Iakovos: The One and Only

A Reflection by the Reverend Father Alexander Karloutsos
Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne

Archbishop Iakovos, the one and only, was an extraordinary and visionary Hierarch who changed the face of Orthodox Christianity in America and impacted my life in ways I could have never predicted. I offer this reflection in tribute to this amazing and transforming Archbishop who will never be forgotten.

I was the son of a humble priest; by the time I arrived at Holy Cross Seminary, Archbishop Iakovos was already a monumental figure. It was 1962, and although he had been Archbishop of North and South America for just three years, his decades of ministry within the Archdiocese, and particularly as the Dean of the Boston Cathedral of the Annunciation, were already the stuff of legend. Just his manner, the way he talked and reached out to you, created a sense of awe and wonder. When you saw Iakovos, you saw a Towering Mountain endowed with spine and with spirit.

As is typical of seminarians, we disagreed with our Archbishop on some things, but when he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. at Selma, we were exceedingly proud. His stance against the Vietnam War, made us rejoice in this modern day prophet and peacemaker. And then there were the inaugurations of presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon. Archbishop Iakovos took our faith into the public square, and he took our culture and traditions to the highest levels of American life and society.

At my graduation from Holy Cross in 1969, the Archbishop was very enthusiastic about me, especially my valedictory address. The Seminary faculty, however, were not and they would not approve my ordination. Even though I was the valedictorian, they wanted me to return for another interview to approve my path to the priesthood. These were the days of graduating senior interviews for ordination and they wanted to put me through a second interview, because they felt I was too strident in my responses. But I think the problem was that I was too honest. They wanted slavish obeisance and that was simply not going to happen. I’m not ashamed to say that I was very upset, affronted and hurt.

In the meantime, my wife, Xanthi, was pregnant, and I was worried about what would come next (or not!). So I called the Archdiocese, asking for the Archbishop’s office, and who answers the phone? A fellow named George Tournas, now, Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. He was filling in at the Archbishop’s office and he was very close to the Archbishop. I explained the whole situation to him, and he said, “Alex, this is ridiculous. Don’t worry about it. Let me speak to the Archbishop.” The next day, I received a phone call from George and he told me that the Archbishop would like to speak with me. I was a little flabbergasted, but I look back on it now and see the beginning of my deep, personal relationship with Archbishop Iakovos. The Archbishop told me that I need not go back to Seminary. He recognized something genuine in me – that I wanted to serve the Church, but not without a spine. I believe spine and spirit go together, just as I had witnessed in Archbishop Iakovos from the very beginning.

Right away, His Eminence fixed the date of my Diaconal ordination for September 6, 1970 and arranged for Archbishop Evgenios I of Crete to be the celebrant. Five days later, on September the 11th (a day – thirty-one years later – that would have tremendous significance for my life and ministry), Archbishop Iakovos ordained me a Priest at the Seminary. The fact that I was ordained by Archbishop Iakovos was a great honor for me, which I treasure to this very day. Then I began my ministry in Chicago, where I served four years under Father Byron Papanikolaou. He is the one who laid the foundation within me to become the clergyman that I became, to truly serve Christ and His Church.

Then, in 1974 Archbishop Iakovos brought me to the Archdiocese to be the Director of Youth Ministry. I always felt very blessed just to be in his presence, to work with him. And he was very compassionate to me. He loved my wife Xanthi and my family, and he showed it by acts of extraordinary kindness and generosity.

Living in the New York region, where rents were sky-high for the times, we were struggling as a family. I confided my predicament to the Archbishop’s secretary, a close confidante, Felia Samios. She told me if I really wanted to stay at the Archdiocese, I should own my own home. She advised me to speak directly to the Archbishop. I went in to see His Eminence, and enumerated all the reasons I needed to buy a home. And then what he did was amazing. He told me that he was proud and confident of my ministry, and that he would cosign a loan so I could buy a house. As I look back on that magnanimous act of benevolence, I am truly moved, and I will always be grateful.

Over the years, I worked very hard to bring Archbishop Iakovos the honor and dignity that he so very much deserved. His exceptional ecumenical leadership placed him at a level of public consciousness that was unprecedented for an American Orthodox Prelate. With a Committee we arranged for His Eminence to receive the Presidential Medal of freedom from President Jimmy Carter. For His Eminence’s 20th Anniversary as Archbishop in 1979, I arranged for the participation in the ceremonies of Coretta Scot King, Governor Mario Cuomo, David Hartmann of Good Morning America, former UN Ambassador Andrew Young, and the then President of Notre Dame, Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, one of the most influential American Roman Catholic personalities of the 20th Century. In 1984, for his 25th Anniversary, I brought President Jimmy Carter to the Divine Liturgy, and arranged for President Ronald Reagan to call in at the Gala Luncheon to congratulate him on his 25th Anniversary as the Greek Orthodox Primate of America.

I’m on record about how my evolving friendship with the future Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew caused strain to my relationship with Archbishop Iakovos. (https://www.orthodoxhistory.org/2024/08/27/karloutsos-and-the-rise-of-bartholomew/)

Nevertheless, I was devoted to him and in 1986, I arranged for Archbishop Iakovos to be the sole religious personage at the official re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty for its 100th Anniversary. I am happy that in 2006, when the 100-year time capsule is opened, Archbishop Iakovos will be remembered as the preeminent leader he was. I am particularly proud that the Bell Tower at the Camp David Chapel is named for him. I led a fundraising program at Camp David and feel very happy knowing that the Bell Tower, named after Archbishop Iakovos, beckons by its bell welcomes every President of the United States to worship and pray at that most famous of presidential retreats.

Archbishop Iakovos retired in 1996, on his 85th Birthday, and the next year in 1997, his godson, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, came to the United States on what was to be an extensive Apostolic pilgrimage throughout the country. His All Holiness wanted to meet privately with Archbishop Iakovos, and I was tasked with effecting that meeting, which turned out to be a private dinner. After the Patriarchal Visit, I received a phone call from Paulette Poulos, who had been the Archbishop’s secretary and confidante, and she conveyed to me his desire to meet with me at his residence in Rye, NY. So I went to Rye, and we had a very honest discussion. He told me that what I had accomplished for the Church in America, for the Patriarchate, what I did in Washington with the President of the United States, the Gold Medal of Congress, and all the different tributes that happened in that 1997 Apostolic Visit were just simply beyond his comprehension. He was very kind to me and repeated what he used to tell me when he first brought me to the Archdiocese – that I had a gift that very few people have. He said to me, “What is the greatest gift.” And I replied that the greatest gift for me is love. Then he said to me, “No, the greatest gift a human being has is imagination, and you have that in abundance.”

That was the way it was between us. Archbishop Iakovos and I always had these intimate moments of connection. We would always talk as father and son, in many ways. That’s why our estrangement had been so painful. So when we began a process of reconciliation, I expressed my love and respect for him, and I asked for his forgiveness. I said clearly that I apologized for things I did that I did not know would hurt him; but that I would not apologize to him for things I did, knowing that I would hurt him. As Ecumenical Patriarch counseled me, “above all is the Church.” But I also told him of the pain that I had experienced during the internal exile that he forced upon me, when I was deeply hurt by many of his own circle who cast many aspersions upon me and my name. I remember a very heartfelt conversation, and then at that point, he embraced me. We really forgave each other, and it was the beginning of our mutual healing.

And then, during the tumultuous years of Archbishop Spyridon, my beloved father-in-law, Klearhos Karavellas, fell asleep in the Lord. Of his own accord, Archbishop Iakovos came and presided at his funeral. This was enormously meaningful to Presvytera Xanthi, to me, and to my family. By this time, I had taken the Dormition Parish in the Hamptons under my pastoral care, and was out of Archdiocese politics. And it occurred to me that Archbishop Iakovos had never visited this parish. The church was growing and wanted these good people to experience his incredible presence and pastoral love. So I said, let me ask him to come to our parish.

So I called up Paulette Poulos who was still serving the Archbishop as his secretary and told her that I would like Archbishop Iakovos to come to my parish. I emphasized that my parishioners had never felt this love, and it would be healing for this community to have the great Archbishop come. Paulette showed her love for the Church and arranged for Archbishop Iakovos to come. Paulette and I share a strong commitment to serve the Church and Community. Like me, she believes in the power of love and not the love of power. People called her to stop the visit, but she stood steadfast in the service of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. It was a wonderful day! Later, the Archbishop was very decent and came to my own father’s burial, just two years before the Archbishop himself passed away.

In the end, I am so grateful that I was ordained by him, inspired by him, and I fully know that I could not be Father Alex, without the one and only, Archbishop Iakovos.

May his memory be eternal!