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Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos

Basic Information​

  • Full Name: Anastasia ("Stacey") Stephanopoulos (Mother Agapia)
  • Role: American Orthodox Christian Nun, Educator, Holy Land Advocate
  • Religious Order: Orthodox Christian (previously ROCOR-A affiliated)
  • Family: Sister of journalist George Stephanopoulos; daughter of Rev. Dr. Robert Stephanopoulos
  • Location: Based in United States, extensive time in Holy Land (1996-present)
  • Age: Estimated 60s (as of 2025)

Professional Background​

  • Primary Ministry: Bethany School for Girls near Jerusalem (1996-ongoing)
  • Educational Role: Principal/Administrator of school serving 350 students
  • Student Demographics: 98% Muslim students in Christian Orthodox school
  • Geographic Focus: Bethany (biblical site where Lazarus was raised), West Bank
  • Specialized Knowledge: 29+ years firsthand experience with Israeli occupation policies

Key Experiences and Witness​

Holy Land Ministry (1996-Present)​

  • Bethany School Leadership: Ran Orthodox Christian school in majority Muslim Palestinian town
  • Cross-Cultural Education: Successfully integrated Christian and Muslim communities
  • Occupation Witness: Direct observer of settlement expansion and occupation policies
  • Community Integration: Lived among Palestinian Christians and Muslims for decades

Major Historical Events Witnessed​

  • Second Intifada (2002): Present during Church of the Nativity siege in Bethlehem
  • Wall Construction: Witnessed Israeli separation wall built through Christian holy sites
  • Settlement Expansion: Documented growth of Ma'ale Adumim from small settlement to major city
  • Christian Displacement: Observed systematic decline of Holy Land Christian population

Core Perspectives and Advocacy​

On Christian Persecution in Holy Land​

  • Apartheid Documentation: Describes detailed system of permit requirements, separate roads, movement restrictions
  • Land Confiscation: Witnesses systematic seizure of Christian-owned olive groves and property
  • Religious Freedom Denial: Christians cannot visit holy sites without Israeli military permits
  • Economic Destruction: Documents deliberate destruction of Christian businesses and livelihoods

On Christian-Muslim Relations​

"They are not imperiled by Muslims in Palestine. That is an absolute fact."

  • Harmonious Coexistence: 98% Muslim students in her Christian school with crosses and icons
  • Shared Values: Describes commonality between Christian and Muslim Palestinian communities
  • Cultural Integration: Successful interfaith education and community relationships
  • False Narratives: Directly contradicts Western media portrayal of Christian-Muslim conflict

On Christian Zionism Critique​

"Someone like Ted Cruz Senator Cruz is saying and doing what he's doing because he's following a Christianity that is not the Christianity of the Holy Land... It's a heretical belief."

  • Theological Opposition: Identifies Christian Zionism as 19th-century heresy condemned in 381 AD
  • Rapture Theology Rejection: Explains why "thousand-year kingdom" teaching contradicts Orthodox Christianity
  • Settlement Funding: Condemns Christian Zionist financial support for settlements on Christian land
  • Political Influence: Criticizes Christian Zionist political lobbying that harms actual Holy Land Christians

Notable Quotes from Tucker Carlson Interview (2025)​

On Israeli Apartheid System​

"Yellow plate is for people who live in the state of Israel and they can go on certain roads... Palestinians have green and white plates and they cannot use... There's very much an apartheid system very much so."

On Christian Persecution​

"A Christian who lives in Bethlehem cannot go to Jerusalem to the holy sepulcher without a permit by Israel. And they don't usually give those permits especially now."

On Deliberate Targeting​

"The church in Gaza has, you know, it's pointed and the cross is there in the middle of it by itself. So it's hard to believe that it wasn't a person [deliberately targeting the cross]."

On American Complicity​

"How can an American citizen be beaten to death in an Israeli controlled area paid for by the United States and nobody does anything about it?"

On Congressional Capture​

"I wrote a letter to my congressman, Nicholas Langworthy. He writes back an Israeli bullet point, an AIPAC bullet point reply basically saying, you know, Hamas is the problem."

On Israeli Contempt for Americans​

"The scorn they have for Americans is really something else... they mock America. Mock America. America pays for the whole thing... there's no love for America."

On Genocide by Degrees​

"When I first went there in 2002 after the second intifada started, I remember saying to my mother back home, you know, this is genocide... genocide by Chinese water torture, but now we're seeing genocide on steroids."

On Future of Holy Land Christianity​

"What we will have is museums. They won't be living places of prayer. And that will be a great tragedy not only for the Christians but I think for the whole world."

Specific Documented Incidents​

Church of the Nativity Siege (2002)​

  • Personal Witness: Present during 40-day Israeli siege of Bethlehem
  • Christian Casualties: Bell ringer shot dead inside church; 16-year-old altar boy Johnny Talgia killed by sniper
  • Family Tragedy: 12-year-old Christine Sada killed when Israeli soldiers shot up family car
  • Infrastructure Destruction: Witnessed deliberate destruction of Christian decorations and property

Wall Construction Through Holy Sites​

  • Lazarus's Tomb: Wall built directly above biblical site where Jesus raised Lazarus
  • School Separation: Wall separated Christian teachers and students from school
  • Convent Access: Could no longer easily visit Jerusalem convent due to wall placement
  • Land Seizure: Christian Boy's Home taken and incorporated into wall construction

Factory Destruction in Nablus (2024)​

  • Christian Business: Metal factory serving 600 Christian families in Nablus
  • No Legal Process: Equipment confiscated June 26, 2024, then factory bombed two weeks later
  • No Justification: No court order, no warning, no legal reason provided
  • Economic Warfare: Pattern of destroying Palestinian Christian livelihoods

Land Confiscation in Taiba​

  • Biblical Significance: Taiba is biblical Ephraim where Christ prepared for crucifixion
  • 8,000 Acres: Quarter of Christian-owned land confiscated for settlements
  • Olive Grove Destruction: Grandfather's olive trees now forbidden to their owners
  • American Citizen Impact: Greek-American woman's homes burned, cannot access Ben Gurion Airport

Personal Costs and Attacks​

Media Suppression Attempts​

  • Brother's Career: Attempt to damage George Stephanopoulos's ABC News career through false reporting
  • Page Six Attack: New York Post published distorted story claiming she made false rape allegations
  • Silencing Tactics: Pattern of career attacks against those who speak about Christian persecution

Social and Professional Isolation​

  • Congressional Rejection: Congressmen refuse meetings when told she wants to discuss Christian persecution
  • Church Hierarchy Reluctance: Even Orthodox churches hesitant to speak out
  • Political Retaliation: Systematic suppression of testimony about occupation reality

Family Background​

The Stephanopoulos Family​

  • Father: Rev. Dr. Robert Stephanopoulos (deceased) - prominent Greek Orthodox priest
  • Mother: Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos
  • Brother: George Stephanopoulos - ABC News journalist, former Clinton administration official
  • Religious Heritage: Deep roots in Greek Orthodox tradition and community leadership

Personal Attacks on Family​

  • Career Targeting: Attempts to damage brother's journalism career due to her advocacy
  • Father's Experience: Priest father mocked and delayed at Israeli checkpoints while wearing clerical collar
  • Family Pressure: Personal costs of speaking truth about Christian persecution

Theological Framework​

Orthodox Christian Teaching​

  • Traditional Eschatology: Rejects 19th-century innovations like rapture theology and millennialism
  • Incarnational Theology: Emphasizes Christ's first coming as sufficient for salvation
  • Sacramental Life: Focuses on Eucharist and living Christian witness over political projects
  • Historical Continuity: Maintains 2,000-year tradition of Christian teaching

Critique of Modern Heresies​

  • Dispensationalism: Identifies John Darby and Scofield Reference Bible as sources of false teaching
  • Temple Rebuilding: Opposes efforts to rebuild Jewish temple as contrary to Christian doctrine
  • Political Messianism: Rejects conflation of modern Israel with biblical Israel
  • End Times Obsession: Critiques focus on future rather than present Christian living

Current Advocacy Work​

Political Action​

  • Congressional Education: Attempts to educate representatives about Christian persecution
  • Christian Mobilization: Organizing American Christians to oppose settlement funding
  • AIPAC Opposition: Working to counter pro-Israel lobby influence in Christian communities
  • Media Outreach: Speaking to independent media to bypass mainstream suppression

Proposed Solutions​

  • Pilgrimage Program: Organizing trips for influential Americans to witness occupation reality
  • Church Awakening: Mobilizing traditional Christian churches against Christian Zionist influence
  • Political Pressure: Building grassroots movement to change U.S. foreign policy
  • Theological Education: Teaching Christians about the heretical nature of Christian Zionism

Assessment and Significance​

Mother Agapia Stephanopoulos represents perhaps the most credible American witness to the systematic persecution of Christians in the Holy Land. Her unique combination of factors - American citizenship, Orthodox Christian authority, family prominence, decades of firsthand experience, and educational leadership in a Muslim-majority Palestinian community - provides unparalleled credibility for her testimony.

Unique Credibility Factors​

  1. American Identity: Cannot be dismissed as foreign or anti-American
  2. Christian Authority: Orthodox nun with deep theological training
  3. Family Prominence: Sister of major media figure, daughter of respected priest
  4. Firsthand Experience: 29 years living and working in occupied Palestine
  5. Educational Success: Successfully ran Christian school in Muslim community
  6. Witness to History: Present during major events from Second Intifada to present

Impact on Christian Discourse​

Her testimony systematically demolishes several key narratives:

  • Christian-Muslim Conflict: Demonstrates harmony between Christian and Muslim Palestinians
  • Israeli Protection of Christians: Documents systematic persecution and displacement
  • Security Justifications: Reveals apartheid system affects all Palestinians regardless of religion
  • Christian Zionist Support: Exposes how American Christian funding enables Christian persecution
  • Biblical Justifications: Provides traditional Christian theological critique of modern innovations

Prophetic Voice​

Mother Agapia serves as a prophetic voice calling American Christianity back to its traditional teachings and away from 19th-century heresies that enable oppression. Her warning about the spiritual consequences of supporting occupation and her call for Christians to choose between following Christ or following false theology places her testimony in the tradition of biblical prophets speaking truth to power.

Her willingness to endure personal and professional costs to bear witness to the truth, combined with her unassailable credentials and firsthand experience, makes her one of the most important voices in contemporary discussions about American Christianity's relationship with the Holy Land.

Current Contact and Reach​

Public Platform​

  • Independent Media: Primary outreach through alternative media channels like Tucker Carlson
  • Church Networks: Speaking at Orthodox parishes and communities
  • Conference Appearances: Addressing Christian conferences about Holy Land situation
  • Advocacy Organizations: Working with groups like Churches for Middle East Peace

Availability for Contact​

As noted in provided background information, direct contact should be pursued through:

  • ROCOR-A affiliated parishes and monasteries
  • Orthodox Christian community networks in New York
  • Church communities connected to the Stephanopoulos family
  • Established Orthodox ecclesiastical channels

Her testimony represents a crucial primary source for understanding both the reality of Christian persecution in the Holy Land and the theological and political factors that enable it from within American Christianity itself.