News

Greece Invented, Lost, and Regained Democracy It Has Lessons for the U.S. Prime Minister Mitsotakis addresses Congress this week to celebrate shared values. by Andy and Mike Manatos May 14, 2022 https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022/05/14/greece-invented-lost-and-regained-democracy-it-has-lessons-for-the-u-s/ Democracy is in trouble here and abroad. According to the highly regarded World Values Survey data, most Americans under 60 do not consider it “absolutely essential” to live in a democracy. In fact, for the first time since 2004, the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) recently recorded more autocratic states than democracies around the world. It’s more than a little timely that on May 17, the Prime Minister [...]

Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis to Make Historic Presentation WASHINGTON, DC, April 28, 2022 — Never before in US history has a Prime Minister of Greece addressed a Joint Meeting of the US Congress. Such an historic address will take place by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on May 17. In addition, Mitsotakis will join only 8 other world leaders who have addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress since 2015.  They include: Pope Francis, the Prime Ministers of India, Japan and Israel, and the Presidents of Afghanistan, France and Ukraine and the NATO Secretary General. Today Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, along with the bi-partisan leadership of both the US Senate [...]

Maryland Celebrates Greek Independence BALTIMORE, MD, March 27, 2022 — Maryland’s Greek-American community and philhellenes joyfully participated in the annual Maryland Greek Independence Day Parade in Baltimore’s historic Greek Town on Sunday. Life-long Marylanders Andy Manatos and Mike Manatos were honored to serve as the 2022 Parade’s Grand Marshalls. Representing the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America was His Grace Bishop Apostolos of Medeia. Also participating were New Jersey Diocese Chancellor Father Christoforos Oikonomidis, and priests from the surrounding Greek Orthodox churches in Maryland, including Father Michael Pastrikos of St. Nicholas which hosted the liturgy and [...]

WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2022 — Today Robert Menendez, Jr, the son of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, met in Washington, DC with the Ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus and Greek-American and Cypriot-American community leaders. Last month Menendez, Jr. announced that he is running for the US Congress to represent his father’s former seat in the House, New Jersey’s 8th Congressional district.  He is heavily favored to win this election. While Menendez, Jr. has been to Greece and Cyprus numerous times over the years with his father and Cypriot-American leader Tasos Zambas, he took the time today to [...]

WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2022 - We thought you might find this piece in today's Kathimerini of interest. The Contribution of Father Alex Andy Manatos & Mike Manatos 15 February 2022 The stature of the Greek-American community and its influence on America’s leaders has, over time, quite significantly benefited Greece, Cyprus and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. One of the individuals who has made an extraordinary contribution to that stature and influence is Father Alex Karloutsos, who recently announced that he is “retiring but not retreating.” For decades he served as the right hand of world-renowned Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios and of [...]

Andy Manatos Receives Phidippides Award for Passionate Advocacy of Hellenism WASHINGTON, DC, December 10, 2021 — Hellenic Public Radio - COSMOS FM presented its prestigious Phidippides Award for Passionate Advocacy of Hellenism to Andy Manatos at their 26th annual Gala in New York City on December 2. Previous recipients of this award have included:  His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, Senator Paul Sarbanes, Congressman John Brademas and a number of Greek-American community leaders with whom the Manatos family has had the pleasure of working, many for decades, including: Andrew Athens, Merkerious Angeliades, John and Margo Catsimatidis, Dimitrios & Georgia Kaloidis, Dennis Mehiel, Nikos Mouyiaris, Constantine Papadakis, Michael Psaros, Ted Spyropoulos and Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, among [...]

Andrew Manatos Installed as Senator for Orthodoxy and Hellenism WASHINGTON, DC, October 25, 2021 — During the Apostolic Visit of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the US, Andrew Manatos was installed as a member of the first class of “Senators for Orthodoxy and Hellenism.” This ceremony took place on October 24 at the St. Sophia Cathedral in Washington, DC and was presided over by His Eminence Elder-Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon and His Eminence Archbishop of America Elpidophoros. In presenting this “distinction of the highest order” to men and women who “have produced a hundredfold through their harvests [...]

Massive Education Campaign of US Congress on Extraordinary Importance of Ecumenical Patriarch A Huge Success WASHINGTON, DC, October 21, 2021 – On the eve of the Apostolic Visit of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Washington, DC, US Senators and Members of the House representing 79% of the American people wrote to the President of the United States about the extraordinary importance and accomplishments of His All Holiness. A remarkable 182 Members of the House and 50 US Senators (lists below) – from all parts of the country and all political ideologies - added their names to a letter (full text below) [...]

Top US Policymakers Promote Strengthening of Cyprus-US Relations WASHINGTON, DC, July 20 - Over 27 of the most powerful US Senators and Members of Congress in the formulation of US foreign policy spoke at the 36th Annual PSEKA Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference on July 20. Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides was joined by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the Chairmen of the Senate and House Foreign Relations/Affairs Committees Bob Menendez and Gregory Meeks, American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris, as well as Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America Elpidophoros and others [...]

48 Prominent Hellenes Mentor Greek-American Students WASHINGTON, DC, July 9, 2021 – Some of the most prominent current and former US policymakers and opinion leaders in Washington, DC met with some of the best and brightest Greek-American students from across the country through the 6th Annual Heritage America Program June 22-24. This annual program is hosted by the National Hellenic Society (NHS) and Manatos & Manatos. In all, 48 speakers shared with these students, in intimate virtual discussions, their family’s immigration experience and how Hellenic and Orthodox principles and ideals helped them achieve success. Through this unique experience, these students better understand [...]