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Alitheia-Αλήθεια - July 14, 1997

A Letter to the "Ethnikos Keryx" and Theodore Kalmoukos  *)

TO: Editor of Ethnikos Keryx and Theodore Kalmoukos
RE: Articles written by Theodore Kalmoukos

I am writing to you in response to the articles published by Theodore Kalmoukos for your newspaper. I have been a theological student at Holy Cross School of Theology for the last two years. I am an attorney by profession, having practiced law for ten years prior to attending the School. During the last two years, I have been consulted by students and professors for legal advice regarding the actions of the President and several professors regarding the actions these professors have taken against them during this period. As such, I believe that I have a fairly accurate picture of what is going on at the School and to say the least, it does not agree with what you are reporting.

To be quite blunt, I cannot believe that you allow Mr. Kalmoukos to write the things that he does about the School, Church, Archbishop and various people and departments of the Church. How can your newspaper print such information which it knows is patently false? Both your newspaper and Mr. Kalmoukos have legal, ethical and professional responsibilities regarding the information that you gather and print. However, I see nothing but a total disregard or indifference toward these responsibilities. Mr. Kalmoukos himself has further moral obligations towards the Church as a graduate of the School and a baptized Orthodox Christian. He could easily be excommunicated from the Church by the Bishop (or Archbishop) for the lies that he is writing about the School/Church and the people/events therein. Put simply, Mr. Kalmoukos' journalism is irresponsible and unethical.

Further and just as important, as a lawyer I find that many of the articles written by Mr. Kalmoukos and then published by your newspaper, are libelous and defamatory. I strongly believe that several of the individuals that Mr. Kalmoukos has written about have been defamed. As such, I believe these individuals have legal recourse against your newspaper and Mr. Kalmoukos. In fact, several individuals have inquired of me as to whether they can successfully bring an action against your newspaper and Mr. Kalmoukos for the defamatory statements made by the two of you. My response to them has been that they have been defamed by the two of you and that they could maintain such a defamation action. I do not know how the laws are in Greece for newspapers and journalists who write defamatory stories but in America you cannot do such things and not be held legally accountable. Consider this letter not as a threat but rather as free legal advise.

Regarding the substance of Mr. Kalmoukos' articles, how is it that Mr. Kalmoukos knows more information that I do regarding certain events at the School? Concerning the School, I know where he gets the majority of information frοm and his source is not accurate. Is it possible for him to know more than I do about these events when I have lived on campus for the last two years? The people and events that he writes about, I live on a daily basis - 24 hours a day. How is it possible for him to know the "truth" about these events? As a student, I have direct access to these events and people - I live in that environment. As a lawyer, I have even greater knowledge of these events/people. Further, as a lawyer I am required to look at all the evidence and evaluate its objectivity. All the information that I review and the opinions that I render (legally or otherwise) are based upon this objective approach. The same cannot be said for Mr. Kalmoukos and your newspaper regarding his articles.

I am enclosing my letter to the Boston Globe which sets forth the truth about the recent changes at the School and the disciplinary committee's investigation of the "alleged" sexual misconduct incident so that you may know that what you print is false - deliberately and patently false and, as I said before, defamatory. I believe that your failure to heed this advise puts the two of you at legal risk - one that you will find is very costly and not too friendly.

Timothy Krantz

[ Alitheia-Αλήθεια | www.alitheia.org/EP-LT.HTM  -   July 14, 1997 ]

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*)  A letter never published by the "Ethnikos Keryx"