[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 158 (Thursday, October 12, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE RETIREMENT OF ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 12, 1995

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty to inform our colleagues 
of the impending retirement of one of the more outstanding religious 
leaders of the 20th century.
  Archbishop Iakovos, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in the 
Western Hemisphere since 1959, has recently announced that he will be 
stepping down from office next June 29, on what will be his 85th 
birthday.
  Throughout his 37 year tenure, the archbishop earned the respect and 
admiration of individuals of all faiths. His message of brotherhood and 
peace is truly universal, and has been appreciated by all men and women 
of good will.
  Archbishop Iakovos was born in the Turkish island of Imroz in 1911. 
As a child, the young man then known as Demetrios A. Concouzins worked 
hard in his father's general store after school, selling everything to 
his fellow islanders from food staples to religious icons. But from his 
youngest days, Demetrios had dreams of entering religious life.
  At the age of 16, his dreams began to come true. He entered the Halki 
Theological School, having passed the necessary entrance exams and 
having saved enough money from his own earnings to enable him to travel 
to the school. He graduated with high honors in 1934, and having been 
ordained as a deacon, was assigned to the Metropolitan of Derkon in 
Turkey. After 5 years in that position, he was assigned to the United 
States. In 1940, in Boston, MA, he achieved his life ambition by being 
ordained a priest.
  Upon assuming the priesthood, by ancient Greek Orthodox custom, he 
dropped his given name and adopted a new name: ``Iakovos,'' which is 
Greek for James.
  After many years as a priest, a preacher, and a teacher at various 
well regarded theological colleges in Massachusetts, New York, and 
Missouri, Iakovos was appointed bishop of Malta in late 1954. Traveling 
back to Europe to assume this position, Iakovos took with him a 
reputation for intellectual integrity, heartfelt compassion, and a 
master's degree he had earned at Harvard Divinity School in his spare 
time.
  On February 14, 1959, Iakovos was elected archbishop of North and 
South America by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He 
returned to America on March 31, and was enthroned the following day at 
the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City.
  Throughout his tenure, Archbishop Iakovos has made it clear to 
orthodox worshipers and non-orthodox alike the he is not a typical 
religious leader, and in fact blazed many trails for leaders of other 
faiths. He marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during 
the 1960's to end racial segregation and prejudice in the United 
States. He received the ``Man of the Year'' award from B'nai B'rith in 
1962, and was also presented with the national award from the National 
Council of Christians and Jews that same year. He received a 
Presidential Citation from President Nixon in 1970 as a Distinguished 
American in Voluntary Service, and was presented with the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in our Nation, by 
President Carter in 1980.
  Throughout his tenure as archbishop, this remarkable man, Iakovos, 
amazed his coreligionists and other citizens of the world alike for his 
holy and profound philanthropy, through his authorship of books and 
articles in Greek, French and German, as well as in English, and for 
his unyielding devotion to the Boston Red Sox. For a time, Archbishop 
Iakovos was President of St. Basil's Academy in Garrison, NY, directly 
across the Hudson River from my own 20th Congressional District.
  Today, in the United States alone, the Greek Orthodox Church boasts 
over 1\1/2\ million adherents who belong to 555 congregations. These 
communicants of a church founded nearly a millennium ago had found a 
true spiritual leader in Archbishop Iakovos: A man who not only 
personified the creed of Greek Orthodoxy, but who earned for that 
church the admiration and respect of millions of persons who professed 
other creeds.
  Mr. Speaker, while Archbishop Iakovos will be missed, none can 
dispute that his impending retirement is certainly well earned. I urge 
all of our colleagues to join with me in wishing this remarkable 
religious leader many productive, healthy, and happy years to come.

                          ____________________