Priest’s Grindr Date Revelations Rock Greek Orthodox Church In Australia
Image: Archimandrite John Christodoulos.
A high-ranking Greek Orthodox priest based in Melbourne has been temporarily sent on leave after allegations that he used the gay dating app Grindr to meet men.
Archimandrite John Christodoulos, Archimandrite of the Archdiocese of Australia has been accused of receiving “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in donations from elderly parishioners and using the gay dating app, The Advertiser reported.
Christodoulos, also known as Father John Vasilaris, was based in Adelaide, before he took over St Nectarios church in Fawkner, Melbourne last week.
Greek community newspaper Neos Kosmos quoted sources close to Christodoulos to deny the report and claimed it was a case of identity theft.
In a statement to the media, the Archdiocese said that it was conducting a confidential internal investigation into the allegations.
On Gay Marriages
The Greek Orthodox Church has opposed marriage equality. In its submission to Parliament in 2017, the Church reiterated its belief that marriage was between a man and a woman and claimed that Australia’s new marriage equality law would have “destructive consequences on the institution of Marriage and of the Family”.
In 2017, during the marriage equality national vote, one Greek Orthodox priest called for gay people to be shot. Last year, the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church protested after Archbishop of America Elpidophoros conducted a baptism for the children of gay fashion designers Evanggelos Bousis and Peter Dundas.
Pornographic Images Sent On Grindr
The Advertiser reported that Father Christodoulos used Grindr to chat with men and send them graphic descriptions of sexual acts and pornographic images.
The publication claimed it had obtained surveillance video recorded by a private investigator that showed multiple men visiting Father Christodoulos’ Seacombe Gardens home in Adelaide. The rapport claimed that one of the men confirmed that the person they met was the priest.
The profile photo and the Grindr account have since been deleted.
