GreekNewsBlog: johnmetaxas.com

Remembering Archbishop Iakovos, 1911-2005

listen! Archbishop Iakovos is remembered for his kindness, strength and spirituality. (0:39)

listen! The faithful say Iakovos put the Orthodox Church "on the map" in this country. (0:34)

listen!

Iakovos radiated charisma. "He was our John-Paul." (0:33)

listen! The Rev. Dr. Robert Stephanopoulos says marching with Martin Luther King in Selma, Alabama in 1965 demonstrated Iakovos's insight. (0:34)

listen! Rev. Stephanopoulos says Iakovos was an early leader of the ecumenical movement. He met with the pope in 1959. (0:34)

listen! A Byzantine memorial chant at Archbishop Iakovos's funeral at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan. (0:41)

listen! The Lord's Prayer recited in the original Greek. (0:42)

listen! Michael Parlamis, an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, remembers Iakovos's march in Selma, Ala. (2:30)

listen! Jim Speros, the CMO of Ernst & Young, also an Archon, remembers serving as an altar boy for Archbishop Iakovos. (1:09)

By John Metaxas

ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS, for 37 years the spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in North and South America and a towering figure in our lives, passed away on Sunday. He was 93.

Those of us who grew up with Archbishop Iakovos feel a deep personal sense of loss. He served the church in this country for 65 years and we cannot imagine our church without him. I remember and will always treasure the close friendship Archbishop Iakovos shared with my father, Takis Metaxas, who served as an Archon of the church.

Archbishop Iakovos was truly a visionary who was ahead of his time. A leader of the ecumenical movement, he brought the Orthodox church into the mainstream of American life, championing social causes and marching for racial equality with The Rev. Martin Luther King in Selma, Ala. in 1965.
Life Magazine

The New York Times reported, ''The striking cover of Time magazine that showed Dr. King side by side with the black-garbed Archbishop Iakovos marked a new presence of Greek Americans and the Greek Orthodox church in American life.''

In 1959, shortly after being named archbishop, he met with Pope John XXIII in the first meeting of an Orthodox leader and a pope in 350 years. This meeting set the stage for the historic meeting in Jerusalem between the pope and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in 1964. The next year the two churches nullified the anathemas they had issued against each other in the schism of 1054.

As a president of the World Council of Churches, Archbishop Iakovos endeavored to foster closer cooperation among 173 Christian denominations and established a dialogue with Judaism and Islam. He cited the recognition of Orthodox chaplains in the armed forces as one of his major accomplishments towards the ultimate goal of having the Orthodox Church accepted by the family of religions in the United States. In 1980, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter at a ceremony my parents were honored to attend. In 1994 in Ligonier, Pa. Archbishop Iakovos led a conference of bishops from various branches of Orthodoxy in the United States seeking unity in our divided church.

Though Archbishop Iakovos mingled with popes and presidents, he was truly never as happy as when he was in the presence of children. We will always remember Archbishop Iakovos as a dynamic and charismatic figure who inspired us with his love.

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