PHOTO: A meaningful moment as Metropolitan Theodosius of OCA welcomes Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios at St. Nicholas Cathedral, Washington, DC, 1990
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Patriarch Demetrios, truly a holy man, and his entourage arrived in Washington DC from Constantinople on July 2, 1990, with a special charter flight of Olympic Airways and an eyewitness counted 50-60 suitcases. They departed on July 29 with the same or similar plane from Boston which, although quite big, could not fit the baggage they were taking back. They had to hire a second cargo plane to carry back all the “goodies” the faithful had bought for them – an untold amount of T.V. sets, computers, clothing, and everything else you can imagine... For this and many other reasons, this first trip happens to be a watershed event in the history of our community.
By Nick Stamatakis
This coming week we will have the opportunity to witness for one more time the circus of the Patriarchal entourage coming to America for one more cash call. This time the circus will include the second-in-command Emmanuel (previously of France, now of Chalcedon) who has disgraced himself and the Church repeatedly and under normal circumstances should be serving a punishment in Mount Athos…
In 1990 the second-in-command was the now Patriarch Bartholomew and many eyewitnesses have described to us how he was able to disgrace himself repeatedly: On every occasion, he would insist (making a scene in public!) to apply his own concept of protocol and “ceremonial order”. He, a Metropolitan in a nominal metropolis of Asia Minor (Chalcedon), had to be seated/placed second to the Patriarch, while Iakovos, the Archbishop of North and South America – not to mention a famous world leader – had to be placed third. From DC to Astoria NY, to Chicago, to Boston, we heard the same story again and again: A much younger Bartholomew displayed for all to see in public the obstinacy of a mule from his home island of Imvros and the contrarian character that marked every step of his Patriarchal term the last thirty years. Bartholomew showed then what he shows to all of us now: If he has a choice between a fight on the one side and reconciliation and Christian love on the other, he will always pick the fight. This was truly the beginning of a disastrous term, that has brought the Church of America to the brink of extinction.
The trip started on July 2 with the landing of the special Olympic Airways flight from Istanbul in Andrews AF Base. Karloutsos, at the height of his power then, had managed to make all arrangements so that the Patriarch be treated as a Head of State – very much like the letters of 48 Senators are trying to do today, to no avail (as of yet). Why? As Helleniscope has noted, a big fight is brewing in the background between “The Turk” Elpidoktonos and “The Greek” Karloutsos who is seen as trying to sabotage the trip… But I digress… We will have a chance to discuss these issues soon…
George Bush Sr. was President and had a more than friendly relationship with the lifelong Republican AB Iakovos and an even closer rapport with Karloutsos. The trip lasted four weeks and Karloutsos made sure that he added all the “bells and whistles” to prove that this was a real “Head of State” visit: It was the first time that the Phanar used their own State Flag, the “double-headed eagle”. Karloutsos spared no expense: Not only all the transfers and hotels and meals were paid but he would hand each member of the Patriarch’s following $200 per day for “spare cash”!…
The faithful would certainly oblige at every stop. “What do you need back home?” and the answer in every one of the 10-15 cities they visited from DC to NY to Boston to Chicago to the West Coast would be “TVs”, “Computers”, “Suits”, and everything else that you imagine. The same or similar chartered Olympic Airways plane flew from Boston to take them back home to Istanbul but it could not fit all the “gifts” from America! They had to hire a cargo plane for that!!
The luxury Bartholomew saw on that trip was beyond description; he was definitely dazzled by the riches of America, a defining moment in his career. It was doubtful that he was ever a particularly spiritual and devoted priest, but after the trip to the US, he had one thing in his mind: How fast to become a Patriarch. This goal was achieved about fifteen months later when, on October 2, 1991, Patriarch Demetrios died from cardiac arrest. Truth be told, the Patriarch returned to Istanbul completely exhausted as the “entourage”, hungry for more, were dragging him from place to place in America, and at age 76 he did not have enough stamina to take the beating… He never truly recovered… When he died they laid him flat on the casket and realized that the soles of his shoes had holes: they felt embarrassed instead of being proud of Demetrios’ selflessness – and run to get a new pair!.. Unlike his successor, Demetrios never wanted to burden the Church with one penny of expense for himself.
Needless to point out this first Patriarchal trip allowed no time for a visit to any hospital or other facility where they would have a chance to show Christian love and care for human suffering…
But the most fateful moment of that first Patriarchal trip, the moment that marked our community’s history, was the meeting of the two conniving priests, Karloutsos and Bartholomew. It was a rare “meeting of the minds”, that determined the fate of the Church until our days. Karloutsos was the man Bartholomew needed in America and Bartholomew was the man Karloutsos needed in Phanar in order to be indispensable to the State Department and other government agencies. It was a perfect match. A year and a half later, Bartholomew would become Patriarch and the machinations between the two began: Karloutsos backstabbed “the hand that fed him”, AB Iakovos, in a betrayal that will remain in the history of our Church as a real catastrophe. And he would continue to play the role of the “hidden Archbishop” until our days, controlling mostly behind the scenes the fate of the GOA.
October 22, 2021, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
Helleniscope calls on each and every one of you, clergy and laity, to follow this link to change.org and sign the declaration of Independence of our Church from the Patriarchate
Την αλήθεια της κόντρας μεταξύ Καρλούτσου και η Ιακώβου , μεταξύ Βαρθολομαίου και Ιακώβου μου την είπε
σε μια τηλεφωνική μακράς διαρκείας
επικοινωνίας που είχα εκείνο τον καιρό με τον αείμνηστο Επίσκοπο Μελόης Φιλόθεος.
Ήταν γνωστό σε όλους πως τον Θρόνο τον
διεκδικούσε και ο Ιάκωβος και όλοι γνωρίζουμε πως εάν ο Πατέρας Μπούς
κέρδιζε την δεύτερη θητεία , ο Ιάκωβος θα
ήταν ο αντικαταστάτης του Δημητρίου, ανεξάρτητα την κόντρα του με το κατεστημένο της Τουρκίας. Την πάλη για
την διεκδίκηση του θρόνου μεταξύ Ιακώβου
και Βαρθολομαίου εκμεταλεύτηκε υπέρ του
Πατριάρχη και άρχισε να υποθάλπει τον
Ιάκωβο χρησιμοποιώντας τις γνωριμίες του
και διασυνδέσεις του με τους πολιτικούς κύκλους της Αμερικής καίτοι ήταν σύμβουλος του Ιακώβου και είχε ελευθερία κινήσεων εντός του γραφείου της Αρχιεπισκοπής. Γνώριζε επίσης πολύ καλά ο
Καρλούτσος
πως ο Βαρθολομαίος έπνεε μένεα εναντίον
του Ιακώβου , ο λόγος ήταν το σαράκι της
ζηλοφθονίας που έτρωγε τα σωθικά του
νέου Πατριάρχη , ο οποίος δεν μπορούσε να
χωνέψει πως ενώ ο ίδιος ήταν αρχηγός
του Ορθόδοξου κόσμου ο κατώτερους του
Ιάκωβος έχαιρε της παγκόσμιας ακτινοβολίας , διότι ήταν σπάνια ηγετική
μορφή , ήταν αυτό που λέμε χαρισματικός
ηγέτης . Οξυδερκής και πανέξυπνος όπως
ήταν αντελήφθηκε τον βρόμικο ρόλο που
έπαιζε ο Καρλούτσος και προσπαθούσε να
βρεί τρόπο να τον απομακρύνει , διότι συν
τοις άλλοις κάρφωνε στον Βαρθολομαίο τα
σχέδιά του για Ένωση των Ορθοδόξων
Εκκλησιών της Αμερικής.
Ανακάλυψε λοιπόν πως ο Καρλούτσος
με χρήματα της Αρχιεπισκοπής ακάλυπτε διάφορα έξοδα του ανηψιού του Βαρθολομαίου ο οποίος σπούδαζε στο Παρίσι και τον απεμάκρινε. Έκτοτε έφυγε
πήγε στην Πόλη … και έγινε ο κολλητός,
ο εκλεκτός, ο αγαπημένος του Πατριάρχη .
Την συνέχεια την γνωρίζετε όλοι, κατάφερε
να γίνει ο δεύτερος τη τάξη μετά τον
Βαρθολομαίο και αφού έφαγε ( τον ανάγκασε σε παραίτηση) τον Ιάκωβο , έγινε
ο τοποτηρητής της Αρχιεπισκοπής Αμερικής,
που στην ουσία μεταφράζεται ως ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αμερικής , ο οποίος είχε τις
μεγαλύτερες πολιτικές διασυνδέσεις και
Ο συνδετικός κρίκος των κουμπαριών του
με αυτές τις δυνάμεις.
Όπως συνήθως συμβαίνει με όλους όσους
αποκτούν υπερδύναμη το ίδιο συνέβη και
με τον Ήρωα της ιστορίας μας , το έξυπνο
πουλί πιάστηκε από την μύτη , η κατάρα του Αγίου Νικολάου τον αποδυνάμωσε και
όταν βρεθείς στην κατηφόρα , αρχίζει και
το ξήλωμα …… και από Καπετάνιος γίνεσαι
Μούτσος. Νομίζω πως ο “ Ελπιδοφόρος…”
Θα είπε στον Καρλούτσο αυτό που είχε πεί
ο αείμνηστος Αρχιεπίσκοπος Αυστραλίας
Στυλιανός στον Παντοδύναμο κληρικό
Κουρτέση : “ Η Εκκλησία της Αυστραλίας
είναι μία και έχει έναν Αρχιεπίσκοπο και
αυτός ο ένας είμαι ΕΓΩ”.
Ο Μεγάλος χαμένος της υπόθεσης είναι η
κεφαλή της Ορθοδόξου Εκκλησίας η οποία
δια τους λόγους που όλοι γνωρίζουμε
( Λος Αμίγος βολεψιόν) υπέθαλπε κάποιον
ο οποίος διέλυσε την Εκκλησία της Αμερικής.
O ΘΕΟΣ ΝΑ ΑΝΑΠΑΥΣΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΨΥΧΗ ΤΟΥ
ΤΑΠΕΙΝΟΥ ΛΕΒΙΤΗ ΘΕΟΦΙΛΕΣΤΑΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΜΕΛΟΗΣ.
Greatly saddened to learn what was and still is…
The Primate and Spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, Archbishop Elpi as well as the bishops and priests – need to humble themselves and be forthright with church members. The GOA need “men” who are filled with the Holy Spirit shepherding Gods people – not deceivers, liars and actors.
It’s time to stand up, once and for all, and to demand transparency and accountability. If need be, criminal action should be taken. This three ring circus has gone on for way too long. Drain the swamp!
Parishes have a duty to God and their parish to refuse to “kick up” any further fees to this bunch of either gross incompetents or just criminal thieves who shamelessly conceal their sins behind the word of God.
I signed the petition and passed it to many family and Orthodox friends both currently practicing and those no longer. Perhaps our goal individually, should be to forward this petition to 100 people in order to obtain at least a 10% success rate with signatures. Nick~Is there anyway you can track this to see how many signatures we obtain?
Margaret, I didn’t think non-practicing Orthodox should have any influence in the future of the church. Let them reestablish themselves as participants and then vote.
I believe they should have a say if they abandoned the Church for the reasons we have analyzed so extensively here. Especially in the last few months, I am hearing countless reports of people attending not only other Orthodox parishes but other Christian churches. If they are interested to participate in this dialogue they should be able to. And we should always leave the door open to all.
Who takes Communion from soiled hands?
jk~
As a NON Practicing GO, I believe as an American Orthodox born Christian of 100% Greek descent, I have every right to voice my opinion and work for transformation within a new Orthodox church. Why you ask???
Because I have gained much insight into what drove me away from the Orthodox Church to an Evangelical Non-Denominational Church of Christ than those who remain culturally, politically and enthically enshrined to the GOA and have never ventured outside of the church elsewhere.
This has absolutely nothing to do with “Protestantism”. It has to do with aligning oneself and the holy church with Christ himself and living as the sinners we are under GOD’s rules, commandments and covenants. Not some man made written rules, order of a “religion”. Until you throw out the baby with the bath water, your eyes will never see or understand. I pray for your eyes to be enlightened. You obviously are not being lead by faith, but by tradition of a broken and corrupt “religion”.
No doubt, corruption runs deep in all formerly organized religions and churches. Again, we are ALL fallen and can be subject to sin hundreds of times daily. There are many who feel as I do and now that they too, have the experience and contrast of choosing between Orthodoxy or being Non-Denominational or other Christian faiths, the “light” is awakening their spiritual soul where as the GOA still to this very day, sadly remains focused on the darkness of the temporal and secular world in which we live.
And BTW-If you have attended with any kind of frequency any other non or denominational Christian church, you will realize that communion isn’t just a GO Sacrament offered exclusively to the Orthodox sitting in the pews. That “elitist” belief is a falsehood and a culture deficit which the GO church is guilty.
If you think that your “Christening” or Baptism at infancy has saved you from eternal damnation, think again. It wasn’t a conscious decision YOU made as a consenting adult. The decision of giving your life to Christ is a conscious act of FAITH and LOVE and is a condition of the HEART for what HE sacrificed on behalf of mankind.
Jane, we all do. Who approaches without soiled hands?
In this blog, we are confronting corruption in the hierarchy of the GOA.
We are all guilty of sin. We go to Mother Church because our souls need healing. We are confessing to priests, monks, and bishops who are not shining a Light on the corruption in the hierarchy because they took a vow of “obedience.” They also receive a nice salary.
Facts are being presented that we must address. As a priest once told me, “ Bring everything into the Light.” Are we willing to face our own personal discomfort addressing these matters? What kind of GOA do we leave for our children?
We must listen to the clergy even if they are sinners , the same way we listen to
the doctors who are saying : “ do not
see what Ian doing but do what I say to
you to do.
Bull crap! Do you really buy into that line of indoctrination Stelios? I mean really???
Doctors are NOT “Saints” nor do they GOD. They can not “heal” or “cure” you. Only God can do what man can not.
Medicine has been designed as a FOR PROFIT business just like everything else. And what comes with “for profit” businesses? unfortunately, corruption, coercion, and the influences of: GOVERNMENT, A BROKEN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, BIG PHARMA, LOBBYISTS AND OTHER EVIL DOERS HIJACKING THE MEDICAL PROFESSION, TAKING FREEDOMS AND LIBERTIES AWAY FROM YOU DAILY.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ IS OUR HEALER AND REDEEMER. NOT ANY DOCTOR, PRIEST/CLERGY, governmental leader/president or anyone else. PERIOD.
You have placed far too much “faith” in men and have forsaken your FAITH IN CHRIST.
Margaret, I can assure you that Stelios is not the type; he is simply saying that the teachings of the faith are to be valued regardless of how corrupt the “medium” is…
Agree 💯. Stop drinking the Kool Aid, folks!
I agree🆘💯with Margaret
Lord have mercy – this Petition if it gets around long enough will change everything…
GOA Ivory Tower is collapsing &
heads will roll,
hey there goes Rev. Karloutsos’ head –
richly deserved for backstabbing the likable AB Iakavos,
Alex was never in his league !
Everybody should sign it, even illegal aliens. That’s the New York ANTIFA BLM GOA CUOMO SCHUMER AOC way, isn’t it?
Amen LowerMC!
I agree💯With Lower Manhattan
Nick, I do not think non-practicing Orthodox have the right to influence the future of the church. Non- practicing Orthodox will not return to the church because of administrative change. Yes, the GOA is in a moribund state and hemorrhaging people- a statistical fact. The state of terminal decline can only be rectified through repentance, both on the part of the clergy and the laity.
Though the AB stated his primary goals: completion of the St Nick shrine, the priest’s pension plan, support for the Patriarch and the Seminary, the real problem is the loss of people. This is the primary problem and must be acknowledged and addressed.
We would accept monetary donations from non-members of the faith but we deny them have a say?
I agree🆘 Lol!
jk~
Of course you are entitled to voice your opinions. I don’t judge you for what you may or may not believe. Tell me please, is it FIRST WRITTEN IN SCRIPTURE AS SUCH? If not, it is all of this secular based temporal world in which you form your opinions. Seek first the knowledge of Christ and pray for your eyes to “see”.
In many cases, those who have “left the Orthodox Church” may not return, but that isn’t for you to decide. As I have written many times over, if the Orthodox Church doesn’t align with Christ’s teachings, scripture, commandments and covenants, it will not be blessed and allowed to thrive.
Nick, am I to understand that you believe that someone who is Greek and goes to a protestant, RC, Mormon or Old Calendar Greek Church should have the right to determine the future of the GOA? You must obviously recognize the absurdity.
Margaret, you make many faulty assumptions about me, I read scripture daily and use it as the primary directive in my life . I am saddened that you left the Orthodox church. By the way, there is no such thing as a non-denominational Church.
We recently published the statistics that show that only less than 10% of Greek-Americans are somehow active attending the Church. Most of them are faithful Christians raised in Orthodox tradition. Are you telling they should not have a say? Or we should ignore them? The reasons they left is the same reasons we are all about to leave…
https://orthodoxreality.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Report-GOA-From2010To2020Reduced1-1.pdf
Hi JK
I am an American convert to the GOA who has had to walk away from the GOA to regain my spiritual health. I also read scripture often and sin often. I be am a citizen of the USA. I am free to speak my mind when and where I see fit. I also was a GOA priest Secretary for one year supplying 12 hours a day “for free” so that the hierarchy could snatch more money! Yup! It’s all about “stash the cash” for the hierarchy. I respect your view. I hope you respect my view.
Nick, the majority of those who have left the church are secularized people not those who have issues with
the administrative practices of the church, or even the existent corruption. The church has failed it’s people by becoming a Greek CC which is more concerned with promoting Hellenism and the Greek American success story rather than the Gospel , the message of salvation and new life in Jesus Christ.
I don’t think those secularized people should determine the future of the church. It is not about money but rather about faith.
Lower Man cynic, I am dismayed at your juvenile statement about voting. Taking your thinking to it’s logical conclusion one can justify any action as long as someone else is doing it. That thinking is what perpetuates evil.
May God give the clergy strength and spiritual discernment to stand firm in their Faith in the fight for good vs evil. In regards to the elite in the church, The Church always has a way of fixing itself.