Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America (; born Demetrios Koukouzis (Δημήτριος Κουκούζης); July 29, 1911 – April 10, 2005) was the

primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America (now the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America) from 1959 until his resignation in 1996.

Biography

Born on the village of Agios Theodoros on the island of

Imbros Imbros (; ; ), officially Gökçeada () since 29 July 1970,Alexis Alexandris, "The Identity Issue of The Minorities in Greece And Turkey", in Hirschon, Renée (ed.), ''Crossing the Aegean: An Appraisal of the 1923 Compulsory Population Exchang ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(now

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

) on July 29, 1911, to Maria and Athanasios Koukouzis, he had two sisters Virginia and Chrysanthi and a brother Panagiotis. He enrolled at age 15 in the Ecumenical Patriarchal

Theological School of Halki The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki ( and ), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki ( Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. It was the main school of theol ...

. After graduating with high honors, Demetrios Koukouzis was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in 1934, taking the ecclesiastical name Iakovos. Five years after his ordination, Deacon Iakovos received an invitation to serve as Archdeacon to the late Archbishop Athenagoras, the Primate of North and South America, who later (1949–72) became

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox ...

. Ordained a priest in 1940 in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

, US, he served at St. George Church,

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, while teaching and serving as assistant dean of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Theological School, then in

Pomfret, Connecticut Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut with a population of 4,266 according to the 2020 United States Census. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. It was incorporated in 1713 and was named after Pontefract ...

. In 1941, he was named Preacher at

Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, at 319–337 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, is a Neo-Byzantine-style Greek Orthodox church. It serves as the national cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Archd ...

in New York City and in the summer of 1942 served as temporary Dean of St. Nicholas Church in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. He was appointed Dean of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 1942 and remained there until 1954. In 1945, he earned a

Master of Sacred Theology Degree Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. In 1954, he was ordained Bishop of

Miletus Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, Mílētos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and ex ...

, by his spiritual father and mentor,

Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras Athenagoras I of Constantinople (), born Aristocles Matthaiou Spyrou (; 6 April 1886 (25 March) – 7 July 1972), was Greek Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America from 1930 to 1948 and the 268th Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople ...

, for whom he served four years as personal representative of the Patriarchate to the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. On February 14, 1959, the Holy Synod of the

Ecumenical Patriarchate The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen Autocephaly, autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. ...

elected Iakovos as successor to Archbishop Michael, who died on July 15, 1958, as primate of the

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOArch; ), headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current Primate (bishop), primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. The Greek Orthodox ...

. He was enthroned on April 1, 1959, at Holy Trinity Cathedral, assuming responsibility for what has grown to over 500 parishes in the United States. In addition to his duties as primate, Archbishop Iakovos was Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; president of the board of education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America; founder and chairman of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA); chairman of the Orthodox-Roman Catholic Consultation in the U.S., and of the Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; honorary board of the Advisory Council on Religious Rights in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and of the

United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a Standing committee (United States Congress), standing committee of the United States Senate, U.S. Senate charged with leading Foreign policy of the United States, foreign-policy legi ...

Civil Rights Movement

A supporter of civil rights, Archbishop Iakovos was one of the few prominent non-African American clergymen—and the only Church leader—who walked with Martin Luther King Jr. and others during the second 1965 march in Selma, Alabama. A picture with Archbishop Iakovos to the right of Martin Luther King Jr. holding a wreath for Rev. James Reeb, who was murdered in one of the first Selma marches, was featured on the cover of ''Life'' magazine on March 26, 1965. According to Grammenos "when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched from the Brown Chapel of the African Methodist Episcopal Church to the Dallas County Courthouse in

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

, on March 15, 1965, Archbishop Iakovos, leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, was among the few white men who accompanied him. Iakovos, who had experienced religious oppression himself as a child, accepted Dr. King's invitation demonstrating his commitment to freedom and civil rights as key principles of the American life. Iakovos stated that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese could no longer remain a 'spectator and listener', and it must labor and struggle to develop its spiritual life. In the end, his firm support of Dr. King's initiative helped bring to fruition the passage of voting rights legislation, advancing equality among his communicants."

Ecclesiastic relationships and death

Iakovos met

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

in 1959, the first Greek Orthodox archbishop to meet with a Roman Catholic Pope in 350 years. He spent nine years on the

and met with every U.S. president from

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

awarded him the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...

in 1980. Iakovos came into conflict with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I after he supported a move by 29 bishops towards the administrative unification of Eastern Orthodox churches in America at the Ligonier Meeting. It is widely believed that this clash forced him to resign in 1996. Archbishop Iakovos, died on April 10, 2005, at Stamford Hospital, Connecticut, from a pulmonary ailment. He was buried on April 15 in the grounds of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

Titles

Archbishop Iakovos was the last Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America who held the title of ''Archbishop of North and South America''; after him the Archbishop's title became "Archbishop of America". Officially, his title was ''His Eminence, Iakovos, Archbishop of North and South America, Exarch of the Lands between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean'' ().

Awards and honors

*Humanitarian Award IOCC (1995), '' International Orthodox Christian Charities'',

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

*Antiochian Gold Medal of Merit (1995), ''

Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), often referred to in North America as simply the Antiochian Archdiocese, is the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch in the United States and Canada. Origina ...

'' * Grand Cross of Cyprus (1995), ''

President of Cyprus The president of Cyprus, officially the president of the Republic of Cyprus, is the head of state and the head of government of Cyprus, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Cypriot National Guard. The office was established by the Constitu ...

Glafkos Klerides Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003. A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the ...

'', New York, New York *Kolokotronis Award (1995), ''Panarcadian Federation of America'', New York, New York * Great Cross of St. Sava (1992), ''

Serbian Patriarch Pavle Pavle ( sr-cyr, Павле, ''Paul''; 11 September 1914 – 15 November 2009) was the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church from 1990 to his death. His full title was ''His Holiness the Patriarchal Monastery of Peć, Archbishop of Peć, ...

'', New York, New York *Freedom Award (1992), ''Pancyprian Association of America'', New York, New York *Gold Medal (1991), ''Federation of Hellenic Societies of New York'', New York, New York *Grand Cross of Robert Schuman (1991),

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Greece *Gold Medal of the City of Thessaloniki (1990),

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, Greece *Gold Medal of the City of Athens (1989), ''Mayor of Athens

Miltiadis Evert Miltiadis Evert (; ; 12 May 1939 – 9 February 2011) was a Greek politician, a member of Parliament, government minister, and ex-chairman of the New Democracy party. Origins Evert was born in Athens, Greece. He was the son of Angelos Evert, ch ...

'', Athens, Greece * Grand Cross of Makarios III (1989), ''President of Cyprus George Vasiliou'', New York, New York * Lambeth Cross (1988), ''

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

Robert Runcie Robert Alexander Kennedy Runcie, Baron Runcie, (2 October 1921 – 11 July 2000) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1980 to 1991, having previously been Bishop of St Albans. He travelled the world widely ...

'', London, England *Homeric Award (1988), ''Chian Federation'', New York, New York *Socratic Award (1988), '' Order of AHEPA'', Washington, D.C. *John LaFarge Memorial Award for Interracial Justice (1987), New York, New York *

Ellis Island Medal of Honor The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) (formerly known as the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)), which is presented annually to American citizens, both native-born ...

(1986),

Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...

, New York *Dr. George C. Cotzias Humanitarian Award (1986), New York, New York *Liberty Award (1986), ''

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

Edward Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...

'', New York, New York *Humanitarian Award (1985), '' McBurney School'', New York, New York *AXIOS Man of the Year (1985), Los Angeles, California * Grand Cross of Honor (1984), ''

President of Greece The president of Greece, officially the president of the Hellenic Republic (), commonly referred to in Greek as the president of the Republic (, ΠτΔ), is the head of state of Greece. The president is elected by the Hellenic Parliament; the ...

Constantine Karamanlis Konstantinos G. Karamanlis (, ; 8 March 1907 – 23 April 1998) was a Greek statesman who was the four-time Prime Minister of Greece and two-term president of the Third Hellenic Republic. A towering figure of Greek politics, his political caree ...

'', Athens, Greece *Gold Medal (1984), '' Academy of Athens'', Athens, Greece *The Compostela Award (1984), '' Cathedral of St. John'', New York, New York *Man of the Year Alpha-Omega Award (1984), Boston, Massachusetts *Silver World Award (1984), ''

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

'' *Humanitarian Award (1983), ''Hellenic Medical Society'', New York, New York *Cyprus Children's Fund (1983) * Great Cross of the Holy Sepulchre (1982), ''

Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem Diodoros or Diodorus ; born Damianos G. Karivalis (14 August 1923 – 20 December 2000) was the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Patriarch of Jerusalem in the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem from 1980 to 2000. He was born on th ...

'' *Man of the Year (1982), ''St. Paul's Society'', New York, New York *Clergyman of the Year (1981), '' Society for the Family of Man'' (New York City Council of Churches) *Inaugural Award (1981), ''

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

'', New York, New York *

(1980), ''

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

'', Washington, D.C. *Alumni Citation (1974), ''Hellenic College/ Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology'', Boston, Massachusetts *Sam Levenson Memorial Award (1972), ''Jewish Heritage Week'' *Man of Conscience Award (1971), '' The Appeal of Conscience Foundation'' *Clergyman of the Year (1971), ''Society for the Family of Man'' (New York City Council of Churches) *Distinguished American in Volunteer Service (1970), the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, Washington, D.C. *Clergyman of the Year (1970), '' Religious Heritage of America'' *Religious Leader Award (1969), ''

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

'' *Gold Medal of Athens (1968), ''

Mayor of Athens The mayor of Athens is the head of Athens#municipality of Athens, Athens. The current mayor is Haris Doukas who assumed office on 1 January 2024. Kingdom of Greece (1832–1924) Second Hellenic Republic (1924–1935) Kingdom of Greece (1935 ...

, Demetrios Ritsios'', Athens, Greece *Gold Medal for Courageous Leadership (1966), ''

'', New York, New York * Great Cross of the Holy Sepulchre (1961), '' Patriarch Benedict of Jerusalem''

Photo gallery

Image:Iakovos eisenhower.jpg, Archbishop Iakovos and President Eisenhower Image:Iakovos kennedy.jpg, Archbishop Iakovos, Patriarch Benedict of Jerusalem and President Kennedy Image:Iakovos nixon.jpg, Archbishop Iakovos and President Nixon Image:Iakovos carter-medal02.jpg, Archbishop Iakovos receives the

from President Carter Image:Iakovos ghw bush.jpg, Archbishop Iakovos and President George H. W. Bush Image:Iakovos clinton.jpg, Archbishop Iakovos and President Clinton

Books

* ''The Apanta on International Human Rights and on National Issues'' (University Studio Press, Thessaloniki, 2008) () * ''Faith for a Lifetime: A Spiritual Journey'' (Doubleday, New York, 1988) ()

In popular culture

Archbishop Iakovos is portrayed by Michael Shikany in the 2014 film ''Selma''.

References

External links

Official Archbishop Iakovos Memorial Website (GOARCH)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iakovos Of America Iakovos, Archbishop of America Iakovos, Archbishop of America Turkish emigrants to the United States Iakovos, Archbishop of America 20th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Greek Freemasons Archbishops of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Harvard Divinity School alumni Naturalized citizens of the United States People from Imbros Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Theological School of Halki alumni Clergy from Brookline, Massachusetts Iakovos, Archbishop of America Selma to Montgomery marches Greek expatriate bishops