Priest put on leave, but congregations' wounds remain

By John Kass
Chicago Tribune
June 22, 2014

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-kass-met-0622-20140622,0,7230701.column

Church should be a place of peace and understanding, where you go for answers.

But those are hard to come by as a Greek Orthodox priest in Glenview faces a felony charge in the theft of more than $100,000 from his former church in Milwaukee.

Two Greek Orthodox churches, in Glenview and Milwaukee, have been roiled in controversy. And late Friday, the Glenview priest, the Rev. James Dokos, was put on unpaid administrative leave from Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview. He won't be singing the liturgy on Sunday, church officials said.

The whistleblowers who dared complain about the allegedly high-rolling priest have found themselves locked in an ugly battle with Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, the No. 2 ranking official in the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago that administers several Midwestern states.

They accuse him, he accuses them.

"Has the Metropolis been harmed? No. But it is hurtful," Bishop Demetrios told me. "These are reflective of the times we live in, and the brokenness of human nature is being played out in the press."