NEW YORK – In an exclusive interview with Ethnikos Kirikas/The National Herald, renowned businessman and philanthropist George Marcus shared his thoughts on the significance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the future of the Greek Orthodox Church. Having recently donated one million dollars for the restoration of the cells at the Cathedral of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in Pera, a suburb of Constantinople, Marcus discussed his deep connection to the faith and his admiration for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

During our conversation, Marcus reflected on the importance of uniting Orthodox Christians across the globe and highlighted the vital role that organizations like the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) can play in fostering collaboration. With a vision of continued support for the Church and a passion for preserving its heritage, Marcus emphasized the need for organized efforts to strengthen the Ecumenical Patriarchate and ensure its lasting influence for generations to come.

Eraklis Diamataris: Mr. Marcus, first of all, we’d like to express our heartfelt congratulations and gratitude for your generous contribution. Secondly, we’d like to discuss the project at the Cathedral of the Entry of the Virgin Mary in Constantinople.

George Marcus: First, let me thank you. I believe your organization is remarkable and plays a vital role in maintaining our connection with the Greeks of the Diaspora. It’s an incredibly important mission that your publication undertakes. From my perspective, I’ve visited the Phanar several times over the years, most recently about four or five years ago with a group of friends, where we had the opportunity to meet the incredible man who leads our Church (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew). During our conversation, he mentioned the issue they were facing after a fire, and the situation wasn’t good. I decided to do something to help and, at that time, committed to covering half of the amount needed to rebuild the structure. The discussion continued, and he was very enthusiastic. Afterward, we returned to the United States.

In the meantime, Metropolitan Gerasimos, our leader here in the West, was aware of the situation. He’s an admirable person, and I hold him in high regard. As time passed, he mentioned that with a bit more funding, we could take on the complete renovation of the building, and the Patriarch would be thrilled. So, I thought it was possible, and when they informed me of the total cost, it was a bit higher than I initially expected. It ended up being around one million dollars in total. I’ve been fortunate in my real estate career, but I don’t make million-dollar donations lightly. I agreed with the Metropolitan, and we provided the funds, and the process began. This led to a recent event I was invited to, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t attend because my wife wasn’t feeling well. I was thrilled to be invited and to play a central role in enabling the restoration of such an important structure. I feel great about it, and I know Metropolitan Gerasimos acted on my behalf. He accepted many gifts and honors that the Patriarch sent for me. I’m very excited and feel very good about it. I love our faith. My mother was instrumental in instilling that in me. She made sure I attended church every Sunday for two and a half hours. I got through it, but that’s just my American humor. It was a wonderful experience, and I made many lifelong friends through the Church.

Eraklis Diamataris: There are other buildings that need restoration, but there seems to be reluctance to issue permits. This means that, despite the goodwill of people like yourself, without the necessary permits, it’s impossible to proceed. What do you think might be behind these refusals?

George Marcus: It’s not entirely clear to me, as I haven’t studied it closely. It doesn’t make sense, regardless of a country’s philosophy, to resist improving its infrastructure to ensure safety and prevent injury, while maintaining the purpose of the structure. I really don’t understand it. I didn’t believe there was any political issue preventing this. It just doesn’t add up because there’s nothing threatening about it for the country. So, while it doesn’t make sense to me, I’m confident we can find a way. As Americans, we can have some influence on our political system to help smooth the process. Greece will face more challenges, but I believe they can manage. We can also work with other Orthodox countries, like Russia, which people often forget. Russia is the largest Orthodox country in the world. Although they may not always agree, they collaborate. I think we need a more organized approach to navigate the political systems that hinder or complicate improvements at the Phanar.

Eraklis Diamataris: Let’s talk about the U.S., since that’s where we live. How can we bring young people closer to the Church? I’m not suggesting they attend services every Sunday—no one expects that—but how can we integrate the Church more into their lives so that, 100 years from now, if another iconic building is in danger, someone like you will care?

George Marcus: You’re familiar with the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities), which is an organization representing all Orthodox Christians in America. I served on the Board for a long time. The IOCC is a great example of how they found a purpose, like the Red Cross or other organizations that help people in need. Whether it’s Ethiopia, which has serious problems, the IOCC is there. We could adopt this model and, without forming another IOCC, create a religious version encompassing all Orthodox Christians, because this concerns all Orthodox, not just Greek Orthodox. It concerns everyone. We could establish an organization, give it a name, and get people to join. The leaders of the Orthodox Church in the U.S. could help—not necessarily financially—but politically, collaborating with our states. The U.S. has influence in many countries worldwide.

I believe something can be done, but it would require about half a dozen serious people, maybe a dozen, to commit to this important cause. It wouldn’t require much money, but we could work together to unite countries, including Russia, which would acknowledge the importance of having a free leader in their country. If something like this happened to the Pope, the world would react strongly. So, while we shouldn’t handle it exactly the same way, we need to collaborate and bring more flexibility to the Phanar, addressing the needs of our leader.

Eraklis Diamataris: Are you concerned about the future of the Phanar?

George Marcus: No, not really. I haven’t seen anything to cause concern. On the contrary, the Phanar is an economic benefit to the country it’s in. Many people visit and spend significant amounts of money. It’s important to preserve and maintain it as part of what they do. So, no, I’m not worried.

Eraklis Diamataris: Is there anything you envision for the Archdiocese of America that could bring us all closer together?

George Marcus: As I mentioned, I’m in real estate, and I spend my time focusing on my family, my business, my church, and other commitments. What we need is for the Metropolitans and the head of the Orthodox Church in America to work together with the heads of other Orthodox Churches in the U.S. They should sit down and say, ‘Let’s organize a committee or organization,’ and invite successful members of our communities—whether Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, or others—to contribute to giving the Phanar more opportunities to modernize and become something like the Vatican. The Vatican is its own country, and they did that intentionally. If you’ve visited recently, it’s truly impressive.

Eraklis Diamataris: After this generous donation, do you have any plans for the future? Is there something you’re working on, perhaps with the Metropolis of San Francisco or another similar project you’d like to share?

George Marcus: I don’t have anything specific in mind right now, but I’m open to ideas and would be very interested in exploring what you’ve suggested: what can we do? Could we create something like the IOCC? I helped establish the IOCC. Now, most people don’t even realize it’s for all Orthodox Christians, not just Greek Orthodox. It just so happens that there are more Greek Orthodox, so we contribute a lot of money. The person who runs it is a wonderful individual who has dedicated his life to helping people worldwide, whether it’s fires, floods, or other crises. They’re everywhere—in Europe, South America, and even in the U.S., believe it or not. If we take this idea and create a religious organization for all Orthodox Christians, we could unite people without distinguishing between Ukrainians and Greek Orthodox. I won’t get into the current conflict, but there’s a minor issue there—though that’s a different story. Let’s leave it at that.