Sordid double life of senior Greek Orthodox priest John Christodoulos exposed amid investigation into donations from elderly parishioners
A high-ranking Greek Orthodox priest was living a secret double life on gay app Grindr – and is now under investigation over huge donations from elderly parishioners. See the messages here.
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The Greek Orthodox Church has launched an investigation after being advised one of its most senior priests has 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.
While he is expected to be living a celibate life as a single male priest, it can be revealed Archimandrite John Christodoulos – who until this week was the second highest ranking official in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in SA – has been regularly meeting other men at night via a gay sex app.
Father Christodoulos, also known as Father John Vasilaris, who on Tuesday left Adelaide to run a large parish at Fawkner in Melbourne, was until yesterday active on homosexual meeting site Grindr – providing graphic descriptions of sexual encounters and desires with men and sending pornographic photographs to potential dates.
The Advertiser has also obtained surveillance video taken by a private investigator from a public street which appears to show multiple males visiting his Seacombe Gardens home at night, corresponding with chats on his Grindr account that invite them.
One such visitor has also confirmed his late-night visits.
On Thursday, just hours after The Advertiser sent a series of questions to Father Christodoulos, Adelaide Greek Orthodox Bishop Silouan and Greek Orthodox Archbishop Makarios in Sydney, Father Christodoulos deleted his profile picture on his Grindr account. He deleted his profile entirely early yesterday afternoon.
In response to the questions from The Advertiser, a spokesman for Archbishop Makarios said the “Archdiocese is not aware of the allegations you make in your email.’’
“The Archdiocese will be conducting its own internal investigation into the allegation. The investigation will be confidential,’’ he stated in the response.
“No further comment will be made at this stage.’’
It is unknown if Father Christodoulos has been stood down from the Fawkner parish while the internal investigation takes place.
Father Christodoulos’ after hours persona is in stark contrast to that portrayed as parish priest at the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Andrew Noarlunga, where he was based from 2020 until his recent promotion to a much larger parish in Melbourne.
The Advertiser can reveal 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.
Father Christodoulos – who was disciplined by the church in Greece before arriving in Australia in 2011 – has also boasted frequently to parishioners that a mystery benefactor was going to bequest millions of dollars to enable a new church to be built at Noarlunga for his parish.
A relative of one elderly parishioner who has donated a significant sum of cash to Father Christodoulos told The Advertiser his relative “has absolutely no idea of his nocturnal activities and would certainly not approve of them.’’
The relative also felt an independent investigation into Father Christodoulos alleged conduct should also be conducted by the church that employs him.
“If he is a practising homosexual he has misrepresented himself to the community, that goes against Canon law in the Greek Orthodox Church,’’ the relative said.
“It is not acceptable for a Greek Orthodox priest, especially a monastic priest. It is not compatible with him remaining a priest, wherever he is placed.
“Given the makeup of the orthodox community, which comprises a lot of elderly, deeply-devout orthodox Christians they are likely to be profoundly shocked at the disclosures.
“I think they will feel deeply disappointed, let down and deceived as well.’’
Respected Greek community leader and former president of the Greek Orthodox Community Theo Maras said the revelations were “simply very sad.’’
“My moral position is that this is very wrong, it is wrong. It is wrong that he should be a priest and do that,’’ he said.
“In my view this conduct is not compatible with being a priest, absolutely not.’’
Mr Maras said he believed the Greek community and the parishioners at Father Christodoulos’ former parish would feel “disappointment and betrayal’’ at his conduct.
“Our children and our families deserve a better ecclesiastical and spiritual image than what we have got here. This is simply very sad,’’ he said.
Father Christodoulos arrived in Adelaide from Greece in early 2011 after being disciplined by the Church of Greece.
In 1997 he was discharged from the army in Greece, with his discharge certificate stating it was because of a “stress disorder when he is among males due to his homosexual sexuality, as he responsibly declared and signed in front of the exemption board.’’
After being appointed a bishop in the Greek Orthodox Community of SA church in 2011, he was 11 months later sacked, but precisely why cannot be revealed for legal reasons. This has been confirmed by GOCSA officials involved at the time.
After a brief stint in Wollongong at a newly formed orthodox schismatic branch which folded, he returned to Adelaide in 2014 he attempted to start a new church.
He was appointed parish priest at St Andrew in July 2020 by Greek Orthodox Church leaders. He was subsequently made Archimandrite, the second highest position in the church in SA.
An Adelaide man who met Father Christodoulos on Grindr described him as “pleasant enough.’’
The man, who requested anonymity, positively identified Father Christodoulos when shown a photograph of him both in his robes and casual clothing by The Advertiser.
“Yes, that is definitely him,’’ the man replied when asked if the man in the photographs was the man he had met.
A series of questions were put to Father Christodoulos by The Advertiser on Thursday. He did not answer those questions by edition time on Friday night.
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