Noarlunga parishioner defends Father John Christodoulos amid Greek Orthodox Church probe

The former Adelaide priest is facing a church investigation over donations and his use of the gay dating app, which flouts church rules for clergy.

Father John Christodoulos in Adelaide Picture: Supplied

An Adelaide parishioner has issued a passionate defence of a high-ranking priest who is facing investigation for secretly living a double life on a gay dating app while also facing questions about donations.

Angelo Kosmadopoulos, from St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church at Noarlunga, said accusations Father John Christodoulos was active on dating app Grindr were “ludicrous and blatant lies”.

His comments come after the Greek Orthodox Church launched an investigation after being advised Father Christodoulos had obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from devout elderly parishioners while living a double life flouting the teachings and rules of the church.

Father Christodoulous was a parish priest at the Greek Orthodox Parish from 2020 until he was promoted to Melbourne’s Fawkner parish earlier this month.

Mr Kosmadopoulos approached The Advertiser to defend Father Christodoulous, and said his “best friend and Spiritual Father,” had “changed my life”.

“In the three years that he has been my Spiritual Father, he has changed my life completely,” Mr Kosmadopoulos wrote in the email.

Father John Christodoulos (with blue lace robes) with Greek Orthodox Archbishop Makarios. Picture: Supplied

“I have made a 180 degree turn from deep troubles to deep calm and peace.

“Our most fervent wish, of all his dear parishioners is to receive him back into our community that we may show him the love and care that he has shown us over his time at our parish,” he wrote.

Mr Kosmadopoulos said Father Christodoulous, “carries out his many visits to our suffering elderly people,” to provide “consolation and sacraments”.

“My 90-year-old biological father is one such recipient of the Fatherly loving visits from our precious Archimandite,” he wrote.

“His charisma is uplifting indeed to all those who know him. He turns no one away.”

“He has such diligent spiritual sensitivity that he seems to know exactly what to say to bring a struggling person from despair to cheerfulness with only a few words.”

L-R Greek Orthodox Archbishop Makarios with Father John Christodoulos.

“Our precious Father Christodoulos is innocent and I/We encourage the Hierarchy of our Holy Greek Orthodox Archiocese of Australia to return him to our grieving Parishioners,” Mr Kosmadopoulos wrote.

“Who will be most grateful to have their spiritually sensitive priest return and serve them again.”

Father John Christodoulos’s Grindr account photo, which he posted while arranging a meeting.

Screenshots of Father John Christodoulos’s Grindr account.

Other parishioners, including fellow priest at the Noarlunga church Father Mark, who declined to provide his surname, said they were in “shock” at the allegations, and claimed Father Christodoulos was “too old for something like that”.

Father Mark spent four years with Father Christodoulos at the church, and said his behaviour was always “appropriate”.

“It is stupid, I cannot believe it,” he said. “If someone is gay you cannot hide it.”

The Advertiser revealed this month that Father Christodoulous, also know as John Vasilaris, had been frequently meeting other men at night via the gay sex app, Grindr.

Father Christodoulous was accused of provided graphic descriptions of sexual encounters and desires with men, and sent pornographic photographs to potential dates.

The Advertiser also revealed that over recent years elderly parishioners have willingly and legally given Father Christodoulos large sums of money – in one case understood more than $500,000 in instalments of varying amounts.

It is unknown whether the donations have been retained by him or handed to the Greek Orthodox Church, his employer.