Church Leader Compensated After Writer’s False Claims Caused Humiliation

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Wins $300,000 Defamation Case Against Journalist

A veteran Greek-Australian journalist has been ordered to pay more than $300,000 in damages after the Federal Court ruled he defamed Archbishop Makarios Griniezakis, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia, through a series of false allegations published online.

Federal Court Justice Wendy Abraham found that Alkis Morelas, who has worked in journalism for 55 years, published four defamatory articles on the Greek-language website Greek Flash News between 2021 and 2022. The court determined that Morelas fabricated evidence and distorted information in his reporting.

The articles contained serious and unfounded accusations against Archbishop Makarios, who has led the church throughout Australia and Oceania since 2019. Among the false claims, Morelas alleged that the Archbishop had misappropriated funds from a Black Summer bushfire charity appeal, used church money to finance personal holidays, and failed to take appropriate action against a priest accused of child sexual abuse.

In her judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Abraham dismissed Morelas’s defense that the articles represented his honest opinion and were published under qualified privilege. The court found “no reasonable justification for publishing the falsehoods” and noted that Morelas had admitted during cross-examination that he lacked personal knowledge of the matters he reported on.

“There is no reliable evidence of appropriate fact-checking before publication,” Justice Abraham wrote. The court also highlighted that Morelas failed to contact the Archdiocese’s media unit to provide the Archbishop an opportunity to respond to the allegations before publication—a fundamental journalistic practice.

The judgment revealed that Morelas used “florid and offensive language” in his articles, referring to Archbishop Makarios with derogatory terms including “pervert,” “representative of Satan,” and “whore of the Archdiocese.” Morelas also claimed the Archbishop executed “contracts of death” against those who opposed him.

During the proceedings, the court found that the Archbishop was a “credible and reliable witness.” Archbishop Makarios testified that he spent between $60,000 and $80,000 annually, primarily on travel throughout Australia related to his official duties. Justice Abraham noted, “His evidence was that his strictly personal expenses were modest. There is no evidence to the contrary.”

The impact of the defamatory articles was significant despite the relatively small readership of Greek Flash News, which had approximately 2,000 monthly visitors during the relevant period. Archbishop Makarios testified that he felt humiliated and offended by the publications, which attracted attention from Patriarch Bartholomew, the global leader of the Orthodox Church, and generated frequent questions from community members. Witnesses reported seeing the Archbishop in tears on several occasions as a result of the allegations.

The court awarded aggravated damages partly because Morelas continued to publish defamatory content after receiving a court order to cease. “Mr. Morelas has not apologized, but rather took the opportunity to make further allegations,” Justice Abraham wrote. The total damages awarded were $300,000, including $50,000 in aggravated damages. Morelas was also ordered to pay the Archbishop’s legal costs.

Following the judgment, Morelas took to social media to announce that his legal team would examine the possibility of appealing the decision to the High Court.

The case highlights the serious consequences of publishing unsubstantiated allegations against public figures, even on platforms with relatively limited reach. It also underscores the importance of journalistic standards including fact-checking, seeking comment from subjects of reporting, and the legal boundaries of opinion and qualified privilege defenses in defamation law.