Turkish Citizen Elpidophoros Got Naturalized in the U.S! But Is He A Greek Citizen?

ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ

He is a Turkish and U.S. citizen; there is no evidence that he holds Greek citizenship, although having all three would be entirely legal.

By Nick Stamatakis

As AB Elpidophoros received his American citizenship today—while everyone knows he already holds Turkish citizenship—the central question echoing throughout the Greek-American community is unavoidable and straightforward: Has he ever obtained, or even attempted to obtain, Greek citizenship?

This is not a procedural or bureaucratic curiosity. It strikes to the core of who he is, how he sees himself, and how he understands the Church he leads. It is also a matter he has never addressed publicly, even though it would be entirely legal for him to hold three citizenships.

Instead, the man who heads the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America stands today as a Turkish-born, Turkish-raised cleric who now holds American citizenship—but with no evidence of ever having held—or even wanting to have—a Greek passport. And he is likely not a Greek citizen…  And that absence is more than symbolic.

A Tenure Defined by a Strong Turkish Civic Identity

For 6½ years, Elpidophoros’s behavior in America has repeatedly emphasized his Turkish civic and diplomatic background rather than any Hellenic national connection.

Military Service and Background: His completion of Turkish military service—standard for Turkish citizens—immediately placed him in a category unlike any of his predecessors. It signaled a life formed within the structures, expectations, and civic obligations of Turkey, especially because it became known that he (as well as Pat Bartholomew) had served in the Intelligence units of the Turkish Army.

The Turkish House Event: No episode illustrates this more clearly than his participation in the grand opening of the Türkevi (Turkish House) in New York. He did not simply attend; he did so with unmistakable deference, greeting the Turkish leadership in full public view, bowing before “Sultan” Erdogan and seemingly kissing his hand. For a community with a deep historical memory of Hellenic suffering under Ottoman and modern Turkish rule, the optics were jarring.

PHOTO: In a DC Turkish event between the two citizenship glags… 

Welcoming the Turkish Consul: He then hosted the Turkish Consul at the Archdiocese—something no previous Archbishop of America had ever done. The earlier precedent of Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago visiting the Turkish Consul just two days after his enthronement in May 2018 had already unsettled the Greek-American community. It signaled a dramatic shift. For decades, Greek Americans have mobilized tirelessly for Cyprus, for Hellenic national causes, and for the defense of religious freedom for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Suddenly, the community found itself watching senior hierarchs engage Turkish diplomatic officials in ways that ran counter to its historic mission and identity. To many, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America appeared to be drifting away from its traditional advocacy for Hellenism and moving closer—symbolically and institutionally—to the sensitivities of the Istanbul-based Patriarchate, whose circumstances are shaped by the realities of the Turkish state.

PHOTO: With the Turkish Consul…

What a disaster for the Greek community!! Elpidophoros’ actions may align with his Turkish citizenship and his institutional loyalty to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but they clash with the expectations of the Greek-American flock he was sent to shepherd. It’s totally schizophrenic and it serves the interests of the Turkish establishment: they know that the Hellenic Diaspora is their biggest enemy – the Fall of the Ottoman Empire was the product of the Hellenic Diaspora!!! 

An Un-American Leadership Style 

Not only his public gestures but also his governance decisions reinforced the perception of a leader whose instincts were shaped in Turkey, not America.

Centralized Control of Communication: His move to restrict the use of Archdiocesan photography—something unseen in previous decades—signaled a shift toward tight, top-down control.

Internal Investigations and Leak Searches: Reports that the Archdiocese engaged investigative services to identify internal whistleblowers or leakers further amplified concerns.

Such actions may reflect the culture of an institution accustomed to internal secrecy, but they clash with the more open and transparent norms expected in American religious life. Taken together, these choices projected an image not of a pastor working collaboratively with his flock, but of an administrator insisting on control.

The End Result as Astoria Explodes: “Get the Turks Out of Our Church”! (After 4′)

The Community’s Two Unavoidable Questions

Will he ever lead with an American attitude? His record suggests the answer is NO.
His public actions, administrative decisions, and diplomatic gestures consistently reflect the Turkish civic world he came from and the Istanbul ecclesiastical culture he serves—not the American religious context in which he operates.

If Elpidophoros never sought Greek citizenship, what does that decision reveal about his sense of identity? If he sought it and was denied, why?
If he acquired it quietly, why has he never acknowledged it? The absence of clear information leaves only questions—and those questions grow louder with every passing year.

Why does the leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America lack Greek citizenship? Where is his primary allegiance? To Turkey or Greece? It should be to Greece and to America, exactly as AB Iakovos had set it… Yes, Archbishop Iakovos was not a Greek citizen, but did anyone ever doubt his “Hellenic identity”?   His soul was Greek, and he proved it every step of the way – especially when he marched alongside Martin Luther King. While other religious leaders, including Protestants and Catholics, avoided MLK, Iakovos’ Hellenic conscience – primarily the deeply entrenched love for freedom – gave him no other option but to stand alongside MLK…

November 11, 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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