Alexander Karloutsos

The Very Reverend Father Alexander Karloutsos
Karloutsos Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden in 2022
Born	(1945-04-05) April 5, 1945 (age 79) Greece
Occupation(s)	Clergy and Liaison
Spouse	Xanthi Karavellas
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022)
Church	Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Ordained	1970
Title	Protopresbyter

Father Alexander Karloutsos, sometimes colloquially referred to as Father Alex,^[1] is a Greek-American Protopresbyter in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.^[2] He served in the Diocese for over fifty years, and is the second member of the Greek Orthodox clergy to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, acknowledging his counsel to several Presidents.^[3][4]

Background and early life[edit]

Karloutsos was born on April 5 1945 in Greece and immigrated with his family to the US at an early age.^[5][6] He attended Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, graduating in 1966, and receiving his master's degree in theology from the same institution in 1969.^[7]

Clerical Career[edit]

Karloutsos was ordained as a priest in 1970, working at the Saints Helen and Constantine Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, shortly before it was converted to a mosque. By 1974 he was in New York, serving as the Director of the Office of Church and Society, starting in 1978. By 1984 Archbishop Iakovos had conferred the title of Presbyter on Karloutsos, and a decade later Patriarch Bartholemew elevated him to Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, "the highest honor a married clergyman can receive in the Orthodox Christian Church", after spending two years serving as Special Assistant to the Patriarch.^[7][8] From 1986 to 1992, and again from 1999 to 2004, Karloutsos was the executive director of Leadership 100, an organization that promotes the Orthodox faith and the legacy of Greek culture and history.^[7][9] In 2017 he was awarded the Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.^[10] In 2019 Karloutsos became Vicar General of the Archdiocese of America, the first person to hold the title since Archbishop Iakovos.^[11] He retired from the position in 2021.^[1]

Liaison and Counsel[edit]

Karloutsos works as a liaison to institutions such as the White House, the US Congress, state and local governments, along with other groups under the title of Special Assistant to the Archbishop.^[7] Over this tenure, he has provided counsel to numerous US Presidents, and on July 7 2022, Karloustas was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the President's highest civilian award, by Joe Biden.^[12]

Personal life[edit]

Karloutsos is married the Presbytera Xanthi Karavellas, and the two have three children.^[13][14] His wife is active in the Orthodox Church and community, and serves on the board of the Beau Biden Foundation.^[15][16]

References[edit]