The Pursuit of Money and Power: The Upcoming Zelensky Scandal at St. Nicholas in NYC

By Nicholas – member of the Western Rite Vicariate, a part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America

In case you haven’t heard, on 26 September 2026 Ukrainian dictator Volodymyr Zelensky will be honored in NYC as a “Beacon of Hope” by the Trustees of the St. Nicholas National Shrine. When Orthodox Reflections announced our petition drive protesting this catastrophic mistake (Sign it below, if you haven’t already), the most common question we received was, “Why on Earth would an organization affiliated with the Greek Archdiocese be honoring Zelensky?”

Good question! This is the same Zelensky who on 2 July 2025 signed a presidential decree stripping His Beatitude Onuphry, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, of his Ukrainian citizenship. Since His Beatitude has no other citizenship, that move (a clear violation of Ukrainian national and international legal norms) has made Metropolitan Onuphry, 80 years old and a native-born Ukrainian, a man without a country. Metropolitan Onuphry, and his Ukrainian Orthodox Church, are recognized as the Orthodox canonical presence in Ukraine by the vast majority of Orthodox Christians globally.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine visiting a children’s treatment-rehabilitation center run by the Holy Ascension Banchensky Monastery. Why would Americans of any Christian background support giving an award to a dictator whose government persecutes an elderly ascetic monk known for his humility and his love of the Ukrainian people?

This horrible abuse of an elderly bishop was just one of the latest outrageous actions in an ongoing effort by the Ukrainian government to dismantle the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, thereby elevating the state-affiliated Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) as the sole Orthodox body in the country. The Zelensky Regime has also petitioned Ukrainian courts to dissolve the central administrative structures and activities of the UOC under Law No. 3894-IX, on the grounds that the self-governing Church is still “linked” to Russia. Ukrainian authorities have moved to terminate state property leases and restrict UOC access to historic church buildings and monastic sites. Ukrainian authorities have raided and seized churches and monasteries, even moving to take control of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the country’s holiest site and the seat of the UOC. The government has launched twenty-three baseless criminal cases against UOC clergy. Reports of physical attacks on clergy and laity of the UOC are widespread. There are even credible reports of the forcible military mobilization of UOC priests. Videos show priests kidnapped off the streets by military recruiting personnel. For those who don’t know, Orthodox clergy cannot bear arms, and are supposed to be exempt from military service under Ukrainian law.

There is a lot more going on, but that abbreviated list should be enough to dispel any notion of Zelensky as a “Beacon of Hope” worthy of being honored in New York by Greek Orthodox Christians. So why is this happening?

Money and power.

Our Lord Jesus Christ famously said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) Each one of us has to choose. The leadership of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has apparently chosen mammon.

Top-tier sponsors of this event will pay anywhere from $3,500 to $250,000. Individual seats are $1,500 each, though you can get a “Young Adult Ticket” to the after dinner cocktail party for a mere $200. How much money is this event going to raise? There is no official estimate, but last year’s event brought in a cool $2 million. Of course, the 2025 event honored first responders in New York City (FDNY, NYPD, and PAPD). This year the award is transparently political, so the haul could be even more substantial. Given the global stakes involved, there could be more money tied to this event than just the ticket and sponsorship sales reflect.

A clue as to how important money is in this equation is the fact that Archbishop Elpidophoros is the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. Elpidophoros is the same Archbishop who tried to simultaneously raise annual parish contributions 9% and the annual expenses of his own office 37.5%, with no explanation as to why. That brazen move was, to say the least, controversial. Allegations of financial impropriety are constantly circulating around Archbishop Elpidophoros. There were reports he received kickbacks from Kiev in return for supporting the Ukrainian law, mentioned earlier, that is being used to persecute the UOC. Archbishop Elpidophoros has been further reported as having profited from the confiscation of Ukrainian Christian relics, and their shipment to the UK for “expert analysis”. But it isn’t just Archbishop Elpidophoros on the board of trustees who has a penchant for enriching himself. I would be remiss if I did not mention the Spiritual Advisor of the St. Nicholas Board of Trustees, Fr. Alex Karloutsos, a man whom multiple publications have credibly accused of running a “crime family.”

So there is money at stake. A lot of money. Some official. Probably some less so.

But there is also power. Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople is 86 years old. Whether he chooses to retire or die in office, his reign is unlikely to last much longer. Elpidophoros covets the Patriarchate, and is doing everything he can to position himself as next in line. Since Patriarch Athenagoras flew to Constantinople in 1948 to assume the office of Patriarch, on an American government plane no less, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been a U.S. government asset. If Archbishop Elpidophoros wants to move up to the big chair, his way to the top requires the support of the American National Security apparatus. Intelligence reports indicate that in 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew was close to backing out of his support for the schismatic new Ukrainian “National Church” (OCU). Bartholomew was worried that the entire idea was too outlandish for it to be credible. Reports are that it was Elpidophoros who forced the idea through. Since coming to America, Elpidophoros has been busy further ingratiating himself to whomever wields the power to make his Patriarchal dreams a reality – be that Biden or Trump or all those “elite” figures behind the scenes. Currying official American favor, by giving an award to a dictatorial persecutor of Orthodox Christians, is a move Elpidophoros is more than willing to make.

While I may have focused quite a bit on the man in charge, Elpidophoros, don’t get the impression that he is alone. There are others (besides the Karloutsos family) that are benefiting from this abomination. Among the beneficiaries, however, are not Christ and His Kingdom. Which is all that real Orthodox Christians actually care about. Not stacking Benjamins. Not gaining worldly influence. Not currying favr with the power elite.

Growing and protecting the Kingdom of Christ is what matters to us. That is why the petition below is so important. The world, the Greek Archdiocese, the trustees of St. Nicholas, the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops, and the American power elite need to hear from us that this award is not given in our name.

If you agree that giving an award, for impure reasons, to a persecutor of Orthodox Christians is an affront to Our Lord Jesus Christ – please sign the petition.

Each time the petition is signed, an email with the petition text will be sent to info@stnicholaswtc.org, info@goarch.org, archdiocese@goarch.org, communications@assemblyofbishops.org, and info@archons.org. Further, prior to the event, a final copy with all signatures attached will be delivered to the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Board of Trustees, and the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Text of the email petition:

“I object to the Board of Trustees of the St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine bestowing an award on Zelensky, the dictator of Ukraine. Zelensky is not a democratically elected head of state. He has cancelled elections, shut down his opposition, and engaged in brutal repression. He and his government have actively persecuted the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, even to the point of forcibly conscripting canonical Orthodox priests into the Ukrainian Army. Many American Orthodox belong to jurisdictions that actively pray, each Divine Liturgy, for Metropolitan Onuphry, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the Ukrainian people. Honoring Zelensky in this manner is a direct slap in the face to all Orthodox jurisdictions in North America that recognize the UOC as the canonical Church in Ukraine. It is also a rejection of God, Whose Church is under attack, and Whose beloved Ukrainian people deserve peace and honest government. In shame and repentance, you should cancel this event. I doubt you will. However, know that American Orthodox have rejected your actions honoring this man with Christian blood on his hands. This is not done in our name. The Trustees and other officials of the Greek Archdiocese will answer alone for their actions before the Dread Judgement Seat of Christ. Amen.

In Christ,

(Your name will be displayed in the email)”