Dear Archons and Friends,
The Archons of America are truly blessed to have Fr. Alex Karloutsos as our Spiritual Advisor. In fact, the entire Oikoumene has benefited from his vision and extraordinary diakonia to serve humankind. A Greek Orthodox priest above all, he is simply known as Fr. Alex to both Presidents and Royalty, and to everyone from all walks of life. I believe you will all appreciate the biographical notes of Orthodox historian Attorney Matthew Namee, who offers great insight into the life of our beloved and most respected Spiritual Advisor, the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and perhaps “the most influential Orthodox priest in modern history.”
In the Service of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
Anthony J. Limberakis, MD
Archon Megas Aktouarios
National Commander
The Father Alex Karloutsos Origin Story
by Matthew Namee
Father Alex Karloutsos may be the most influential Orthodox priest in modern history. He has spent time in every Oval Office going back to Jimmy Carter, culminating in a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden. His connections are extraordinary – the presidents, of course, and every patriarch you can imagine, but also a range of twentieth century giants like Henry Kissinger, Elijah Muhammad, Pope John Paul II, and Blackstone founder Pete Peterson, to name four at random. Karloutsos is also incredibly polarizing, with critics viewing him as a nefarious “Grey Eminence” pulling strings behind the scenes of Orthodoxy.
Earlier this year, I conducted a series of interviews with Fr Karloutsos to record his life story. Today, I’m going to recount his origin story – how the son of a widowed Greek Old Calendarist priest gained access to the highest echelons of power in America.
