[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6706]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2005

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, April 10, the world lost one 
its foremost religious leaders. It was with tremendous sadness that I 
learned of the death of His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, who for 37 
years was the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South 
America. As the Hellenic-American community mourns the passing of this 
great leader, I hope that we can all pause to reflect upon the 
Archbishop's greatest legacies: his profound love of God and his 
lifetime of work to promote freedom, human rights and religious 
tolerance. He will be greatly missed.
  I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Archbishop Iakovos in 1992, 
shortly after my election to Congress, and I will never forget his kind 
words of encouragement and advice. As the representative of Astoria, 
New York, home to the largest Hellenic population outside of Greece, 
the Archbishop's wise counsel was truly invaluable to me. The 
Archbishop once said that although the Orthodox Church is rooted in 
Greece, ``America is the place God intended it to grow.'' Throughout 
his life, His Eminence helped millions to explore their lives in the 
Americas without losing touch with their religious and ethnic heritage.
  In addition to his role as the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in 
the Americas, Archbishop Iakovos was a staunch defender of human 
rights, both here in America and in his Greek homeland. Whether he was 
marching hand-in-hand with the Rev. Martin Luther King in support of 
civil rights or demanding an end to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, 
His Eminence was a tireless champion of peace and freedom for all 
mankind.
  I join with all New Yorkers and all Americans in extending my deepest 
sympathies to the Hellenic-American community on this solemn occasion. 
May Archbishop Iakovos rest in peace.

                          ____________________