The fascinating story of Father Demetrios – Monk and war hero

The story of Father Demetrius —or David Balfour— is a fascinating, if little-known, chapter of modern Greek history. The “monk with the voice of an angel” was ultimately revealed to have been a spy for the British Intelligence Service. His mission and actions during the war could easily be the stuff of a suspenseful spy novel or movie.

David Balfour Was born on 20 January 1903 into a wealthy british Family. He studied at the Universities of Prague, salzburg, Rome and later athens. He Was multilingual: he spoke english, french, italian, german, russian, polish and greek, and later learned turkish. He was the ideal young man to be recruited By His country's secret service.

The political leaders of Greece for Northern Epirus

Initially a Catholic, he became fascinated by Orthodoxy. To satisfy his interest, in 1932 he visited the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos. His stay there, combined with the influence of the monk Sophrony (in the world Sakharov), led him to abandon Catholicism and embrace the Orthodox faith.

He later joined the Moscow Patriarchate and was ordained a priest with the name Father Demetrius, at the Church of the Three Hierarchs in Paris. In 1934 he was sent to London to work with a group of English Orthodox in an unsuccessful attempt to establish a parish.

In 1935 he returned to Mount Athos and then settled in the Penteli Monastery, where he enrolled in the Theological School. He was assigned to minister in a small chapel in the courtyard of Evangelismos Hospital, in Kolonaki, in the center of Athens.

Από την πρώτη του εμφάνιση στην Αθήνα, ο Πατέρας Δημήτριος τράβηξε την προσοχή των πλουσίων οικογενειών της πρωτεύουσας. Το κήρυγμά του και η βυζαντινή του ψαλμωδία στο εκκλησάκι της εύπορης συνοικίας έγιναν πολύ δημοφιλή. Το ταπεινό του ράσο, η γλυκιά φωνή, το φιλανθρωπικό του έργο, η μόρφωσή του, η ήρεμη συμπεριφορά του και η χαρακτηριστική διχαλωτή γενειάδα του τον ανέδειξαν στον πιο αναγνωρίσιμο ιερέα της πόλης. Η αίγλη του Αγίου Όρους συνέβαλε στη βαθιά εκτίμηση που έτρεφαν για εκείνον οι πιστοί.

During his stay in Athens, he perfected his Greek. He became sought-after in the salons of high society and the confessor of many prominent Athenians, such as General Alexander Papagos and Prime Minister Alexander Koryzis. At the same time, he taught English to well-off Greeks at the British Institute of Athens, while maintaining good relations with theologians of the "Zoi" group and the Archbishop of Athens.

Από το 1937 ως το 1939, ο Άγγλος κατάσκοπος, ντυμένος πάντα με τα ράσα του και τη χαρακτηριστική μακριά διχαλωτή γενειάδα, επιτελούσε τα εκκλησιαστικά του καθήκοντα με στενές σχέσεις με τη βασιλική οικογένεια. Ιδιαίτερα στενές ήταν οι σχέσεις του με τον βασιλιά Γεώργιο Β΄, διάδοχο του Παύλου, και με την πριγκίπισσα Φρειδερίκη. Οι επισκέψεις του στο παλάτι του έδιναν, χωρίς αμφιβολία, πρόσβαση σε πληροφορίες μεγάλης αξίας για τη Βρετανική Υπηρεσία Πληροφοριών. Μέλη της βασιλικής οικογένειας εξομολογούνταν συχνά στον αγαπημένο τους ιερέα. Ταυτόχρονα, ο Μπάλφουρ —υπό την κάλυψη του Πατέρα Δημητρίου— δημιούργησε ισχυρούς δεσμούς με στρατιωτικούς και πολιτικούς υψηλόβαθμους, με τις ευλογίες του παλατιού.

During the Greco-Italian War, Father Demetrios surpassed every other priest in zeal, supporting the soldiers fighting on the Albanian front and their families.

Λίγες μόνο ημέρες πριν την είσοδο των Γερμανών στην Αθήνα, τον Απρίλιο του 1941, λέγεται πως οι ενορίτες του τον είδαν να βγαίνει από το εκκλησάκι του κουρεμένος, ξυρισμένος και ντυμένος με χακί σορτς και στρατιωτικές μπότες. Επιβιβάστηκε σε ένα τζιπ των Βρετανικών εκστρατευτικών δυνάμεων μαζί με προσωπικό της πρεσβείας και κατευθύνθηκαν προς το λιμάνι του Πειραιά. Προορισμός του ήταν το Κάιρο, όπου είχε ήδη καταφύγει ο βασιλιάς Γεώργιος Β΄ με επίλεκτη στρατιωτική συνοδεία, λίγο πριν την κατάληψη της Αθήνας από τους ναζί.

He had now shed his priestly disguise and re-emerged as a diplomat: David Balfour, a high-ranking british Intelligence Officer. In Cairo, He continued his close relations with the royal family and future prime ministers, such As George papandreou and Panagiotis Kanellopoulos.

Three and a half years later, after the Liberation, Balfour returned to Athens, shortly after the last Germans had left. This time he appeared publicly as "Major David Balfour" and took up official duties at the British Embassy. As historian Sarantos Kargakos reports, many Greeks who had known him as Father Demetrios felt deep anger and betrayal at the revelation of his true identity.

Despite the outrage, Balfour continued to work to strengthen British influence in Greek political life after the war, this time from the position of "Political Counsellor" at the Embassy. His influence and interventions have been the subject of study for many historians. He is said to have played a key role in the installation of Archbishop Damaskinos as Viceroy and the resignation of George Papandreou as Prime Minister.

As an expert on Greek political affairs, Balfour played a significant role in the bloody December Uprising of 1944 and the Varkiza Agreement of February 1945, between the Greek government and communist rebels. He is even rumored to have been “the voice and translator” of General Ronald Scobie, who played a decisive role in the outcome of the Civil War.

Balfour is said to have worked closely with another shadowy British agent, Reginald "Rex" Leeper, a member of the Secret Service and British ambassador to the Greek government-in-exile in Cairo from 1943 to 1946. Leeper is also believed to have played a key role in the events of the Civil War.