BOSTON – The trial of the lawsuit filed by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America against the Religious News Agency of Athens “Exapsalmos.gr” and its publisher, Sotiris Tzoumas, took place before the Multi-Member Court of First Instance of Athens. The lawsuit was based on claims that publications and analyses by the website had disturbed Archbishop Elpidophoros, who was seeking $300,000 in damages.

According to a post by Mr. Tzoumas on “Exapsalmos.gr,” Archimandrite Vasileios Drossos, a close friend of Archbishop Elpidophoros and a long-time salaried “senior advisor” at the Archdiocese of America, testified in court in favor of Elpidophoros. Drossos resided within the Archdiocese on the 5th floor, while Archbishop Elpidophoros lived on the 6th floor and continues to do so.

Additionally, Despo Lialiou, a former professor of Elpidophoros in Thessaloniki, withdrew at the last moment from her promise to testify in favor of Tzoumas. Lialiou had given a revealing interview about Elpidophoros to “The National Herald” in April 2023.

FILE – Archbishop Elpidophoros officiating during the Holy Transfiguration Feast in New York. (Photo TNH/Archive – Zafeiris Haitidis) 

The background of Drossos and Lialiou is as follows:

As reported by “The National Herald” on the weekend of December 23–24, 2023, Drossos left the Archdiocese and America on Friday, December 15, 2023. Archbishop Elpidophoros had brought him from Athens on the day of his enthronement in June 2019.

Archbishop Elpidophoros’ chancellor, Fr. Nektarios Papazafeiropoulos, whom Elpidophoros later promoted to Auxiliary Bishop assistant with the title of Diokleia, had been responsible for arranging the necessary documentation for Drossos to obtain permanent residency or a green card in the United States.
In December 2023, Drossos did not respond to calls or messages requesting his comments.

Along with his advisory role, Drossos was also responsible for arranging daily meals for the Archbishop and his court of over twenty individuals eating within the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese provided daily meals from a nearby Greek restaurant, covering the costs. In previous years, going back to the tenure of the late Archbishop Iakovos, there had been a cook at the Archdiocese, but this position was never refilled after the retirement of Mr. Kyriakos.

Drossos’ presence and behavior in the Archdiocese often placed Elpidophoros in difficult positions, but no action was taken. Even Elpidophoros’ close associates had raised complaints about Drossos’ conduct. Notably, Elpidophoros’ own koumbaros (he has baptized Pappa’s son), Fr. Christos Pappas from the Fairview, New Jersey, Ascension parish, had repeatedly warned the Archbishop.

As reported by “The National Herald” on December 22–23, 2023, an incident of violence had occurred two years ago, in which Archimandrite Drossos physically assaulted then-Deacon and now Archimandrite Spyridon (Hatzis), who had also been brought from Halki by Elpidophoros.
The situation escalated when a confrontation occurred between Drossos and a senior official of an Archdiocesan organization, in full view of Archdiocese staff.

Professor Despo Lialiou on her way to the festive dinner on the occasion of the liberation of Thessaloniki from the Turks. (Photo provided by Professor Despo Lialiou)

Sources from the Phanar indicate that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had recommended to Archbishop Elpidophoros that he remove Drossos from the Archdiocese, but Elpidophoros reportedly ignored the Patriarch’s advice. Years ago, Drossos had worked at the Ecumenical Patriarchate before being transferred to a parish in the Archdiocese of Athens through the mediation of the late Metropolitan Joachim of Chalcedon.

According to a report by “Exapsalmos.gr” on January 26, 2025, Despo Lialiou, Elpidophoros’ professor at the Theological School of the University of Thessaloniki, had voluntarily promised to testify in court in favor of Tzoumas. However, on the night before the trial, after arriving in Athens and meeting with Tzoumas, she informed him that she could not testify because she had reconciled with Elpidophoros.

It should be noted that in April 2023, Lialiou had given an exclusive interview to “The National Herald,” in which she made significant revelations about Elpidophoros.

According to the January 26, 2025, “Exapsalmos” report, Archbishop Elpidophoros’ witness, Archimandrite Vasileios Drossos, stated in court that “with authorization from Elpidophoros himself, the interview was a misunderstanding because Lialiou had allegedly been misled by Mr. Kalmoukos.”
However, we reveal here that the interview was conducted in writing. Questions were sent to Despo Lialiou, who provided written responses and even selected photographs to accompany the interview. She also enlisted a Theology professor to assist with translating her interview into English. From April 2023 until now, Lialiou never objected to the publication—on the contrary…

Furthermore, the author of this report submitted a written statement to the court regarding the matter.