IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 325 

Honoring the spiritual leadership of Archbishop Iakovos to Greek Orthodox 

Christians in the Western Hemisphere. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 16, 2005 

Mr. FOSSELLA (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. RYAN of 

Ohio, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. 

RANGEL, Mr. KUHL of New York, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. ROTHMAN, 

Ms. WATSON, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. HOLT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 

PALLONE, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. MENENDEZ, and Mr. 

MCCOTTER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the spiritual leadership of Archbishop Iakovos to 

Greek Orthodox Christians in the Western Hemisphere. 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos, spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Christians in the Western Hemisphere from 1959 to 

1996, passed away on April 10, 2005, at the age of 93; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was born Demetrios Coucouzis 

on the Island of Imvros, and he enrolled in the Ecumenical Patriarchal Theological School at Halki at the age of 

15; 

Whereas after graduating with high honors, Demetrios 

Coucouzis was ordained Deacon in 1934, taking the ec-
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•HRES 325 IH 

clesiastical name Iakovos, and five years after his ordination, he received an invitation to serve as Archdeacon to 

the late Archbishop Athenagoras, the Primate of North 

and South America from 1949 through 1972 who later 

became the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople; 

Whereas Father Iakovos was ordained to the priesthood in 

1940 in Lowell, Massachusetts, and he served at St. 

George Church in Hartford, Connecticut, while teaching 

and serving as assistant dean of the Holy Cross Greek 

Orthodox Theological School, which was then in Pomfret, 

Connecticut, and is now in Brookline, Massachusetts; 

Whereas in 1941, Father Iakovos was named Preacher at 

Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City and in the 

summer of 1942 he served as temporary Dean of St. 

Nicholas Church in St. Louis, Missouri; 

Whereas in 1942, he was appointed Dean of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Boston and remained there until 1954, and in 1945 he earned a Master 

of Sacred Theology Degree from Harvard University; 

Whereas in 1954, Father 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, during which time he was 

elevated to the rank of Metropolitan; 

Whereas on February 14, 1959, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected Metropolitan Iakovos as successor to Archbishop Michael, who died July 15, 1958, as 

Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Americas; 

Whereas when Archbishop Iakovos was enthroned April 1, 

1959, at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City, he 
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assumed responsibility for what has grown to over 550 

parishes in the United States and ushered in a new era 

for Greek Orthodoxy in America; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos had the courage to walk hand 

in hand with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Selma, Alabama, a historic moment for the United States, which 

was captured on the cover of LIFE Magazine on March 

26, 1965, and he vigorously supported the passage of the 

Civil Rights Act of 1964, exclaiming upon its passage, 

‘‘Glory to the Most High! May this mark the beginning 

of a new age for all humankind, an era when the Word 

of God charts and guides our lives’’; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was deeply respected by all religious leaders in the United States when he retired at the 

age of 85 on July 29, 1996, and his 37 years of service 

were distinguished by his leadership in furthering religious unity, revitalizing Christian worship, and championing human and civil rights; 

Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian 

honor, which was bestowed by President Jimmy Carter 

on June 9, 1980; 

Whereas although Archbishop Iakovos was a United States 

citizen only since 1950, he was a role model for American 

Greek Orthodox Christians; and 

Whereas the thorough commitment of Archbishop Iakovos to 

the vital democracy of his adopted country did not lead 

him to abandon the ageless values of Greek culture or the 

spiritual and ecclesiastical roots of Greek Orthodoxy in 

the Church of Constantinople: Now, therefore, be it 
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1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors 

2 the spiritual leadership of Archbishop Iakovos to Greek 

3 Orthodox Christians in the Western Hemisphere. 

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