www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Row over Mother Therea's house spot in Macedonia

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/7756/

Row over Macedonia Church

07 February 2008 Skopje _ The main Albanian opposition party in
Macedonia has urged the Pope to help stop the building of an Orthodox
Christian church at the location of the house where Mother Teresa was born.

In a letter addressed to the Vatican, the Democratic Union for
Integration, DUI, notes that constructing an Orthodox church at the
exact location in Skopje's centre where the Catholic nun's house used
to stand, would "desecrate the Catholic tradition in the country" and
"cause religious tensions".

The DUI's letter, dated Wednesday, asked Pope Benedict XVI for his support.

Also on Wednesday, DUI legislators called for a no-confidence vote in
the Minister of Culture, Arifikmet Xhemaili, for approving the
government's plan.

"This place is intended for a memorial centre for Mother Teresa. We
are not against the building of an Orthodox church, but not there",
DUI deputy, Safet Neziri, said in parliament.

In January the government decided to finance the building of a church
on Skopje's main square near the foundations of an older church, as
well as a mosque in the north-western town of Tetovo which has a
large population of predominantly-Muslim ethnic Albanians.

The promise of government funding has stirred a public debate with
legal experts claiming that it would violate the separation of state
and religion stipulated in Macedonia's constitution.

Macedonia's Orthodox Church and the country's Islamic Community have
approved the government plans.

Skopje citizens, backed by some architects, have launched a petition
against the initiative, warning of an architectural fiasco since the
planned church in the city centre would be surrounded by modern glass
structures.

The Mayor of Skopje, Trifun Kostovski, has proposed another location
for the building.

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje in 1910.

She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India.

Her work, dedicated to helping the sick, the poor and the terminally
ill, attracted worldwide acknowledgement.

Following her death in 1997 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in
the first step to her being declared a saint.

Macedonia is mostly populated by Orthodox Macedonians, with around a
quarter of its population comprised of mainly-Muslim Albanians.

A small Catholic community also exists in the country.
Copyright BalkanInsight.com 2008

How about doing something that would both anger everyone and satisfy everyone all at once?!

Build a big beautiful Byzantine Catholic Church, and allow both the Latin Church and the Orthodox use as needed.

Dear Michael,

You would have a great career working for the US State Department. Like you, they try to figure out what solution would most upset the Orthodox and do all they can to implement it. If the US State Department doesn't work out, their German or Croatian counterparts might be an option.

Fr David Straut

Father bless.
It may be that the same guys are playing both sides (both US State Dept. and Serb/Russian Foreign Affairs), since whoever came up with the brilliant idea to build on this site had to know this would greatly upset the people who venerate Mother Teresa and the place she lived.

This opinion of mine does not negate my little jibe at you for being insensitive to Orthodox sensibilities by making the purportedly humourous suggestion that Orthodox Christians be forced to use a Greek Catholic church if they want to worship in the area.

This opinion of mine does not negate my little jibe at you for being insensitive to Orthodox sensibilities by making the purportedly humourous suggestion that Orthodox Christians be forced to use a Greek Catholic church if they want to worship in the area.

The topic of this thread, as with almost any subject, can be discussed without vitroil, it does however require that folks stop, think, and perhaps pray for holy wisdom before putting fingers to keyboard.

I strongly recommend that the bickering come to an immediate end!

Michael's comment, albeit intended to be humorous, had the potential to come across as insensitive and, while unintended, was taken that way by Father David, who reacted accordingly.

Both have made their points and, in the spirit of the present or pending (depending on one's calendar) Holy Season, the asking and granting of mutual forgiveness would be edifying.

The insertion of additional commentary on their remarks by others is unnecessary, unwelcome, and should cease! They do no honor to anyone and are unworthy of this community, serving only to inflame!

The topic of this thread, as with almost any subject, can be discussed without vitroil, it does however require that folks stop, think, and perhaps pray for holy wisdom before putting fingers to keyboard.

Many years,

Neil