PHOTO. A unique photo from a St.Demetrios School graduation showing all four main characters (from the left): Andriotis, Eliades, Fr. Apostolos Koufalakis, (AB Demetrios) and Koularmanis…
By Nick Stamatakis
Very few people outside the Greek “ghetto” of Astoria, New York, can understand the connection between the four names above – but it seems that the “Quartet” has gained great significance recently. A few weeks ago, we raised awareness of the various schemes the longtime “Godfather” of Astoria, Nick Andriotis was involved, having as a “co-conspirator” A. Koularmanis (principal of the community school until Dec.31, and now Education director at GOA). Some may have heard the name of Bishop Apostolos (Koufalakis) of Medeia, a controversial figure mired for years in all kinds of ethical and other scandals, from Astoria, to San Fransisco, to Phanar and back… And even fewer can relate to attorney Costas Eliades, now chairman of the school board at the Manhattan Cathedral…
The trajectories of all four “stars” meet at St. Demetrios, Astoria, for a period of two years (2009-11), when Mr. Eliades was president of the parish council, Fr.Apostolos (Koufalakis) was the presiding priest (since 2004) and A.Koularmanis had been the school principal for about a decade. Andriotis has been a permanent fixture at the Astoria parish since …the mid-1970s (!!) and had a special “sensitivity” in associating himself with questionable personalities: He had managed to get rid of all clergy and lay leaders of the community who were highly educated and able… Among them, the former school principal and founder of the High School Mr.Triantafyllou, Father Poulos, a dynamic, productive and highly educated priest, Archimandrite Pavlos (Papalexiou), an exceptionally well-respected presiding priest (who produced legions of clergy and cantors who have since spread all over the GOA), were the most notorious victims of his sick authoritarian personality… Andriotis frequently likens himself to a priest, one “without vestments”, as the title of his book goes… I can assure you that there is no priestly ability in the “Godfather of Astoria”, except a highly developed “Phanariot” technique: An ability to use someone’s character flaws to control them – a long time practice, flourishing in today’s Patriarchate of Constantinople.
In that respect, Andriotis truly hit a “trifecta” between 2009-11, when the “Three Stooges” above, of similar ages and compatible personalities, got involved in several scandals. As for A.Koularmanis, we have already presented his case extensively (for a summary please refer to the article we link on top). Koularmanis’ character issues were easily picked up by Andriotis, who, sensing his “soft spots”, managed early on to convert him into his “step son” and used him as a pawn to achieve total control of the school and its hefty budget… Respectively, Koularmanis rarely heard the word “no” from his “step dad”, no matter how much money he “mishandled”. Who would dare stop the “Godfather” Andriotis? Nobody, it seems by the early 2000s. He had gotten rid of all serious opponents in a Machiavellian manner…
And so, when in 2011 scandals started erupting, Andriotis felt that he had the obligation to take control. First, the president of the parish council, Mr. Eliades, was “caught in the act” within the building of the Church with a PTA lady, a married woman… Some sources insist that financial “misappropriations” were also part of the scandal… Before long, Eliades was forced to resign, despite some efforts from his friends, Koularmanis and Fr.Apostolos Koufalakis, to sooth the agitated community… The trio was known for two things: their “hot” personalities and their subjection to “godfather” Andriotis.
In the case of Bishop Apostolos (Koufalakis), the ethical misconduct has a long history and goes back to his days in the islands of the Dodecanese, Rhodes, Kalymnos, Patmos, where he was born and grew up, sources tell us. If one follows his steps, it looks like ethical questions and character flaws appear in every corner… In 2010 he is reported to be involved, even though in a secondary role, in the famous (Old Calendarist) St.Irene Chrysovalantou scandal, where sexual relationships with an underage nun had caught the attention of the Orthodox community for months and ended up in the demotion of the two main figures, Metropolitan Paisios and Bishop Vikentios…
Just a year later, in the fall of 2011, quite unexpectedly, the St.Demetrios Parish announced that Fr.Apostolos will be moving to San Fransisco to assist Bishop Gerasimos as a chancellor. What had happened? Another shocking “ethical violation” seems to have occurred… Andriotis’ involvement in his “smooth” transition to San Fran was unbelievably “masterful”: with “some help from his friends” and especially from Bishop Gerasimos himself, who insisted that “he needed his assistance”, Fr.Apostolos was sent off… Only to make a new mess in his new spot, ungratefully undermining his Bishop… Who immediately asked for his removal…
Finally, Fr. Apostolos was sent to the Phanar, in Constantinople, where his “talents” were appreciated by a whole bunch of new friends, not the least of whom is the Patriarch himself and the now Archbishop of Australia Makarios. That’s where he also comes close to Elpidophoros, then at the Halki Theological School… With the help of such powerful friends it is no surprise that by 2014 AB Demetrios succumbs to oppressive demands to make him a Bishop… And so his story continues and the scandals never fail to follow his travels between Phanar, San Fransisco and New York…
Until he finds a new role under the new AB Elpidophoros… Andriotis is the Grand Underwriter of his Enthronement and his Three Stooges are placed in key positions… First, Koularmanis is placed as the president of the dying community of Corona in Queens, owning substantial property, while he is also involved at the Cathedral’s School in Manhattan where Eliades presides… At the same time Koularmanis becomes the Education director of GOA and also the director of its Cultural Center in Astoria. He is the definition of a “joker” in the new game… Eliades tries temporarily to return to Astoria as president but he fails: the community did not forget… But let me note that Eliades’ father has a central position at St.Irene Chrysovalantou, the other Greek community in Astoria, now a Stavropygiac (Patriarchal) monastery with 7-8 Churches and outposts and substantial income..
Very close to AB Elpidophoros, Bishop Apostolos Koufalakis pretends to keep a low profile but has a key role in many serious decisions, in close cooperation, as always, with Andriotis. They are emboldened by the fact that Andriotis had a central role in the election of Elpidophoros. And they have started applying their “business plan”: Bishop Apostolos takes charge of five out of six parishes in Queens and the whole of Long Island at the same time as Koularmanis wants to consolidate parishes (i.e. selling properties) and establish “charter schools” (i.e. creating income). Eliades is “lying low” at the Cathedral of Manhattan, waiting for the right moment to return to Astoria, where the St.Demetrios community owns property worth over $150 million and where his father has power to sign checks at Chrysovalantou Monastery. Will the community let them squander what generations of Greeks have built?
They have all kinds of “business plans” for the local GOA parishes; but their big plans do not involve transparency and they do not pay attention at all to the needs of the faithful, so that they start coming back to the emptying Churches… Bishop Apostolos, arrogant as ever, is rumored to have set his goals as high as the Archbishop’s position, when Elpidophoros, on time, would become Patriarch… Yes, the man who was involved in a scandal at almost every turn of his life, has many friends in high (ecclesiastical) places and his ambition knows no limits…
(To be continued… stay tuned)
February 21, 2020, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
