[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 67 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5545-S5546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

   SENATE RESOLUTION 149--HONORING THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF HIS 
 EMINENCE, ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS, FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX 
                 ARCHDIOCESE OF NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

  Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Mr. Sarbanes) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 149

       Whereas His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos, former archbishop 
     of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America 
     and spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in the 
     Western Hemisphere from 1959 to 1996, passed away at the age 
     of 93 on April 10, 2005, in Stamford, Connecticut;
       Whereas, when Archbishop Iakovos retired at the age of 85 
     on July 29, 1996, the Archbishop had given 37 years of 
     outstanding service that were distinguished by his leadership 
     in furthering religious unity, revitalizing Christian 
     worship, and championing human and civil rights;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was born Demetrios A. Coucouzis 
     on the tiny island of Imbros in the Aegean Sea to Maria and 
     Athanasios Coucouzis on July 29, 1911;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos enrolled in the Ecumenical 
     Patriarchal Theological School at Halki at the age of 15;
       Whereas, after graduating with high honors from Halki, 
     Archbishop Iakovos was ordained deacon in 1934, taking the 
     ecclesiastical name Iakovos;
       Whereas 5 years after his ordination, Archbishop Iakovos 
     received an invitation to serve as archdeacon to the late 
     Archbishop Athenagoras, the primate of North and South 
     America, who later became Ecumenical Patriarch of 
     Constantinople;
       Whereas in 1940, Archbishop Iakovos was ordained to the 
     priesthood in Lowell, Massachusetts, beginning his service at 
     St. George Church in Hartford, Connecticut, while teaching 
     and serving as assistant dean of the Holy Cross Greek 
     Orthodox Theological School, then in Pomfret, Connecticut, 
     and now in Brookline, Massachusetts;
       Whereas in 1941, Archbishop Iakovos was named preacher at 
     Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, and in the summer of 
     1942 served as temporary dean of St. Nicholas Church in St. 
     Louis, Missouri;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was appointed dean of the 
     Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Boston, 
     Massachusetts, in 1942, and remained there until 1954;
       Whereas in 1945, Archbishop Iakovos earned a Master of 
     Sacred Theology Degree from Harvard University;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos became a United States citizen 
     in 1950;
       Whereas in 1954, Archbishop Iakovos was ordained Bishop of 
     Melita by his spiritual father and mentor, Ecumenical 
     Patriarch Athenagoras, for whom he served four years as 
     personal representative of the Patriarchate to the World 
     Council of Churches in Geneva;
       Whereas on February 14, 1959, the Holy Synod of the 
     Ecumenical Patriarchate elected Archbishop Iakovos to succeed 
     Archbishop Michael as primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in 
     the Americas;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was enthroned April 1, 1959, at 
     Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, assuming 
     responsibility for a jurisdiction that has grown to be over 
     500 parishes in the United States alone;
       Whereas the enthronement of Archbishop Iakovos in 1959 
     ushered in a new era for the Greek Orthodox Church in 
     America, in which the Church became part of the mainstream of 
     American religious life;
       Whereas in 1959, shortly after being named archbishop, 
     Archbishop Iakovos held a historic meeting with Pope John 
     XXIII, becoming the first Greek Orthodox Archbishop to meet 
     with a Roman Catholic Pope in 350 years;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a dynamic participant in the 
     contemporary ecumenical movement for Christian unity, serving 
     for nine years as President of the World Council of Churches 
     and piloting Inter-Orthodox, Inter-Christian, and Inter-
     Religious dialogues;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos vigorously supported the passage 
     of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and had the courage to walk 
     hand in hand with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, 
     Alabama, a historic moment for America that was captured on 
     the cover of LIFE Magazine on March 26, 1965;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos spoke out forcefully against 
     violations of human rights and religious freedom and, in 
     1974, undertook a massive campaign to assist Greek Cypriot 
     refugees following the invasion of Cyprus by Turkish armed 
     forces;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a recipient of the 
     Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian 
     honor, which was bestowed on him by President Carter on June 
     9, 1980;
       Whereas in 1986, Archbishop Iakovos was awarded the Ellis 
     Island Medal of Honor and was cited by the Academy of Athens, 
     the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the 
     Appeal of Conscience;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos, during his stewardship of the 
     Greek Orthodox Church in America, became an imposing 
     religious figure and a champion of social causes, encouraging 
     the faithful to become involved in all aspects of American 
     life;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was a friend to nine Presidents, 
     and to religious and political leaders worldwide, receiving 
     honorary

[[Page S5546]]

     degrees from some 40 colleges and universities;
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos presented a prayer at 
     Presidential inaugural ceremonies in 1961, 1965, 1969, and 
     1972;
       Whereas the Archbishop has said of his pastoral work with 
     immigrants in New England and New York, ``I lived and 
     struggled with them to maintain the faith and culture.'';
       Whereas in a 1995 interview, the Archbishop said he had 
     accomplished a major goal ``to have the Orthodox Church be 
     accepted by the family of religions in the United States''; 
     and
       Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was interred at the Holy Trinity 
     Cathedral in New York, New York, on April 15, 2005: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) mourns the loss of Archbishop Iakovos and commends the 
     life the Archbishop led;
       (2) thanks Archbishop Iakovos for his service to the 
     members of his church and to the people of this Nation;
       (3) honors Archbishop Iakovos' commitment to the principles 
     of equality, humanity, and peace; and
       (4) recognizes that Archbishop Iakovos was a committed and 
     caring pastor to a whole generation of Greek Americans--
       (A) whose hard work, determination, and pride in their 
     religious and cultural heritage Archbishop Iakovos embodied; 
     and
       (B) who will dearly miss the Archbishop.

                          ____________________