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 Ortho-
dox 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 Ecumeni-
cal 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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clesiastical name Iakovos, and five years after his ordina-
tion, 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 Annun-
ciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Boston and re-
mained 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 Ecu-
menical Patriarchate elected Metropolitan Iakovos as suc-
cessor 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, Ala-
bama, 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 reli-
gious 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 reli-
gious unity, revitalizing Christian worship, and cham-
pioning human and civil rights; 
Whereas Archbishop Iakovos was the recipient of the Presi-
dential 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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Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors 
the spiritual leadership of Archbishop Iakovos to Greek 
Orthodox Christians in the Western Hemisphere. 
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