Greek Orthodox Church Claims Arlington's Father Nick Hid Funds

ARLINGTON, MA — If you've seen the #BringBackFatherNick signs in yards around Arlington and beyond, you might be aware of the sudden removal of a beloved Greek Orthodox priest from his post of nearly three decades. Supporters of the priest took their signs to the streets and social media in an effort to get answers from the governing board of the church to what they said was minimal response since the summer.

After legal action the back and forth has continued and the governing board of the Greek Orthodox Church have given the supporters of Rev. Nicholas Kastanas an answer, first reported the hyperlocal citizen journalism website YourArlington. But it's not one that those who have known the reverend are happy with.

In essence, the first extended public comments from Boston's Greek Orthodox Church suggest, without direct proof, financial impropriety by the priest known as Father Nick and make clear his resistance to the hierarchy's questions about a fund for the homeless and needy.

In response, Arlington parishioner Ioannis Moutsatsos offers a point-by-point defense of the priest's action in a blog titled "Web of Deceit."

The governing board said the ouster wasn't as sudden as it may have looked on the outside, noting in Q&A on their website it began an audit of Kastanas in 2014 and the discovery of an unaccounted for account and that the priest refused to cooperate with the governing board requests for info on it.

The Metropolis said after repeated requests for information it had no choice but to remove him because of what they called "insubordination."

"According to the Canonical Tradition (Canon Law) of the Church and, in the Metropolis' belief and opinion, Fr. Kastanas' ongoing insubordination, disregard, and disrespect for ecclesiastical authority to which all ordained priests are bound, as well as the continuing ferment, upheaval and confusion resulting from his actions and omissions, left the Metropolitan no choice but to suspend him from all priestly duties effective August 5, 2017."

The Metropolis also noted they asked Kastanas to isolate church information from his private info on his personal computer so they could audit that info, too, but he refused.

The account in question was purportedly a fund for the homeless and people in need. But the priest closed it last year. When Church officials changed the locks on the church they took the new computer after Kastanas' ouster.

That led to legal action in August filed by Kastanas against the Metropolis. The governing board called the first filed by a clergyman against the local hierarchy.

One of the activists and supporters responded on his blog that the Metropolis response was part of a greater "web of deceit."

"Everyone in the Parish knew about this account and donated honorariums to Father Nick because they trusted him to disperse [sic] to those desperately in need."

Read the full YourArlington Article : Here

Previously on Patch:

Bring Back Father Nick Arlington Protest Moves To Brookline

Hundreds Pack Church In Protest

Arlington Protest Continues In Rain After Abrupt Ouster Of Father Nick

From the Metropolis website:

Q&A on the ouster of Father Nick (also see below)

From the blog of a supporter:

Web of Deceit who do you trust?

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Photos by Jenna Fisher/Patch