ABC News: Greek Orthodox Church Head Iakovos Dies

STAMFORD, Conn. Apr 11, 2005 — Archbishop Iakovos, who led the Greek Orthodox Church in the Americas for 37 years, reaching out to other religious groups as a champion of ecumenism, has died. He was 93. Iakovos died Sunday at Stamford Hospital from a pulmonary ailment, according to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The Turkish-born Iakovos headed the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, with an estimated 2 million followers, from 1959 until 1996. He was apparently forced out over his support for the idea of uniting the various Eastern Orthodox branches in a single American church.