NEW YORK – The removal of administrators at St. Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria struck the Greek-American community like a bolt of lightning, with the Archdiocese of America triggering regulations which apply to such cases.

According to reports, the Archdiocese was led to this decision after clear indications of mismanagement over finances, with the result that the decision was deemed necessary, bearing the stamp of Archbishop Elpidophoros, the Archbishop of America.

As an earlier report by the National Herald recalled the charged atmosphere in the Community and the discontent at the Archdiocese which had been publicly evident during the annual Lenten meal. At the time, Fr. Elias Villias had spoken in harsh language about the looming liquidity issues at St. Demetrios, calling, in the first instance, for members of the Community to become more active, sounding the alarm – foreshadowing developments that occurred a few weeks later.

Among those present at the event was the president of the Hellenic American Homeowners Association, George Kitsios, a long-time member and leader of the Community, who, speaking to The National Herald could not hide his surprise at the rapid developments.

“For Agios Dimitrios, without knowing the details, I would like to stress first of all that I don’t like it when I see such all-encompassing measures, such as removals from office. My belief is that there was a way to find a solution without drastic measures. I was at the Lenten lunch and now I can say that perhaps the strong response was already predetermined.”

He further commented that he himself has questions about how a Community with such strengths can reach the point of being put under financial pressure, adding that the situation cannot be justified.

He continued, “consider this basic point: St. Demetrius was founded 90 years ago. It went through a lot of tough situations and stayed standing, such as wars, dictatorship, change of governments in Greece – given that situations in the homeland can affect people’s willingness to participate and contribute – and it still exists. We are talking about an institution that has been operating for many years, has built schools, has a large number of students. I cannot understand how it came to this difficult position. Somebody needs to explain why.”

Kitsios also noted the significance of the void caused by the absence of Nikos Andriotis, who can no longer have the role he previously held for practical reasons – but he wondered again whether this hard-line approach by the Archdiocese could do any good in the long run.

“Mr. Andriotis was checking on the smallest thing, even buying an … umbrella, making sure difficulties did not emerge. I don’t know if the people who have recently been at the helm of the parish had the experience needed to keep the boat running smoothly. In any case, I fear that the dimensions that this issue has taken on and the fact that the public now sees this tension between the Archdiocese of America and the St. Demetrios community will not have a good impact,” Kitsios concluded.