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April 4, 1998

An Open Letter

Τo The Greek Orthodox Community In The United States

Dear Brethren,

On January 25, 1998 a Mr. Zachary Marantis wrote to Archbishop Spyridon a scalding letter admonishing him on what and how he expressed himself to the Holy Trinity Community of New Rochelle during his January 18, 1998 visit there. He chose carefully and with purpose to color his Eminence's statements under the most negative light in order to satisfy his hidden agenda. An agenda which he refuses to divulge while audaciously calling for the removal of our Archbishop. Yet this agenda deserves to be revealed so that we can all better understand the viciousness of his remarks.

Zachary Marantis is a semi-retired attorney at law with a history of modest accomplishments and with an attitude full of unjustified self importance. As a man of questionable intellectual capacity and skills he has no business lecturing anybody let alone our learned and multi-cultured Archbishop. He also happens to be a close friend of Fr.Peter Kyriakos, former pastor at the Holy Trinity Church of New Rochelle and the right hand man of former Archbishop Iakovos. It is a well known fact that Fr. Kyriakos has tried on several occasions, now that he is retired, to humiliate Archbishop Spyridon as a favor to Iakovos, who is still seething about the fact that he failed to become Ecumenical Patriarch following the death of Patriarch Demetrios at Phanari and then again failing in his revengeful attempt to become Patriarch of an autocephalous American church, regardless of the consequences to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It should also be noted that this scheming and arrogant trio has been assisted in their futile efforts by such notables as Ted Kalmoukos, a National Herald reporter who once attended our theological school but never quite made it as a priest, and Steve Kyriakos, son of Peter Kyriakos who firmly believes in nepotism and conflicts of interests particularly when it deals with his father's welfare.

So it is quite obvious that this conspiratorial triumvirate of sore losers have tried time and again to humble and ridicule our Eminence in order to satisfy their wounded egos even at the expense of possibly damaging our church irreversibly but only in the eyes of the weak hearted. Therefore, we should consider ourselves blessed that the Holy Spirit came to rid us of these ethically bankrupt leaders who for the past ten years have scarred our church with their corrupt behavior emphasizing dollars and Machiavellian politics as opposed to spiritual advancement.

Hence, we believe that although it is important as Orthodox Christians to forgive these three sinners we should remove them and anyone else actively pursuing the demise of our spiritual leadership, from any positions representing our church's interests. As such we ought to be insisting on the removal of Zachary Marantis as Archon of the Church because he failed miserably in his duties to protect the Church in the unpretentious and steadfast manner that it deserves as well as stripping him of all honorific titles obtained from the Orthodox community.

Concurrently, Peter Kyriakos should not be invited to participate in public liturgies until he absolves himself from his immoral and hypocritical ways and accepts the holy canons of the church without reservations. In so far Iakovos is concerned it would be most appropriate if the Archdiocese reduces the $500,000 a year funding of his private office to a level that will compel him to stop his underhanded practices but regrettably not the vitriolic untruths that he is currently preparing for his memoirs.

With Brotherly Love,
Diogenis Laertis

[ EKKLISIA | www.ekklisia.org/elet-4-4.htm  -  April 4, 1998 ]