BOSTON – A group of parishioners from the community of St. Athanasius Church in Arlington, Massachusetts, among them many young people, gathered Sunday evening on September 3, at the arrivals exit at Boston Airport, with signs in their hands waiting to protest His Eminence Metropolitan of Boston, Methodios.

The reason for this unprecedented event in the ecclesiastical and Greek community of Boston is the sudden dismissal of Fr. Nicholas Kastanas from the St. Athanasius parish after 28 years as its priest.
Metropolitan Methodios returned from Greece where he had been since the end of July for a vacation and from there attended meetings at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople with the Provincial Synod of America and His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew.

The National Herald reported that Metropolitan Methodios was informed that at the arrivals exit gate there were Greek expatriates who waited to protest and he chose to use another exit. The group of parishioners waited until 9 PM at the airport.

Kostas Kritikos, a young, longtime parishioner and ardent supporter of Fr. Kastanas, posted on Facebook the photo and the following comment: “Welcome Metropolitan Methodios. Today, the back door saved you again. Hiding and slipping away from us does not solve anything. We are not leaving and we will continue until we receive answers. We’ll see you soon.”

At press time, TNH has received no comment so far from either Metropolitan Methodios or from Fr. Nicholas Kastanas.