| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"George Kender Comney" |
| Date: |
16 May 2006 05:15:22 PM |
| Object: |
Greek AntiIsrael Jerusalem Church! |
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The Greeks removed their chief priest because he sold land to Jews in
Israel. The Arabs think this is blasphemy, to sell land to Jews! It is time to show
these evil goatheads they do not belong in America! This AHI was founded by a
guy who blames Kissinger for the Greek evil riots in Cyprus.Notice that Therus
gets paid by the Arabs!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2006
No.3/2006
Contact: Georgia Economou
(202) 785-8430
AHI Noon Forum Highlights Current Crisis Facing
Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
WASHINGTON, DC - On January 18, 2006, the American Hellenic Institute
(AHI)
hosted a noon forum titled "The Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Modern Problems
in an Ancient Land." The guest speaker for the event was Ambassador Patrick
N. Theros, Representative of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in
the United States.
Ambassador Theros provided an overview of the Greek Orthodox Church's long
history in the region as a backdrop to the current crisis that the Jerusalem
Patriarchate is facing. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the
responsibility of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, is the oldest
continually operating church in the world. It is also the center of worship
for all Christians worldwide as it sits on the location of both Golgotha and
the Tomb of Christ.
Throughout the centuries, the Patriarchate's holdings have grown
significantly. They now include approximately two-thirds of all land within
Jerusalem's city walls. These properties have become an object greed for
many parties. These same lands have become the subject of major > controversy
that remains unresolved today.
Elected patriarch on August 13, 2001, Patriarch Irineos soon afterwards
entered into a fraudulent transaction in 2004. Under his authorization, four
valuable properties in the Old City of Jerusalem were leased for 198 years
each to four offshore British Virgin Islands companies of questionable
ownership. Checks in full were written out to "cash" for each of the four
leases, however the Patriarchate never received any of these funds.
As a result of these questionable transactions, the Holy Synod of Jerusalem
deposed Irineos, and Archbishop Theophilos Giannopoulos of Tabor was elected
Patriarch Theophilos III. However, the Israeli government continues to
recognize Irineos as Patriarch instead of Theophilos, and has frozen the
Patriarchate's bank accounts.
According to Ambassador Theros, the immediate effect of this "has been near
catastrophic for the Patriarchate.. It got to a point where the Patriarchate's electricity was shut down." The Church cannot pay the staff
of its 40 schools, nor maintain the 400 churches within its jurisdiction.
The Greek Government has stepped in temporarily to provide financial support
in these areas.
Further complicating this crisis, creditors are taking court action to seize
Church lands to help reimburse unpaid debts. Finally, without recognition by
the Israeli Government, Patriarch Theophilos III cannot conduct his full
range of duties and activities, thus violating the Church's religious reedom.
Paths to Resolve the Crisis:
According to Ambassador Theros, it is crucial that two things happen in the
very near future in order to resolve the crisis and maintain the Greek
Orthodox Church's historic primacy in the Holy Land. First, the Israeli
Government must issue Patriarch Theophilos's mandate to preside over his
area of jurisdiction. Second, the Israeli Government must release the
Patriarchate's currently frozen bank accounts.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is currently seeking legal action to obtain
recognition of Patriarch Theophilos from the Israeli Government, and to
release the bank accounts.
In addition to being a legal issue, "Refusal to recognize the Patriarchate
is a violation of religious freedom," pointed out the ambassador.
Furthermore, certain extremist Jewish groups in the U.S. are accusing the
Patriarchate of anti-Semitism, citing an alleged refusal to lease land to
Jews. In fact, the Patriarchate frequently leases land to Israelis where it
is legally possible to do so.
To counter this, the ambassador emphasized that perhaps the most important
thing that the Greek American community can do to combat these accusations
is "to talk to our Jewish friends and point out that the anti-Semitism
argument one they should avoid using." Instead, the issue - which is
currently being dealt with by Israeli courts - is about a fraudulent land
transaction. We should tell our Jewish friends that we have sought justice
in Israeli courts. We trust the Israeli courts and deeply resent this
attempt by some groups to accuse the Greek Orthodox Church of anti-Semitism."
"In my recent visit to Jerusalem for Patriarch Theophilos' enthronement in
November, His Eminence and I had the opportunity to discuss the plight that
he currently faces with the Israeli government," pointed out AHI Executive
Director Nick Larigakis. "AHI was pleased to host Ambassador Theros today to
raise the level of awareness about this very important issue, and we look
forward to exploring future opportunities to contribute to the issue's resolution."
The op-ed by Ambassador Theros, titled "Jerusalem: The Medieval World Meets
the 21st Century" <Jerusalem Op Ed.doc> (Special to The National Herald)
provides additional history and details surrounding this current crisis.
Please stay tuned to AHI for future courses of action to help protect the
Jerusalem Patriarchate's position in the Holy Land.
In September 1999 the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Diodoros I,
appointed Ambassador Patrick Nickolas Theros as his representative in the
United States, in which capacity he continues to serve today. Ambassador
Theros joined the Foreign Service in 1963 and, prior to being appointed
Ambassador to the State of Qatar in 1995, served in a variety of positions
within the State Department's ranks. Upon retiring from the Foreign Service
in December 1998, Ambassador Theros assumed the position of Director of
International Projects at Capital Investment Management Corporation, a
McLean, Virginia investment firm. In March 2000, Ambassador Theros took on
his current role as the President and Executive Director of the U.S.-Qatar
Business Council.
In 1992 Ambassador Theros was awarded the President's Meritorious Service
Award for career officials and the Secretary of Defense Medal for
Meritorious Civilian Service. He also earned four Superior Honor Awards over
the course of his career. In 1990, he was accorded the personal rank of
Minister Counselor.
For additional information, please contact Georgia Economou at (202)
785-8430 or Georgia@ahiworld.org. General information about AHI is
available on our website at http://www.ahiworld.org.
George Kender Comney
(surname may be from Ancient Greek Comnenus)
(ex-catechumen of Orthodox. learned how evil they are)
---------------------------------
How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates.
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<DIV id=RTEContent>The Greeks removed their chief priest because he sold land to Jews in</DIV> <DIV>Israel. The Arabs think this is blasphemy, to sell land to Jews! It is time to show</DIV> <DIV>these evil goatheads they do not belong in America! This AHI was founded by a</DIV> <DIV>guy who blames Kissinger for the Greek evil riots in Cyprus.Notice that Therus</DIV> <DIV>gets paid by the Arabs!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <BR>January 27, 2006 <BR>No.3/2006<BR>Contact: Georgia Economou<BR>(202) 785-8430<BR>AHI Noon Forum Highlights Current Crisis Facing <BR>Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Patriarchate<BR> <BR>WASHINGTON, DC - On January 18, 2006, the American Hellenic Institute<BR>(AHI)<BR>hosted a noon forum titled "The Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Modern Problems<BR>in an Ancient Land." The guest speaker for the event was Ambassador Patrick<BR>N. Theros, Representative of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in<BR>the
United States.<BR> <BR>Ambassador Theros provided an overview of the Greek Orthodox Church's long<BR>history in the region as a backdrop to the current crisis that the Jerusalem<BR>Patriarchate is facing. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the<BR>responsibility of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, is the oldest<BR>continually operating church in the world. It is also the center of worship<BR>for all Christians worldwide as it sits on the location of both Golgotha and<BR>the Tomb of Christ. <BR> <BR>Throughout the centuries, the Patriarchate's holdings have grown<BR> significantly. They now include approximately two-thirds of all land within<BR>Jerusalem's city walls. These properties have become an object greed for<BR>many parties. These same lands have become the subject of major > controversy<BR>that remains unresolved today.<BR> <BR>Elected patriarch on August 13, 2001, Patriarch Irineos soon
afterwards<BR>entered into a fraudulent transaction in 2004. Under his authorization, four<BR>valuable properties in the Old City of Jerusalem were leased for 198 years<BR>each to four offshore British Virgin Islands companies of questionable<BR>ownership. Checks in full were written out to "cash" for each of the four<BR>leases, however the Patriarchate never received any of these funds.<BR> <BR>As a result of these questionable transactions, the Holy Synod of Jerusalem<BR>deposed Irineos, and Archbishop Theophilos Giannopoulos of Tabor was elected<BR>Patriarch Theophilos III. However, the Israeli government continues to<BR>recognize Irineos as Patriarch instead of Theophilos, and has frozen the<BR>Patriarchate's bank accounts. <BR><BR>According to Ambassador Theros, the immediate effect of this "has been near<BR>catastrophic for the Patriarchate.. It got to a point where the Patriarchate's electricity was shut down." The Church cannot
pay the staff<BR>of its 40 schools, nor maintain the 400 churches within its jurisdiction.<BR>The Greek Government has stepped in temporarily to provide financial support<BR>in these areas. <BR> <BR>Further complicating this crisis, creditors are taking court action to seize<BR>Church lands to help reimburse unpaid debts. Finally, without recognition by<BR>the Israeli Government, Patriarch Theophilos III cannot conduct his full<BR>range of duties and activities, thus violating the Church's religious reedom.<BR><BR>Paths to Resolve the Crisis:<BR> </DIV> <DIV>According to Ambassador Theros, it is crucial that two things happen in the<BR>very near future in order to resolve the crisis and maintain the Greek<BR>Orthodox Church's historic primacy in the Holy Land. First, the Israeli<BR>Government must issue Patriarch Theophilos's mandate to preside over his<BR>area of jurisdiction. Second, the Israeli Government must release the<BR>Patriarchate's
currently frozen bank accounts.<BR><BR>The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is currently seeking legal action to obtain<BR>recognition of Patriarch Theophilos from the Israeli Government, and to<BR>release the bank accounts. <BR> <BR>In addition to being a legal issue, "Refusal to recognize the Patriarchate<BR>is a violation of religious freedom," pointed out the ambassador.<BR>Furthermore, certain extremist Jewish groups in the U.S. are accusing the<BR>Patriarchate of anti-Semitism, citing an alleged refusal to lease land to<BR>Jews. In fact, the Patriarchate frequently leases land to Israelis where it<BR>is legally possible to do so. <BR> <BR>To counter this, the ambassador emphasized that perhaps the most important<BR>thing that the Greek American community can do to combat these accusations<BR>is "to talk to our Jewish friends and point out that the anti-Semitism<BR>argument one they should avoid using." Instead, the issue - which
is<BR>currently being dealt with by Israeli courts - is about a fraudulent land<BR>transaction. We should tell our Jewish friends that we have sought justice<BR>in Israeli courts. We trust the Israeli courts and deeply resent this<BR>attempt by some groups to accuse the Greek Orthodox Church of anti-Semitism."<BR><BR> "In my recent visit to Jerusalem for Patriarch Theophilos' enthronement in<BR>November, His Eminence and I had the opportunity to discuss the plight that<BR>he currently faces with the Israeli government," pointed out AHI Executive<BR>Director Nick Larigakis. "AHI was pleased to host Ambassador Theros today to<BR>raise the level of awareness about this very important issue, and we look<BR>forward to exploring future opportunities to contribute to the issue's resolution."<BR><BR>The op-ed by Ambassador Theros, titled "Jerusalem: The Medieval World Meets<BR>the 21st Century" <Jerusalem Op Ed.doc> (Special
to The National Herald)<BR>provides additional history and details surrounding this current crisis.<BR>Please stay tuned to AHI for future courses of action to help protect the<BR>Jerusalem Patriarchate's position in the Holy Land.<BR><BR>In September 1999 the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Diodoros I,<BR>appointed Ambassador Patrick Nickolas Theros as his representative in the<BR>United States, in which capacity he continues to serve today. Ambassador<BR>Theros joined the Foreign Service in 1963 and, prior to being appointed<BR>Ambassador to the State of Qatar in 1995, served in a variety of positions<BR>within the State Department's ranks. Upon retiring from the Foreign Service<BR>in December 1998, Ambassador Theros assumed the position of Director of<BR>International Projects at Capital Investment Management Corporation, a<BR>McLean, Virginia investment firm. In March 2000, Ambassador Theros took on<BR>his current role as the President and Executive Director of
the U.S.-Qatar<BR>Business Council.<BR> <BR>In 1992 Ambassador Theros was awarded the President's Meritorious Service<BR>Award for career officials and the Secretary of Defense Medal for<BR>Meritorious Civilian Service. He also earned four Superior Honor Awards over<BR>the course of his career. In 1990, he was accorded the personal rank of<BR>Minister Counselor.<BR> <BR>For additional information, please contact Georgia Economou at (202)<BR>785-8430 or <A href="http://us.f305.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Georgia@ahiworld.org&YY=88483&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b"><FONT color=#003399>Georgia@ahiworld.org</FONT></A>. General information about AHI is<BR>available on our website at <A href="http://www.ahiworld.org/" target=_blank><FONT color=#003399>http://www.ahiworld.org</FONT></A>. <BR><BR></DIV><BR><BR>George Kender Comney<br>(surname may be from Ancient Greek Comnenus)<br>(ex-catechumen of Orthodox. learned how evil
they are)<p>
<hr size=1>How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman8/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=39663/*http://voice.yahoo.com"> PC-to-Phone call rates.
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