c. 1996 Religion News Service
(UNDATED) Here are highlights in the life of Archbishop Iakovos, who for 39 years led the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America and was a spokesman for all branches of Orthodox Christianity.
Origins:
Demetrios Coucouzis is born July 29, 1911, on the Greek-populated Island of Imvros, Turkey.
Education:
Ecumenical Patriarch’s Theological School, Istanbul: Master’s Degree in Orthodox Theology, 1934
Harvard Divinity School: Master’s Degree in Sacred Theology, 1945
In the Greek Orthodox Church:
1934: Ordained a deacon in Istanbul. He assumes the name Iakovos (James).
1940: Ordained a priest in Lowell, Mass.
1955: Consecrated Bishop of Melita.
1956: Elevated to rank of Metropolitan
1959: Enthroned as Archbishop of North and South America.
1960: Established the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, the central body of Orthodox prelates.
1996: Retires after 39 years as archbishop.
Ecumenical activities
1959: Meets with Pope John XXIII, the first Greek Orthodox prelate to meet a pope in 350 years.
1959: Serves the first of nine terms as co-president of the World Council of Churches.
1965: Participates in a service in Rome that nullifies the centuries-old rift between Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox Christians.
1981: Opposes National Council of Churches plan to replace biblical language in lectionary with more inclusive terms.
1983: Initiates dialogues between Orthodox Christians and Jews, Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Southern Baptists and black church leaders in the United States.
1969: First Greek Orthodox prelate to preach in St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Civil Rights and Human Rights
1950: Becomes a U.S. citizen.
1965: Marches with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Ala.
1966: Makes pastoral visit to Orthodox Christian American soldiers serving in South Vietnam.
1972: Joins demonstrations against the war in Vietnam.
1982: Joins other religious leaders in call to reverse arms race; issues an encyclical deploring development of nuclear weapons.
Among the Powerful
1960: Offers Christmas prayer at White House with Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1961: Offers prayer at inauguration of John F. Kennedy.
1980: Receives Medal of Freedom from Jimmy Carter.
1984: Criticizes Reagan administration decision to appoint U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican.
1985: Calls for outright ban on abortion.
JC1 END RNS