The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, meeting under the chairmanship of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, unanimously elected Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey as the new archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
The election took place at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar district of Istanbul, where the members of the synod had convened in session. With the vote, the hierarch who has led the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey since 2023 becomes the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox faithful across Canada, succeeding Archbishop Sotirios, whose ministry in the country spans more than five decades.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate Archons in Canada congratulated the archbishop-elect and said they look forward to welcoming him as he begins his pastoral ministry. The organization described him as an accomplished and distinguished clergyman of the Mother Church of Constantinople, whose experience and commitment will serve him as he builds on the legacy of his predecessor. Its president, Archon Evagelos Sotiropoulos, characterized the election as a historic day for the Archdiocese of Canada and expressed gratitude, on behalf of all Archons, to the Ecumenical Patriarch and the members of the synod. He added that the archbishop-elect’s love for the Church and dedication to its mission will inspire and strengthen the spiritual life of the faithful throughout the country.
The Archons also joined the many individuals who have paid tribute to Archbishop Sotirios for his lifetime of service to the Church, his humble demeanour and his success in growing Orthodoxy and preserving Hellenic traditions in Canada. During the period of transition, the organization said, it will continue to serve and support the Ecumenical Patriarch and the archbishop-elect.
The new archbishop was born Evangelos Koufallakis on the island of Rhodes in 1969, the second of four children of Ioannis and Stergia Koufallakis. He completed his general education at the historic Patmias Ecclesiastical School on the island of Patmos, where he was introduced to Byzantine music and hymnology. In 1993 he was tonsured a monk at the Holy Monastery of Panagia Paramythia in Rhodes, receiving the name Apostolos, and was ordained a deacon the same year by the late Metropolitan Apostolos of Rhodes. The same hierarch ordained him to the priesthood in 1996. He graduated from the School of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2000 and pursued further studies at the Boston University School of Theology.
His ministry in North America has spanned both coasts of the United States. In 2009 he was appointed director of the Hellenic Cultural Center of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and in 2011 he became chancellor of the Metropolis of San Francisco. On Nov. 28, 2014, the Holy and Sacred Synod elected him auxiliary bishop with the title bishop of Medeia. In 2018 he was named chief secretary of the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of America, and in 2019 he organized the enthronement of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. He also oversaw the 45th Biennial National Clergy-Laity Congress in 2020, held virtually with more than 1,200 delegates participating.
In February 2021 he was assigned the liturgical and pastoral responsibilities of the then vacant Metropolis of New Jersey, serving as patriarchal commissioner. On July 24, 2023, following the favourable recommendation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the synod unanimously elected him metropolitan of New Jersey, and he was enthroned on Sept. 16, 2023, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint John the Theologian in Tenafly, N.J. The metropolis he has led since then extends across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
In Canada, he assumes leadership of an archdiocese that has grown substantially under Archbishop Sotirios. Born in Lepiana, in the Arta region of Epirus, Greece, in 1936, Sotirios was elected bishop on Dec. 18, 1973, and ordained on Jan. 27, 1974. He was elevated to metropolitan of Toronto in 1996 and became archbishop of Canada in 2019, when the metropolis was raised to the rank of archdiocese. At the time of his election as bishop there were 22 parishes in the country; today the archdiocese counts some 75 parishes serving an estimated 220,000 faithful. His tenure saw the establishment of institutions including annual youth assemblies, the monthly newspaper Orthodox Way, social services programs, monastic communities in Ontario and Quebec, Greek Orthodox day schools in Ontario and the Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada operates under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and has its headquarters at 86 Overlea Blvd. in Toronto.
