A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
|
|
|
| Volume 7 Number 9 - Tuesday, March 1st, 2005 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
|
• Search Engine
The Orthodox Christian Laity
|
The Orthodox Christian News Service |
|||
ISTANBUL (ANA) – A powerful bomb hidden on the roof of the Patriarchal Residence in Phanar was discovered at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople last Saturday, February 19. Patriarchal staff immediately alerted local authorities, and a Turkish police bomb squad neutralized the bomb before it exploded. The explosive device was a hand-grenade, Turkish police reported. According to an ANA correspondent in Ankara, the unexploded grenade was spotted on the roof of St. George’s Church on Patriarchal grounds by a crew of window-cleaners. The grenade could have been thrown any time in the past month, Turkish police said, but went unnoticed because it did not explode. The Patriarchate has been the target of similar attacks several times in the past, with grenades lobbed from the area behind the grounds and always landing near the same spot on the roof of the church. Past attacks have been accompanied by explosions. The last time the Patriarchate was the focus of tensions was during Epiphany, when ultra-rightwing protestors gathered in the area and extremely tight security measures were taken in order to protect the Patriarchate’s grounds. In Athens, Greek Foreign ministry Spokesman George Koumoutsakos unequivocally condemned the incident as "extremist behavior and an act of bigotry" targeting the "crowning institution of the Orthodox faith worldwide." Such actions "conflict with European values and principles, and must be dealt with immediately and effectively by Turkish authorities," he stressed. Mr. Koumoutsakos also said Greek diplomatic and consular authorities in Ankara and Constantinople had already conveyed deep concern over the incident to Turkish authorities and asked for stronger security measures around the Patriarchate. The above incorporates information from reports posted by the Athens News Agency on February 19-21.
|
|
Home • Archives • Search • Submissions • Support Us |
||
|
Orthodox News, PO BOX 6954 |
