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Christodoulos says he's determined to proceed with 'clean-up'; cites 'attack' on Church itself


Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos stressed during a closely watched sermon on Sunday that he is determined to proceed with a "clean-up" in the powerful Church, following a series of embarrassing charges aimed at a handful of top clerics over the past weeks.



Speaking from the pulpit to parishioners and several members of the Holy Synod -- the Church of Greece's hierarchical plenum -- Christodoulos nevertheless said the "heavy climate" in the Church is being "maintained by those making revelations of scandals, real or fabricated."



"What purposes does this daily vilification serve? Of what consequence are the (television programmes') proclamations of coming revelations? Do they not create a climate of blackmail? Do they not turn those they threaten into hostages? Is a clean-up achieved in this manner, with vilification and not internally (by the Church itself)?" the influential Archbishop rhetorically asked while delivering a sermon from the Penteli Monastery in Athens on a day that coincided with the holding of an annual one-day seminar on theological issues.



Moreover, he said the recent crescendo of media attention on the accusations against the high-ranking clerics -- ranging from antiquities smuggling to embezzlement and misappropriation of funds to even charges of indecency and licentiousness -- is merely an attack against the Church "during a period when the country needs its (Church) spiritual guidance".



Finally, Christodoulos said whatever problems related to the clergy are not solved with a prosecutor's "stick".



The highest-ranking cleric touched by the recent furor is Metropolitan of Attica (prefecture) Panteleimon, who was suspended by the Holy Synod from his ecclesiastical duties for six months until an investigation into the charges against him is finalised.

From Athens News Agency (http://www.ana.gr/)

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METROPOLITE PANTELEIMON ON SIX-MONTH SUSPENSION
Athens, 4 February 2005 (18:27 UTC+2)


Metropolite Panteleimon of Attiki was put on a six-month suspension after accusations of having talks with former members of the judiciary who participated in corrupt networks.

Metropolite Panteleimon testified before the Holy Synod today and according to information, he maintained that the incriminating tapes used against him are fake and the product of voice editing. In the next six months, Metropolite Panteleimon will try to prove his innocence and if he fails he will be removed from the throne of the Metropolite.

According to information, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece will assume the post of the Attiki Metropolis vicar


Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr)


--------------------------------------------------
The priest, the judge, the ring and the probe


Several judges, prosecutors and a priest are being investigated as possiblemembers of a ring that rigged trials

GEORGE GILSON

Priest Iakovos Giosakis reportedly fled the country to evade investigation into his involvement with a group alleged to have rigged court cases

A SWEEPING investigation of lower and appellate court judges and prosecutors has implicated a Greek Orthodox priest and has shaken the public trust in the Greek justice system.

The priest, Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis, is suspected of involvement with an alleged ring that rigged court cases. Giosakis, no stranger to controversy, is also under investigation.

Greek Supreme Court prosecutors are carrying out a review of cases ranging from the freeing of charged drug dealers to insurance. In a number of the cases under review, the litigious priest himself was either plaintiff or defendant.

Greek state television reported that Giosakis flew to Lebanon on January 25, immediately after his bank accounts were ordered opened, and quoted sources close to the priest that he would return to Greece in ten days. No charges have yet been filed against Giosakis, and hence there are no legal restrictions on his movement.

Forty-three percent of Greeks said that they do not have trust in the criminal justice system, according to a Kappa Research poll conducted after the scandal broke out.

Widening investigation

Supreme Court prosecutor George Sanidas has ordered the opening of bank accounts in the Commercial Bank of Greece belonging to Giosakis, lower court prosecutor Antonia Ilia and chief lower court judge Leonidas Stathis.

Sources close to the case told the Athens News that the number of judges and prosecutors involved continues to grow. An appellate court deputy prosecutor, an appellate court prosecutor and a female appellate court judge are also currently under investigation in the case. It is believed that as many as ten judges could be expelled from the judiciary by the time the investigation is over.

Lower court judge Panagiota Tsevi-Raftopoulou is under investigation in two slander cases in which she ruled in Giosakis' favour. The first was against Athens University theology professor Xenophon Papaharalambous and the other against Metropolitan Germanos of Ilia.

The ongoing probe is investigating whether three female judges, including Ilia, received bribes from Giosakis to rule in his favour in about ten cases, including the two slander suits.

Strange circumstances

Some of the facts and allegations the Supreme Court prosecutors must look into are, to put it mildly, bizarre.

For instance, Germanos reports receiving a prank call evidently designed to keep him out of court on the day of the Papaharalambous trial, in which he was a witness for the defence. The caller claimed that the French ambassador wanted to visit Germanos' diocese on that day. When Germanos telephoned the number left by the caller, he found that it belonged to the office of a deputy prosecutor.

Giosakis sued Germanos after the latter wrote a letter advising Archbishop Christodoulos against the appointment of Giosakis in the powerful position of chief secretary of the synod. Giosakis was also a candidate to fill the influential position of head of the Apostoliki Diakonia (apostolic ministry).

Another curious allegation is that in several cases involving Giosakis, the judges who were initially chosen by lot were later replaced without explanation by judges now suspected of corruption.

Supreme Court Chief Justice George Kappos ordered an investigation against Tsevi, who judged the Germanos-Giosakis case, for alleged bias.

Never a dull moment

For over 15 years, the name Giosakis has spelled trouble in the ranks of the Greek Orthodox Church. In the late 1980s, the late metropolitan Panteleimon of Limnos appointed Giosakis as chancellor of his diocese. A rift between Giosakis and two other priests resulted in ousting of the metropolitan in 1989 after 39 years on the throne, following popular outcry.

Giosakis cared for Panteleimon in Athens for the remaining decade of the metropolitan's life. A source at the Limnos diocese confirmed that Panteleimon had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease even before the arrival of Giosakis. Giosakis obtained from the metropolitan a power of attorney, which enabled him to sell 11 prime pieces of property owned by the metropolitan between 1989 and 1993.

An employee at the Kranidi land registry confirmed the sales to this newspaper, which included six properties totalling almost four acres, a rural lot with a house and a seaside property in the Mandraki region of Ermioni.

Giosakis later went to the Diocese of Kithira, where he had served before going to Limnos. He was implicated in a scandal involving the theft of icons and a homosexual scandal that led to the resignation of the island's metropolitan, Iakovos. Giosakis was never convicted of any crime.

The Greek Supreme Court is now seeking judicial assistance from the United States to investigate Giosakis' activity in Chicago, where he repaired after the Kithira scandal. While serving at the Church of Saints Athanasios and John, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Giosakis was accused of having embezzled between $500,000 and $1 million, partly from the Philoptochos charity fund.

According to a church source, police confiscated Giosakis' passport, but he managed to travel to Mexico, where patriarchal Metropolitan Athenagoras of Panama interceded with Greek consular authorities to issue a new passport. Athenagoras also issued a letter releasing Giosakis from his diocese and enabling him to be taken in later by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos issued a stern letter rebuking Athenagoras in 2002. According to church sources, Giosakis was about to be defrocked by the patriarchate when the powerful chief secretary of the patriarchal synod interceded on his behalf.


ATHENS NEWS , 28/01/2005, page: A04
Article code: C13115A041

02] Giosakis Involved in Archbishop's Election? Turmoil in Church over Giosakis
31 Jan 2005 18:46:00
By Annita Paschalinou

Sources: NET

The revelations concerning the activities of Iakovos Giosakis are taking new dimensions. The Archimandrite, who appeared before the Piraeus Examiner this morning, is alleged to also be involved in the elections for the Archbishop in 1998. According to the accusations by the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva, Ieronymos, on Greek reporter Makis Traintafylopoulos show, Giosakis visited him on the eve of the elections and asked him to stand down from claiming the position of Archbishop. The Archdioceses reaction was immediate.

They Blamed the Journalists

Iakovos Giosakis appeared before the 7th Piraeus Examiner this morning, accompanied by two members of the clergy and two other people.

The Archimandrite stayed in the Interrogators office for a few minutes and secured a 48-hour extension.

Upon exiting, he appeared angry and did not wish to make any statements to the Press.

Those accompanying him also appeared quite angry, while one of them threw a bottle of water to the TV crews.

The Archdiocese's Response to Ieronymos

In the meantime, the accusations by the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva, Ieronymos, concerning Iiakovos Giosakis have caused turmoil in the Church.

While appearing on Greek reporter Makis Traintafylopoulos show, the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva said that Giosakis and another acting, high-ranked justice official visited him on the eve of the 98 elections and asked him to withdraw his candidacy for the position of the Archbishop.

The Archdioceses reaction was immediate.

In an announcement issued by its Press office, it was noted that Archbishop Christodoulos was not aware of such a visit by Iakovos Giosakis.

It is also underlined that, contrary to the accusation by the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva, they hold a written denunciation by Russian Holy Deacon Igor, which reveals that close ties existed between Metropolitan Bishop Ieronymos and Iakovos Giosakis.

At the same time, the Metropolitan Bishop of Attica, under whose jurisdiction Iakovos Giosakis falls, called a Holy Synod in order to appoint a clergyman as an interrogator.

His request will be considered during the Continuous Holy Synod, which will convene on Thursday.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

From http://www.hri.org

Bribery scandal engulfs Greek church
By Daniel Howden
04 February 2005


Greece's top Orthodox clerics were in an emergency meeting last night aimed at limiting the fallout from the biggest scandal to engulf the church in decades.

Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for at least one senior cleric as the Holy Synod called for an internal inquiry into a ring of priests accused of bribing top judges and lawyers in return for favourable rulings. The scandal, involving payoffs, secret funds and sexual favours, has shocked the faithful in a country where the overwhelming majority are Orthodox Christians.

The cleric at the centre of the affair, Iakovos Yiossakis, a close associate of Greece's firebrand spiritual leader, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, was being sought by police after prosecutors decided there a risk that he might go missing.

A number of judges, lawyers and priests are under investigation for helping get suspected drug dealers acquitted, involvement in prostitution and influencing church elections.

Archbishop Christodoulos, who has earned a reputation for outspoken involvement in political affairs, made a desperate attempt to distance the church from the furore. "We must protect it [the church]. Cleansing the church must go ahead without any compromise," he said.

His call for a purge was echoed by George Kapos, the supreme court president: "I don't have any problem if there are 13 or 20 judges who will be prosecuted because what I want is to clean the judicial system."

One of the key witnesses in the investigation, Stelios Vorinas, a reporter, has submitted audio tapes and other documents relating to one of the judges under investigation.

Metropolitan Bishop Ieronimos said in interviews this week that he had been discouraged from running for the archbishopric in 1998 by a senior judge and threatened by one of the ring of priests under investigation. Ieronimos has accused Christodoulos of using Yiossakis to blackmail him so that he would not stand against him in the ecclesiastical elections. The Archbishop denies the claims.

Four top judges linked to the priests have been charged with serious disciplinary offences and at least another nine senior judges and several prominent lawyers are under investigation.

"This is only the start of our problems," Metropolitan Bishop Ambrosius said. "There will be more developments and earthquakes and I ask you not to be scandalised by them."

Sources close to Archbishop Christodoulos said the controversial spiritual leader, who enjoys considerable support among Greece's 95 per cent Orthodox population, was "angered and disappointed".
From The Independent-Edition on Line(http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=607558)

This is very sad.

I am *SO* sorry to hear this, as I am sorry for any bad thing I read happening to the Western or Eastern Church, or religious individuals.

The love of money permeates Western societies so much.

My prayers for Archbishop Christodoulos at this difficult time.

NO Church, East or West is immune from the demon's darts and temptations. However, all Orthodox and Catholic have a promise that the bonds of Hell will not destroy us.

It is time that we put aside our differences and unite in a strong spiritual force...helping each other and praying for each other, thwarting the demon's darts because of our confession and practice of love for each other, so that the new springtime of Christianity can emerge.

Prayerfully,
Alice

On of the holiest Orthodox priestmonks I know is Father Archimandrite Roman (Braga) of the Romanian OCA Diocese...he always says this:

"Hell is going to be a very colorful place with all those bishops down there...with all their miters and vestments"

Lord have mercy upon us all!

In Christ Who is LORD,
+Fr. Gregory

To offer a somewhat lighter note: back in the sixties, I believe, some short-reigned ARchbishop of Athens was deposed for "unmentionable acts". The only result I remember was a spate of indignant editorials, including one entitled "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE MENTION THE UNMENTIONABLE ACTS?".

Since it is not difficult to think of various acts which are not normally mentioned but which are not sinful in the least, let alone criminal, one can appreciate the frustration which would give rise to such editorials! In the words of a famous American expression "Put Up or Shut Up!"

Meanwhile I have no doubt that the Church of Greece needs our prayers.

Incognitus

Hmmmm sounds like something I said way back when, when the Latin Church was being dragged through the mud and other's we gloating.
Stephanos I

I think St. John Chrysostom said something similar.

Prayers for Greece.

LTrd

Prayers for His Grace and the entire Church of Greece. May the Holy Theotokos intercede quickly for her children.

From Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr/)

ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS ON THE CHURCH SCANDAL
Athens, 7 February 2005 (14:02 UTC+2)


Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece delivered an emotionally charged sermon at Penteli Monastery yesterday held in the presence of the whole Church hierarchy on the occasion of St. Fotios feast.

Archbishop Christodoulos stated that the atmosphere is heavy within the Church as a result of everything that came to light lately and the revelations against a number of hierarchs.

Archbishop Christodoulos stated that he will be a crusader in the effort to purge the Church.

He maintained that an all-out and well-orchestrated attack is being launched against the Church with mud-slinging, malice and blackmails.

Meanwhile, the defense attorneys of Archimandrite Giosakis who is in police custody accused of participating in a network of corrupt judges announced their decision to stop representing him in court.



CRISIS IN THE CHURCH DEEPENS
Athens, 7 February 2005 (15:00 UTC+2)


The Church of Greece Holy Synod met today under Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece in a very heavy atmosphere in the shadow of new revelations on scandals involving members of the Church hierarchy.

The hierarchs expressed the view that this is a well-orchestrated attack against the Church and the Archbishop proposed that each case should be examined separately, adding that reputations and institutions should stop being dragged through the mud.

The hierarchs decided, among others, to form a three-member committee made up of hierarchs members of the Holy Synod, conduct an audit to the finances of the Metropolis of Kephallonia and request written explanations by Metropolite Stefanos of Trifilia and Olympia.

Meanwhile, a decision will be issued today on whether Archimandrite Giosakis detention will continue, while Metropolite Theoklitos of Thessaliotida will submit his written testimony tomorrow.

From Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/)

Judicial probe to widen as Church is further mired
Sixth judge faces charges, 30 being investigated


The wave of scandals engulfing the Church of Greece and the justice system intensified yesterday as it was revealed that yet another judge is to face disciplinary procedures, this time after claims of involvement in a sex-trafficking ring, while the Holy Synod is looking into the publication of an indecent picture of a bishop.

A sixth judge, as yet unnamed, is to be hauled before the Supreme Court to face questioning and the possibility of expulsion from the judiciary, sources told Kathimerini, after allegations surfaced linking him to gangs which prostituted women. One court of first instance judge already facing corruption charges, Antonia Ilia, yesterday claimed that she was a victim of an operation to blacken her name. Ilia has already been linked with the priest who is alleged to be at the center of the trial-fixing ring, Archimandrite Iakovos Yiossakis, after claims that she favored him in two cases.

However, Ilia has now been accused of accepting over 200,000 euros from two lawyers in return for not remanding in custody a psychiatrist who had been accused of giving drugs to addicts that he was meant to be treating. Ilia says incriminating audio tapes have been doctored.

Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras yesterday met with Supreme Court prosecutor Dimitris Linos and is understood to have told him to speed up the investigation of allegedly corrupt judges so the scandal does not drag on, adversely affecting public opinion.

Papaligouras is expected to submit to Parliament today a 12-point draft law, which he announced last week, in a bid to clamp down on corruption. Among the tougher new measures proposed is up to 10 years� imprisonment and a maximum 1-million-euro fine for judges caught taking bribes.

Some 30 more judges are thought to be under investigation at the moment and deputy appeals prosecutor Nikos Athanasopoulos is due to appear before the Supreme Court on corruption charges today.

Meanwhile, the Holy Synod, the Church�s ruling body, yesterday decided to ask for a written explanation from Stefanos, Bishop of Trifyllia, after an indecent picture of him appeared in the press. The body also decided to set up a special panel made up of three bishops � Panteleimonas of Xanthi, Vassilios of Elassona and Efsevio of Samos � to examine allegations of corruption against other clerics.

A Piraeus prosecutor is expected today to recommend that Archimandrite Yiossakis be remanded in custody because he is a flight risk, pending his trial for antiquities theft. Yiossakis is currently being held in a cell at the Piraeus police precinct.

Editorial

The flood of corruption allegations against clergymen that has thrown the Greek Church into deep crisis, and the dubious methods employed by the bickering bishops, raise serious questions over the protection of people�s democratic rights and the smooth functioning of a state that is supposedly governed by the rule of law.

There should be no doubt that the ecclesiastical crisis is both deep and acute. To be sure, the institution�s ability to cleanse itself of corruption is limited � a failing that reinforces calls for state institutions to intervene swiftly against the clergy�s criminal offenses.

Having said that, it should be emphasized that the attempts to accustom the public to illegal means of surveillance raise serious concerns about respect for people�s democratic freedoms.

In an unreservedly provocative way, there is an ongoing, television-based attempt to legitimize, in the viewers� minds, a complex underworld in which the wiretapping of people�s personal moments is rife, with the aim of undermining or blackmailing the victims.

The threat against our democracy is even bigger, as the products of these illegal tactics are allowed � in a context of state apathy � to indicate the targets of the reform campaign, in line with the whims and desires of the interests they serve.

Why has the state remained passive in the face of this burgeoning shower of allegations? Why has the Radio and Television Council (ESR) � which has always (and rightly) been keen to punish the vulgarities exposed in sensational afternoon tell-all shows � failed to take any measures? Why did the otherwise sensitive Data Protection Authority, which protested against publication of the names of journalists holding state-sector jobs, deem that a bishop�s sexual activity need not be protected by the personal data protection law (regardless of whether such behavior is deemed �unethical� under Church rules)?

Such selective intervention constitutes a dereliction of duty on behalf of these institutions and of people�s individual rights. The political leadership and the Education and Religion Ministry ought to take drastic action, for it bears political responsibility for developments inside the Church body. It seems we are in for some difficult times.

Mr. Apostolos Vavilis (also known as Apostolos Pavlos Fokas), from Volos (Metropolis of Dimitrias and Almyros) received an introduction letter from the former metropolitan bishop of Dimitrias and Almyros and now Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos before being arrested. He used this letter at the court. Finally he was condemned for violating of legislation on narcotic drugs althought he never went to jail. During the campaing for the election of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem he was sent to Jerusalem by the Archbishopric of Athens toguether with the archimandrite Nikodimos Farmakis and a former official of the Greek police Giannis Triandafylakis apparently to help his beatitude Eirineos in his campaing. After his election as Patriarchte of the Holy City Apostolos Vavilis (who entered Israel with a false pasport) worked for security and information service of the Patriarchate during some months. Now he is said to be in a monastery after receiving the monastic tonsure (monastic name Rafail). He is wanted by the Greek and Italian Police as well as by the Interpol.

From the Eleftherotypia (http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text?c=112&id=37324216,15652536,21052472,43051832,51081400,3372600), pictures aviable
ΝΕΑ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΑ �Απεσταλμένος του Χριστόδουλου ο Βαβύλης�


Απόστολος φαύλος


Του ΘΩΜΑ ΤΣΑΤΣΗ


Δύο νέα πρόσωπα, ένας κληρικός της �Χρυσοπηγής� κι ένας απόστρατος αστυνομικός προστίθενται στο παζλ των σχέσεων που αποκαλύπτονται μεταξύ του αρχιεπισκόπου Χριστόδουλου με τον καταζητούμενο από την Ιντερπόλ Απόστολο Βαβύλη, που στα Ιεροσόλυμα ήταν γνωστός με το όνομα �Απόστολος Φωκάς�.


ΔΙΠΛΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΗ Ο απόστρατος της ΕΛ.ΑΣ., Γιάννης Τριανταφυλλάκης, δίπλα στον Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίο, λίγο μετά την εκλογή του τον Αύγουστο του 2001
Πρόκειται για τον αρχιμανδρίτη Νικόδημο Φαρμάκη, που προέρχεται -όπως ο αρχιεπίσκοπος Χριστόδουλος και οι μητροπολίτες Πειραιώς Καλλίνικος, Καλαβρύτων Αμβρόσιος, Σάμου Ευσέβιος και Δημητριάδος Ιγνάτιος- από την Χρυσοπηγή και τον Ιωάννη Τριανταφυλλάκη, που αποστρατεύτηκε από την Ελληνική Αστυνομία τον Μάιο του 2001 με τον βαθμό του υποστρατήγου.

Ο Τριανταφυλλάκης σε κατάθεση που έδωσε στον εισαγγελέα Πλημμελειοδικών Αθηνών, τον Μάρτιο του 2004, που ήθελε να αμυνθεί μετά από μήνυση που υπέβαλε εναντίον του ο Πατριάρχης Ιεροσολύμων Ειρηναίος, αποκαλύπτει: �Προς απόδειξη της αληθείας όλων των ισχυρισμών μου, αλλά και των εγκλημάτων του κ. Ειρηναίου και μέχρι στιγμής τουλάχιστον προσάγω και επικαλούμαι τα εξής αποδεικτικά μέσα και στοιχεία:


ΤΕΛΕΤΑΡΧΗΣ Ο αρχιμανδρίτης Νικόδημος Φαρμάκης προέρχεται από τη �Χρυσοπηγή�. Στην εκλογή του Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίου είχε τον ρόλο του τελετάρχη
1. Την από 10.9.2003, επιστολή - κατάθεση του αρχιμανδρίτου κ. Νικοδήμου, κατά κόσμον Νικολάου Φαρμάκη.

2. Την με αρ. 2344/10.2.2004 ένορκη βεβαίωση του Αποστόλου Βαβύλη, μετά του οποίου και του κ. Νικοδήμου, κατόπιν εντολής του αρχιεπισκόπου κ. Χριστοδούλου, μετέβημεν επό οκτάμηνο στα Ιεροσόλυμα για να βοηθήσουμε την εκλογή του κ. Ειρηναίου�.

Λίγο πριν και πάλι με σαφή τρόπο ισχυρίζεται το ίδιο ακριβώς πράγμα:

�Επί της ψευδεστάτης και αθλίας εγκλήσεως - μηνύσεως του κ. Εμμανουήλ Σκοπελίτη, πρώην μητροπολίτου Ιεραπόλεως (σ.σ. εννοεί τον Πατριάρχη Ιεροσολύμων Ειρηναίο) και ήδη από το 2001 και με τη βοήθειά μου, μεταβάντος εμού με εντολή του Αρχιεπισκόπου Αθηνών κ. Χριστόδουλου στα Ιεροσόλυμα, μετά του κ. Απόστολου Βαβύλη και κατά χρονικά διαστήματα του αεχιμανδρίτου Νικόδημου Φαρμάκη αλλά βασικά με τις πιο κάτω κακουργηματικές πράξεις εις βάρος των επικρατεστέρων αυτού συνυποψηφίων του, εκλεγέντος Πατριάρχη Ιεροσολύμων, η οποία είναι καταδήλως και εξ ανάγκης υπεράσπιση των πιο κάτω κακουργημάτων αυτού, προφανής όλως ψευδής και άθλια, επάγομαι τα εξής...�.


Απόστολος Βαβύλης. Ο καταζητούμενος που φέρνει σε δύσκολη θέση τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο
Χθες από το Mega, δόθηκε στη δημοσιότητα μέρος κατάθεσης που έδωσε ο Απόστολος Βαβύλης στις 2 Φεβρουαρίου 2004 ενώπιον Ισραηλινού εισαγγελέα. Δηλαδή ένα μήνα πριν την κατάθεση του Γιάννη Τριανταφυλλάκη. Σύμφωνα με όσα μεταδόθηκαν, ο καταζητούμενος από την Ιντερπόλ δήλωνε: �Ημουν ο κεντρικός υποστηρικτής του κ. Ειρηναίου στην προεκλογική περίοδο, κατόπιν αιτήματος του επικεφαλής της Ελλαδικής Εκκλησίας, τον οποίο σέβομαι και θαυμάζω. Ο κ. Ειρηναίος ενεπνεύσθη, καθοδήγησε και ενέκρινε την δυσφημιστική εκστρατεία κατά των αντιπάλων του και ιδιαιτέρως του μητροπολίτη Τιμοθέου και του μητροπολίτη Κορνήλιου�.


Αρχιεπίσκοπος Χριστόδουλος. Μέσω συνεργατών διαψεύδει κάθε σχέση με Βαβύλη
�Καμία σχέση�

Συνεργάτες του Αρχιεπισκόπου, όταν κλήθηκαν να σχολιάσουν τις εξελίξεις, απάντησαν ότι �ουδεμία διασύνδεση και σχέση υπάρχει με τον αρχιεπίσκοπο Χριστόδουλο και τον Απόστολο Βαβύλη ή Φωκά. Ουδένα απέστειλε ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος για να βοηθήσει για τη συγκεκριμένη υπόθεση. Οσοι τα επικαλούνται αυτά το κάνουν για τους δικούς τους λόγους�.

Η �Ε� επικοινώνησε με τον απόστρατο αστυνομικό Γιάννη Τριανταφυλλάκη που στο παρελθόν διετέλεσε και διοικητής τη Υποδιεύθυνσης Δίωξης Ναρκωτικών, δύο φορές. Την πρώτη ο ίδιος είπε: �Πήγα στα Ιεροσόλυμα μαζί μ' έναν φίλο όχι για τα θέματα του Πατριαρχείου αλλά για άλλες δουλειές το 2001. Συναντήθηκα με τον κ. Ειρηναίο πριν από τις εκλογές και τον βοήθησα, γιατί μου το ζήτησε ο ίδιος. Τον βοηθούσαμε στις μετακινήσεις του με το αυτοκίνητό μας. Πηγαινοερχόμουνα από την Ελλάδα στο Ισραήλ. Εκεί συνάντησα και τον Βαβύλη, που τον γνώριζα από παλιά. Ξέρετε, ο άνθρωπος δεν είναι Κορλεόνε, όπως τον παρουσιάζουν. Συνεργάστηκε με τις αστυνομικές αρχές και καλύφθηκε από τις ευεργετικές διατάξεις του άρθρου 24. Αλλοι τον ενέπλεξαν. Ο άνθρωπος κυκλοφορούσε ελεύθερος. Μαθαίνω ότι δεν είναι ιδιαίτερα καλά στη υγεία του. Δεν είχα πάει μαζί του εκεί και πάντα τον γνώριζα ως Βαβύλη και όχι ως Φωκά�. Στη δεύτερη επικοινωνία τού υπενθυμήσαμε την κατάθεση που έδωσε στον εισαγγελέα Πλημμελειοδικών. Περιορίστηκε μόνο σ' ένα σχόλιο: �Είναι λάθος του δικηγόρου μου, δεν μπορώ να σας μιλήσω περισσότερο�.

Ο αρχιμανδρίτης Νικόδημος Φαρμάκης, ο τρίτος της παρέας που σύμφωνα με την κατάθεση Τριανταφυλλάκη πήγε να βοηθήσει στην εκλογή Ειρηναίου μιλώντας στην �Ε� είπε: �Πήγα μόνος μου στα Ιεροσόλυμα για να βοηθήσω τον Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίο. Ηταν πολύς κόσμος που βοηθούσε το 2001 στα Ιεροσόλυμα. Ακουσα το όνομα �Φωκάς�. Πρέπει να ήταν εκεί κάποιος με αυτό το όνομα. Δεν ξέρω κάτι περισσότερο�.

Την εκδοχή που ενισχύει τη σχέση του Απόστολου Βαβύλη με τον αρχιεπίσκοπο Χριστόδουλο έδωσε και ο πρώην πρόξενος της Ελλάδας στα Ιεροσόλυμα, Πέτρος Παναγιωτόπουλος, που γνώρισε τον �Απόστολο Φωκά�, που του δήλωσε �πνευματικό παιδί� του Αρχιεπισκόπου Αθηνών. Οταν διαπίστωσε τον ρόλο του, ενημέρωσε τον Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίο για να τον απομακρύνει. Και εκείνος του απάντησε: �Δεν μπορώ, είναι πνευματικό παιδί του Αρχιεπισκόπου�.

Μετά από περίπου οχτώ μήνες παραμονής στα Ιεροσόλυμα ο �Φωκάς� και ενώ έχει διαπιστωθεί ότι πρόκειται για τον καταζητούμενο από την Ιντερπόλ Απόστολο Βαβύλη φεύγει από το Ισραήλ. Στο μεταξύ ήδη είχε αφήσει την υπογραφή του, ως συνεργάτης του Πατριάρχη. Υπέγραψε κείμενο με ημερομηνία 21 Αυγούστου 2001, για να ενημερώσει τα μέσα ενημέρωσης ότι ο Πατριάρχης Ειρηναίος έδωσε μόνο μία συνέντευξη αμέσως μετά την εκλογή του. Το κείμενο τελείωνε ως εξής: �Για οποιαδήποτε πληροφορία σχετικά με την ενθρόνιση αλλά και το πρόγραμμα του Μακαριωτάτου, είμαστε στην απόλυτη διάθεσή σας. Τηλέφωνα επικοινωνίας και φαξ: +972 55... Μετά τιμής, Απόστολος Π. Φωκάς�.

Τις τελευταίες ημέρες το πρόσωπό που έχει αναδειχτεί σε μεγάλο κίνδυνο για τη διοικούσα Εκκλησία, ο Απόστολος Βαβύλης, είναι άγνωστον πού βρίσκεται. Σύμφωνα με εκκλησιαστικές πηγές εκάρη μοναχός σε μοναστήρι και πλέον λέγεται Ραφαήλ. Για την Ιερά Σύνοδο, αν το επιθυμεί, είναι πολύ εύκολο να ερευνήσει και να μάθει εάν όντως είναι μοναχός, εάν λέγεται Ραφαήλ και σε πιο μοναστήρι έχει πάει. Ωστόσο άλλες πληροφορίες, όπως αυτές που μετέφερε στην �Ε� ο κ. Γιάννης Τριανταφυλλάκης, λένε ότι δηλαδή είναι πολύ άρρωστος και νοσηλεύεται σε νοσοκομείο.


tsath@enet.gr


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Συνεργάτης της Δίωξης ο καταζητούμενος Βαβύλης ή Φωκάς


Του ΓΙΩΡΓΟΥ ΜΑΡΝΕΛΛΟΥ


Εντείνει η Ασφάλεια Αττικής τις αναζητήσεις για τη σύλληψη του Απόστολου Βαβύλη, που χρησιμοποιεί και την πλαστή ταυτότητα Απόστολος Φωκάς. Εις βάρος του εκκρεμούν δύο εντάλματα σύλληψης.


Ενα από το τριμελές Εφετείο Κακουργημάτων Λάρισας, που εκδόθηκε στις 12/2/97 για παράβαση του νόμου περί ναρκωτικών, και ένα εντελώς πρόσφατο, που εξεδόθη από τον ανακριτή Αθηνών ύστερα από αίτημα δικαστικής συνδρομής των ιταλικών αρχών, για υπόθεση διακίνησης ναρκωτικών το 1987 στην Ιταλία. Από το 1997 ο Βαβύλης αναζητείται και με διεθνές ένταλμα σύλληψης για λογαριασμό των ελληνικών αρχών.

Ταυτοχρόνως, εις βάρος του Βαβύλη εκκρεμεί δικογραφία που σχημάτισε το 2002 το Τμήμα Οργανωμένου Εγκλήματος της Ασφάλειας Αττικής για πλαστογραφία. Στην ίδια δικογραφία εμπλέκονται δύο αστυνομικοί, ένας απόστρατος και ένας εν ενεργεία, καθώς και δύο-τρεις δημόσιοι υπάλληλοι.

Ο Απ. Βαβύλης προκειμένου ν&a

I remember reading someplace that "In ancient times priests of gold wore crosses of wood. Today, priests of wood wear crosses of gold".
Reminds me of the horror of priests like Father Paul Shanley.
Silouan, monk

Arch. Christodoulos is right. I know that actions need to be taken towards the corruption that is rampant in the Courts, but I find the Greek media totally irresponsible.

I recall years ago when the Pope wanted to visit Greece. The irresponsibility of the media, and the total ignorance of the priests and monks they interviewed, was unimaginable, and certainly contrary to true public reaction.

It didn't dawn on them, that what they were doing was being picked up throughout the world and giving a very negative impression of Greece. :rolleyes:

Of course after seeing what CNN has done to the RCC, and it's almost 'demonic' desire to destroy probably the largest charitable institution in the nation, I can't say that our media falls far behind.

I guess Churches though, do need a good cleansing once in a while.

Zenovia

At one time, the only people eligible to become bishops, were monks that had to be dragged out of the monasteries.

Zenovia

Zenovia, In the Russian Synod Abroad, that is still the norm...and they seem to have generally very pious bishops and ones that seem better than most. That practice seems to be the best even now. In Russia and Belarus and Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate) that is the norm and their bishops are generally very good. Most bishops in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine come from 'Lavra' (Trinity-St. Sergiy Lavra, Zagorsk)...and are simple pious monks, learned and hard working. We should probably return to this practice.

In His Holy Name,
+Fr. Gregory

Prayers for the Church of Greece, that it may be cleansed of the scandals that beset it presently and that the faithful and pious clergy and hierarchs of the Church are not tainted by unworthy actions of a few.

From the Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=509543)

INVESTIGATION ON THE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THEOKLITOS
Athens, 8 February 2005 (13:31 UTC+2)


The Church of Greece Holy Synod decided in favor of the appointment of a special examiner to undertake the investigation on immorality accusations targeting Metropolite Theoklitos of Thessaliotida.

In its meeting today the Holy Synod examined the accusations made against him and the written explanations he submitted characterizing them as unfounded.

Also, the issue concerning the interventions made during the election of Patriarch Erineos of Jerusalem has surfaced again.

Meanwhile, Piraeus Prosecutor Grigoris Peponis proposed the detention of Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis accused of being involved in an antiquities smuggling case in the island of Kythera.

Ruling party of New Democracy Euro-deputy Yiannis Varvitsiotis backed the Church and State separation.

From Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100002_09/02/2005_52766)

PM urges clerics and judiciary to clean up act
Archbishop denies links to wanted man
The government will support the purge of corrupt officials in the Church and the judiciary without intervening directly and causing divisions between Church and State, the prime minister said yesterday as a seventh judge is set to face disciplinary measures and the head of the Church of Greece denied links to a known drug dealer.

Costas Karamanlis said the Church had to engage in bold decisions to rid itself of corruption and should not make any compromises. �In the last few days, allegations and revelations have come to light which cast a shadow on the top institutions in our democracy and society. Deep-rooted phenomena of corruption have been revealed,� said the premier.

Alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said that the Karamanlis administration was not examining the possibility of a separation between the Church and State or of a constitutional revision. However, PASOK leader George Papandreou indicated that he felt the need for such a separation, as did leader of Left Coalition Synaspismos Alekos Alavanos.

The Holy Synod, the ruling body of the Church of Greece, convened again yesterday and banned clerics from appearing in public discussions. The panel also decided to investigate allegations of drug-dealing against Theoklitos, Bishop of Thessaliotis, further. The Synod accepted written explanations submitted by Theoklitos on the eve of yesterday�s hearing and questioned the reliability of the accusations made by a former Bishop of Thessaliotis, Constantinos, who was eventually suspended.

However, Theoklitos himself asked for the case to be looked into in more detail. Panteleimon, Bishop of Xanthi, has been put in charge of the probe.

Archbishop Christodoulos, meanwhile, issued a statement denying press reports that he had sent a man called Apostolos Vavilis as a special envoy to oversee the election for archbishop of Jerusalem in 2001. Vavilis is a convicted drug dealer and police informant who is currently being hunted by Interpol and is thought to have traveled to Jerusalem on a forged passport, going by the name of Apostolos Fokas.

A Piraeus court yesterday remanded Archimandrite Iakovos Yiossakis, the priest alleged to have been a middleman in a trial-fixing ring, in custody. Yiossakis is facing charges of stealing some 100 Byzantine icons from a monastery on the island of Kythera during the 1990s.

Nikos Athanassopoulos, a deputy appeals prosecutor who appeared before the Supreme Court on corruption charges yesterday, argued that he was simply a victim of his acquaintance with Yiossakis. Athanassopoulos is due to attend a further session of the disciplinary hearing today, and faces possible dismissal.

Meanwhile, the head of the Supreme Court, Giorgos Kapos, has asked for a seventh judge to face questioning. Evangelos Kalousis, a court of first instance judge in Hania, is accused of placing misleading advertisements in newspapers to attract foreign women and then inveigling them into prostitution on promises of favors, which never materialized.

Dear Francisco,

OLA!

I think that alot of what you posted on page 1 may leave our forum brethren thinking "it is all Greek to me!" :rolleyes:

Alice

This is so pathetic. I recall that at one time in Greece, 20 plus years ago, all the churches were left open so that people could worship. Then icons became precious and the robberies started. Since then they keep them locked.

Zenovia

From the Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=510294)

INVESTIGATION AND DENIALS
Athens, 11 February 2005 (13:41 UTC+2)


Head Athens prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos ordered an urgent preliminary investigation on the Apostolos Vavilis case, while the government denied there is evidence that he was a secret service agent.

Meanwhile, Patriarch Erineos of Jerusalem with a statement made by the Patriarchate's lawyer Alexis Kougias denied any relation with Apostolos Vavilis, while opposition PASOK Socialist Party parliament deputy and former Prime Minister Kostas Simitis' adviser in 1996-2000 Soula Merentiti clarified that Vavilis is her distant cousin and has no contact with him.

The Ministry of Public Order announced that Vavilis participated as a representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in an inter-religious meeting in Assisi, Italy organized by the Vatican.

According to information published on the Greek-American daily �Ethnikos Kirix�, Archimandrite Giosakis who is currently detained accused of illegal trade of antiquities in the island of Kythera, wanted to build a jacusi in a Chicago church.

PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM DENIES ANY ACQUAINTANCE WITH VAVILIS
Athens, 10 February 2005 (13:38 UTC+2)


The role of the elusive Apostolos Vavilis, the man with the thousand faces, continues to torment the Greek Orthodox Church Hierarchy and scandalize the Greek public opinion. According to new evidence coming to light every day, his presence next to Patriarch Erineos of Jerusalem is being certified as well as his involvement in Church affairs with the tolerance or the encouragement of the Hierarchy leadership.

Apart from the court sentences he has received for drug trade and his Ministry of Public Order supply companies it has also been revealed that in 2002 Apostolos Vavilis participated as a representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the inter-religious meeting in Azize, Italy organized by the Vatican.

The name he had used then was Rafael Anagnostakis and accompanied Archimandrite Nikolaos Farmakis.

Patriarch Erineos has denied that he ever knew Vavilis through a written statement by his legal representative.

ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS WILL CALL FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE CHURCH HIERARCHY
Athens, 9 February 2005 (15:37 UTC+2)


Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece is expected to call for an extraordinary meeting of the Greek Orthodox Church Hierarchy at the end of February to discuss all issues that caused a major crisis in the Church.

According to information, Archbishop Christodoulos will call for a meeting of the Hierarchy in the Holy Synod meeting on Monday because a growing number of hierarchs believe that this crisis has to be dealt with by the supreme Church body.

BIG DROP IN THE ARCHBISHOP'S POPULARITY
Athens, 11 February 2005 (14:15 UTC+2)


Big drop is recorded in the popularity of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece according to an opinion poll conducted by the VPRC polling company on behalf of Athens radio station �Sky� on February 7 and 9 on a sample of 1,000 people.

According to the opinion poll results, 47% of the people asked have a negative opinion about the Archbishop compared to 43% who have a positive view. Before May 2004, Archbishop Christodoulos' popularity was at 68%.

The politicians are regarded as most corrupt by 70% of the people, while 69% express satisfaction for the election of the new Hellenic Republic President compared to 16% expressing discontent.

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has the highest popularity rate at 70% followed by Giorgos Papandreou 55%, Alekos Alavanos 41%, Aleka Papariga 39% and Giorgos Karatzaferis 33%.

STATE-CHURCH COOPERATION FRAMEWORK
Athens, 11 February 2005 (13:56 UTC+2)


The government will not open a dialogue on the State-Church separation changing the status in the State-Church relations, stated in Parliament Education Minister Marieta Giannakou responding to a question by Coalition President Alekos Alavanos.

Mrs. Giannakou added that the State should stop using the Church to serve its political beliefs, while she called on the Church to stop meddling in State affairs and boost its spiritual role in cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Mrs. Giannakou also stressed that corruption phenomena could be observed even if the Church was totally separated from the State.


From Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/)
Probe launched into shady role of dealer Vavilis
His links with Church and State questioned

A top Athens prosecutor yesterday ordered an immediate investigation into the role of Apostolos Vavilis, a convicted drug dealer on the Interpol wanted list, and his possible connection to the Church and State.

Vavilis's name came to prominence after allegations that Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Church of Greece, sent him to Jerusalem in 2001 to oversee the election of the Orthodox patriarch there. Christodoulos denied the claims but this has not prevented a string of allegations about Vavilis appearing in the media.

Chief prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos said the probe should focus on four key areas: how Vavilis apparently engaged in business deals with the State when there was a warrant out for his arrest; how he was issued a fake identification card under the name Apostolos Pavlos Fokas; how he managed to leave the country for Jerusalem; and on what authority he was in Israel.

Authorities are also thought to be conducting an unofficial investigation into the possibility that Vavilis, who was first arrested in 1988 for drug dealing, was spying on Greece. An internal police probe has already uncovered that, for a man who has been wanted by Interpol since 1998, Vavilis led a seemingly charmed life.

In September 2001, Greek authorities discovered that Vavilis was in Jerusalem and had reportedly been trying to influence the outcome of the election for Orthodox patriarch. Officers at the Greek branch of Interpol contacted their Israeli counterparts and requested his arrest and extradition, providing them with the name of the hotel where he was staying. The Israelis replied almost immediately that someone called Pavlos had been staying at the hotel in question claiming to be an Orthodox worshipper but that no more information was available. However, television footage, as well as depositions Vavilis gave to Israeli authorities, suggest that he was in the country at that time.

It has also emerged that in 1994, Italian authorities had asked for Vavilis to be arrested after a Venice court found him guilty, in absentia, of drug dealing. The request was relayed by Interpol to the prosecutor in Volos, where he was first convicted in 1988, but an arrest warrant was never issued. It was not until 1998 that a warrant was put out by Interpol.

It appears that Vavilis then obtained a fake ID card and left the country. However, from 1995-97, Vavilis acted as a representative for companies selling security equipment to the Public Order Ministry. He also ran a gun shop a few meters away from police headquarters in central Athens.

Meanwhile, a priest from a Mount Athos monastery yesterday claimed that Christodoulos sent Vavilis there for spiritual guidance in 1998.

Although Christodoulos has denied links to Vavilis and said he is determined to rid the Church of corruption, according to a poll released by VPRC yesterday, his popularity has been severely dented. Some 47 percent of people questioned said they had a negative image of the archbishop - a 25 percent drop from last May.


COMMENTARIES


A Herculean task
Among the flurry of scandal allegations, which are in danger of becoming a regular fixture in our daily news, there are some that really leave us speechless � and, at the same time, at a loss as to how to purge the system of these cancerous cells.

To be sure, the alleged misdeeds are morally and legally contemptible. And it could not have been otherwise, as these involve bribe taking, lewd behavior and broken vows. One might argue that these acts were carried out by isolated individuals or by a small circle of people. However, what can one say when a single person who has been sentenced for drug dealing is nevertheless reported to have maintained close ties to the police, the Church, the judiciary, representatives of state contractors, and probably even another country�s intelligence units?

All this seem to have accumulated in Apostolos Vavilis�s resume. Condemned to 13 years in prison for dealing in drugs, he was granted a 15-year suspended sentence after a police officer testified that he was an informant for the police.

He disappeared before a new arrest warrant was issued for him. Again Vavilis received a suspended sentence. He was finally issued a new arrest warrant that was never executed.

While being sought by the police, the elusive dealer was allegedly going back and forth from the Public Order Ministry selling services and security systems. In 2001, the police believed he was trading in drugs under the name of Apostolos Fokas. During the same period, helped by the abovementioned witness � a friend of his inside the police force � as well as church officials, Vavilis was sent to Jerusalem to oversee the election of the Orthodox archbishop there; he had contact with the Israeli secret services and used a monk as a witness to issue a bogus identity card.

Police, judges, ministry, secret services, bishops and monks, they all opened the door to Vavilis � a man who traded in drugs, armored vehicles and bulletproof jackets, who also acted as middleman in many shady dealings.

It�s hard to believe that these were isolated cases. More likely, our public life has been engulfed in an ocean of corruption.

If that is true, then purifying one or two institutions simply won�t do. We have a Herculean task of cleaning up every aspect of public life. The question is who can and how to fulfill such a daunting challenge when corruption has reached such unnerving proportions.

Pictures of Apostolos Vavylis (or Apostolos Pavlos Fokas or Father Rafail Apostolos Anagnostakis or Father Rafail Grigoriatis) toguether with metropolitan Hisychios (not in the picture) aviable at http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text?c=112&id=54430760. Pavlos Fokas took also part as monk in the visit of higumenos Efren (Vatopedi Monastery Athos) to Greek speaking villages in Southern Italy where they planned to build an Orthodox Monastery. Please notice that the Greek speakers of Southern Italy are not Orthodox but Catholics (latin rite.

Chico, Personally, although I think we should always pray for the Church of Greece (and the Churches of Belarus, Russia, Serbia, etc.)...I think the Orthodox in America have enough problems of our own to address...without ever even leaving these shores. As one Roman Catholic priest-friend always says to me, whenever I talk about unity between the 'two lungs' of the Church (East & West): "You guys (Orthodox) can't even get along with one another...how are you ever going to get along with us?" :rolleyes:

May the Lord help us always to look withIN...and there finding Him---ask, nay BEG Him for unity and peace among all our brothers and sisters!

Your poor brother in the Lord,
+Fr. Gregory

Dear Father Gregory,

Althought I would prefer not to make personal commentaries on this topic I think that the different scandals in the Orthodox Church of Greece ((homo)sexual scandals , ecomic scandal, judicial scandals) are not here the real point, we are taliking here about the relationships between Church and State, Church and Political, Economic and Social Power. Please do not forget that the Church of Greece is the official religion and that Archbishop Christodoulos was at the head of massive demostrations againts Greek goverment decision religious believes not to be included in indentity cards. Do not forget that in Greek law you can find cases of legal religious discriminations against non Orthodox (according to Greek laws Catholics, for example, can not build a church without the written permision of the local Orthodox metropolitan). The Greek Orthodox clergy are both "ministers of the Most Hight" and "public servants". We are talking about the Holy Lands and the fact that local Arab speaking Rum-Orthodox (Palestinian, Jordan or Israeli citizens)priests can not become archimandrites or bishops at their own Patriarchate because the patriarchate is in the hands of the Greek Orthodox clergy, usually from the islands of Samos and Chios. Does not Rum mean Greek? We are talking about the enormouse patrimony of the Church and its use. We are talking about proselytism between "sisters Churchs" (forvidden in Greece by law but allowed in Southern Italy and at the Archdiocese of Panama). And believe me I do not think that its only the problem of the Greek Orthodox Church or of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem (the Catholic Church not being an exception, the religious situation of Greece is quite similar to the religious situation of Catholic countries like Spain just some decades ago, ad yes I believe that even today in some cases we can talk about proselytism of the Catholic Churcvh againts the Orthodox) but I think that these scandals (scandal we can find in any kind of confession ecclesiastical community) give us the oportunity of making a reflexion about theoretical and practical ecclesiology.

Francisco, Maybe you didn't understand my principal point dear brother? I'll try and say it in a differnt way: I just don't think (or maybe I should say I wonder if) that ANY discussion of the internal problems of the Greek Orthodox Church or the Roman Catholic Church or the Melkite Greek Catholic Church or any other Church is spiritually uplifting for us during Great Lent. I understand your point...I appreciate it...and I basically agree with you even, I'm just not sure how any of this type of news or discussion brings anyone closer to Christ---especially during a period of Lenten introspection and reflection? You see my point? The Church (all of them) is the "home of sinners" ("I came not for the saved, but for the sick...as a physician of souls") so it is to be expected that all human weakness, falleness, and sin will be found in the Church/Churches...but I'm just suggesting humbly...that this might not be the most edifying during Great Lent. I understand you point...and I hope that you now understand mine.

The Lord grant you a holy and profitable Lenten Spring!

Your poor brother in His great mercy,
+Fr. Gregory, who asks for your holy prayers!

Dear Francisco,

I think that perhaps you sound a bit bitter towards the church of Greece? Are you a Catholic that has lived there and not been treated well?

If that is the case, I can understand your upset. However, I would tend to agree with Father Gregory that all these articles are not quite spiritually edifying.

Have a blessed Lent,
In Christ,
Alice

Dera Father Gregory and Alice,

Thank you very much for your prayers and wishes for Lent (in fact here in Greece Lent has not started since both Orthodox and Catholics do celebrate Easter according to the Julian Paschalion,next Sunday being the Sunday of Zacchaeus). Alice, Father Gregory, I really believe that this kind of ecclesiological reflection (sin has also a communitarian character) during this Lenten period can be spiritually edifying and bring us, as Church, closer to Christ preparing us to meet Christ, the groom (nymfios) of the Church and of our souls, during Holy Week, so that we may sing at Easter ("Shine, shine, the New Jerusalem=Church"). In the Old Testament penance has got a communitarian character (Niniveh). Both in the Latin and the Byzantine tradition Lent begins with a communitarian confession of sins (Ash ceremony, First Katanyktikos Esperinos or Forgiveness Vespers)that reminds us that penance had once public character. I propose you all to pray during this period for the purification of the Church,that is for the personal purification of all the members of the Church, and for a real conversion all of us in our ecclesiological behaviours, asking Lord's pardom for our sins againts the Church-mystical body of Christ and for ours sins as Church of sinners that fight to become saints throght God's grace.

Do not worry , Alice, they treat me well in Greece, althouth this winter in Greece is being really hard and I have a terrible cold.

God bless you.

Dear Francisco,

Father Gregory is neither ethnically Greek, nor has he ever been to Greece!

I understand your points, and they are not without merit and validity-- and you seem quite passionate about them--however, you need to vent them on someone who may be in a position to debate with you or to take them into consideration and pass them on to the right people. I don't think that this is the right forum for that.

Why not e-mail your post to Archbishop Christodoulos? You can contact him at www.ecclesia.gr [ecclesia.gr] I can assure you that they are read by important clerics close to him, and that they are passed on to him.

Yours in Christ,
Alice

P.S. Take care of your cold and get well soon!

Francisco, Let's agree to disagree on this one? You may be right...and maybe it's just that after 40 years of Church service, this kind of 'news' is very tiresome to me personally...whether it is about Orthodox or Catholics or Protestants or whomever. Like Alice, I just personally don't find it uplifting. Maybe it's a 'age' thing? If you are fairly young, I can understand your interest in such news...but as we age, I think most of us tire of it quickly...but I will pray for your health...and that during Great Lent you loose the cold once and for all. We'll put your name on our prayerlist tonight. May you be well...and enjoy the Lenten Spring!

In His great love,
+Fr. Gregory

Dear Francisco,

The identity card problem was due to other causes. Christodoulos was afraid that the socialist government wanted to eliminate those cards, and that would be a first step in separating Church and State. Now the clergy and churches are supported by the state, so it's a big issue.

That he started with the identity cards, is a reflection of his provincialism. He was not aware of how it would appear to people in other parts of the world.

As for the Patriarchates in the Middle East, that only have Greek hierarchs, etc, that is a pity. It's an unfortunate situation that will only end in disaster for the Christians in that part of the world. But the Greeks, and the Ecumenical Patrarch cannot understand it. They only know that the best Orthodox theological studies are in Greece, and they pick the person they believe is the best qualified.

Do not be too critical of Arch. Christodoulos. He is a charismatic Greek patriot, and see's things through those lenses. He was very emphatic about having Christianity mentioned as the basis of European civilization in the EU constitution, and I believe it caused problems with the Ecumenical Patriarch. After all, he is located in Turkey, and it was Turkey that was insistant that it not be mentioned.

Greece though, should open it's doors to Evangelization. What it's doing, is detrimental to the spiritual welfare of it's people. But again, Arch. Christodoulos can only see things through the eyes he was given...and they are completely Greek.

Zenovia

From the official site of the Church of Greece (ttp://www.ecclesia.gr)

Press Bulletin of the Holy Synod


Hearing and decision of the Standing Holy Synod on the Most Rev. Metropolitan Theokletos

Athens, February 8, 2005


The Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece of the 148th Synodal Period convened on Τuesday, February 8, 2005, under the Presidency of His Beatitude Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, in Its fourth session for February.

Α. The Standing Holy Synod took knowledge of the written explanation provided by the Most Rev. Metropolitan Theokletos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofersala regarding the accusations formulated against him by his predecessor, former Metropolitan Konstantinos of Thessaliotis in a written document.

The Holy Synod, despite the fact that his accuser cannot be regarded as a reliable witness, since he remains under the penalty of excommunication, thought of the provided explanation as sufficient, in particular following the written formal declaration adduced by the Most Rev. Metropolitan Alexios of Trikki, whom the former Metropolitan Konstantinos of Thessaliotis has named as witness to the supposed truth of his accusations, that he denies the despicable slander.

However, because the Most Rev. Metropolitan Theokletos of Thessaliotis “asked and entreated the Holy Synod not to declare the case closed, even if his explanation be regarded as sufficient, but to investigate even the slightest detail of this sad case in every legal and canonical manner, so that he may be rendered clean to the conscience of the Church”, the Holy Synod finally decided, for the greater benefit of the Church, not to put the case on file, as is dictated by Article 143 of the law 5383/1932 “On Ecclesiastical Courts and the Procedure Before Them”, but, by a legitimate transcendence of the law, to proceed nonetheless to an investigation.

The Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Xanthi, Vice-President of the Standing Holy Synod, was appointed as Ecclesiastical Investigator.

Β. Moreover, the Standing Holy Synod decided that, following the establishment, by Its decision of yesterday, of a three-member Committee of Synodal Hierarchs, to which anyone in possession of legal evidence against clergymen may adduce such evidence so that it be competently verified, the participation of clergymen in discussions on television, radio stations and other media regarding ecclesiastical aberrations is of no use, from now on, unless it is effected following a specific instruction of the Holy Synod.

Finally, the Standing Holy Synod discussed and made decisions on current service matters. The proceedings of the Standing Holy Synod will be resumed on Monday, February 14, 2005.


From the Press Office of the Holy Synod


[Transl. by Dr Nikolaos C. Petropoulos,
M.St., D.Phil. (Oxon.)]
Press Bulletin of the Holy Synod


The Holy Synod has appointed a Committee in order to consider the elements against bishops and take the necessary measures

Athens, February 7, 2005


The Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece of the 148th Synodal Period convened on Τhursday, February 7, 2005, under the Presidency of His Beatitude Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, in Its third session for February.

A. Following Its Press Bulletin of 3.2.2005, in para. 4 of which it was stated that “willing to shed abundant light on rumours and any other information injuring the honour and the reputation of Clergymen of our Church, the Standing Holy Synod shall invite those faithful who possess legal evidence of accusation responsibly to depose it to the competent Ecclesiastical Bodies, thus contributing to the right manner of dealing with eventual aberrations which harm the authority of the Church”, and the words of His Beatitude yesterday during the Synodal Divine Liturgy, in the Holy Monastery of Penteli, the Standing Holy Synod appointed a three-member Committee of Hierarchs, consisting of the Most Rev. Metropolitans Panteleimon of Xanthi, Vassileios of Elasson and Eusebius of Samos, so that, within the following days, may invite all those who have declared through the media that they possess inculpatory evidence against Hierarchs to depose it before it with a view to taking the necessary steps.

Β. After taking knowledge of a publication in one of today’s newspapers regarding the Most. Rev. Metropolitan Stephanos of Trifylia, It decided that, in accordance with Article 143 of Law 5383/1932 “On Ecclesiastical Courts and the Procedure Before Them”, It request today explanation in writing on the part of the Most Rev. Stephanos.

C. Likewise, It decided to proceed, through the Financial Inspectorate of the Church, to a financial audit in the Holy Metropolitanate of Kefallinia, following a written request of the Most Rev. Metropolitan Spyridon of Kefallinia regarding this matter, in response to related publications of the Press.

Finally, the Standing Holy Synod discussed and made decisions on current service matters.

The Standing Holy Synod will continue Its sessions for the whole of February.


From the Press Office of the Holy Synod


[Transl. by Dr Nikolaos C. Petropoulos,
M.St., D.Phil. (Oxon.)]
Press Bulletin of the Holy Synod


Subject: Hearing and decision of the Standing Holy Synod on the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica

Athens, February 4, 2005


The Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece of the 148th Synodal Period convened on Friday, February 4, 2005, under the Presidency of His Beatitude Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, in Its second session for February.

The Standing Holy Synod, listened to the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica, who had been legally summoned to appear before It and to provide explanation so that it may be decided whether Article 34 of the Law 590/1977 is applicable, as had been unanimously decided in Its session yesterday.

After the explanation, which the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica provided orally for one and a half hours, and the answers, which he gave to the questions addressed to him by the President and the members of the Standing Holy Synod, were heard, he left the Board Room.

In the ensuing discussion the Standing Holy Synod unanimously decided that, in accordance with the aforementioned provision, It put the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica at the disposal of the Church for six (6) months.

Finally, the Standing Holy Synod discussed and made decisions on current service matters.


From the Press Office of the Holy Synod


[Transl. by Dr Nikolaos C. Petropoulos,
M.St., D.Phil. (Oxon.)]
Press Bulletin of the Holy Synod


Subject: Drastic decisions in the Church

Athens, February 3, 2005


The Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece of the 148th Synodal Period convened on Τhursday, February 3, 2005, under the Presidency of His Beatitude Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece, in Its first session for February.

In the last couple of days, the Holy Synod and Its President, His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, have been watching with great attention and with sadness all that is said and written about servants of our Church. Being deeply aware of their responsibility in the face of God and the people, and clearly willing to proceed immediately to an uncompromising purge within the Church, they dealt exclusively with the situation as this has been formed and the Standing Holy Synod unanimously made the following decisions:

Α.
1. That it be asked of the Government to constitute, according to Article 44 para. 1 of Law 590/1977 “On the Charter of the Church of Greece”, a legislative Committee made up of members of clergy and laity under the Presidency of His Beatitude the Archbishop and with representatives of the Church and of the State participating in it in equal numbers, so that a new law may be drafted regarding ecclesiastical courts, modernise the existing regime and make the manner of administering ecclesiastical justice more reliable.

2. However, until this law be passed and because of the urgency of the matter, that it be asked of the Government to introduce to the Parliament a bill that will provide two amendments to Law 5383/1932 “On Ecclesiastical Courts and the Procedure Before Them” with immediate effect as follows:

(a) If it be alleged that a Clergyman or a Monk has fallen to a canonical offence which caused most severe scandalisation of the faithful, manifested through the Press, television or any other means, and if the relevant Bishop, who in principle has and maintains the undiminished right of judgment, or in his absence the Vicar Episcopal, neglects in proceeding to an investigation, and having first asked the relevant Metropolitan to act on the matter himself and to order an investigation within three days, the Standing Holy Synod shall be able to take charge of the matter only as an exceptional step and to order an investigation by assigning one of Its Secretaries to act as Investigator. If the result of the investigation be unfavourable for the Clergyman or the Monk, the file of the pleadings shall be referred to the relevant Metropolitan, and in his absence to the Vicar Episcopal, who must introduce the case with no delay to the relevant ecclesiastical court, the procedure thenceforth being observed as provided by law.

(b) The two acting assistant-judge Presbyters in Episcopal Courts will have a decisive voting right and not merely a consultative opinion, as has been the case so far, with a view to reinforcing the confidence of the clergy and of the people in ecclesiastical justice and in its ministers.

Β.
1. As regards the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica, that he be summoned to appear in an audition before the Standing Holy Synod on February 4, 2005, at 9h30 am, so that the Standing Holy Synod may decide whether para. 8 of Article 34 of Law 590/77 (Article 15, Law 1351/83) is applicable in this case.

According to this law, “The Standing Holy Synod, upon a substantiated proposal of Its President, may, by a decision which shall be published in the Government Gazette, proceed to a temporary suspension of a Metropolitan and place him at the disposal of the Church of Greece for a period of six months, if there be concurrent reasons regarding his person, the interest of the Church, public order or social peace. The decision shall be issued following an audition of the Metropolitan. A Vicar Episcopal shall be designated in the Metropolitanate according to Article 23, para. 1 and, if the suspended Metropolitan be also a Member of the Synod, he shall be replaced according to Article 8, para. 2 of the present law. Metropolitans who are thus placed at the disposal of the Church shall not participate in a Synod of the Hierarchy nor shall they be invited as Synodal Metropolitans and shall receive two thirds of the emoluments of a Metropolitan on active service. Following the six-month period of suspension the Standing Holy Synod may decide his definitive removal from the Metropolitan Throne”.

2. As regards the Archimandrite Iakovos Ghiossakis, that the Holy Synod demand and require of the Most Rev. Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica in writing that he dismiss the former within the day by virtue of the provisions of Article 102 of Law 5383/1932 “On Ecclesiastical Courts and the Procedure before Them” and that he prosecute him.

3. As regards the plea of incompetence submitted through the Holy Metropolitanate of Attica by Iakovos Ghiossakis, accused of defamation of the Most Rev. Metropolitan Ghermanos of Eleia, against the aforementioned Hierarch’s competence to move the disciplinary action against him, that the plea be unanimously rejected and that the investigation begun by the Most Rev. Metropolitan Ghermanos of Eleia be continued.

C.
1. As regards the Most Rev. Metropolitan Theokletos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofersala, who, by his letter no. 97/28.1.2005 to the Holy Synod, “placed himself at the disposal of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy as the supreme Collective Body of Administration of the Church of Greece, requesting and requiring that It act immediately, by any means It may deem appropriate, on the investigation of the truth of the slanders levelled against him”, and the charges formulated against him by the dethroned former Metropolitan Konstantinos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofesala, who still remains under the penalty of excommunication, the Holy Synod deemed that the judicial investigation of these charges is incumbent upon the exclusive competence of the Standing Holy Synod according to the law and not of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy. On these grounds It decided that the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy be not convoked but, in accordance with Article 143 of Law 5383/1932, that the Most Rev. Metropolitan Theokletos of Thessaliotis and Phanariofersala be asked, at a first stage and by Tuesday, February 8, 2005, to provide explanation in writing regarding the charges formulated against him, so that, after the submission of the explanation, the Standing Holy Synod may decide on the matter.

D. That the Standing Holy Synod, willing to shed abundant light on rumours and any other information injuring the honour and the reputation of Clergymen of our Church, invite those faithful who possess legal evidence for their accusation responsibly to depose it to the competent Ecclesiastical Bodies, thus contributing to the right manner of dealing with eventual aberrations which harm the authority of the Church.

Ε. That the Holy Synod express Its deep awareness of the seriousness of the circumstances under which our Church is found, and Its grief on the unfavourable climate that has been created against the Church because of the acts of certain of Her servants. Moreover, it grieves It to see that these acts have given rise to various attacks against the Church, which all of us must protect. In the months to come, the Greek Clergy and the faithful people will decipher the truth, which is that, except for certain incidents of proven guilt, which are already smitten, the Church continues to be a power of Hellenism and the repose of the people’s soul and that the excessive agitation that has been caused serves other purposes, all of which converge on the degradation of this martyred Church. It is obvious that far above the persons there is the institution. And the theandric organisation of the Church as a sacred institution is not threatened by the errors of Her servants. These come and go but She emerges from the ordeals with flying colours and remains for ever and ever.


From the Press Office of the Holy Synod


[Transl. by Dr Nikolaos C. Petropoulos,
M.St., D.Phil. (Oxon.)]

Francisco, Again, I don't think this news is approprite for the Lenten season...and I would say the same thing if you shared articles that shared scandals from the Roman Catholic Church or from the Lutherans or Baptists. I simply think at a time of year when the principal Lenten prayer is: ...grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters---it seems VERY inappropriate.

Remember Francisco: The Church is the 'home of sinners'...because Our Lord Himself tells us, "I came NOT for those who are well, but for sinners." Therefore, whenever we expect to find pure innocence...we are going to be disappointed. The Church is a hospital for the ill and the broken---NOT a place for the perfect!

If the Church of Greece...or the Church of Boston has problems---then OUR response should be to increase our prayers for those Churches...not help spread the word. The word is suppose to be GOOD NEWS...especially during this season: CHRIST SUFFERED AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD FOR OUR SALVATION!---because of THIS we have hope...and we have salvation.

In Christ Jesus Our Lord,
+Fr. Gregory

This all sounds good, and in essence I agree, but with some qualifications. I have long said that we Christians are often gentle as doves, but we really need to work on the wise as serpents part. IIRC, burying our heads in the sand was what allowed all the sex scandals in the Church to continue unchecked for many years. Yes, we are all sinners, but we need to keep our eyes open, just the same.

I agree, but personally, I choose to keep those eyes open and lifted UP...as I age, I find I have little time to 'wollow' in the mire that often surrounds much of human 'news' and life. I'd rather feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit those who are sick and in prison---I simply don't have the time anymore to waste. My time is short...and I personally need not to waste it on such things...as what's going on in the Church of Greece or Boston---too busy here.

In the Lord Jesus,
+Fr. Gregory

Matthew 23:13-29

hypocrites! who is a hypocrite? (a person who pretends to be what she or he is not; who pretends to be better than she or he is, or to be pious, virtuous, etc. without really being so. -- Webster !!)

"Am I not one?" is a question a true Christian has to ask himself once in a while.
it is not a secret that the best way to bring people to the church is to show Christ by our actions to them, when they see Christ among us they will want Him.
It is also true that people will not want to join the church when they see "the little demons" - hypocrisy - in the church. Thus, we as Christians are held risponcible for each and evry soul infront of our Father in the Heavens.
I will be asked "Where is thy brother?" - so will all Christians.

I am not a priest, a bishope or any of those ranks, but i am held just as risponcible.
I have my own little demons which i am trying to hunt down and kill.

May the Lord help me hunt them down,
so i will be able to say once "here is he Lord, holding my hand."


God have mercy,
a small sheep

Eli B., I think you have touched on something very important. When we ordinary people sin it is bad enough. When Church leaders sin, it causes grave scandal to others and perhaps destroys any chance of converting those who are scandalized.

Press Bulletin of the Holy Synod


The Holy Synod of the Hierarchy supports the Archbishop

Athens, February 18, 2005


The Holy Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece convened on February 18, 2005, in an extraordinary session under the presidency of His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, in the Meeting Hall of the Holy Synod.

Before the Session, a Divine Liturgy of Hierarchs was performed in the Catholicon of the Petrakis Holy Monastery, His Rev. Varnavas, Metropolitan of Neapolis and Stavroupolis, officiating.

At ca. 9 a.m., the Service for the beginning of the proceedings of the Holy Synod was chanted in the great Meeting Hall of the Holy Synod. After the Catalogue of participating Hierarchs was read out, the absence of the following Most Rev. Metropolitans was noted: Theokletos of Aitolia and Akarnania, Nikephoros of Lefkas and Ithaca, Theophilos of Gortys and Megalopolis, and Vartholomeos of Megara and Salamis.

Subsequently, the Press Committee was constituted by the Most Rev. Metropolitans Anthimos of Thessaloniki, Nikolaos of Phthiotis and Dorotheos of Syros.

Thereafter, His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, presented before the Hierarchy his proposals regarding the present crisis in the Church and his suggestions for dealing with it. These proposals were distributed to all Members of the Hierarchy and to the representatives of the Media.

Next, the following Most Rev. Metropolitans spoke of the aforementioned proposals: Kallinikos of Piraeus, Ambrosios of Kalavryta, Prokopios of Philippoi, Spyridon of Cephallonia, Theokletos of Ioannina, Chryssostomos of Peristerion, Spyridon of Langadas, Panteleimon of Xanthi, Anthimos of Thessaloniki, Titos of Paramythia, Chryssostomos of Zakynthos, Ierotheos of Nafpaktos, Ieronymos of Thebes, Ignatios of Demetrias, Nikolaos of Phthiotis, Theologos of Serrai and Germanos of Eleia.

Due to the criticism expressed by the Most Rev. Germanos, Metropolitan of Eleia, on statements and acts of His Beatitude the President, and answered by His Beatitude, a moment of tension was created and the tension increased when the Most Rev. Metropolitan of Eleia raised an issue and tabled a motion that His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, resign. At this point, His Beatitude regarded the motion as a personal issue and immediately put it to an open vote, the result of which was: out of 75 Metropolitans present, 67 voted for the rejection of the motion of His Rev. Metropolitan Germanos of Eleia, 4 Hierarchs abstained, 2 cast blank votes and 1 voted for the adoption of the motion.

The ensuing discussion was constructive and led to the decision of the Hierarchy unanimously to approve, at a first reading, the proposals submitted by His Beatitude the President for dealing with the current ecclesiastical crisis. These proposals will be discussed more in detail at a second reading in tomorrow’s Session and the definitive approval of them will be requested.

At the end of the Session His Beatitude the President announced to the Synod of the Hierarchy the end of the judicial affair regarding the finances of the Church, which began in 1996 and resulted in the acquittal of the Hierarchs and other clergymen involved both by the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece (October 1998) and by civil courts, which issued acquitting orders and decisions in their favour.


The Press Committee of the Holy Synod of the Hierarchy


[Transl. by Dr N. C. Petropoulos,
M.St., D.Phil. (Oxon.)]

Fron Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100009_21/02/2005_53211)

Bishops approve proposed reform


MARIA MAROYIANNI/ANA
The new bishop of Patras, Chrysostomos (c), was enthroned yesterday in Athens. Archbishop Christodoulos said bishops must adopt less ostentatious dress: �For although our robes are not golden, people don�t know that.�

The scandal-ridden Church of Greece decided on Saturday to enlist Greece�s top judges in investigating future allegations of misconduct among senior churchmen, as bishops approved reforms meant to ease the Church out of one of the worst crises of recent years.

The plenary session of the Hierarchy approved a series of measures proposed by Archbishop Christodoulos, including the formation of a council of judges, chaired by the head of the Church, that will look into charges concerning bishops and suggest action to the Church ruling body, the Holy Synod. Members of the council, which must be approved by the government, will include one deputy president each from the Supreme Court, the Council of State, the State Audit Council and the State Legal Council. Among other measures, bishops agreed to table annual asset and funds-source declarations, to seek state monitoring of Church finances, and to wear less ostentatious robes.

The Church has been rocked by allegations that top clerics were involved in trial-fixing, corruption and sex scandals. This forced a pledge to cleanse the institution from Christodoulos, who presented his proposals on Friday. At the same time, the Church leader, who has also come under criticism for his links with a convicted drug dealer on the run from Interpol, easily weathered a surprise no-confidence vote.

Dear Francisco,

Why do you persist in this?

The ugliness of the pedophile scandal in the Latin Church here in the U.S. has once again been rearing its head in the media.

However, the churches are still full and the faithful are still being ministered to.

I don't say we just brush it all aside, but let's keep it all in perspective. We are all sinners, and the fact that we sin does not excuse us from our actions. Those who are guilty of misdeeds will be judged one way or another.

This IS the Lenten season, let us focus on our own shortcomings, draw the line in the sand, and then decide if we should cast stones or not.

Let us pray for our clergy who go unnoticed every day while bringing the Gospel to us.

In Christ, Bill

Dear Francisco, From Metropolitan Vlachos:

The Difference Between Orthodox Spirituality and Other Traditions: The Church as Hospital


A fundamental teaching of the Holy Fathers is that the Church is a "Hospital" which cures the wounded man. In many passages of Holy Scripture such language is used. One such passage is that of the parable of the Good Samaritan: "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion . So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you" (Luke 10:33-35).

In this parable, the Samaritan represents Christ who cured the wounded man and led him to the Inn, that is to the "Hospital" which is the Church. It is evident here that Christ is presented as the Healer, the physician who cures man's maladies; and the Church as the true Hospital. It is very characteristic that Saint John Chrysostom, analysing this parable, presents these truths emphasised above.

Man's life "in Paradise" was reduced to a life governed by the devil and his wiles. "And fell among thieves," that is in the hands of the devil and of all the hostile powers. The wounds man suffered are the various sins, as the prophet David says: "my wounds grow foul and fester because of my foolishness" (Psalm 37). For "every sin causes a bruise and a wound." The Samaritan is Christ Himself who descended to earth from Heaven in order to cure the wounded man. He used oil and wine to "treat" the wounds; in other words, by "mingling His blood with the Holy Spirit, he brought man to life." According to another interpretation, oil corresponds to the comforting word and wine to the harsh word. Mingled together they have the power to unify the scattered mind. "He set him in His own beast," that is He assumed human flesh on "the shoulders" of His divinity and ascended incarnate to His Father in Heaven.

Then the Good Samaritan, i.e. Christ, took man to the grand, wondrous and spacious inn - to the Church. And He handed man over to the innkeeper, who is the Apostle Paul, and through the Apostle Paul to all bishops and priests, saying: "Take care of the Gentile people, whom I have handed over to you in the Church. They suffer illness wounded by sin, so cure them, using as remedies the words of the Prophets and the teaching of the Gospel; make them healthy through the admonitions and comforting word of the Old and New Testaments." Thus, according to Saint Chrysostom, Paul is he who maintains the Churches of God, "curing all people by his spiritual admonitions and offering to each one of them what they really need."

The Church is NOT ever a place for the 'perfecti' or those who are "without sin," quite the opposite, it is the HOME OF SINNERS !

In His great mercy & love for us all,
+Fr. Gregory

I don't think that Francisco means any harm in this. Francisco is a Catholic Spaniard who is studying in Greece, and has lived there for a few years now.

I suppose that he is posting these because all of this is very big and breaking news where he is living right now...and he wishes to share it with us.
**************************************************
Francisco,

Perhaps it would be less offensive to some people on this board if you just linked us to the 'kathimerini' articles on line? ( www.ekathimerini.com [ekathimerini.com] )

Filika,
kai me agapi en Hristo,
Alice

I wouldn't say it is offensive to the "board," just to a couple of individuals who always have the option of not reading it, since they apparently have given up worldly news for Lent. That's fine, if they so choose, and I am not implying that there is anything wrong with it. I suspect this particular news is of more interest to Greek Orthodox Christians than to many in the other Eastern Churches. It does say, on the main page. I guess this would qualify as current news about the Church. Alice, you are right to recommend kathimerini, since it's an excellent news source that I, too, enjoy reading.

Dear Charles,

You are right. This is forum is titled 'Church News' and does serve a purpose.

While it may be of more interest to those who are in the Greek Orthodox Church, what affects one particular Church also affects all other Orthodox-- and Roman and Byzantine Catholics as well--for one one part of the Body suffers, all other parts suffer too.

I remember when the Catholic scandals broke out, some were discussing it at Bible Study, and my priest commented that we should pray for ALL priests, Catholic and Orthodox...because it is a very serious and often times difficult calling.

In Christ,
Alice

I agree, Alice. The Body of Christ has been crucified again and again in recent times. I suspect that many folks read about these things and don't distinguish what Church the scandals came from, but instead think all Churches are bad. As you know, we librarians have problems with censorship. The topic on this thread is really clear and, consequently, easily avoided by those who may be offended. I think you are correct in your earlier statement that this particular scandal is big news to Greece and Francisco.

My dear friends,

I understand that this is a free Church News forum, where people interchange information about different current ecclesiastical issues. I do much respect the opinion of those who consider that this news are not approprite for the Lenten (Reformed Julian Calendar Paschalion) or Triodion (Julian Calendar Paschalion) season althought I do not agree with them. I also respect the oponion of those who consider that talking about Church scandals is not good for the Church itself althought I personally consider that talking about Church internal problems can help the Church to find, always with the help of God and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the solution to these problems. We Christians are called from the moment of our baptism to be witness of the risen Lord in the World, these scandals, as well as the even bigger scandal of our divisions, do not help the Church to fulfill the purpose our Lord Jesus Christ did institute it that is nothing but to be witness of the Truth and to offer the Salvation to the whole human kind. The reason that moved me to create this topic is my love for the Chuch of Christ, the Spotless Bride of Christ, and particularly my love for my Greek Orthodox brothers and sisters. So if you and the moderator agree I will continue informing about Greek Orthodox Church actuality without adding personal commentaries.

Yours in Christ,

Francisco

From the Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=512050)

CHURCH CLEANUP
Athens, 21 February 2005 (13:16 UTC+2)


Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece called on the faithful yesterday to stand by the Church's side and support it during the trying times is going through, while on the occasion of the consecration of the new Metropolite of Patras he said that there is still hope through the new hierarchs that become members of the Greek Orthodox Church hierarchy.

On Saturday evening, the plenary session of the Church of Greece hierarchy approved with an overwhelming majority a number of measures proposed by Archbishop Chrostodoulos for the cleanup of the Church.

The Metropolite of Kalavrita and spiritual brother of Archbishop Christodoulos was the only exception characterizing the proposals made by Archbishop Christodoulos as a communication trick and the product of populism.


THE METROPOLITE OF ATTIKI IS THE OWNER OF AN OFFSHORE COMPANY
Athens, 21 February 2005 (14:15 UTC+2)


Metropolite Panteleimon of Attiki, who has been suspended from his duties by the Holy Synod for six months accused of corruption, used an offshore company in the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean to take his money out of the country while at least 18 bank accounts are in its name in Greek banks.

The above are mentioned among others in a press report on Athens daily �Apogevmatini�.

The newspaper mentions that Metropolite Panteleimon is the beneficial owner of the High Sky Trading Ltd based on the island of Tortola in the Virgin Islands.

From Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100004_22/02/2005_53260)

Net closes round Vavilis
Fugitive drug dealer used flat rented by cleric; Synod seeks explanations
Three more churchmen were drawn yesterday into the burgeoning corruption and gay sex scandal bedeviling the Church of Greece, as police tightened their net around a fugitive drug dealer suspected of playing a pivotal part in the affair.

Apostolos Vavilis, on the Interpol wanted list for a drugs conviction � but until recently apparently far from police priorities � has been linked with the head of the Church, Archbishop Christodoulos, who wrote him a letter of recommendation and allegedly sent him to Jerusalem to monitor the controversial election for a new patriarch in 2001.

Yesterday, police sources said they expected to arrest Vavilis � who is understood to have supplied the force with security equipment while still officially on the run � within the next few days. This followed a weekend raid on a flat used by Vavilis in Holargos, northern Athens.

Yesterday, police said the fugitive�s fingerprints had been found in the flat, which had been rented in the name of Archimandrite Nikodimos Farmakis, a cleric close to Kallinikos, Bishop of Piraeus. Farmakis has denied having rented the flat, but admitted to having visited Vavilis � who has reportedly expressed a desire to surrender � there.

Detectives are now examining a clutch of partially destroyed documents from the flat, while sources said the hard disk had been removed from a computer kept on the premises.

Over the past few days, officers have raided several flats believed to have served as the drug dealer�s hideouts. �The net is drawing ever tighter,� a source told Kathimerini. �He will find it increasingly hard to hide.�

The Church�s ruling body, the Holy Synod, yesterday sought explanations from Kallinikos on Farmakis�s ties with Vavilis, and from Panteleimon, Bishop of Attica � who has been suspended pending an internal investigation into claims he tried to influence judges � after reports he owned an offshore company.

The Synod also officially asked the government to allow top judges to sit on a new body to investigate allegations against bishops. Meanwhile, Christodoulos�s spokesman, Epifanios Iconomou, offered to resign yesterday after it emerged that he had paid a drug addict for tapes allegedly incriminating the bishop of Zakynthos, a prominent critic of the archbishop. His offer was not accepted.

'Evxaristo' Francisco for explaining your position.

Your sister in Christ,
Alice

"If you love Jesus, love the Church! Do not be discouraged by the sins and failings of some of her members. The harm done by some priests and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of dedicated and generous priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do good! There are many priests, seminarians and consecrated persons here today; be close to them and support them! And if, in the depths of your hearts, you feel the same call to the priesthood or consecrated life, do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the Cross!"
........His Holiness Pope John Paul II (World Youth Day 2002, Toronto)

From Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100002_23/02/2005_53308)

Church scandal snowballs


Judge claims disgraced trial-fixing suspect brokered talks with archbishop
Archbishop Christodoulos was drawn closer yesterday into the trial-fixing aspect of the scandals besetting the Church of Greece after a senior judge linked the Church leader with a disgraced cleric at the heart of the affair.

Court sources said yesterday that the judge, whose name was not made public, informed Supreme Court officials that Archimandrite Iakovos Yiossakis � a suspected eminence grise in the alleged trial-fixing ring who is in prison pending trial for theft of valuable religious icons � had twice interceded for him to meet Christodoulos.

The judge is also understood to have claimed that Yiossakis was present at the meetings which took place six months ago at the archbishop�s seat in Plaka, central Athens. The purpose of the meetings was unclear.

Christodoulos has repeatedly denied any links with Yiossakis, whose role in the trial-fixing ring allegations prompted a wide-ranging judicial investigation. So far, eight judges face disciplinary action � and are threatened with dismissal � while one has been charged with bribe taking and money laundering. The scandal then snowballed to include corruption and gay sex allegations regarding senior churchmen.

Church officials close to Christodoulos commented yesterday that �the archbishop has met with many judges.�

The Church leader came under further attack yesterday from dissident bishops, with Anthimos of Kalavryta criticizing Christodoulos for failing to provide convincing explanations regarding his relations with a fugitive drug dealer, Apostolos Vavilis.

�The policy of �I do not know him, I never met him� was not a good thing,� Anthimos told state NET TV. �It exposed [the archbishop] and proved that they had met somewhere.�

Police yesterday continued their search for Vavilis, as rumors grew that the drug dealer on Interpol�s wanted list � whom Christodoulos allegedly sent to Jerusalem to monitor the controversial 2001 election for a new patriarch � was seeking to turn himself in.

Meanwhile, an arrest warrant was issued yesterday against monk Kyrillos Stavropoulos, an associate of Yiossakis who has also been charged with stealing icons.

Note: The name of the metropolitan bishop of Kalavryta is Ambrosios and not Anthimos. Kyrillos Stavropoulos is a priest-monk (ieromonachos).

From the Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=512488)

ΣΤΗ ΣΚΙΑ ΝΕΩΝ ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΕΩΝ ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΑΖΕΙ Η ΔΙΑΡΚΗΣ ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ
Αθήνα, 23 Φεβρουαρίου 2005 (09:23 UTC+2)


Στη σκιά των νέων αποκαλύψεων συνεχίζονται και σήμερα οι συνεδριάσεις της Διαρκούς Ιεράς Συνόδου στη Μονή Πετράκη, υπό τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αθηνών και Πάσης Ελλάδος, Χριστόδουλο.

Τριγμούς έχει προκαλέσει η κατάθεση ανώτατου δικαστικού λειτουργού στον επιθεωρητή του Αρείου Πάγου, Χρ.Μπαλντά, ότι ο Ιάκωβος Γιοσάκης προσδιόρισε δύο συναντήσεις με τον κ.Χριστόδουλο στο Μέγαρο της Αρχιεπισκοπής. Όπως υποστήριξε ο ανώτερος δικαστής, ο Γιοσάκης ήταν παρών σε όλη τη διάρκεια των συναντήσεων, παρά το ότι ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος έχει δηλώσει πως δεν τον γνωρίζει.

Σύμφωνα με τις πληροφορίες, οι συναντήσεις έγιναν το περασμένο εξάμηνο. Ο δικαστής υποστήριξε ότι η πρώτη έγινε για εθιμοτυπικούς λόγους, με αφορμή την προαγωγή του, ενώ για τη δεύτερη δεν έδωσε επαρκής εξηγήσεις.

Εξάλλου, το φως της δημοσιότητας βλέπει νέο σκάνδαλο με πρωταγωνιστή Μητροπολίτη. Πρόκειται για ιεράρχη ο οποίος εμφανίζεται να έχει τέσσερις λογαριασμούς σε αμερικάνικη τράπεζα με καταθέσεις 17 εκατομμύρια δολάρια.

Στο μεταξύ, στις φυλακές του Κορυδαλλού οδηγείται σήμερα ο ιερέας και στενός συνεργάτης του Γιοσάκη, Κύριλλος Σταυρόπουλος, ο οποίος κατηγορείται για την υπόθεση αρχαιοκαπηλίας στα Κύθηρα.

The Imitation of Christ
Thomas � Kempis

From Chapter Fourteen:

Turn your attention upon yourself and beware of judging the deeds of other men, for in judging others a man labors vainly, often makes mistakes, and easily sins; whereas, in judging and taking stock of himself he does something that is always profitable.

In His great mercy,
+Fr. Gregory

Dear Friends,

What is the purpose of this thread?

Why do we need to continue with it?

What does it add to our spiritual building up?

I ask the Administrator and the Moderator to consider closing this immediately in view of the spirit of prayer and Lenten repentance that we all need.

Alex

It's just news, nothing more or less. I don't think the poster is taking any position on it, just posting it. Sad to say, the Church today needs to be held up to public scrutiny - Church leadership, that is. Otherwise, this and similar scandals would continue for many more years and be swept under the rug.

Dear Charles,

I think we've all heard PLENTY about these things in recent months.

Shouldn't we be focusing on prayer and repentance?

Very often this type of thing leads to salacious gossip which seems to be a pastime of some (not on this Forum however!).

My request to the Administrator/Moderator stands.

Alex

As I have said before, if the topic upsets you, don't read it. Say a prayer for the Church of Greece, instead. Of course, our own Church could use prayer, as well.

Dear Charles,

Forgive me, but the Byzantine Forum isn't a slightly spiritual version of CNN online.

I think we've had enough about church scandals and it is inappropriate to go into them at this time of the church year.

We all know about them - AD NAUSEAM.

It doesn't upset me, it's just "enough is enough"

Sorry that that upsets you.

(You can say, "Oh, God!" now . . . )

Alex

I'm not upset, I just think the whole thing is a tempest in a teapot. I often don't read subjects that are upsetting, since it's too easy to avoid them. The whole thing is of little consequence to begin with. But I do have a little difficulty with any subject in the news destroying anyone's lenten serenity. I would think concentrating that fully on Lent would cause one to not even notice such things. I suspect some protest too much, but like I said, the matter is not of great consequence to begin with.

Can people stop saying 'Oh (you know)' full stop please? I'm sorry if this breaks the chain of discussion and I know you guys are just playing. But still, ya know? There are other means of expression, nai?

I am well aware of the prohibition to not use the name of God in vain, but the last time I looked, "God" was not his name. We may be encountering one of the differences between British English and American English. It happens all the time here, but perhaps that expression is more serious on your side of the pond than ours. Certainly no offense intended to the future subjects of Charles and Camilla. Long may they reign/rain. Now if that doesn't make you say "O, ***" I dont' know what will.

The Queen isnt even going to the wedding (although she's condescending to turn up to the reception). She called them 'common' for going to a registry office, its plain to the world that she doesnt like it. Many other senior royals have also elected not to go. Charles is doing a Henry VIII and isolating his family in taking a new bride.

England has had two King Charles': The first was overthrown, the second passed on the throne to his brother who was overthrown. I agree they were both overthrown for noble reasons but it does not bode well for the future. This Camilia incident might mark the end of this line.

Here are some news extracts from the BBC news website:

Ironically when Charles II's brother, James II, was deposed it was William the Orange who ascended to the throne...

We are hearing on the news that the Queen doesn't want to go against the couple's wishes to keep things simple, and that's why she isn't going to the wedding. I don't see how the Church of England can object, since it started with a royal divorce. With women bishops, and it's liberal positions on so many things, many Anglicans in Africa and Asia don't really even want to be associated with the church. In all fairness, it's been obvious for years that Charles and Camilla probably should have married each other years ago, before each married someone else. I suspect Charles would have been a happier man had he been left to make his own choices to begin with. And now he doesn't have the advice of his beloved grandmother who was apparently one of his main sources of strength and comfort. All in all, it's really kind of sad for everyone involved. Of course, should Charles become king, we can all enjoy teasing Alex about Camilla But should the present queen live as long as her mother, Charles may not spend much time on that throne, if he even gets there at all.

Dear ByzanTN,

It seems that the Queen is playing it safe by not going to the wedding. Had she gone, she might have offended those that disapprove of Camilla becoming a royal consort. :rolleyes: Yet, had the Queen not allowed Charles to marry Camilla, she would have appeared harsh and unfeeling.

By Prince Charles not getting married in Westminster Abbey, and preferring a civil ceremony, the Queen is now in the clear ...Smart move!

Zenovia

Actually, the Queen will be attending the 'blessing' of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowle's wedding.

Small correction Zenovia It is not possible for Prince Charles to marry in any Anglican Church - Camilla Parker Bowles ex husband is still alive

All is still not clear here about the details of this civil Wedding Ceremony.

Prince Charles sister was extremely wise to get married in Scotland.

Now could we get away from the British Royal Family's problems and back on topic - distasteful though this one is.

I'm sure there are more edifying news stories than this one [ well either of the topics under discussion on this thread that is :p ]

Anhelyna

Can the moderator of the Church News section or the Administrator of the Byzantine Forum tell me which kind of Church News can we talk about in this forum and which not? Thank you very much.

From Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100012_24/02/2005_53349)
Vavilis connection confirmed
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem yesterday confirmed claims that Archbishop Christodoulos had sent a fugitive narcotics smuggler, Apostolos Vavilis, to help elect Patriarch Eirinaios in 2001. This was another heavy blow to Christodoulos�s credibility, as he has consistently denied involvement in Vavilis�s mission � although he has admitted writing letters of recommendation for Vavilis before and after his conviction for heroin trafficking.

A day earlier, court sources leaked the news that a senior member of the judiciary had testified in a Supreme Court investigation that another shady character was close to the head of the Church of Greece. The official, who was not named, reportedly said that Archimandrite Iakovos Yiossakis (who is in jail pending trial for antiquities theft and is allegedly implicated in a trial-fixing racket) had twice interceded for him to meet with Christodoulos. Yesterday, the Archbishopric acknowledged the meetings, adding that the archbishop was a victim of his good manners as he �did not make clear his displeasure at Yiossakis�s presence and did not tell the judges to send him away.�


COMMENTARIES


Self-destructive clergy
By K.I. Angelopoulos

New evidence is constantly coming to light, plunging senior Greek Orthodox Church clerics deeper into the ongoing crisis. The wide-ranging revelations and allegations about people or affairs related to bishops or their close aides, as well as the daily appearance of clerics on television programs � often shows of bad taste � have put egg on the faces of Church leaders. Some of the diseases that are currently plaguing the body of the Church were seemingly kept hidden from the general public.

The archbishop of Athens and the various bishops who are presently mired in the heart of the Church scandal have claimed in public, or in corridor talk, that the Church is the target of sinister forces seeking to undermine its leadership.

Some defenders of the Church have gone so far as to argue that the big powers, always keen to promote their own Balkan agenda, are out to tarnish the image of the Orthodox Church, an institution they see as a stumbling block to their regional aspirations.

Even if one were willing to believe at least some of these accusations, it is nevertheless hard to ignore the fact that the longstanding policies of the Greek Orthodox elite have themselves inflicted numerous wounds on the body of the Church and made the institution more vulnerable to outside attacks.

If Christodoulos, who is not exactly camera-shy, and the high-living bishops had done a competent job in exercising their pastoral duties in full understanding of their delicate responsibility, then no sinister force working through either Apostolos Vavilis or Iakovos Yiossakis could have exposed the heads of the Church to such public disgrace so easily.

I'm not the moderator, so I can only express an opinion. If you had posted about the UKRAINIAN Church, praise would be heaped on your name, tomes would be written that rival "War and Peace" in length, saints would be invoked in your honor (Ukrainian saints, of course), and the anecdotes posted would never end. It's all relative Francisco, it's all relative.

Alice, you are Greek Orthodox. How does all this look to you? All I know is what I read in press releases. Does it appear to you that the Greek Church is correcting the problems?

Dear Charles,

You are really mixing apples and oranges here.

All I've said is that it might be inappropriate to dwell on church scandals during this Lenten season.

I think we should leave those things alone - they're in the news and we've gone through a long period when that was the only real big thing in the news.

St Constantine the Great once said, "If I should ever find a fault in one of Christ's priests, I would cover him over with my royal cloak to protect the Church from the calumny that would ensue because of it."

It has nothing to do with any national church being preferred or anything else.

If you don't see that, or if you don't care, then that's fine.

Alex

Dear Myles,

I will disagree with you on King Charles I, Sir!

He was not overthrown for any noble reason - that is simply the way liberal history has chosen to view his period and by casting Cromwell as the harbinger of democratic freedom.

In fact, Cromwell was a despot who hated anything that smacked of "Romish" or "Catholic" popery.

This is why he cancelled Christmas and many other "outward" expressions of Christian faith in true puritannical style.

The Catholic Church had a chance under King Charles I - it had no chance under Cromwell.

And Charles II was more democratic in his time than any European monarch and especially the Romanovs.

His greatest crime as well as that of his brother, James II, had precious little to do with the preservation of democratic freedoms.

It had much more to do with the perceived threat of a reintroduction of Catholicism as the official religion of Britain.

And that, my friend, is an historical fact.

God Save The Queen!

Alex
Member, Society of King Charles the Martyr

This is a reasonably short history of Charles I.
Charles I [royal.gov.uk]
It seems an accurate history that is based on fact. He was not an effective ruler, and caused many of his own problems. Whether or not he was saintly is something others will have to decide for themselves. But his financial mismanagement and trying to force Anglicanism on Scotland were big factors in his eventual demise. One of my history professors often noted a basic similarity between the French royal family and the Stuarts - "they never learned a thing."

Dear Charles,

Actually, Charles was not a good ruler (neither were a number of your presidents, for that matter). And neither was Tsar St Nicholas II Romanov - but that doesn't prevent him from being honoured as a saint and passion-bearer.

St Charles' cult of veneration is in the Anglican Church and it is also shared by some others, including Catholics and Orthodox, and, I might add, by the great Catholic convert, Ronald Knox (and John Henry Newman).

He is a local saint and his cult continues to be fostered by today's converts from Anglicanism to Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

Alex

Alex when I said noble reasons, I meant for what THEY were trying to achieve. Did you really think I could support ANYBODY called Cromwell??? Thomas Cromwell engineered the destruction of over 300 MAJOR MONASTERIES IN ENGLAND. Their ruins are still scattered across the countryside as a reminder of what once was. His commissioners destroyed Our Lady's shrines, burnt the body of St Thomas Becket as a 'Papist' anti-royalist. These men destroyed all that was beautiful about the Dowry of Mary and replaced Our Lady's veneration with the idolatrous reign of 'Queen Gloriana' aka Elizabeth I.

As for the other in serious tones, since I just sent you a webpage to the Tridentine Priestly Fraternity of St Peter. What on earth made you think I'd support Puritans??? Have you completely lost your mind? Not that I think puritans are neccessarily bad people and all. They're just wrong. How could you posit that I could ever support such an extreme brand of Protestantism. Brigands who spent their time smashing altars and denouncing "the idolatry of the mass"

Charles I and his wife would've brought this country back. Same with James II. They would've brought this country back to the truth. Mary's dowry would've been restored to her. As it is though English history starts with 'Gloriana' and 'no Popery' and has continued thus until lapsing into liberal secularism.

How sad...

God save the Queen and convert her unto Rome

Great Lent is precious time for the Eastern Christian and for every Christian, on the one hand, a time of radiant sorrow, and simultaneously with this, it is a difficult journey, marked by struggle, to the shining and beautiful goal of the feast of the Resurrection of Christ--Holy Pascha---the Passover of the Lord.
Why have we called the time of Great Lent a time of radiant sorrow? We experience sorrow because we are conscious that we have ALL departed from the Father's house into a far country, that in our vain and distracted life we have not preserved the purity of our baptismal garment, in which we were clothed when we entered the Church. It is necessary to shake off that condition of numbness, those cobwebs of everyday life which suggest to us that the life of this world--which is in us and around us--is the only possible way of life. To yearn for another form of existence--the one revealed to us in the Gospel and in the experience of the saints and ascetics-means to commune with that radiant sorrow which is the beginning of spiritual renewal.

This yearning often includes a distancing ourselves from news, TV, radio...even computers and the normal daily communications that come into our lives. Certainly any kind of gossipy news that inflames the passions is to be avoided during this period of radiant sorrow. If we look within, we will find only TOO MUCH chaos and SUFFICIENT matter to repent over---it doesn't seem that we should need or desire news that could dishearten our attempts to restore the 'image' by seeing that our spiritual leaders, who have the 'fullness' have/are also fallen and sinners?

I would again suggest that most/much of what we consider 'news' is not helpful matter to meditate on during this period of the year.

Most Holy Mother of God...help us to concentrate on our own brokeness and need of change...and not so much on our brother's need...for each of us has enough work to do on himself.

In His great mercy and love for us all,
+Fr. Gregory

Myles, I think you have touched on something I have long believed. Much of the Protestant revolt was political. Religion was a cover for political insurrection. It's always seemed a pity that the Protestants could not have kept their Catholic faith, and overthrown only their bad governments, instead of overthrowing the Church. Of course, there is the sad factor that the Church was too much in bed with the governments of that time.

Dear Myles,

Please, I NEVER suggested you support the Puritans!

When did I say that?

If I did, then indeed I would have lost my mind.

You do not need to be offensive.

I know you are a Theologian attending OXFORD, but I am a Sociologist, having completed a Doctorate in Same.

You could ask me for a clearer understanding, if such is not to be had for you in a first reading of a post.

I was merely defending St Charles, King and Martyr, as a Catholic member of his Society.

St Charles not only laid the foundation for the flowering of the Anglo-Catholic and Tractarian movement in the 19th century, but also for Anglican converts to Catholicism and Orthodoxy today.

And, no, in saying that I assume nothing else other than what I've said.

So please mind your words next time.

I'm not your enemy.

Don't treat me as one, please.

God Save The Queen.

Alex

Dear Charles,

That is precisely the point of the Protestant Reformation.

It is a good thing that American Protestantism is so apolitical today!

Alex