Published by The National Herald, October 29, 2004 4th Crusade’s Devastating Effects By Theodore Kalmoukos Special to The National Herald

BOSTON, Mass. – Greek Ambassador to the United States George Savvaides called on the Greek American community last Friday, October 22 to vigorously cultivate and actively promote Hellenic heritage in America.

The Ambassador was speaking at the inauguration of the 9th Biennial Conference organized by the Greek Studies Department of Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

The conference, held on October 22-23, commemorated the 800th anniversary of the Fourth Crusade, examining the events of the Sacking of Constantinople in 1204 and its aftermath.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Savvaides told an audience of more than 100 people that "our Greek identity is neither a hobby, nor a romantic notion imposed upon us by the stubbornness of a minority. It's a concept that we all have to serve and practice daily."

Speaking at the Maliotis Cultural Center, Ambassador Savvaides referred to its founder Kostas Maliotis’s legacy and stressed the importance of "preserving Hellenism not simply in order to operate a school like this one, but in order to serve the Greek American community as a whole."

The Ambassador, who had served as a Consul of Greece in Boston three decades ago, said that expressing the satisfaction one gets from cultivating his or her Greek heritage is the best service one can offer to the community, particularly to the younger generation and to Hellenic education in America.

"The historical presence of Hellenism through the centuries continues to attract our interest and our imagination," the Ambassador said.

"It is a presence that began in the third millennium BC and has withstood glory, as well as downfall, to this day," he added.

Referring to the Sacking of Constantinople by Latin crusaders in 1204, Ambassador Savvaides pointed out that the event’s enormous impact on Hellenism extended beyond the strict geopolitical and geostrategic criteria of the 13th century.

"The event had an enormous psychological effect, too, one that lasted through and after the fall of Constantinople until the Ottomans finally conquered the city in 1453," he said.

VOICES OF THE VIOLATED

The Conference keynote address, "Voices of the Violated," was delivered by Dr. Paolo Odorico, Director of the Ecole des Hautes Estudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France.
The Italian professor opened his remarks last Friday evening by saying that, "history is the book of the living."

He then described the Western atrocities against the "violated" Byzantines, saying that the crusaders "ravaged churches. The Westerners attacked prisoners and were even raping women."

Dr. Odorico pointed out that "the year 1204 is a landmark in Western history. It marked the end of the Byzantine Empire, and thus the end of an entire historical experience," referring to the events of 1204 as the result of a "clash of civilizations," and adding that the phenomenon is "nothing more than a lack of understanding."

Messages read at the conference were sent by HC/HC President Rev. Nicholas Triantafilou, Hellenic College Dean Lily Macraki and Greek Language Professor Aristotle Michopoulos.

Sponsored through the support of the Maliotis Cultural Center, the Metropolis of Boston, the organizers and other individuals, the Conference also featured a Byzantine Art exhibit which focused on the world-renowned frescoes of the Chora Monastery in Constantinople.