A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 37 - Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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Gov’t expresses grief over fatal accident, extends condolences to familiesTHESSALONIKI, Greece Sep 12 (Athens News Agency)- The government on Saturday expressed grief and offered condolences to the relatives of the 12 passengers and five crew aboard a military transport helicopter that crashed earlier in the day in the northern Greek peninsula of Halkidiki while transporting Patriarch of Alexandria Petros and a 12-member delegation from Athens to Mt.Athos. "This is a great loss for the Patriarchate, for Orthodoxy and for the Armed Forces", State Minister Theodoros Roussopoulos said, adding that at the request of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis a moment of silence would be observed during the premier’s official dinner later in the day with local businessmen in Thessaloniki. Roussopoulos emphasised that Patriarch Petros with his work had supported Orthodoxy and had made a significant contribution to the African continent. He said that search experts had recovered the remains of five bodies by 18.30 on Saturday, which would be transferred to a military hospital in the city of Larissa, central Greece, for easier access to relatives who will identify the bodies. He offered the government’s sincere condolences and unreserved support for the families of the victims, adding that Coast Guard vessels and Air Force aircraft would remain in the area to continue the search. His Beatitude Petros VII was born in the village of Sichari in Cyprus on 3 September 1949. In February 1997 he was elected Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria in succession to His Beatitude Parthenios III, who had died the previous year. Petros was enthroned to the ancient See of Alexandria -- founded by St. Mark in the 1st century -- on 9 March 1997. He was the 129th Pope in succession to St. Mark the Evangelist. President Costis StephanopoulosThe President of the Hellenic Republic Costis Stephanopoulos also expressed grief over the tragic accident and extended condolences to the families of the victims, saying that Patriarch Petros had served the Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Alexandria "with all his soul and strength", but also the other victims had been important personalities that "served the Church and the country with dedication." Archbishop of Athens ChristodoulosArchbishop of Athens Christodoulos said he was shaken by the death of "one of the most significant clerics of Orthodoxy". "We indeed grieve over the loss of the Patriarch, but also the other high-ranking members of the Patriarchate that accompanied him, as well as the priests, the young men, his deacon, his guard, everyone known and dear to all of us, as well as the military personnel aboard the fatal helicopter", the Archbishop said. PASOK
Condolences were also offered by main opposition
PASOK leader George Papandreou in an announcement
issued on Saturday. Papandreou said that the
Patriarch’s loss was a"blow for Orthodoxy, the
Patriarchate of Alexandria, Hellenes abroad, for
Cyprus, for all of us." |
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