Now

Published by The National Herald, September 22, 2005

Turkey Wants To Extinguish The Patriarchate, So We Must Act Now

Your readers may have received an e-mail requesting them to sign a petition supporting the "restoration and reopening" of Hagia Sophia. The e-mail states that this petition would oppose Turkey’s entry into the European Union unless, or until, the Turkish Government "restored" Hagia Sophia (currently a museum) to a church. In my mind, Hagia Sophia is the most significant edifice in the world. I believe that its mosaics, particularly the 14th Century Deisis, are among the greatest works of art ever conceived.

But this campaign is misguided and lamentable. It demeans the current survival struggle unfolding before us regarding the life of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, to which the world community and the Orthodox faithful have barely awakened. The call to action to which all men and women of conscience should respond, is the call to protect the living institution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

For the greater part of 18 centuries, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has preserved and passed on the Christian message. Through countless and unimaginable hardships, it has remained as a testament to faith and the enlightenment of all mankind. Over the course of the last several decades, elements in the Turkish Government have systematically moved to extinguish the Patriarchate. Not only has an environment of religious intolerance been fomented, certain members of the Turkish state have persecuted the Orthodox clergy and laity, closed down its only theological school, and confiscated its properties. The litany of aggressive persecutions is vast and ghastly.

Instead of being beguiled in the comfortable click of an e-mail signature endorsing a petition, let us all commit to taking profound action to ensure the perpetual health of the Patriarchate. Here are some of the many things you can do:

1. Make a donation to the Order of Saint Andrew for its Patriarchal Defense Initiatives, which support legal actions in seeking governmental intervention against the repression of the Patriarchate in the courts and governments of the US, Europe and the Middle East (www.archons.org).

2. Write President Bush, copying Secretary of State Rice and House Speaker Hastert, and your Senators and Congressmen, your state, city and local representatives stating something along the following lines: "America was established, in part, because of the desire for religious freedom. The First Amendment makes it very clear that freedom of worship is a fundamental human right recognized by the Founding Fathers and the framers of the U.S. Constitution. Turkey, as an ally of the U.S., ought to legally recognize the Patriarchate; return its confiscated properties back to Mother Church; not interfere in Patriarchal elections or in the Patriarchate’s canonical governance; and immediately reopen Halki Theological School, which has been closed since 1971. For Turkey to join the European Union, it must behave like a nation with European and American values; i.e., recognize fundamental religious freedom and inalienable human rights."

3. Contact our brothers and sisters of all faiths and creeds, whether they be Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant – Muslim or Jewish – and ask them to join in a united stance for religious tolerance and freedom of faith.

These are the true calls to action to which we must respond. Let us resolve to ourselves and to the world that a true tragedy of our generation – the extinguishing of the Ecumenical Patriarchate – must be averted.

Dr. Limberakis is National Commander of the Order of Saint Andrew – Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.



Volume 7 Number 39 - Tuesday, September 27th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY