Greek church head left mark in Lynn

LYNN – Archbishop Christodoulos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church and hailed as an enlightened church leader, died Monday at the age of 69.After battling cancer of the liver and large intestine, his death comes months after a planned liver transplant had been cancelled when doctors discovered the cancer had spread.Father George Tsoukalas of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Lynn said a memorial service would be held at the church for Christodoulos, who he described as a very charismatic and outgoing man of the people.”I had the opportunity to meet him when he visited in April 2005 for former Archbishop Iakovos’ funeral,” he said. “I remember that he had a warm, beautiful smile that both captivated and warmed you in his presence. He definitely left a lasting impression on people.”Tsoukalas said he closely fol-lowed Christodoulos, who has been head of the Greek Orthodox Church since 1998, and has compiled a series of books, DVD’s of his services and other memorabilia about the Archbishop.”He made both young and old people feel comfortable with his humanistic approach,” he said. “The Greek American community truly loved him and he will absolutely be missed.”Christodoulos was first hospitalized in Athens in June before being diagnosed with cancer of the liver and large intestine, and later refused hospital treatment in the final weeks of his life before he died at home in the Athens suburb of Psyhico.Prior to his illness, Christodoulos made a name for himself for his controversial and outspoken remarks, and his growing public involvement in foreign policy issues and meetings with Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II that angered some ultra-Orthodox members of his church.Still, Tsoukalas said Christodoulos remained in the forefront of many controversial issues, appearing on television daily, touring schools, churches and weighing in on a variety of issues.”He stood up to officials and people rallied around him,” he said. “He was young when he became Archbishop and he often visited coffee shops to speak to young people to try and get them to go to church. It was highly unusual, but it worked because he had that ability to reach out and talk to youths.”One of Christodoulos’ most vocal campaigns was leading a petition drive against the introduction of new state identity cards that would have ended the practice of listing the bearer’s religion.Although the campaign ultimately failed, Tsoukalas said it certainly grabbed the attention of the country.Regularly named Greece’s most popular public figure in opinion polls, his abrasive tactics also made him enemies in the church and media, who openly called for his resignation when several senior clerics were accused of embezzling funds, involvement in sexual scandals and trial fixing in 2005.Tsoukalas attributed the media frenzy to an overall time of turmoil while Christodoulos became Archbishop.However, over time, Tsoukalas said he was able to spread a message of salvation into the church with his fresh, new spirit.”He was a person for every season and God’s hands will be there to select a worthy successor,” Tsoukalas said.It is unclear who will succeed Christodoulos, however a meeting of the Holy Synod, the church’s top decision-making body, was called for Monday afternoon.A decision on when elections will be held to choose a successor must be made within 20 days.