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Submitted October 18, 2004
Regarding A Parish
Worthy of Imitation |
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Dear Sirs:
Christ is among us!
Having just read the
article concerning St. George Church in Lynn,
I was struck by the following paragraph: (Fr.)
Triantafilou feels strongly about teaching the
Greek language: Most certainly we want the
language, because without the Greek language, the
second and third generation and the converts will
not learn Orthodox Theology. It is unacceptable to
go as priests to the parishes and not to be able
to read the New Testament in Greek. During the
summer we have special classes in Greek.
How shocking.
Since millions of Orthodox throughout the world,
including most clergy of the Slavic, Arabic and
American Churches do not speak Greek - and neither
do the thousands of Americans, western Europeans,
Africans and Asians converting to Orthodoxy every
year - does that mean we do not know Orthodox
theology? I guess that people must learn a foreign
language in order to convert to true Christianity.
That sounds a bit like having to become
circumcised first in order to
become a Christian!
It seems to me that many Greek Orthodox just
refuse to understand the meaning of the passage in
St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians: "There is
neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus".
(Gal. 3: 28.)
May the Lord save us from such a mentality as that
of Fr. Triantafilou.
+Bishop Lorenzo of Palermo
Orthodox Church in Italy
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