for votes! He’ll even betray his own mother if it gives him a vote! Does it make sense now that he would sponsor a bill so detrimental to the Greek Orthodox community and to the church which helped him get his start?? Do you understand now why he would be associated with the archbishop? Ever hear the phrase “birds of a feather flock together”?
Willypi be at the rally this Tuesday if yes I would love to meet you
St. Demetrios of Astoria is more than just a church, (churches to be exact), more than a school, more than just another Greek Orthodox/Greek American community. It is the very foundation of the Greek Orthodox and the Greek American community, country wide. For us, that we served St. Demetrios of Astoria for decades, sent our children there (some of us driving more than an hour each way, every day, early in the morning), is our heart and soul and will remain that way for ever. St. Demetrios is the “flag” of Hellenism and Orthodoxy in America. It should remain that way. Mistakes were made over the years, difficult times came and went, but the “diehards” of Astoria and the surrounding areas always in the end were there to safeguard their precious community. And they are still there, ready to do it again and again. As the time went by, many of the older servants of this community left us. But they left behind them their children, the younger generation to take over and continue their success. It must continue that way. It should not be taken over by non-elected people that would only focus on the financial aspect of this community. Yes they can help, work together with the parish council but they should not take over totally. In the past few years the Archdiocese removed elected parish council members and two of the parish council presidents. I don’t ever remember this happening in St. Demetrios before. I happened to know both of them. Young, energetic, professional people, Greek Americans, speaking both languages fluently, giving all their available time to this community and having their children attending the school. Very promising Greek-Americans… Why were they removed? WHY?
The people of St. Dimitrios of Astoria and the Greek American community need to know the reason(s). Did they do something wrong or didn’t follow orders? When elected, they take the oath to serve the good of the Parish. Not to follow orders.
St Demetrios has been a “school”, a stepping stone for many priests to rise as high as Metropolitans. No other Greek Orthodox parish in the country can come even close to that. St. Demetrios school graduates have been doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists etc. All of that with the good work of the priests and the parish council members and of course with the participation and help of the parishioners. It should remain that way.
The GOA has many problems. Don’t loose hope, Jane. Granted there is a lack of leaders who are spiritually enlightened, and who possess administrative skills and moral fortitude. Leaders who have a vision for the future and who are able to inspire the clergy and laity to work toward that future
Maybe we don’t look in the right places when we choose our leaders.
America now has over 100 monastic communities. More than half of these are men’s monastic communities. I am confident that there are many men who are advanced in their spirituality But, I am also sure that few of these exhibit administrative skills. But, there are some that are strong in both these areas. These are hidden gems. The GOA should make itself aware of monks who have control of their passions, show a love for God, but also have been successful in leadership roles in the monastery.
The GOA clearly has a leadership crisis. The laity(and I’m sure many of the clergy)are disappointed and some angry at this sad performance of the leaders of the GOA.
But it is clear to me that they will give 110% support to leaders who have their passions under control and are spiritual men with a clear love of God, defenders and confessors of the Orthodox Church, and also know how to administer the Church.
It’s a given that bishops who possess the above qualities will not only have the respect of the clergy and laity, but also the broader American community.
Don’t despair. Have hope. Be active. Pray.
Emmanuel, I appreciate the hope you offer. We live in dark times. No longer can we sit I. Our chairs and do nothing. I know there are many good priests who are being forced to live under the tyranny of these wicked shepherds
Helleniscope is shining the light on the corruption. The Greek Orthodox must act now to save what they worked so hard for in the name of God.
Thank you for your comment.
This is all sad. But its always important to fight back! I’m curious to hear more about the efforts to seize Ukrainian Orthodox property/assets in New York. Nick?
As you saw in the article the next meeting has been set for November… by then we will have more news.
These people have no shame and they will not stop. We can’t let them steal even one church because they will not stop with one, just like in Ukraine. They will want to steal all of them. In Ukraine, the boogie men is Putin. Here, well, since there is no Putin here, they ask the useful idiots to change the law. I wonder how much he got in payments/donations to create such an ungodly law. Those people are not priests and bishops but thieves and robbers. I petty this man, Mike, for the terrible things God will bring on him and his family due to his ungodly law…
Archbishop Elpidofors and Mike Gianaris should not be invited too nor be allowed to attend the Greek Independence Day parade.
Hellenic values are a combination of our religion, our faith, our language. Without Greek schools what is left to spread the Hellenic values. The Archdioceses has contributed NOTHING to the Hellenic community for many years now. Rather, they focus on preists on the same salaries as doctors, with stipends for luxury vehicles, and luxury homes. All at the cost of the Greek members of the community who donate their money every Sunday to pay for this.
If the school/church is struggling financially the solution insn’t to sell it off, take 200m and go where? To the GOA? For new limousines, range rovers and private jets? And what happens to the next generation of Greek children? Where will they learn the customs and values?
Again, if the Hellenic Federation has an ounce of respect for the Hellenic community they will immediately stop communicating with Elpidoforos and Gianaris and not allow them to partake in the parade.