Helleniscope’s Questions To Jerry Dimitriou – His Initial Response

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– Mr. Dimitriou, I am representing the view of our community when I express everyone’s relief for the end of your legal and personal nightmare.  But we all understand that this is not the end of the enormous problems for our Church and the Archdiocese.

1) A major issue is related to the apparent effort by the Archdiocese to use you as a scapegoat, loading you with all their financial trespasses in their totality. This is not new, as you notoriously stated in your letter to AB Demetrios in January 2018 (JERRY DIMITRIOU’S LETTER TO AB DEMETRIOS).  And it continued yesterday with GOA’s announcement on “the end of the legal investigation” and loading you (and Mr. Papadakos) with all the blame. How do you assess the continuation of your scapegoating by the Archdiocese?

2) In particular, you have accepted blame and will pay the price for tax evasion of about $17,000 for using the GOA credit card for personal expenses.  But it is now widely known that many others have done the same.  In particular, we have learned from our sources that the Karloutsos family (Father Alex, Presvytera Xanthi, and their son Mike) all had a GOA credit card, and they used it freely.  We have also learned that former Education Director Mr. Eftymiopoulos did the same even for paying for his groceries. Others may have done the same…  As the GOA Executive Director for many years, you have seen – and you probably have in your hands –  all the evidence regarding using the GOA credit card.  Did you share this evidence with the prosecutors? Did the prosecutors ask you for this evidence regarding the wide use of the credit cards? Would you like to talk about this in the future for the primary goal of establishing transparency and accountability in GOA?

4) When we heard the news about a “plea bargain,” we assumed that there was something you offered to the prosecutors to achieve a lower sentence. I believe you accomplished this lower punishment by the Court ordering two years of probation. Could you let me know what you gave in return? What was “the deal”?

5) What do you think of the steps GOA is taking to establish transparency and accountability? Are they enough? How about the cash paid to the Archbishop himself, Father Alex, and others to officiate in high-profile ceremonies?  Are they declared in their tax returns (were they declared in the past between 2000-2017 during your term)? How about the priest’s cash (or other payments) for the same reason?

6) You have spoken about settling sex abuser cases previously. Should these cases be self-reported by GOA? How should they be settled in the future?  How about the priests who the Archbishop brought with him from Turkey and Greece – many of whom violate our immigration laws? Some are getting salaries from Greece while they serve in one or more GOA positions here…

7) A major dogma of our faith is forgiveness to those who admit their “trespasses”.  You have certainly admitted yours, and you deserve forgiveness.  What do you have to say for those countless “leaders” of GOA and many others who keep “trespassing” without even considering the many allegations against them, without admitting anything?

8) Given the above, do the parishes have enough grounds to stop paying their annual dues to the GOA? Can they demand that the leadership: a) establishes rules of transparency and accountability accepted by a clergy-laity congress, b) reports all those who in the past committed financial trespasses like abuse of credit cards? c) self-reports the sex abusers, and d) respects the U.S. immigration laws.

9) Last but not least:  You were in charge of Saint Nicholas construction for the initial phase, which ended in disaster.  A significant part of this disaster was the misappropriation and misuse of funds, including the substantial “fundraising commission” paid to Father Alex. Some others, like James Yatras, suggest that millions were misdirected to the Ecumenical Patriarchate (possibly as part of the Ukrainian autocephaly “project”) as in the link below:

What do you think about these issues? What do you think about “fundraising commission” as part of our Church’s charitable work?

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Dear Mr. Stamatakis,

I want to express my gratitude for shedding light on the accurate sequence of events from last week and clarifying the details of my final plea. However, it is disheartening that the Archdiocese has once again strayed from its professed commitment to “transparency,” opting instead for a press release that distorts the truth and misleads readers. It’s worth noting that their silence persisted after the dismissal of the initial charges against me, only to be replaced by a carefully prepared and defamatory press release containing misleading information about their perceived “unfathomable betrayal of trust” following my sentencing.

Allow me to address the matter of the so-called “unfathomable betrayal of trust” from a personal perspective. My experience of such a betrayal was endured under the leadership of my former boss, Archbishop Demetrios, the former Archbishop of America. My tenure began with Archbishop Iakovos and continued during Archbishop Spyridon’s administration. In 1997, I left the Archdiocese due to the tumultuous period that unfolded under Archbishop Spyridon’s leadership.

However, my return to the Archdiocese was facilitated by Michael Jaharis (of Blessed Memory) and the then “new” Archbishop Demetrios. Their request for me to contribute in “rebuilding” the aftermath of the Spyridon era was accompanied by negotiations, which I intend to elaborate on at a later point. Recognizing that my service to the Church remained incomplete, I embraced a new role as Executive Director within the Archdiocese, driven by a desire to support the Church’s ministries.

As you are aware, the inception of the Archdiocese in 1922 aimed to unify the structure of the National Church and Parishes across the country, enabling them to engage in ministries that align with Christ’s Great Commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NKJV).

Our mission was clear—to bring people closer to Christ and the Church while providing impactful and meaningful ministries to nurture the faithful. In collaboration with Archbishop Demetrios, the Metropolitans, Clergy, and Laity, we introduced numerous ministries (over 11 unique programs), fostering genuine connections and genuine contributions to the Church’s growth. These initiatives were spearheaded by proficient and trained Clergy and Laity, channeling their dedication towards impactful work.

Regrettably, many of these once-thriving ministries have dwindled or vanished under the present administration, due to purported funding constraints. This is particularly concerning as these ministries were sustained by the dedicated Stewardship contributions of our communities. The diminished scope of these initiatives stems from reasons that will inevitably come to light.

Those responsible for orchestrating this misleading scenario, reminiscent of Judas’ actions, will eventually be held accountable for their deeds. It’s worth noting that Demetrios’ downfall was a consequence of misplaced trust in affluent, self-centered donors, leading to his eventual dismissal by the Church’s “Holy and Apostolic Leadership.”

This narrative of upheaval has sadly reoccurred since Archbishop Iakovos’ retirement in 1996. How many iterations of this cycle of “Apostolic Succession” must we undergo before unveiling the individuals pulling the strings behind the scenes?

The irony is striking—the popular HBO series “Game of Thrones” fails to capture the essence of the true “Hierarchical Game of Thrones” within our Church. Although it may not involve dragons or an “Iron” throne, it will undoubtedly feature numerous Crowns and Thrones.

Mr. Stamatakis, I’m thankful for your reporting thus far. I’ll pause my comments here for now, as there’s more to convey at an appropriate time and place. With 27 years of behind-the-scenes insights into both Patriarchal and Archdiocesan dynamics, a much more compelling narrative is poised to emerge.

Thank you for your reporting, and for understanding that, for now, this is where I’ll end my comments…

Jerry Dimitriou

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