Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis)

Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) (1911-2005)

Iakovos may be spelt Iakobos, Jakob, James.

Coucouzis may be spelt Koukouzis.

Imvros may be spelt Imbros.

Early life of Demetrios A Coucouzis

On 29 July, 1911, Demetrios A Coucouzis was born to Maria and Athanasios Coucouzis on the Greek island of Imbros (or Imvros in the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey). He was one of 4 children, including 2 sisters and a brother.

The whole family grew up on this island, in a parish belonging to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was there that they were formed in the Orthodox Christian Faith.

Demetrios completed his primary and secondary education on this island.

Higher education

Demetrios was enrolled at the age of 15 in the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological School of Halki, on Halki (Heybeliada) Island (one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmora), southeast of Constantinople/Istanbul.

At the Halki seminary, Demetrios earned a Master’s Degree in Orthodox Theology.

He graduated in 1934 with high honours, based on his thesis "About 'Ousia'".

Halki Monastery and Theological School

After his graduation, Demetrios was not immediately certain about his future, and for a short time he served as a lay-preacher and catechist in his hometown.

As he prayed and considered these matters, his mother expressed her opposition to his proceeding to serve as a cleric of the Orthodox Christian Church. She was of a family of many generations of priests, and she was of the opinion that her family had already offered sufficient priests to the Church. Nevertheless, having been convinced through a dream, Demetrios did follow the path of service in the Church. Demetrios accepted the proposal of his former schoolmaster that he do so.

Diaconal ordination, 1934

On 25 November, 1934, Demetrios Coucouzis was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in the Cathedral of Saint George the Victory-bearer in Constantinople. He received the name Iakovos at that time, out of respect for his benefactor, Metropolitan Iakovos (Papapaisiou) of Imvros.

Diaconal service

Although he had tried to avoid it, Deacon Iakovos (Coucouzis) had to fulfil his obligatory service in the Turkish Army. He served as secretary in a military hospital.

He then served as the Chief Deacon and Preacher in the Metropolis of Derkon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

In 1939, Deacon Iakovos (Coucouzis) was assigned to serve as a deacon to Archbishop Athenagoras (Spyrou) (later Ecumenical Patriarch) in North America.

He was ready to leave his homeland because of the oppression of the Turkish state against the Romans of Constantinople and Turkey, and against the Orthodox Christian Church. Although they have been Greek-speakers, the Orthodox Christians of Constantinople have, since Roman imperial days, been known as "Romans" because they were citizens of the Roman Empire. Moreover, Constantinople was the capital of that Empire from the fourth century. This self-awareness was the case also for the citizens of the Hellenic peninsula both before and long after the establishment of the modern country of Greece. Throughout Turkey and the Middle-East, Orthodox Christians are generally known as "Roum Orthodox" (Roman Orthodox) for such reasons as well. [In his writings, Professor Protopresbyter John S Romanides explained this situation clearly.]

Presbyteral ordination, 1940

On 16 June, 1940, Deacon Iakovos (Coucouzis) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Bishop Athenagoras (Kavada) (Rector of Holy Cross Theological School) in Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.

Pastoral service

After this, Priest Iakovos (Coucouzis) was first assigned to serve as Assistant Priest (Vicar) in Saint George's Church, Hartford, Connecticut.

In 1941, he was assigned to be the preacher at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City.

In 1942, he was assigned to serve as Assistant Priest (Vicar) at Saint Nicholas' Church in Saint Louis, Missouri, and also to serve as the Assistant Dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Later in 1942, he was assigned to serve as the Dean of the Annunciation to the Theotokos Cathedral in Boston, Massachusetts, and he served in that capacity until 1954.

During this time, he earned the Master of Sacred Theology degree from Harvard Divinity School (1946), and he became a citizen of the USA (1950).

In 1950, Priest Iakovos (Coucouzis) was elected to become the Metropolitan of Miletus and Rector of the Halki Theological School. However, Father Iakovos was unwilling to return to Turkey, and he refused the election. This refusal cause a 4-year period of silence between him and Patriarch Athenagoras (Spyrou).

Nevertheless, in 1954, at the recommendation of Patriarch Athenagoras (Spyrou), Priest Iakovos (Coucouzis) was elected by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church of Constantinople to become a bishop. He was also assigned to serve as the first permanent representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the headquarters of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1954, Father Iakovos was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite.

Episcopal ordination, 1954

On 6 February, 1955, Archimandrite Iakovos (Coucouzis) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate by bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint George in the Phanar, Constantinople (Istanbul).

Episcopal service

Bishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) was assigned to be the Titular Bishop of Melita (Malta) by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras (Spyrou).

In this capacity, between 1955 and 1959, he served as the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople to the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1956, Bishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) was elevated to the dignity of metropolitan.

His 4-year service in the WCC as Permanent Representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was particularly important. He played a significant role in the history of the WCC during the first decade of its activities and its consolidation in the inter-Christian world, as the centre of the Ecumenical Movement. Together with William Adolf Visser'T Hooft and Francis House, he was one of 3 personalities who established the functioning of the headquarters of the WCC at the end of the 1950s.

Further, his time of service was formative in the history of the Patriarchal Office.

In addition, he was a member of Church missionary visits to Romania (1955), New Zealand, India, Ethiopia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Finland (1956), Russia, The Netherlands and England (1958).

In 1958, the widowhood of the Archdiocese of America upon the repose in Christ of Archbishop Michael (Konstantinides) initiated a search for a successor.

The desire of the majority of the members of the Patriarchal Synod was to assign the then Metropolitan Meliton (Khatzis) of Imbros, a former member of the Patriarchal Court and a prominent person in ecclesiastical diplomacy. Their desire, however, was not in accordance with that of Patriarch Athenagoras and of the Greek Government. Thus, in his 8 August, 1958, letter to the Ecumenical Patriarch, the President of the Government, Konstantinos Karamanlis, pointed out that : "since, after religious duties, the archbishop-elect will be called to fulfil, there are interwoven special national interests relating to Hellenism in America" the preference of the Greek Government was Bishop Iakaovs (Coucouzis), "whose abilities, morals and national pulse are fully assessed and trusted".

Regardless of the letter, 7 members of the Holy Synod did not agree with that choice. The patriarch then excluded the 7 from a session of the Holy Synod, and he convened a 5-member session to make the decision.

Therefore, on 14 February, 1959, Bishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) was elected by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church of Constantinople to become Archbishop of North and South America, and he was invited to deliver the Great Message, that is, the acceptance of this election.

Archbishop of North and South America, 1959

Having been thus chosen and declared, Metropolitan Iakovos (Coucouzis) delivered his statement of acceptance.

Metropolitan Iakovos (Coucouzis) was elevated to the dignity of archbishop.

On 1 April, 1959, in Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) was enthroned to be the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.

Primatial service

It was during the first year of his service that Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) oversaw directly the life of the Greek Orthodox Church in Canada ; but as archbishop, his supervisory responsibility for Canada continued indirectly until his retirement.

In 1959, a month after his enthronement, Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) became the first Greek Orthodox archbishop to meet with a Pope of Rome in 350 years, while he was visiting Pope John XXIII as a special emissary of Patriarch Athenagoras (Spyrou).

Development of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas

In 1960, shortly after his assignment to be the primate of Greek Orthodoxy in the Western Hemisphere, Archbishop Iakovos founded the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). He served as its president until his retirement in 1996. It was his first major step in attempting to bring about Orthodox Christian unity in the Americas, a cause he championed, and with which he was strongly associated for all the years of his episcopate.

The enthronement of Archbishop Iakovos came at a time when there was a great increase in emigration from Greece to North America. He therefore set new pastoral priorities, and he promoted dynamic and radical solutions both for the new needs and for chronic situations and difficulties. Because of a change in immigration law, this migration became more possible. Between 1960 and 1980, more than 170,000 Greeks arrived in the USA.

Archbishop Iakovos upgraded the role of the archdiocese and the National Philoptochos ("philoptochos" means "love for the poor"), and he introduced new structures in the Archdiocese, such as the departments of Youth, Education, Sunday Schools, Communications, Missions.

At the same time, he took care of the consolidation and expansion of institutions such as Saint Michael's Nursing Home in Yonkers.

He turned the newspaper "Orthodox Observer" into a fortnightly journalistic institution of the archdiocese, and during his time of service it reached 200,000 subscribers.

He founded the organisation "Leadership 100" as a reserve fund to support the programmes of the archdiocese and its institutions.

He also promoted the development of local communities, which he considered the centre of both the social life and the focus of unity amongst the Greeks of North America.

Youth and educational programmes

The youth programmes that were developed under the archbishop's supervision culminated in the establishment of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. In 1970, the "Ionian Village" summer camping programme was established, which gave young participants experience in Greece itself.

Under his guidance, the Holy Cross Theological School became an institution fully recognised by the Association of Theological Schools of the USA and Canada. In addition, he succeeded in acquiring the recognition by the Greek state of this theological school as being equivalent to the theological schools of the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki and the corresponding School of Halki. He also conceived and implemented the idea for the creation of the Hellenic College, a centre of Greek studies linked to the Holy Cross Theological School.

Political activity

Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) met with each of the governing USA presidents during the years of his service : from President Eisenhower to President Clinton.

Archbishop Iakovos and President Eisenhower

Archbishop Iakovos and President Nixon

In 1965, Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) accompanied Patriarch Athenagoras to Jerusalem to meet with Pope Paul VI, and then later to Rome (the Vatican), where, on 7 December, the 2 primates declared a mutual lifting of the Anathemas of 1054 that had begun the "Great Schism".

On 15 March, 1965, Archbishop Iakovos participated with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the march in Selma, Alabama, and he participated with him also in other civil rights events.

Archbishop Iakovos with Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1967, Archbishop Iakovos recognised the development of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Canada by designating [[Toronto ON Annunciation to the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral 1961 |Holy Annunciation Church] (Panagia) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to the be the diocesan cathedral. At that time, Canada was part of the 9th Archdiocesan District of the Archdiocese of North and South America.

Controversies about the use of English

In 1970, at the 20th Clergy-Laity Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, held in New York, Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) raised the matter of the importance of introducing the English language into the functional life of the Greek Orthodox Church of North America. The beginning of this initiative was the report of his views on the subject. The purpose of the use of English in the Divine Liturgy was to draw back and to support the children of second- and third-generation immigrants, who did not understand the common Hellenistic Greek language in which they were written.

These innovative proposals provoked a strong reaction from many delegates, who accused the archbishop of trying to "de-Greek" the archdiocese. There were voices that even called for the suspension of the archbishop by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The archbishop stressed additionally that the proposal for the functional use of English involved the need to approach the other Orthodox administrations of the USA, which already used the local language in their services and in their daily work. His approach was aimed at strengthening the expressed willingness to create an Orthodox Church centre of all the Orthodox Christians together in the USA.

Ultimately, the introduction of the English language into the worship services in the archdiocese was accepted by vote in the Clerical Assembly, which included the right for each local parish community to choose the language in which it wished to worship.

Inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian dialogues

In a somewhat related manner, Archbishop Iakovos set about increasing the visibility of the Orthodox Christian Church in the USA in particular. One of the means for this was the establishment of inter-Christian dialogues in which the Orthodox Christian Faith might be shared, while allowing the Orthodox participants to understand more clearly the nature of the other Christians. Such dialogues involved Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Southern Baptists and others. As was written about him, the leadership of Archbishop Iakovos helped the Greek Orthodox Faithful adjust from the immigrant isolation in which they first subsisted to being in the mainstream of American religious life.

During the same assembly (the 20th Clergy-Laity Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), and in connection with the language concern, the question was raised about the strengthening of the autonomy of the archdiocese by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This proposal produced an active and long-lasting debate.

One of the priorities for Archbishop Iakovos was the promotion and strengthening of Sunday Schools and Christian education amongst the Greek populations of the first- and second-generation immigrations. In the early 1970s, with the help of Georgios Nikozisis, he reorganised the Department of Sunday Education. Using a committee of specialists (theologians and teachers), he managed to make it one of the most important departments of the archdiocese.

In 1973, in his effort to bring about more homogeneity in the educational programmes and institutions, Archbishop Iakovos promoted, through the Archdiocesan Council, the union of the Academy of Saint Basil with the Hellenic College. This move, however, did not bring the desired results (the strengthening of the prestige of the academy with an upgraded curriculum and the provision of a university diploma). The archbishop himself later admitted that the objectives he had set had not been achieved.

In 1974, after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Archbishop Iakovos initiated a campaign to assist the Greek Cypriots who became refugees as a consequence.

On 1 March, 1988, Archbishop Iakovos published a book on the spiritual life entitled “Faith for a Lifetime: A Spiritual Journey”. A review of this book states : “In his first book the Primate of North and South America's Greek Orthodox Archdiocese shares thoughts and experiences in the areas of inner spiritual development (via prayer, biblical meditation, spiritual direction, etc.) and outer growth (toward manifestations of Christian unity in such activities as dialogue and family living). The author is clearly committed to social justice (he was active in the civil rights struggle) but downplays politics to stress the search for spiritual perfection, childlike simplicity, and trust in Jesus as Saviour. Disarming in its clarity, this plumbs real spiritual depths”.

1994 Ligonier assembly of Orthodox Christian Bishops

In 1994, Archbishop Iakovos presided over the historic Ligonier Meeting in western Pennsylvania, at the “Antiochian Village”. At this meeting, the assembled North American Orthodox bishops came together, expressed their essential unity, and denounced the notion of their constituting a “diaspora”. His leadership was strongly influential at this meeting, and it was this that caused tensions with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople (Istanbul). Rumours abounded before, during and after the meeting. One such rumour was that he was going to have himself declared “Patriarch of America” (which was hardly likely, but fears can be very imaginatively creative).

To some extent, this meeting had been a product of the archbishop's efforts to normalise the relationships and understanding amongst the various Orthodox Christian ecclesiastical administrations. He still hoped for the establishment of a single centre for all the canonical Orthodox Christian bishops and canonical administrations of America. The Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) had been but a first step in that direction. Although there were some negative repercussions to this meeting, there was a significant advance from the SCOBA (which had included only the several leaders of the various Orthodox Christian administrations) to the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, which included all the canonical bishops. It was formally recognised by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2010. A similar assembly was established in Canada.

Retirement, 1996

On 29 July, 1996, Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) was forced to retire at the age of 85 by Patriarch Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople.

Some believed that it was fears related to his influence that led to this. Although the possibility (of the archbishop achieving for himself a patriarchal title) would have been remote indeed, the retirement did appear to be somehow related to the convoking of the meeting in Ligonier in 1994.

Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) served as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America from 1959 to 1996, which made him (until now) the longest-serving bishop in that capacity.

He was well-known for the work that he did to make Orthodox Christianity visible in USA society, and for his tireless work in civil rights there. The dream and continual struggle of his episcopal service was to help the Lord bring about the full union of the Orthodox Faithful and Orthodox dioceses in North America : that what existed be transfigured from “parochial to truly Orthodox Christian people”, from “separate jurisdictions to one jurisdiction”, from “many ethnic groups to one group, headed and dominated by Christ our Saviour and our Lord”, as he said at the 1994 Ligonier Meeting.

After almost a decade of retirement, the archbishop, suffering from a pulmonary ailment, was admitted to a hospital in Connecticut.

Repose, 2005

On 10 April, 2005, Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) reposed in the Lord in the Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut.

Before the funeral, in the presence of Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) and Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), Metropolitan Herman (Swaiko), together with clergy of the OCA Diocese of New York and New Jersey, served a panikhida (memorial service) for the newly-departed Archbishop Iakovos.

Metropolitans Herman (Swaiko), Theodosius (Lazor), Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) and clergy at the panikhida

On Thursday, 14 April, 2005, the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Hierarch was served at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New York City, New York. The services were led by Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) of New York. Serving also were Archbishop Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens, Greece, Archbishop Gregorios (Theocharous) of Thyateira and Great Britain, Metropolitan Kyrillos (Dragounis) of Imvros and Tenedos, and other bishops and clergy.

At the funeral in New York

After the funeral services were completed, on Friday, 15 April, 2005, his body was interred at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts.

— Titular Bishop of Melita 1955-1956. Preceded by : ___.

— Titular Metropolitan of Melita 1956-1959. Succeeded by : ___.

— Administrator of the Greek Orthodox parishes in Canada 1959-1996, specifically 1959.

— Archbishop of North and South America (Greek Archdiocese) 1959-1996. Preceded by : Archbishop Michael (Konstantinides). Succeeded by : Archbishop Spyridon (Papageorge).

— Former Archbishop of North and South America 1996-2005.

Grave-marker

Reflections

In his episcopal service, Archbishop Iakovos (Coucouzis) was one of the most significant personalities of the Orthodox Christian Church on the American continent during the 20th century.

That he was able to serve an apprenticeship (as it were) under Patriarch Athenagoros (Spyrou) greatly enabled him to mature in inter-Orthodox diplomacy, and in his ability to communicate with other Christians in particular. This gift was nurtured particularly in his service as a Representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the World Council of Churches in the mid-1950s.

Perhaps he, more than any other archbishop until now, was able to serve as an effective interlocutor between the Greek Orthodox Church (as well as the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Government) with the political leadership of the USA. It was reported that at the funeral, Mayor Michael Bloomburg of New York was present and he spoke. Also present were his predecessors, Former Mayors of New York Edward Koch, David Dinkins and Rudolph Giuliani.

For his overall contribution under the action of the WCC, he was honoured on 23 February, 1995, at an event organised in Atlanta, Georgia.

With regard to his final illness, it was reported by some that Archbishop Iakovos suffered from a pulmonary ailment. This is a reasonable report. Others wrote that he suffered from cystic fibrosis, which is highly unlikely. Archbishop Iakovos lived until he was 93 years of age, during most of which he was very energetic and active. With cystic fibrosis, it is not possible to live as actively as he did, and he lived more that twice as long as one would be expected to live while suffering (quite literally) from this illness.

Awards:

• Great Cross of the Holy Sepulchre (1961)

• Gold Medal for Courageous Leadership (1966)

• Gold Medal of Athens (1968)

• Religious Leader Award (1969)

• Clergyman of the Year (1970)

• Distinguished American in Volunteer Service (1970)

• Clergyman of the Year (1971)

• Man of Conscience Award (1971)

• Sam Levenson Memorial Award (1972)

• Alumni Citation (1974)

• Presidential Medal of Freedom (1980)

• Inaugural Award (1981)

• Clergyman of the Year (1981)

• Man of the Year (1982)

• Great Cross of the Holy Sepulchre (1982)

• Cyprus Children's Fund (1983)

• Humanitarian Award (1983)

• Silver World Award (1984)

• Man of the Year Alpha-Omega Award (1984)

• The Compostela Award (1984)

• Gold Medal (1984)

• Grand Cross of Honor (1984)

• Axios Man of the Year (1985)

• Humanitarian Award (1985)

• Liberty Award (1986)

• Dr. George C. Cotzias Humanitarian Award (1986)

• Ellis Island Medal of Honor (1986)

• John LaFarge Memorial Award for Interracial Justice (1987)

• Socratic Award (1988)

• Homeric Award (1988)

• Cross of Lambeth (1988)

• Grand Cross of Makarios 111 (1989)

• Gold Medal of the City of Athens (1989)

• Gold Medal of the City of Thessaloniki (1990)

• Grand Cross of Robert Schuman (1991)

• Gold Medal

• Freedom Award (1992)

• Great Cross of St. Sava (1992)

• Kolokotronis Award (1995)

• Grand Cross of Cyprus (1995)

• Antiochian Gold Medal of Merit (1995)

• Humanitarian Award IOCC (1995)

Arcbishop Iakovos receives the Medal of Freedom from President J Carter

Honourary Degrees :

• Doctor of Humanities (1980), Stonehill College, Boston, Massachusetts

• Doctor of Divinity (1980), Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1982), Queens College, Long Island, New York

• Doctor of Laws (1982), New York Law School, New York, New York

• Doctor of Laws (1982), St. John's University, Jamaica, New York

• Doctor of Laws (1984), Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut

• Doctor of Laws (1984), St. Leo College, St. Leo, Florida

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1984), De Paul University, Chicago, Illinois

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1984), Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1984), Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1984), New York University, New York, New York

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1984), Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1984), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• City University of New York Citation (1985), New York, New York

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1985), University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1986), Ohio University, Athens, Ohio

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1986), University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina

• Doctor of Humane Letters (1988), Adeiphi University, Garden City, New York

• Doctor of Public Service (1986), University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

• Doctorate of Sacred Theology (1987), University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California

• Doctor of Theology (1990), University of Athens, Athens, Greece

• Honorary Distinction (1991), University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

• Honorary Distinction (1995), University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece

• Distinguished Professorship (1996), Orthodox and Ecumenical Studies, Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts

Writings

• “The Complete Works of His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, Primate of North and South America 1959-1996” (Brookline, MA : Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1999). ISBN 10 : 1885652208 ; ISBN 13 : 978-1885652201.

• “Faith for a Lifetime : A Spiritual Journey in the Spirit” (New York : Doubleday, 1988). ISBN 0385195958.

• “The Greek Orthodox priest as a leader in America” (New York : Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, Dept. of Interchurch Relations and Social Concerns, 1976). ASIN : B0007313BU.

• “The Torchbearer” (Brookline, MA : Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1999). ISBN : 1885652356.

• “The Torchbearer”, Part 2 (Brookline, MA : Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2001). ISBN : 1885652550.

• ‘Why I supported Martin Luther King in Selma’ in the “Greek Reporter” (16 January, 2017)

• “Answers on Human Rights and National Issues” ISBN : 978-9601216928.

Writings about Archbishop Iakovos by various authors

• Constantelos, Demetrios J, ed., “Orthodox Theology and Diakonia : Essays in Honour of His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday” (New York : Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1981). ISBN : 0916586790.

• Poulos, George, “A Breath of God, Portrait of a Prelate : A Biography of Archbishop Iakovos” (New York : Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1984). ISBN : 0916586987.

• Stephanopoulos, Nikki, ed., “Iakovos : The Making of an Archbishop” (New York : Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1996).

• Vecsey, George, ‘Iakovos to mark 20th Year as Primate’ in “The New York Times” (31 March, 1979)

• “Honoring the life and contributions of His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, former archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America”, Resolution of the United States Senate of 19 May, 2005

References

Orthodoxwiki biography

Greek Wikipedia biography

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America biography

Wikipedia biography

Additional information :

Grammenos, Athanasios, "Archbishop James of North and South America in Greek-Turkish Relations, 1981-1989", Balkan Symmikta, ISSN : 2407-9456, 17 (2015), pp. 161-186. («Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος Βορείου και Νοτίου Αμερικής Ιάκωβος στις ελληνοτουρκικές σχέσεις, 1981-1989», Βαλκανικά Σύμμεικτα, ISSN : 2407-9456, 17 (2015), 161-186.)

Tripoulas, Christopher, ‘From Rev. James Coucouzes to Archbishop Iakovos’ in “The National Herald” (27 October, 2011)

Trakatellis, Archbishop Demetrios, “Special Encyclical – The Falling asleep in the Lord of Archbishop Iakovos, Former Archbishop of North and South America (04/10/2005)

“Archbishop Iakovos hospitalised” (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese news : 8 April, 2005)

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese article : Archbishop Iakovos Fact Sheet

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese article : a copy of the Funeral Service for Archbishop Iakovos

Senate Tribute to Archbishop Iakovos on 16 March, 1989 : 30th Anniversary of the Enthronement of Archbishop Iakovos as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America

Metropolitan Herman (Swaiko) and OCA clergy offering prayers for Archbishop Iakovos (13 April, 2005)

Findagrave obituary for Archbishop Iakovos

Wikipedia article about Imbros Island

Wikipedia article about Imbros and Tenedos

Orthodoxwiki article about the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Orthodoxwiki article about the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America