By Nick Stamatakis

Desperate for money, both the Patriarchate and GOARCH have been opening foundation after foundation in the last few years.  We all were accustomed to “Leadership 100” and the “Archons” but suddenly, after AB Elpidophoros was enthroned, we were introduced to the “Senators of Hellenism” and recently to the “Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation”… What’s the rush? Are we to believe that “financial independence for the Patriarchate” is a true goal? We have seen enough corruption the last few decades to swallow such a monstrous lie…

We will examine the real reasons behind establishing the latest “Foundation” at the end of this post. But for now let us just state some facts:

  1. The “foundation” is two years behind in filing a tax return. Incorporated in January 2019, it still hasn’t filed form 990 tax return for its first year. This is very strange as GOARCH and St.Nicholas at Ground Zero are still under federal investigation for missing money and numerous other violations.  It’s true that Karloutsos is actively protected by his connections at the Governor’s office and the State Dept. But no matter how high his connections are, he cannot cover the truth of his wrongdoings from the same people he is asking money from… Are these people to keep funding these wrongdoings?
  2. The name on the foundation website does not match the IRS number below, which is misleading and it is the same exact “trick” they did with St. Nicholas Shrine. In other words when you enter the Tax ID mentioned on the website (83-3599880) in the IRS website then a different name appears (see below).  Why don’t the numbers match the name? Maybe because they want the funds to go elsewhere?
  3.  The same persons/names keep appearing again and again as “officers” or “spiritual leaders” or as any other poor linguistic excuse of an office holder’s title. Basically, Karloutsos and Psaros are in charge everywhere – at the same time as Karloutsos is “retired” and “under investigation”.  He does not seem to be “retired” at all when it comes to collecting money: He is still a chaplain at the Port Authority, still a Stony Brook University Trustee, and still putting his fingers in all the honey of ALL the foundations and licking it with a passion… Apparently, Karloutsos decided that being at the “front window” of GOARCH was damaging his “business” and he pulled himself to the backstage where he always was – where he feels very comfortable…
  4. The fact that the Bartholomew Foundation says nothing specific on their website about what they actually do is an obvious clue for their mismanagement before they even began operating. If they wanted to be honest they should say a lot more than the supposed “financial independence of the Patriarchate”.  And they should have established a minimum set of rules for transparency and accountability. Yes, the Turks do not allow the Patriarchate to operate normally, but Switzerland and other European countries (Why don’t they keep money in Greece? Or maybe they do and keep it a secret?) allow the establishment of Foundations.  Why don’t they operate as any non-profit organization should in any of these countries?
  5. This is an excerpt from the Bartholomew Foundation website where they have the gall to ask people to give them their irrevocable trust or will – an unbelievable act in itself given their atrociously corrupt behavior over the years… Here is the actual wording:

    —————————-

    Leaving a gift in your will or revocable living trust is a wonderful way to ensure that your support of the Bartholomew Foundation helps our mission for generations to come.

    You may designate a specific dollar amount or percentage of your residual estate to the Bartholomew Foundation, while leaving other assets to your family and friends.

    There is no minimum requirement. Every legacy gift makes a difference.

    FOLLOW THESE STEPS

    Provide your attorney with the sample language below:

    “I give [the residue of my estate], or [___% of the residue of my estate], or [the sum of _______ dollars] to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation: For the Sacred See of Saint Andrew, Inc., New York, NY, for its general purposes.”

    Include this information:

    Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation

    8 East 79th Street New York, NY 10075

    Federal Tax ID Number – 83-3599880

    =============================

    And this is the filing with the New York State:

Selected Entity Status Information

Current Entity Name:

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW FOUNDATION INC.

DOS ID #:

5477874

Initial DOS Filing Date:

JANUARY 17, 2019

County:

NEW YORK

Jurisdiction:

NEW YORK

Entity Type:

DOMESTIC NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION

Current Entity Status:

ACTIVE

Selected Entity Address Information

DOS Process (Address to which DOS will mail process if accepted on behalf of the entity)

C/O ORDER OF ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE, OFFICE MANAGER
8 EAST 79TH STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10021

Registered Agent

NONE

 

As per the IRS database, the name of the entity with the Employer Identification Number 83-3599880 is St. Andrew Ecumenical Patriarchal Fund Incorporated
IRS link to Determination letter:
Why does the IRS have a different name for the entity (St. Andrew Ecumenical Patriarchal Fund Incorporated) from New York State (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation Inc.)? If they needed a D/B/A they should declare it. What is going on here?
The organization was founded on January 17, 2019 and the IRS Effective Date of Exemption is also January 17, 2019. Why hasn’t the foundation filed any tax return IRS Form 990 yet?
Meanwhile, they apply pressure to numerous parishes to become founding members contributing $100,000 over 10 years and they even had the National Philoptochos Society do the same –  no shame at all!! As if the Philoptochos had accomplished all the ministry goals and they had excess cash to throw on a new foundation… Also, similar pressure is applied on all Metropolises, but the strangest news came from Chicago where Met. Nathanael suddenly decided to contribute $100.000 out of his own pocket!! Are we to believe that the Metoplolitans do not depend on their parishes and the faithful for their income? Faithful and parishes in the Chicago area keep a watchful eye: he will be coming after you for even more annual “tax”…
All this is going on as GOARCH operates with NO charter and the talks about forming the new one have stagnated.
Then why all this rush with the new foundation? In my opinion, it has to do with the enormous legal pressures on GOARCH these days: 1) The ongoing federal investigation both in GOARCH and St. Nicholas Shrine. 2) The tremendous legal troubles of Karloutsos and his son Mike (aka “Fredo”). 3) The multiple sexual abuse lawsuits (we know of at least 13 of them but there likely more) to be settled.  The expenses to serve all those legal troubles are measured in many millions and so far this is the most plausible explanation for both the urgency and the “loose scope” of the new foundation… In other words, this is a huge legal slush fund…

11 COMMENTS

  1. You said 13 sexual abuse lawsuits in GOA but should be 14 – if there was justice;
    AB Elpidoforos aka “ElpiNotForUs” should be sued for sexual misconduct.

    Elpi invited 2 gays to live with him at Archdiocese & they exposed him leading a lifestyle unbecoming a Hierarch.

    It’s against our Faith’s tenets to have a practicing homosexual as Hierarch.

      • jk: exactly!

        As convert to Orthodoxy I already left Anglican Church to flee radical leftism which allows homosexual priests only to find
        Greek church in USA is now contaminated with same agenda & a gay Archbishop. Disgraceful.
        I’ll go to Russian church.

  2. My Yiayia used to say this right before her grandkids would step out the front door: “Ta matia sas tekatessera!”
    Sir Gatanas, can you explain why the usage of the Number fourteen? Thank you.

  3. Larissa: the 14th lawsuit is the phony embarrassment – the new Archbishop Elps!
    This culprit is out to dismantle our Greek Orthodox Church – it’s lawsuit worthy

    & his limiting how long a Priest can remain is heartless; we already lost some great Priests like Fr Vassily!

  4. Each and every Parish Council and parish Priest must be challenged to address the obvious corruption in the Greek Orthodox Church. If they won’t address it, then they condone it.
    Someone must face criminal charges for the epic mismanagement of money at this point.

    Time to throw out the thieves, incompetents, perverts and parasites. That the hierarchs victimize those simple prestige seekers with fluff titles and fancy jackets with emblems, etc, puts them down at the level of the con artists.

    ‘Dropi’ doesn’t cut it any longer, it’s reached the point of ‘katara tou Theou’. It might even be dangerous to stand near these people.

  5. Yes I believe it IS dangerous to stand near these corrupt elites controlled by Bartholomew.

    Prestige seekers indeed –
    the endless stupid awards ceremonies,
    & now Elpi the “make believe” Archbishop bestowing titles to his paramours;
    I think I’m going to vomit.
    Collectively, hasn’t it gotten to the point
    we’re ashamed to say,
    I’m Greek Orthodox?

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