Turkish Forestry Officials Vandalize Historic Church
November 15, 2007
In response to unlawful destruction of an historic Orthodox Christian Church by eight officials of a local Ministry of Forestry in Turkey, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent an official letter to Mevlut Kurban, the District Elder of Princess Islands, expressing his “strong disappointment and shock.” The Ecumenical Patriarch emphasized that Christ the Savior Monastery “had survived numerous fires and earthquakes throughout hundreds of years. In is uncivil to brutalize a sacred building that carries so much cultural history, and unjust to destroy it, especially when Istanbul has been picked to be the capital of civilized Europe in 2010.”
Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Order of Saint Andrew, condemned the illegal actions of Turkey’s Forestry officials. “On behalf of all peoples of faith who value religious freedom, basic human rights and the dignity of every human being, we call upon the government of Turkey to stop immediately the destruction of this historic Monastery and to put an end to the incessant harassment of the humble caretaker and workers who live on the Monastery’s property.”
Dr. Limberakis emphasized that the Archons in America are strong advocates for Turkey’s admission into the European Union and asked that all friends of Turkey urge the government to “treat all Turkish citizens equally and fairly, regardless of their religious persuasion… Muslim, Jewish, or Christian.”
The Monastery, which is undergoing renovation due to a generous grant from Dr. Stephen and Dr. Anna Yallourakis of Kingsport, TN, was vandalized on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. Local government officials removed and threw away roof tile, broke all the windows and destroyed the window frames. The officials threatened the residents and demanded that they abandon their homes because the houses were being demolished. Dr. Yallourakis remarked, “We here in the U.S. enjoy all of our freedoms and believe all people should enjoy basic unalienable rights given to us by our Creator. The Ecumenical Patriarchate, founded by the Apostle Andrew, is the Sacred See for 250 million Orthodox Christians around the world. We pray for a positive resolution to this tragic event and anxiously await the repair of the damage which has destroyed our beloved Monastery.”
Contact: Fr. Alex Karloutsos
Tel.: 212-774-0400
Email: archons@goarch.org
FOR PHOTOS CONTACT:
marissa@goarch.org
SCOBA and SCOOCH Hierarchs Celebrate 7th Annual Prayer Service for the United Nations November 7, 2007
On Tuesday, November 13th, the combined Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) and of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCH) celebrated the 7th Annual Prayer Service for the United Nations. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, the Chairman of SCOBA, welcomed the assembled Hierarchs, Clergy, Ambassadors and Dignitaries of the UN Diplomatic Corps and laity to the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the traditional site when the service is hosted by an Eastern Orthodox Church.
This year, His Eminence Archbishop Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas presided at the Vespers Service, assisted by Clergy, Monastics, and Chanters of the Romanian Orthodox Church. In addition to the two Archbishops mentioned above, the following SCOBA Hierarchs were present; Metropolitan Herman of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Joseph of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Anthony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Bishop Antoun of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, and Bishop Ioan Casian of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese.
His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Church and Chairman of SCOOCH led the following Hierarchs of the SCOOCH delegations: Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Mor Titus Yeldho Pathickal of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese, and Bishop Makarios of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Ambassadors from many Eastern and Oriental Orthodox countries were in attendance; including Armenia, Albania, Greece and Ukraine. The Romanian Ambassador to the UN, His Excellency Mihnea Ioan Motoc, led a large delegation of the Romanian Diplomatic Corps. Following greetings from Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon, delivered by Dr. Emmanuel Kattan of the UN Office of the Alliance response by Archbishop Nicolae, who spoke of the sacred responsibility of the human person for creation.
“The ability to change the material world towards good is another unique characteristic of humankind. Every form of matter which passes through the hand of a Christian is harmonious with the natural environment, and is transformed into a means of communion with one another and with God. In our time, however, the meaning of Creation and the holy responsibility of each human person towards our world has been forgotten. Gradually, we have become less able to understand the world as the gift of God and consider it as a means for our wellbeing. We have forgotten that we have been called to be priests of the Creation, to protect and offer it back to the Creator. Today, thankfulness has been replaced by greed. We have lost the sense of our responsibility toward nature.”
Following the conclusion of Vespers, led by the Hierarchs and the Diplomatic Corps, over 200 of the Clergy and Faithful attended a gala reception in the Cathedral Parish Hall.
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