Patriarchate Assigns Evangelos Acting Abbot of St. Irene’s
BOSTON – The Ecumenical Patriarchate has appointed Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey as acting Abbot of the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Patriarchal Monastery in Astoria until Dec. 1 when Holy and Sacred Synod will decide the fate of its leadership in the wake of charges by a nun there of misconduct and a mysterious bag of money and gold coins. The story has received widespread attention in the Greek American community and without, after The National Herald’s reporting was picked up by mainstream media, particularly in New York City where television channels reported from outside St. Irene’s Church and Precinct 114 police station in Astoria, and the CBS national network covered it as well.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew called a special Synaxis of the hierarchs at the Phanar and they discussed the issue of appointing someone to temporarily run the Chrysovalantou Monastery. The National Herald is in a position to know that first Abbot Kyrillos from the Monastery of St. John the Forerunner (Prodromos) of Essex England was recommended, but the Chairman of the Exarchy, Metropolitan Nikitas of Dardanelia, informed the Patriarchate that Archimandrite Kyrillos had departed the night before to England. The names of Metropolitan Joseph of Proikonisos, Bishop Demetrios of Xanthos, and Archimandrites Apostolos Koufalakis from St. Demetrios Astoria and Kyrillos Sykis from the Metropolis of Mytilini were recommended but finally the Synaxis and the Patriarch preferred Metropolitan Evangelos, especially as he lives in Astoria. The three members of the Exarchy team departed on Nov. 15 after having finished its probe of the goings on in the monastery and its leadership under Metropolitan Paisios and Bishop Vikentios, who abruptly bolted for Greece, leaving behind a bag full of cash, reportedly as much as $260,000. Paisios later said it was for adding an additional floor to the Monastery.
On Nov. 27, the investigating team is set to travel to Constantinople to hand-deliver their report to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and also to discuss the issues and the findings with him prior to the meeting of the Holy Synod on December 1st, which will decide the fate of Paisios and Vikentios. The Exarchy, with permission from Patriarch Bartholomew, and having informed the authorities, twice opened Metropolitan Paisios’ room in the Monastery and registered all the items of ecclesiastical and other nature. The Exarchy also twice visited St. Markella Cathedral of the old calendar, traditionalist Metropolis of the so-called Genuine Orthodox Church under the Archpastorship of Metropolitan Pavlos Stratigeas and met with people who used to live at the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery and reportedly had knowledge of events that had allegedly taken place for many years.
The Exarchy interviewed tens of individuals following the process of asking them first to present photo identification and recording their testimonies with their consent. All three members of the Exarchy were present. They also ordered that the chambers of Metropolitan Paisios, Deputy Abbot Vikentios of Apameia, and former nun Christonymphi Fitzpatrick, who made the charges, be sealed. The delegation visited the premises of the monastery, located on Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, on Nov. 13 and 14 to conduct an investigation. The previous day they vistgited St. Markella Cathedral in Astoria, the headquarters of the church that is under the leadership of Metropolitan Pavlos Stratigeas – where its members reportedly met with an individual who belonged to the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery but left eight years ago over unnamed reasons that were said to be serious. Metropolitan Pavlos reportedly received the members of the delegation in tears.
Sources also told TNH that during the Patriarchal delegation’s Nov. 13th visit to the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery, they were joined by a Greek American businessman who insisted that he lived on the monastery’s third floor for 13 years. He reportedly claimed to have first-hand knowledge of events that transpired inside the walls of the monastery, which have just come to light, but no details were available. He has reportedly already given testimony to the FBI twice at their Manhattan offices, as well as to local Police authorities at the 114th Precinct and sent a signed written account to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on Oct. 30.
The witness reportedly gave the members of the patriarchal delegation a detailed tour of the monastery, including Metropolitan Paisios’ private chambers on the third floor, the private room that he had stayed in on the third floor, as well as Bishop Vikentios’ chambers on the second floor. He also was said to have given a taped statement to the patriarchal delegation, where he provided further details, and suggested that he accompany the delegation to the Monastery to back up his allegations. Members of the Patriarchal delegation reportedly asked the businessman and other key witnesses questions about Metropolitan Paisios, as well as Bishop Vikentios, who was a co-founder of the Monastery and an associate of Metropolitan Paisios for nearly 40 years.
He also reportedly suggested that he accompany the delegation to the St. Nectarios Church in Brooklyn, a dependency of the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery and the most recent residence of Bishop Vikentios. It is not known if this visit took place.
St. Irene Chrysovalantou Chief Secretary Dr. John Kotsaridis was also at the Monastery at the time of the visit, but did not return calls left for him by TNH on November 13 and 14. Metropolitan Paisios’ driver George Lazinos, and the Monastery’s chanter George Meridis — both of whom are residents fo the Monastery — were also present during the Exarchy’s visit, along with Soula Georgakis, who also lives at the Monastery with her two teenage daughters. They were all questioned by the Patriarchal delegation.