| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"_" |
| Date: |
19 Feb 2005 05:18:23 PM |
| Object: |
Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
Scrambling to resolve the worst crisis in the church's modern
history, the embattled spiritual leader, Archbishop
Christodoulos, convened the rare meeting as allegations of
skulduggery, sexual improprieties, trial rigging, drug and
antiquities smuggling engulfed the institution.
"I humbly ask for forgiveness from the people and the clerics
who, for the most, honour... the cassock they wear," he said
addressing the 102-member Holy Synod, the church's ruling
council.
"There is a lot that must be done to put our house in order," he
conceded before proposing a series of reforms.
Greeks have watched dumbfounded as allegations of their
priesthood's dissolute lifestyle have unfolded on their
television screens.
Snatched tape-recordings, aired nightly, have revealed rampant
homosexuality among senior clerics who, unlike ordinary priests,
are under oaths of chastity.
The alleged debauchery has not been limited to monastic cells.
Last week, claims emerged that Metropolitan Theoklitos of
Thessaly, a leading churchman, had been arrested on suspicion of
drug dealing in a police raid on a notorious nightclub in
Athens.
The priest was reportedly rounded up with Seraphim Koulousousas,
the archbishop's former private secretary, also implicated in
another "unholy affair" involving gay sex with a bishop.
In a setback for Archbishop Christodoulos, Mr Koulousousas
announced this week that he was leaving the church to embark on
a career as a fashion designer in Paris.
The Greek Orthodox church sees homosexuality as an
"abomination," with the archbishop recently describing it as a
"blatant, crying sin".
The revelations follow the suspension of two high-ranking
clerics for "ethical misconduct" earlier this month.
Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica, who headed Greece's richest
diocese, was withdrawn from duties after allegations of "lewd
exchanges with young men" and charges that he had embezzled
around €4.4m (£3m) for "his old age."
The bishop is one of several eminent priests whose names have
been linked in a widening trial-fixing and corruption scandal
involving at least 20 judges currently under investigation.
In the wake of suggestions by fellow members of the synod that
he resign, Panteleimon's reaction was less than charitable. "If
I speak, there will be an earthquake. I'll take many with me to
my grave."
Earlier this month, Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis was also
suspended after being charged with antiquities smuggling
following the disappearance of valuable icons from his former
diocese.
Under public pressure from a media determined to expose the
shenanigans, the church is investigating four more clerics,
including a 91-year-old metropolitan bishop who was captured on
camera cavorting in the nude with a young woman. The picture was
splashed across the front page of the mass-selling Avriani.
"It is true that some of us have sinned, mistakes have been
made," the synod's spokesman admitted. "There is clearly a need
for catharsis."
But with the revelations showing no sign of abating, Greeks were
doubtful yesterday whether the clean-up would go far enough.
Although Archbishop Christodoulos appeared unusually contrite,
he stopped short of chastising his own role in the growing
furore.
In yet another embarrassing twist, the fiery leader has been
accused of procuring the services of a convicted drug smuggler,
Apostolos Vavylis, to help elect a favoured cleric to the post
of patriarch of Jerusalem in 2001. Investigations have shown
that the archbishop wrote a recommendation letter for Vavylis
months before he was arrested smuggling heroin.
"A tsunami is coming and it will reach the archbishop himself,"
predicted Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Zakynthos, a noted
liberal.
Unsurprisingly, the allegations have severely dented the
reputation of the church in a country where 97% are baptised
Orthodox. Unlike its Roman Catholic counterpart, the Greek
Orthodox faith stresses the infallibility of its 11,000-strong
priesthood as a whole. Greeks, in contrast to other Europeans,
intrinsically link their national identity to their religion,
viewing the church as the vehicle that kept Hellenism alive
during 400 years of dark Ottoman rule.
But, this week, for the first time ever the vast majority told
pollsters they would support the full separation of church-state
relations.
"What all of this has confirmed is that corruption is not
limited to the public sector," said Thanos Dokas, a political
scientist.
"Despite widespread evidence that these sort of things were
happening, its leadership was always reluctant to deal with
them.
"For the last 150 years, the church has had a leading role in a
country... now it is fighting a rearguard battle to maintain its
grip on Greek society."
.
|
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| User: "kathryn" |
|
| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 11:13:48 AM |
|
|
"_" <0101010110@1010110.0110> wrote in message
news:3PPRd.2785130$f47.502082@news.easynews.com...
Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
Why are people dumb enough to take photographs when they're doing something
wrong?
.
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| User: "TRNC" |
|
| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 06:42:08 PM |
|
|
"kathryn" <bob@bobbybobbobthebobster.com> wrote in message
news:cvaggb$agb$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
"_" <0101010110@1010110.0110> wrote in message
news:3PPRd.2785130$f47.502082@news.easynews.com...
Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
Why are people dumb enough to take photographs when they're doing
something
wrong?
Could it be because they are just that, *dumb*?
.
|
|
|
| User: "Jason K. Lambrou" |
|
| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 08:54:34 PM |
|
|
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
TRNC wrote:
"kathryn" <bob@bobbybobbobthebobster.com> wrote in message
news:cvaggb$agb$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
"_" <0101010110@1010110.0110> wrote in message
news:3PPRd.2785130$f47.502082@news.easynews.com...
Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
Why are people dumb enough to take photographs when they're doing
something
wrong?
Could it be because they are just that, *dumb*?
feckin recistjew fecking homo turd u r.dumbass ***** turd homo queen u
r feckin racist turds allof u
--
I don't worry about Turks*,because they are pillow biters
and love to receive a good anal pounding from a Kurd.
Mustaffa K.J.
*Mark Rivers,Gregory the Turk?,Sean O'Kilfoyle,Retard TRNC
--------------060603010405030200020502
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type">
<title></title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
TRNC wrote:<br>
<blockquote cite="midcvbap0$3ua$1@sparta.btinternet.com" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"kathryn" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:bob@bobbybobbobthebobster.com"><bob@bobbybobbobthebobster.com></a> wrote in message
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="news:cvaggb$agb$1@hercules.btinternet.com">news:cvaggb$agb$1@hercules.btinternet.com</a>...
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">"_" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:0101010110@1010110.0110"><0101010110@1010110.0110></a> wrote in message
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="news:3PPRd.2785130$f47.502082@news.easynews.com">news:3PPRd.2785130$f47.502082@news.easynews.com</a>...
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap="">Why are people dumb enough to take photographs when they're doing
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->something
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">wrong?
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
Could it be because they are just that, *dumb*?
</pre>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
</pre>
</blockquote>
feckin recistjew fecking homo turd u r.dumbass ***** turd homo queen u
r feckin racist turds allof u <br>
<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
I don't worry about Turks*,because they are pillow biters
and love to receive a good anal pounding from a Kurd.
Mustaffa K.J.
*Mark Rivers,Gregory the Turk?,Sean O'Kilfoyle,Retard TRNC</pre>
</body>
</html>
--------------060603010405030200020502--
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 11:11:13 PM |
|
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Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
Scrambling to resolve the worst crisis in the church's modern
history, the embattled spiritual leader, Archbishop
Christodoulos, convened the rare meeting as allegations of
skulduggery, sexual improprieties, trial rigging, drug and
antiquities smuggling engulfed the institution.
"I humbly ask for forgiveness from the people and the clerics
who, for the most, honour... the cassock they wear," he said
addressing the 102-member Holy Synod, the church's ruling
council.
"There is a lot that must be done to put our house in order," he
conceded before proposing a series of reforms.
Greeks have watched dumbfounded as allegations of their
priesthood's dissolute lifestyle have unfolded on their
television screens.
Snatched tape-recordings, aired nightly, have revealed rampant
homosexuality among senior clerics who, unlike ordinary priests,
are under oaths of chastity.
The alleged debauchery has not been limited to monastic cells.
Last week, claims emerged that Metropolitan Theoklitos of
Thessaly, a leading churchman, had been arrested on suspicion of
drug dealing in a police raid on a notorious nightclub in
Athens.
The priest was reportedly rounded up with Seraphim Koulousousas,
the archbishop's former private secretary, also implicated in
another "unholy affair" involving gay sex with a bishop.
In a setback for Archbishop Christodoulos, Mr Koulousousas
announced this week that he was leaving the church to embark on
a career as a fashion designer in Paris.
The Greek Orthodox church sees homosexuality as an
"abomination," with the archbishop recently describing it as a
"blatant, crying sin".
The revelations follow the suspension of two high-ranking
clerics for "ethical misconduct" earlier this month.
Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica, who headed Greece's richest
diocese, was withdrawn from duties after allegations of "lewd
exchanges with young men" and charges that he had embezzled
around =804.4m (=A33m) for "his old age."
The bishop is one of several eminent priests whose names have
been linked in a widening trial-fixing and corruption scandal
involving at least 20 judges currently under investigation.
In the wake of suggestions by fellow members of the synod that
he resign, Panteleimon's reaction was less than charitable. "If
I speak, there will be an earthquake. I'll take many with me to
my grave."
Earlier this month, Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis was also
suspended after being charged with antiquities smuggling
following the disappearance of valuable icons from his former
diocese.
Under public pressure from a media determined to expose the
shenanigans, the church is investigating four more clerics,
including a 91-year-old metropolitan bishop who was captured on
camera cavorting in the nude with a young woman. The picture was
splashed across the front page of the mass-selling Avriani.
"It is true that some of us have sinned, mistakes have been
made," the synod's spokesman admitted. "There is clearly a need
for catharsis."
But with the revelations showing no sign of abating, Greeks were
doubtful yesterday whether the clean-up would go far enough.
Although Archbishop Christodoulos appeared unusually contrite,
he stopped short of chastising his own role in the growing
furore.
In yet another embarrassing twist, the fiery leader has been
accused of procuring the services of a convicted drug smuggler,
Apostolos Vavylis, to help elect a favoured cleric to the post
of patriarch of Jerusalem in 2001. Investigations have shown
that the archbishop wrote a recommendation letter for Vavylis
months before he was arrested smuggling heroin.
"A tsunami is coming and it will reach the archbishop himself,"
predicted Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Zakynthos, a noted
liberal.
Unsurprisingly, the allegations have severely dented the
reputation of the church in a country where 97% are baptised
Orthodox. Unlike its Roman Catholic counterpart, the Greek
Orthodox faith stresses the infallibility of its 11,000-strong
priesthood as a whole. Greeks, in contrast to other Europeans,
intrinsically link their national identity to their religion,
viewing the church as the vehicle that kept Hellenism alive
during 400 years of dark Ottoman rule.
But, this week, for the first time ever the vast majority told
pollsters they would support the full separation of church-state
relations.
"What all of this has confirmed is that corruption is not
limited to the public sector," said Thanos Dokas, a political
scientist.
"Despite widespread evidence that these sort of things were
happening, its leadership was always reluctant to deal with
them.
"For the last 150 years, the church has had a leading role in a
country... now it is fighting a rearguard battle to maintain its
grip on Greek society."
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 11:11:26 PM |
|
|
Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
Scrambling to resolve the worst crisis in the church's modern
history, the embattled spiritual leader, Archbishop
Christodoulos, convened the rare meeting as allegations of
skulduggery, sexual improprieties, trial rigging, drug and
antiquities smuggling engulfed the institution.
"I humbly ask for forgiveness from the people and the clerics
who, for the most, honour... the cassock they wear," he said
addressing the 102-member Holy Synod, the church's ruling
council.
"There is a lot that must be done to put our house in order," he
conceded before proposing a series of reforms.
Greeks have watched dumbfounded as allegations of their
priesthood's dissolute lifestyle have unfolded on their
television screens.
Snatched tape-recordings, aired nightly, have revealed rampant
homosexuality among senior clerics who, unlike ordinary priests,
are under oaths of chastity.
The alleged debauchery has not been limited to monastic cells.
Last week, claims emerged that Metropolitan Theoklitos of
Thessaly, a leading churchman, had been arrested on suspicion of
drug dealing in a police raid on a notorious nightclub in
Athens.
The priest was reportedly rounded up with Seraphim Koulousousas,
the archbishop's former private secretary, also implicated in
another "unholy affair" involving gay sex with a bishop.
In a setback for Archbishop Christodoulos, Mr Koulousousas
announced this week that he was leaving the church to embark on
a career as a fashion designer in Paris.
The Greek Orthodox church sees homosexuality as an
"abomination," with the archbishop recently describing it as a
"blatant, crying sin".
The revelations follow the suspension of two high-ranking
clerics for "ethical misconduct" earlier this month.
Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica, who headed Greece's richest
diocese, was withdrawn from duties after allegations of "lewd
exchanges with young men" and charges that he had embezzled
around =804.4m (=A33m) for "his old age."
The bishop is one of several eminent priests whose names have
been linked in a widening trial-fixing and corruption scandal
involving at least 20 judges currently under investigation.
In the wake of suggestions by fellow members of the synod that
he resign, Panteleimon's reaction was less than charitable. "If
I speak, there will be an earthquake. I'll take many with me to
my grave."
Earlier this month, Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis was also
suspended after being charged with antiquities smuggling
following the disappearance of valuable icons from his former
diocese.
Under public pressure from a media determined to expose the
shenanigans, the church is investigating four more clerics,
including a 91-year-old metropolitan bishop who was captured on
camera cavorting in the nude with a young woman. The picture was
splashed across the front page of the mass-selling Avriani.
"It is true that some of us have sinned, mistakes have been
made," the synod's spokesman admitted. "There is clearly a need
for catharsis."
But with the revelations showing no sign of abating, Greeks were
doubtful yesterday whether the clean-up would go far enough.
Although Archbishop Christodoulos appeared unusually contrite,
he stopped short of chastising his own role in the growing
furore.
In yet another embarrassing twist, the fiery leader has been
accused of procuring the services of a convicted drug smuggler,
Apostolos Vavylis, to help elect a favoured cleric to the post
of patriarch of Jerusalem in 2001. Investigations have shown
that the archbishop wrote a recommendation letter for Vavylis
months before he was arrested smuggling heroin.
"A tsunami is coming and it will reach the archbishop himself,"
predicted Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Zakynthos, a noted
liberal.
Unsurprisingly, the allegations have severely dented the
reputation of the church in a country where 97% are baptised
Orthodox. Unlike its Roman Catholic counterpart, the Greek
Orthodox faith stresses the infallibility of its 11,000-strong
priesthood as a whole. Greeks, in contrast to other Europeans,
intrinsically link their national identity to their religion,
viewing the church as the vehicle that kept Hellenism alive
during 400 years of dark Ottoman rule.
But, this week, for the first time ever the vast majority told
pollsters they would support the full separation of church-state
relations.
"What all of this has confirmed is that corruption is not
limited to the public sector," said Thanos Dokas, a political
scientist.
"Despite widespread evidence that these sort of things were
happening, its leadership was always reluctant to deal with
them.
"For the last 150 years, the church has had a leading role in a
country... now it is fighting a rearguard battle to maintain its
grip on Greek society."
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 11:17:16 PM |
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http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/122/55.0.html
Eastern Orthodoxy
Home > Christianity Today Magazine > Churches & Ministries > Eastern
Orthodoxy
Christianity Today, Week of May 30
Greece's Churches Divided Over Identity Card Data
Protestants cheer government plans to remove religious identification
By Jonathan Luxmoore | posted 6/2/00
Leaders of minority churches in Greece have expressed support for a
government proposal to scrap the obligatory indication of religious
affiliation on citizens' identity cards.
However, the proposed reform is vigorously opposed by the (Orthodox)
Church of Greece and by many politicians and may well prove unpopular
with many Greeks. A spokeswoman for the Church of Greece in Athens told
ENI that belonging to the Orthodox Church was "part of being Greek."
The Church of Greece is about to issue an official statement about the
identity card issue.
Disagreement over this bureaucratic matter is symbolic of the poor
state of ecumenical relations in Greece. Antoni Koulouris,
secretary-general of a small Protestant denomination, the Greek
Reformed Church, which wants religious affiliation removed from the
cards, said: "This old-fashioned provision has caused serious problems,
and should be discontinued. Our state may be liberal in certain senses.
But there's always a danger that an official who sees that you are not
Greek Orthodox will react unfairly against you and raise questions
about your nationality."
Koulouris was commenting on recent calls for the reform by the
center-left government of Costas Simitis, whose Socialist Party (PASOK)
was returned to power in elections last month. After the election,
Greece's justice minister, Michalis Stathopoulos, criticized what he
described as the "exaggerated protection" enjoyed by the Orthodox
Church. Article 3 of the Greek constitution declares that Orthodoxy is
the "dominant religion," and prohibits Bible translations into Greek
without prior consent from the Orthodox Church.
Prime Minister Simitis indicated to the parliament in Athens this week
that the government did not want religious affiliation mentioned on new
identity cards. He said that "religious beliefs and sensitive data"
about citizens' private lives were not necessary for the cards.
This prompted strong reactions from opposition politicians and from
leaders of the Church of Greece who predicted that church members would
protest and that the reform could cause "social upheaval."
But Koulouris told ENI that leaders of Greece's oldest Protestant
denomination, the Greek Evangelical Church, had also supported the
removal of religious affiliation from identity cards, as did Muslims
and smaller non-Orthodox minorities.
He added: "The Orthodox Church will apply every possible pressure on
the government, and some PASOK parliamentarians may not withstand
this."
About 97 percent of the country's population of 10.2 million are
Orthodox. However Koulouris commented: "Identity cards provide the only
evidence that such a large majority of Greeks are Orthodox. In reality,
no more than 3 percent of this highly secularized population attend
Sunday services." (But Greek Orthodox sources told ENI that while some
Orthodox Christians in Greece did not attend church, the figure of 3
percent was "simply not true.")
The chairman of Greece's Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference, Archbishop
Nikolaos Foskolos, who is based in Athens, said the inclusion of
religious affiliation on identity cards violated religious freedom and
was in conflict with legal norms in most countries in the European
Union (EU), of which Greece is a member.
"Religious loyalties aren't a matter for the state, which is obliged to
produce good citizens, not good Christians," the Roman Catholic
archbishop told ENI. "We live in a bizarre situation. Greeks claim to
be religious even when they don't practice any religion, while
ministerial oaths are sworn on the Gospel even by atheist government
members."
Nevertheless the spokeswoman for the Church of Greece denied in an
interview with ENI that the mention of religious affiliation on
identity cards contradicted EU standards. "Most of our population is
Orthodox, and being Orthodox is part of being Greek," she said. "The
fact that the Queen of England is head of her church shows there are
similar practices elsewhere. If religion has been written into cards
till now, why should the practice be stopped?"
On May 14 Archbishop Christodoulos, head of the Church of Greece,
publicly condemned the proposed change, declaring it was a "crime
against the nation" and calling for a referendum to resolve the matter.
"Neo-intellectuals are biting the church like wild dogs," Archbishop
Christodoulos said. "No one denies we are Europeans. But we will not
give up everything we have just to obtain approval from various
modernists and progressives."
Archbishop Foskolos told ENI that some Orthodox bishops had said the
inclusion of religion on cards should be voluntary. However, he said,
Roman Catholics believed that any reference to religion caused
discrimination against non-Orthodox Greeks. He added that in April two
Catholic recruits in the Greek army had been warned "not to expect
promotion because of their faith."
"The Orthodox Church has stirred fanaticism by speaking out against the
government, so it's hard to foresee the outcome of a referendum,"
continued Archbishop Foskolos, whose church has 50,000 ethnic Greek
members, as well as about 150,000 foreign residents. "Greece looks set
to remain an exception, since mentalities are different here, and the
Orthodox Church strongly opposes both the EU and the West." (But Greek
Orthodox officials have disagreed with such claims, pointing out that
many within their church strongly support links to the West and
membership of the EU, with which Orthodox organizations have official
contact.)
Minority religious groups have frequently complained of discrimination
in Greece, where legal curbs imposed on non-Orthodox denominations in
the 1930s still remain on the statute books. An Orthodox bishop's
approval is required before building a place of worship.
Antoni Koulouris also told ENI that he believed secret directives
existed recommending that responsible posts in state institutions be
restricted to Orthodox citizens.
"Some Orthodox clergy have said we should work to create committed
Christians rather than worrying about IDs [identification], but
dissenting views haven't been expressed publicly," Koulouris said.
"Many people think the government will have to go ahead with this
reform, since there would be even greater problems now if IDs remained
unchanged."
The Church of Greece spokeswoman told ENI: "Things should stay as they
are-minority church members don't have to feel ashamed of what they
are. Since most people are Orthodox, they obviously won't want their
children to be taught by Catholics or teachers belonging to some other
religion. This is natural and understandable. It isn't a case of
discrimination."
According to an Athens-based news service, ANA, Constantine Mitsotakis,
a former prime minister and leading opposition politician, said this
week that Prime Minister Simitis' plan to reform the identity cards was
"a grave error, the results of which we will all see very soon."
Mitsotakis said that Simitis' policies were "erratic." He added that by
adopting this policy Simitis "disregarded and, even worse, offended the
Greek [Orthodox] Church, refusing to conduct a minimal dialogue with
it."
Copyright =A9 2000 ENI.
Related Elsewhere
Other media coverage of this story is available from The Boston Globe,
the Associated Press, the (UK) Guardian, and the BBC.
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 11:12:48 PM |
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http://www.pokrov.org/news/aust11404.htm
Pokrov.org
Greek Church rattled by controversy
by Giorgios Hatzimanolis
Neo Kosmos English Edition
November 4, 2004
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia was rocked last week by sex
abuse allegations and a public dispute with the leader of the Greek
Orthodox Church of New Zealand. shocked
In a letter addressed to the Greek Orthodox faithful, Archbishop
Stylianos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia,
categorically denied any sex abuse allegations against the Church and
condemned newspapers The Adelaide Advertiser and Ellinikos Kirikas for
publishing what he described as defamatory reports.
The Advertiser last week claimed the Greek Orthodox Church had been
drawn into the sex-abuse storm that has been enveloping the Anglican
and Roman Catholic Churches, with an Adelaide man alleging he was
sexually assaulted by a senior member of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese.
The man, now 20, is taking legal action against the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of Australia, over the alleged abuse and treatment that
followed it.
He alleges he was subject to inappropriate sexual behaviour by the
ordained official. The alleged abuse occurred at a theological college
last year.
In his letter, Archbishop Stylianos says the allegations are totally
unfounded and while he refuses to name the student at the heart of the
controversy, the Archbishop claims his case is well known amongst
educators and the student had been expelled by the theological college.
Archbishop Stylianos claims the allegations are being fuelled by a
senior clergyman who no longer belongs to the Archdiocese of Australia
and says the matter is being closely monitored by the Church and its
solicitors.
Lawyer Nicholas Pappas, acting for Archbishop Stylianos, has
acknowledged the Church has received a letter of intention from the
former student's Lawyer Susan Litchfield, who said if settlement
negotiations were unsuccessful court action would be initiated.
She said her client alleges he had been sexually assaulted, in the form
of inappropriate touching and stroking, by the church official on three
occasions.
Mr Pappas said any allegations of inappropriate conduct by the official
"are strenuously denied". "The Archdiocese views these matters very
seriously, has a very good record in this area and investigates matters
thoroughly internally," he said. "When it responds publicly it does so
after a very thorough internal analysis of the facts."
In his letter, which was to be publicly read out at all Greek Orthodox
Churches across Australia yesterday, Archbishop Stylianos urged anyone
with any proof regarding this matter to come forward.
In the second incident involving the Greek Orthodox Church last week,
the leader of New Zealand's Greek Orthodox Church, an Australian
citizen who was in Adelaide on a personal visit, was ordered out of the
country by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
Metropolitan Joseph of New Zealand was issued a letter from the
Archdiocese ordering him to leave the country immediately because he
had arrived without prior consent.
But Metropolitan Joseph ignored the letter, which was sent to him on
behalf of Archbishop Stylianos and was signed by his Assistant Bishop
in South Australia, Bishop Nikandros, and left Australia, as planned
last Friday.
According to Church rules, a bishop must first get written permission
from an Archdiocese before entering its jurisdiction.
The leader of New Zealand's Greek Orthodox Church said he will return
to Australia, despite an unwelcome reception from Australian Greek
Orthodox Church leaders.
Metropolitan Joseph, who had served in both Melbourne and Adelaide
prior to his post in New Zealand, was farewelled by a crowd of more
than 40 well-wishers from the Greek community of Adelaide as he boarded
a plane for New Zealand.
"I see that even though I left Adelaide almost four years ago, the love
of the people is there," he said.
"Regardless of any other feelings, the love of the people, my former
spiritual children, encourages me to continue my efforts in New Zealand
in my capacity as an Archbishop of New Zealand."
Metropolitan Joseph said he ignored the order because his visit was
personal.
"I will come again. Whenever I have the need to visit Adelaide, I will
come regardless of any order of deportation by such an authority
because I belong to the country," he said.
Metropolitan Joseph has close ties with South Australia as he was
Assistant Bishop to Archbishop Stylianos in Adelaide between 1989 and
2001.
Last year, he was promoted to Metropolitan of New Zealand.
He said he had received much support from members of Adelaide's Greek
Orthodox community during the past week.
"They were very upset when they read the article in The Advertiser and
they expressed their support and love in many, many ways," he said.
Among those offering support was Independent Member of the Legislative
Council in South Australia, Nick Xenophon who spoke out against
Archbishop Stylianos.
Mr Xenophon, who is a member of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
Australia himself, said news of the letter had caused significant alarm
among the Greek Orthodox community.
"For Archbishop Stylianos to have reacted in this way and behave like
an immigration minister with unchecked powers in ordering the
deportation of Archbishop Joseph . . . has angered and baffled many in
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese," he said.
"Many of us have found Archbishop Stylianos' letter to be deeply
offensive and lacking in Christian charity.
"Archbishop Stylianos has further divided the Greek community at a time
when its unity should be a priority."
Copyright =A9 1999 - 2005 Protection of the Theotokos, www.pokrov.org
Questions or comments please email the Cappy Larson or Melanie Sakoda
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| User: "lebart29" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
21 Feb 2005 04:23:29 PM |
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You are too stupid to get the whole thing
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| User: "Frank J Warner" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 09:58:05 PM |
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In article <cvaggb$agb$1@hercules.btinternet.com>, kathryn
<bob@bobbybobbobthebobster.com> wrote:
"_" <0101010110@1010110.0110> wrote in message
news:3PPRd.2785130$f47.502082@news.easynews.com...
Sex and fraud woe for Greek church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks
for forgiveness over lurid claims
Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday February 19, 2005
The Guardian
Greece's Orthodox church, buffeted by sex and corruption
scandals, met in emergency session yesterday amid lurid claims
that have included one newspaper publishing photographs of a
91-year-old bishop naked in bed with a nubile young woman.
Why are people dumb enough to take photographs when they're doing something
wrong?
When I'm 91, and I get a 21-year-old in my bed, I definitely want
pictures.
-Frank
--
Here's some of my work:
http://www.franksknives.com
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| User: "Alexander Arnakis" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
21 Feb 2005 04:14:05 PM |
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On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 19:58:05 -0800, Frank J Warner
<warnerf@veriSPAMMERSDIEzon.net> wrote:
When I'm 91, and I get a 21-year-old in my bed, I definitely want
pictures.
Yeah. And what can they do to him, even if he's a bishop? Send him to
a monastery?
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| User: "AGGreen" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
21 Feb 2005 07:28:26 PM |
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"Alexander Arnakis" <invalid@address.none> wrote in message
news:jbnk1191r8l40t7u6hv0ru2vucfq330v25@4ax.com...
On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 19:58:05 -0800, Frank J Warner
<warnerf@veriSPAMMERSDIEzon.net> wrote:
When I'm 91, and I get a 21-year-old in my bed, I definitely want
pictures.
Yeah. And what can they do to him, even if he's a bishop? Send him to
a monastery?
***Yes, but not until after they confiscate his Cialis!
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| User: "Alexander Arnakis" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
21 Feb 2005 11:31:13 PM |
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On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 20:28:26 -0500, "AGGreen" <no_spam@nospam.net>
wrote:
***Yes, but not until after they confiscate his Cialis!
I have a sneaking suspicion that this bishop was the victim of a
Photoshop hoax. As you know, I'm ordinarily no apologist for Church
hierarchs, but this particular incident is so over-the-top that I
smell a rat. First of all, what would be the motive for a young woman
to hop into bed with a 91-year-old bishop and stay there, smiling,
while their pictures were taken? It would seem that money would be the
only reasonable motive, but who was paying the money? I doubt it was
the bishop.
There's a lot of piling-on going on in Greece against the Church just
now. In the deluge of allegations, some are bound to be hoaxes.
The main thing that's being revealed is the shallow attachment of most
Greeks to the Church. The dam of respectibility (of the Church) has
been breached, and now we're seeing the flood of Greeks' anticlerical
feelings come out into the open.
On the other hand, the Church hierarchs are acting as their own worst
enemies. They've been running a closed corporation, in Mafia style,
and they're too ossified to change. Plus, don't discount the Byzantine
infighting among the prelates themselves. Quite a few of them don't
like Christodoulos, and they figure that if he's forced out,
opportunities for themselves will increase. I think they'll get a
nasty surprise.
But if this scandal shows the corrupt state of the Church of Greece,
it doesn't hold a candle to the corruption that holds sway in the
Patriarchate of Jerusalem. But that corruption probably won't see the
light of day as long as the Israelis find that Patriarchate to be
useful to them.
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| User: "Alexander Arnakis" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 09:50:00 PM |
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On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 17:13:48 +0000 (UTC), "kathryn"
<bob@bobbybobbobthebobster.com> wrote:
Why are people dumb enough to take photographs when they're doing something
wrong?
Several possible explanations, in this particular case:
1. Alzheimer's, or some other form of dementia. Quite common among
91-year-olds. The judgement function begins to show signs of
impairment even before noticable memory loss. Maybe his libido was
acting up and he thought it would be cool to have a public tryst,
forgetting that he was a bishop.
2. A setup. A hooker was hired to seduce a vulnerable old man, with a
cameraman waiting in the wings to immortalize the moment. (How come
the presence of the third party -- the one who took the picture -- has
not been explained?)
3. Photoshop. The picture was simply doctored, by grafting the
bishop's head onto someone else's body.
Unfortunately, the very factors that led to this -- such as the
bishop's age and diminished mental capacity -- make it extremely
difficult for him to defend himself. And the Church itself may well
decide to throw him to the wolves, as a way of drawing attention away
from younger, but more culpable, hierarchs.
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| User: "chucker" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
19 Feb 2005 06:52:29 PM |
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1. Please do NOT cross-post this message.
2. Why is it that there are some people who just can't wait to spread
evil and ill report? Does it make you somehow feel superior? holier?
less sinful?.... when you can make a report like this to show the
all-too human condition of others?
Shame on you.
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| User: "Al Klein" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
19 Feb 2005 08:01:14 PM |
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On 19 Feb 2005 16:52:29 -0800, "chucker" <leushino@gmail.com> said in
alt.atheism:
when you can make a report like this to show the
all-too human condition of others?
Others who claim moral superiority.
--
rukbat at verizon dot net
"Does it ever amaze anyone else how little faith some heterosexuals have
in heterosexuality? It's supposed to be this god-given human instinct
that only the warped and perverted ever stray from; but, it seems, if we
once tell our straight children a message even as mild as "some people
are gay, and that's all right," that'll be enough to send lil' Suzy into
the arms of women forever. It's a wonder the race has survived this
long, really..."
- Charles M Seaton (21 Dec 1994)
(random sig, produced by SigChanger)
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
19 Feb 2005 10:01:40 PM |
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Arga ixveis mexmebo8ro opou pista pleeis!
Xristodoulos 11SEP01: "Kalla na pa8ouv" - HPA 5NOE04: "Episeis!"
Opios ebale Qlwrakn stn bouln, tnv Ellada 8a 8rnvn!
- = -
Vasos-Peter John Panagiotopoulos II, Columbia'81+, Bio$trategist
BachMozart ReaganQuayle EvrytanoKastorian
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vjp2/vasos.htm
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---
[Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards]
[Fooey on GIU,{MS,X}Windows 4 Bimbos] [Cigar smoke belongs in veg food group]
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| User: "Dubh Ghall" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 04:21:02 AM |
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On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 04:01:40 +0000 (UTC),
wrote:
Arga ixveis mexmebo8ro opou pista pleeis!
Xristodoulos 11SEP01: "Kalla na pa8ouv" - HPA 5NOE04: "Episeis!"
Opios ebale Qlwrakn stn bouln, tnv Ellada 8a 8rnvn!
I had one of those, but it was green, and the wheel fell off.
--
Puck Greenman
The spelling Like any opinion stated here
purely my own
#162 BAAWA Knight.
Plonked by Rob Duncan
January 27th
Na bister 500,000
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| User: "chucker" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 08:44:54 AM |
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LOL... okay. I get the message.
I will need to be a bit more careful when I respond, given the fact
that I'm not that well versed on this cross-posting nonsense and I see
that the messages enter groups I'd never dream of entering myself.
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| User: "chucker" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 12:24:32 AM |
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Translation, Vasos?
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 02:47:37 AM |
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chucker wrote:
2. Why is it that there are some people who just can't wait to spread
evil and ill report? Does it make you somehow feel superior? holier?
less sinful?.... when you can make a report like this to show the
all-too human condition of others?
Shame on you.
Meanwhile, you feel no shame as you practice duplicity.
hy=B7poc=B7ri=B7sy n. pl. hy=B7poc=B7ri=B7sies
1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues
that one does not hold or possess; falseness.
2. An act or instance of such falseness.
[Middle English ipocrisie, from Old French, from Late Latin
hypocrisis, play-acting, pretense, from Greek hupokrisis,
from hupokrnesthai, to play a part, pretend : hupo-, hypo-
+ krnesthai, to explain, middle voice of krnein, to decide,
judge; see krei- in Indo-European Roots.]
How a propos that the word has Greek origins.
The greek church is the corporation that was up in arms when the
film "Alexander" came out, or should I say, when Alexander came
out as a bisexual. The greek church denies history, then gets
caught (literally) with its pants down.
And you say those who point this out have a "holier than thou"
attitude. =20
Bob Dog
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| User: "AGGreen" |
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| Title: Re: A Scandal in Greece |
20 Feb 2005 07:27:26 PM |
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http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/scangree.htm
A Scandal in Greece
'The gates of hell shall not prevail'.
(Matt. 16,18)
Recently, a leading American Evangelical stated in a forum that he, 'had
lived for too long in Greece and Russia to be idealistic about the Orthodox
Church, let alone become Orthodox'. I answered him thus: 'I too have lived
for too long in Greece, and with Russians, to be idealistic about the human
side of the Orthodox Church, but I have also lived with Orthodox for too
long not to be Orthodox'. Only an (extra-ecclesial) Protestant could have
misunderstood the nature of the (Orthodox) Church to have stated such a
thing about the Orthodox Faith.
Today, those who are idealistic about the human side of the Church will have
been disillusioned by scandalous affairs which have come out into the open
in Greece. Some representatives of the Church of Greece stand accused of
corruption in scandals, in which judges appear to have covered up the
corrupt dealings of a number of senior Greek clergy. The scandal appears to
concern much of the Greek Establishment. Greek conspiracy theorists and
secular-minded journalists are having a field day.
Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens has quite rightly called for honesty in
this matter, for as the proverb says: 'Honesty is the best policy'. In fact,
this scandal concerns only a few senior figures. It is an affair of the
corruption of certain individuals by certain individuals. The Church Herself
is of course not corrupt and never can be, for the Church is the Body of
Christ, transfigured by and filled with the Light of the Resurrection. Those
who can be corrupt are merely individual 'members', clergy or laity, who
nominally represent the Church - this is not at all the same thing as the
Church. That some individuals will have to repent for their misdeeds, either
in monasteries or else in prisons, is good. Their corruption, and the
repentance therefore due from them, does not mean that the Church Herself is
corrupt.
Unfortunately, the secular and anti-clerical Greek media, supported by the
foreign and anti-Church mentality of the European Union and the United
States, do not want to understand this. They want to destroy the Orthodox
Church, as they already tried to do in Eastern Europe under Western-financed
Communism, and are now trying to do in Eastern Europe through
Western-financed Capitalism. Their most recent attack, in the Ukraine,
heavily funded by the EU and Washington, is now being followed up by this
attack in Greece.
It is ironic that the problem of clerical corruption in Greece has come
about through the penetration of the Western Capitalist mentality among
Greeks. This is part of the very same mentality as that of those who are now
attacking the Church of Greece in the secular media. Had all Greeks,
including members of the clergy, remained faithful to the Tradition of the
Orthodox Church, no corruption would have occurred. Ever since the tragic
1920s and the Capitalist-enforced change of calendar and liturgical
modernism in Greece, then the triumph of Capitalism after the Civil War of
the 1940s and the opening of American military bases, and finally the
corrupting wash of Western tourism and the entry of Greece into the then
European Community, Greece has been profoundly westernized.
The result of this Westernization is corruption, whether among the secular
elements in society outside the Church, or among the secular elements who
have penetrated into the human side of the Church. The Church is not
corrupt, for She is the Body of Christ. But there are individuals who
represent the human aspect of the Church who are corrupt. And they have
become corrupt, not because of the Church, but despite the Church - because
of the secular Western spirit which now prevails in modern Greece.
There are those who think that preserving the Church of Greece as a sort of
conservative, nationalist rite is the same as living for the Church. It is
not. Christ did not preach Hellenism. The Church is neither conservative nor
liberal, both those attitudes are purely secular. Conservatism and
liberalism are the two sides of the same secular coin. The Church is above
secular attitudes, which are all more or less conservative, or more or less
liberal. The Church is of the Tradition, that is to say, of the Holy Spirit,
as has been received by the Saints of the Church. The Tradition is living,
it is spiritually inspired, it is not mere human customs and inventions,
more or less conservative or more or less liberal.
When individuals nominally belonging to the Church are corrupt, it is
precisely because they do not follow the Tradition of the Church, but rather
the things of men. As the Apostle Paul wrote: 'And my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom
of men, but in the power of God' (1 Cor 2, 4-5). If you wish to know what
the Church is about, do not pick up a nationalist leaflet, or read the
gutter press, but read the Lives of the Saints. In the same way, if you wish
to live in the Church, do not imitate crude nationalists, or secular-minded
journalists, but live as the saints. For the Church exists for this one
reason only - to make saints. Any organization which does not do that, even
though it may call itself a Church, is not the Church. And any individuals
who do not have this as their aim, however weakly they may try to achieve
it, do not belong to the Church.
If individuals are corrupt, it is for us all the more to pray for them, not
to try to destroy the Church on account of them. When the Anti-Church
operates within the Church, as it always has done and always will do, it
does not mean that the Church Herself is corrupt. When Judas operated among
the Twelve, it is did not mean that Christ and the Eleven were corrupt. Nor
did it mean that Judas had to commit suicide. Repentance was always open, as
the Apostles Peter and Paul both well understood.
The word 'scandal' is a Greek word: it means a stumbling block. And as the
Apostle of the Gentiles wrote a long, long time ago: 'We preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, unto the Greeks (Hellenes)
foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God, and the wisdom of God' (I Cor 1, 23-24). If today certain
senior clergy of the Church of Greece have behaved foolishly - like the
pagan Greeks (Hellenes) of old, then the Westernized secular media of Greece
seem only to have created stumbling-blocks - like the Jews of old.
Fr Andrew
Feast of the Three Hierarchs
30 January / 12 February 2005
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| User: "Michelle Malkin" |
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| Title: Re: A Scandal in Greece |
20 Feb 2005 10:00:38 PM |
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"AGGreen" <AGG@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:cvbdfh027r3@enews4.newsguy.com...
http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/scangree.htm
A Scandal in Greece
'The gates of hell shall not prevail'.
(Matt. 16,18)
Recently, a leading American Evangelical stated in a forum that he, 'had
lived for too long in Greece and Russia to be idealistic about the
Orthodox
Church, let alone become Orthodox'. I answered him thus: 'I too have lived
for too long in Greece, and with Russians, to be idealistic about the
human
side of the Orthodox Church, but I have also lived with Orthodox for too
long not to be Orthodox'. Only an (extra-ecclesial) Protestant could have
misunderstood the nature of the (Orthodox) Church to have stated such a
thing about the Orthodox Faith.
snip
Why did you send this to alt.atheism? Why do you think we
care about the scandals in your church?
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| User: "AGGreen" |
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| Title: Re: A Scandal in Greece |
21 Feb 2005 07:18:31 AM |
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"Michelle Malkin" <hypatiab7@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:9IidnYNGHqp5wYTfRVn-sA@comcast.com...
"AGGreen" <AGG@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:cvbdfh027r3@enews4.newsguy.com...
http://www.orthodoxengland.btinternet.co.uk/scangree.htm
A Scandal in Greece
'The gates of hell shall not prevail'.
(Matt. 16,18)
Recently, a leading American Evangelical stated in a forum that he, 'had
lived for too long in Greece and Russia to be idealistic about the
Orthodox
Church, let alone become Orthodox'. I answered him thus: 'I too have
lived
for too long in Greece, and with Russians, to be idealistic about the
human
side of the Orthodox Church, but I have also lived with Orthodox for too
long not to be Orthodox'. Only an (extra-ecclesial) Protestant could
have
misunderstood the nature of the (Orthodox) Church to have stated such a
thing about the Orthodox Faith.
snip
Why did you send this to alt.atheism? Why do you think we
care about the scandals in your church?
It was sent to the same groups that the original poster sent his article
too. If you don't want religious stuff sent, don't send your stuff to us.
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Sex and fraud woe for Greek church |
20 Feb 2005 11:40:03 AM |
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http://www.pokrov.org/news/aust11404.htm
Pokrov.org
Greek Church rattled by controversy
by Giorgios Hatzimanolis
Neo Kosmos English Edition
November 4, 2004
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia was rocked last week by sex
abuse allegations and a public dispute with the leader of the Greek
Orthodox Church of New Zealand. shocked
In a letter addressed to the Greek Orthodox faithful, Archbishop
Stylianos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia,
categorically denied any sex abuse allegations against the Church and
condemned newspapers The Adelaide Advertiser and Ellinikos Kirikas for
publishing what he described as defamatory reports.
The Advertiser last week claimed the Greek Orthodox Church had been
drawn into the sex-abuse storm that has been enveloping the Anglican
and Roman Catholic Churches, with an Adelaide man alleging he was
sexually assaulted by a senior member of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese.
The man, now 20, is taking legal action against the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of Australia, over the alleged abuse and treatment that
followed it.
He alleges he was subject to inappropriate sexual behaviour by the
ordained official. The alleged abuse occurred at a theological college
last year.
In his letter, Archbishop Stylianos says the allegations are totally
unfounded and while he refuses to name the student at the heart of the
controversy, the Archbishop claims his case is well known amongst
educators and the student had been expelled by the theological college.
Archbishop Stylianos claims the allegations are being fuelled by a
senior clergyman who no longer belongs to the Archdiocese of Australia
and says the matter is being closely monitored by the Church and its
solicitors.
Lawyer Nicholas Pappas, acting for Archbishop Stylianos, has
acknowledged the Church has received a letter of intention from the
former student's Lawyer Susan Litchfield, who said if settlement
negotiations were unsuccessful court action would be initiated.
She said her client alleges he had been sexually assaulted, in the form
of inappropriate touching and stroking, by the church official on three
occasions.
Mr Pappas said any allegations of inappropriate conduct by the official
"are strenuously denied". "The Archdiocese views these matters very
seriously, has a very good record in this area and investigates matters
thoroughly internally," he said. "When it responds publicly it does so
after a very thorough internal analysis of the facts."
In his letter, which was to be publicly read out at all Greek Orthodox
Churches across Australia yesterday, Archbishop Stylianos urged anyone
with any proof regarding this matter to come forward.
In the second incident involving the Greek Orthodox Church last week,
the leader of New Zealand's Greek Orthodox Church, an Australian
citizen who was in Adelaide on a personal visit, was ordered out of the
country by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
Metropolitan Joseph of New Zealand was issued a letter from the
Archdiocese ordering him to leave the country immediately because he
had arrived without prior consent.
But Metropolitan Joseph ignored the letter, which was sent to him on
behalf of Archbishop Stylianos and was signed by his Assistant Bishop
in South Australia, Bishop Nikandros, and left Australia, as planned
last Friday.
According to Church rules, a bishop must first get written permission
from an Archdiocese before entering its jurisdiction.
The leader of New Zealand's Greek Orthodox Church said he will return
to Australia, despite an unwelcome reception from Australian Greek
Orthodox Church leaders.
Metropolitan Joseph, who had served in both Melbourne and Adelaide
prior to his post in New Zealand, was farewelled by a crowd of more
than 40 well-wishers from the Greek community of Adelaide as he boarded
a plane for New Zealand.
"I see that even though I left Adelaide almost four years ago, the love
of the people is there," he said.
"Regardless of any other feelings, the love of the people, my former
spiritual children, encourages me to continue my efforts in New Zealand
in my capacity as an Archbishop of New Zealand."
Metropolitan Joseph said he ignored the order because his visit was
personal.
"I will come again. Whenever I have the need to visit Adelaide, I will
come regardless of any order of deportation by such an authority
because I belong to the country," he said.
Metropolitan Joseph has close ties with South Australia as he was
Assistant Bishop to Archbishop Stylianos in Adelaide between 1989 and
2001.
Last year, he was promoted to Metropolitan of New Zealand.
He said he had received much support from members of Adelaide's Greek
Orthodox community during the past week.
"They were very upset when they read the article in The Advertiser and
they expressed their support and love in many, many ways," he said.
Among those offering support was Independent Member of the Legislative
Council in South Australia, Nick Xenophon who spoke out against
Archbishop Stylianos.
Mr Xenophon, who is a member of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
Australia himself, said news of the letter had caused significant alarm
among the Greek Orthodox community.
"For Archbishop Stylianos to have reacted in this way and behave like
an immigration minister with unchecked powers in ordering the
deportation of Archbishop Joseph . . . has angered and baffled many in
the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese," he said.
"Many of us have found Archbishop Stylianos' letter to be deeply
offensive and lacking in Christian charity.
"Archbishop Stylianos has further divided the Greek community at a time
when its unity should be a priority."
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