The story of Abp. Demetrios and two little boys

The story is below as reported by Orthodox Christian News. I encourage you to read the article in its entirety here, the editorial from AOI here, and the press release from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese here.

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Two 10-year-old twin boys, Demetris and Konstantinos Sporidis, from the Peoples Republic of Congo born to a Greek father and a Congolese mother are enduring a painful life-drama. They lost their father (Stylianos Sporidis) in 2002 and now face the grim reality of losing their beloved mother, who is terminally ill. Archbishop Demetrios rejected their legally blind uncle's personal plea to help bring them to the U.S. and find them shelter back on Dec. 21, 2009 citing immigration difficulties. Mr. Ioannis Sporides, the children’s uncle, told The National Herald that “if the Archdiocese wanted to help, we could have found the solution.”

On reading about the story in The National Herald, Metropolitan Theoliptos, an influential hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, wrote this scathing response to the article:

It is with much sorrow that I read in your distinguished newspaper ‘The National Herald’ on January 8, 2010, the article, “They refuse to accept two orphans at St. Basil’s Academy”. I confess that in reading the article written by Mr. Theodore Kalmoukos, I shuddered. I became sorrowful and I am ashamed to be a hierarch of the Orthodox Church. I am asking: Was the conscience of Archbishop Demetrios, who had received the letter from the orphans’ uncle, at peace during the Holy Days of God’s Epiphany and New Year? Was he able to celebrate as a high priest the sacred days without any problem of conscience? How could he have sent that reply to the uncle of those two children, and further mock them by sending wishes for a solution? Truly, where are we going? Where has our wretched Orthodox Church been led? Where has the Church been led by the conscienceless shepherds? How can we want the faithful to believe us and to follow us when we do not practice what we preach? I felt very sorry for Archbishop Demetrios, as he disappointed me one more time.

Which is our mission in the world? Just to organize dinners and events to celebrate our tenth anniversary on the Throne of the Holy Archdiocese of America, or to speak and preach about loving and helping our suffering fellow man, but not to do anything in reality? The entire Archdiocese of America is not opposed to helping two 10-year-old children. The reasons for their refusal were silly and without substance. They do not have, said the otherwise Holy Brother (Archbishop Demetrios), American citizenship. To whom is he trying to sell these fairytales? Is it possible to want to help and not be able to find some solution? If he is not in a position to help two orphan boys, who are 10 years old, then it is bad that he remains in his position.

The essence of the matter is that there is no will to help because we have strayed from our mission. If (the Archbishop) were to ask for 100 dollars from each hierarch of America, he would have collected 1,000 a month, and do not tell me that they do not have the money to give because everybody will laugh.

He (Demetrios) chose to reply shortly before Christmas and that is the tragicomedy of this whole issue. Yes, the Archbishop of America refused to provide help on Christmas Eve, on the par excellence feast of love where God becomes man out of love in order to save man. Is this our ecclesiastical conscience? I feel sorry for the plight of the Orthodox Church. I feel sorry for the plight of the Archdiocese of America and its Archbishop. The bones of our forefathers, who established the institutions for our suffering brothers, will be turning in their graves. There is a God and we will be accountable some day for our deeds.

We should not complain that the people of God stay away from the Church. We ousted them with our deeds and examples. Shame on us.

With honor and love,

Metropolitan Theoliptos of Ikonion