Metropolitan Pangratios Vrionis

Aliases:
Pangratious Vrionis
Pancratios Vrionis
James Vrionis
Demetrios Gerasimos Vrionis
Pangratios Vryonis

Convicted, Sanctioned

Metropolitan Pangratios Vrionis

Father Pangratios Vrionis was a priest in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America (GOA) in Pennsylvania. In 1969 the priest was charged with sodomy and corrupting the morals of 2 teen-aged boys. However, before he could be tried, he fled to New York. There, in February 1970, Vrionis claimed to have been consecrated a bishop.

Vrionis returned to Pennsylvania in May, 1970, and pleaded guilty to the charges against him. The bishop was sentenced to probation.

The metropolitan was defrocked by the GOA in December, 1970. In 1992, Metropolitan Isaiah Chronopoulos, then chancellor of the GOA, said that it was for disobedience, not because of the conviction.

As a bishop, Vrionis founded his own vagante Orthodox jurisdiction in Queens, New York, the Archdiocese of Vasiloupolis. The bishop ran a day-care center and a Greek language school out of his cathedral, Saints Fanourios and Gerasimos.

The metropolitan is most widely known for accepting the Holy Order of MANS into his jurisdiction. After the bishop received this new-age group in 1988.

In the spring of 1999, Cappy Larson of Pokrov.org uncovered Vrionis' criminal record. In 2002, the New York Post did an article about it. Soon after the piece was published, a mother come forward saying that her son was molested by the bishop in 1999.

On April 18, 2002, Vrions was again arrested in New York for fondling this 14 year old boy during a Greek lesson. According to newspaper accounts, other victims subsequently came forward, although the bishop and his supporters maintained that he was innocent.

Vrionis pleaded guilty to three counts of child-sex abuse in the spring of 2003. He was sentenced to a year's probation and a full 12 months of counseling. The metropolitan was also ordered to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law, a sanction that obligates him to report his address to authorities every 90 days and also requires that his photo and criminal status as a convicted Level Three sex offender be shared with schools. This listing is apparently not available to the general public.

Despite this second conviction in 2003, Vrionis maintained his leadership position in his diocese.

At some point in time Vrionis became associated with the Greek Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese of America. On September 6, 2008, Pokrov.org was informed by that group's leader, Archbishop Michael, that the metropolitan had been removed for behavior unbecoming of a bishop.

Criminal Cases:

Commonwealth v. Vrionis
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
County of Dauphin
Case Numbers 1378 and 1377 (1970)

Vrionis pleaded guilty to 2 counts of sodomy and 2 counts of corrupting the morals of a minor and was sentenced to 23 months probation. He was also required to pay $500.00 in fines. The charges stemmed from incidents which occurred in 1968 involving 2 14 year old boys.

People v. Vrionis
State of New York
County of Queens
Case Number Unknown (2003)

Vrionis pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 14 year old boy in 1999. He was sentenced to 1 year probation and a full 12 months of counseling. The bishop was also required to register as a sex offender.