Category: Letters

The following is in response to the inaccurate and propagandistic article “The end of days for Russia’s Church in Ukraine”. I am a Greek Orthodoxunder the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. I am neither Russian nor Ukrainian but I have a knowledge of Orthodox theology and ecclesiology. There is no such thing as “Russia’s Church”. The Eastern Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ’s Church. The real and legitimate Church is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onuphry who happens to be under the “omophorion” of the Patriarchate of  Moscow.

The so called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” is a fake Church established by politicians and the American government using Patriarch Bartholomewof Constantinople whose Patriarchate in Turkey faces extinction and needs western support. Orthodox Christians believe that the Orthodox Church is the true Church of Christ. Adherents of every religion naturally believe theirs is the true faith. 

By creating the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”, Ukrainian officials and American officials have made a mockery of the Orthodox Church and are in effect saying that the Orthodox Church is make believe and has no more significance than a political party or NGO. Orthodox Christians find this offensive as they are outraged by the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by a variety of Neo-Nazis and other fascist extremists. The Ukrainian government has created a sectarian conflict when it should be working to create national unity.

I am a Greek American under the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey. Does that make me pro Turkish? Roman Catholics throughout the world are under the spiritual authority of the Pope of Rome. When Mussolini was in power in Rome, and when the Nazis occupied Rome did that bring into question the loyalty of Roman Catholics throughout the world during the Second World War? 

Western politicians, diplomats, and journalists have made very clear that freedom of religion is under threat.We believe Jesus Christ is the head
of the Church, and the Church will always survive despite two thousand years of persecution. Millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide take encouragement from the bishops, priests, monastics, and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (the real one) who are confessors at a time of persecution and martyrdom. 

Everyone wants an end to the immoral war in Ukraine. Targeting a specific community for persecution because the government does not like its religious choices is fascism. Politico seems to ignore the sinister implications of targeting a community because of its religion, while ignoring the Neo Nazi Azov battalions in eastern Ukraine. Angry mobs targeting Ukrainian Orthodox Churches openly display the swastika and other symbols of hate. 

Your coverage of the Church issue in Ukraine is contemptible and deplorable. But, Orthodox Christians look to Christ for relief! In the long term, Christ’s (not Russia’s) Church will be the one to prevail. That thing that the Ukrainian government and the State Department created with Patriarch Bartholomew will not even exist in a few years. The Churches they have stolen from the legitimate Church are empty. 

The “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”is a caricature of an Orthodox Church. Its mysteries are devoid of grace and its clergy are unordained 
lunatics. 

Theodore Karakostas

My name is Theodore Karakostas and I am a Greek Orthodox Christian. This is not a political letter, but a letter motivated by concerns over religion, democracy, and freedom of conscience. 
At the present time, the Ukrainian government is attempting to outlaw the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This Church is one of three religious institutions claiming to be an Orthodox Church in that country. The dogmatic and ecclesiological matters are a matter of importance to Orthodox Christians and so I will not delve into this particular matter. 

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (not to be confused with the rival Orthodox Church of Ukraine) has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite this, the Zelensky government is intent on outlawing the Church and has permitted angry mobs with fascist sympathies to seize Churches in order to give them to the religious institution presently favored by the Kiev government. In a democratic society, the government should not care where people choose to worship and citizens should not be discriminated against or suffer violence because of choices they make in matters of religion. 

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been persecuted by the Ukrainian authorities long before the Russians invaded. The Ukrainian government has targeted an entire community because of the choices they make in matters of faith. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is being targeted because it is under the spiritual leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church. The hierarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has condemned the Russian invasion and provided support for all Ukrainians regardless of religious affiliation. 

At the present time, the Ukrainian authorities are attempting to seize the Kiev Caves Lavra (a monastic complex) of Kiev which is the holiest site in Ukraine. The government is trying to evict the monks and seminarians even though they have done nothing wrong. Angry mobs have been harassing the monks and ordinary Ukrainians who have shown up at the monastery to show their support for the monastery and the monks. There is nothing political about this, and under no circumstances does concern for the freedom of religion for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have any sort of implications regarding the war. 

Roman Catholics throughout the world are under the spiritual authority of the Papacy. This does not make Roman Catholics loyal to the Italian government. As a Greek Orthodox, I am under thespiritual authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople from Turkey, and I have no sympathies for the Turkish government. The Ukrainian government is violating the right to religious freedom for millions of Ukrainians. American taxpayers are subsidizing the government of Ukraine.

The American government must demand that the government in Kiev cease and desist from interfering in the religious lives of its citizens. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church must be granted the same rights and recognitions that other religious institutions in Ukraine enjoy. 

Theodore Karakostas
Milton

Bobby Miller in his March 26 article hopes that Turkish President Erdogan will lose the elections. Unfortunately, he hopes that Kemal Kilicdaroglu will win the elections. The latter 
is the head of the Republican People’s Party which is no better than Erdogan’s Party. Both of these men are extreme Turkish nationalists and both of them openly call for invading Greece and seizing the Greek islands. Mr. Miller appears to be a throwback to the writers that believed Turkey was some kind of secular utopia before Erdogan totally destroyed that myth. 

Mr. Miller shows no concern for Greece, Cyprus, Armenia, or the Kurds who are all being victimized by the present regime in Ankara. The Erdogan regime threatens Greece and Cyprus,
and has armed the terrorist state of Azerbaijan which started a war with Armenia and carried out war crimes and ethnic cleansing against Armenian soldiers and civilians alike. Is there 
ever a time when American writers on foreign policy will give up on the myth of Turkey?

Kilicdaroglu heads the party that was founded by Mustafa Kemal and was later led by “bloody” Bulent Ecevit. Kemal was the homicidal maniac who presided over the mass extermination
of Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian Christians in Asia Minor. Ecevit ordered the bloody Turkish invasions of Cyprus in 1974. Virtually all of Turkey’s political leaders in Parliament have 
criticized Erdogan.

They have not criticized him for his authoritarianism and for his intolerance of Christians. For example, they have not criticized his conversion of the Greek Orthodox Hagia Sophia into a Mosque back in 2020. They have criticized him for not following through on his threats to invade the islands of Greece which they refer to as “occupied territory”. Turkey will remain a threat to American interests as Ankara will remain hostile to the Kurds who represent a real future for democracy in the region were they ever to gain any form of independence. 

Theodore Karakostas
Boston

Dear Congressman Lynch,

I am writing this letter from a strictly religious point of view. I am a Greek Orthodox Christian. In Ukraine, which is suffering from the horrors of the Russian invasion there is an internal assault on theUkrainian Orthodox Church. There are two Churches. There is the Church that Eastern Orthodoxy considers the legitimate Church (now under attack by the Government) and their is a breakaway Church.

Either way, individuals should be free to worship as they choose and to attend which ever Church they like.The official Church which the Ukrainian government is trying to ban is under the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, hence the problem. The Ukrainian Church under the spiritual leadership ofthe Russian Patriarch of Moscow is an autonomous self governing Church. Because they are spiritually under the Russian Church no sinister implications should be perceived.

As a Greek Orthodox myself,
I am under the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople who resides in Constantinople, Turkey. My spiritual ties to an ancient Church now in Turkey has no political implications and I certainly have no loyalty to the Turkish government (far from it) or disloyalty to the United States.

The accusations against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the Ukrainian government are preposterous. Roman Catholics throughout the world are under the spiritual authority of the Pope of Rome. That does not make them loyal politically to Italy and it does not make them disloyal to the countries they reside in. At this time, the Ukrainian government is attempting to seize the largest Monastery in Kiev 
from the Ukrainian Church that it does not like despite the fact that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow) has condemned the Russian invasion unequivocally and has criticized the Russian Church for its stance on the war.

Religious freedom either exists or it does not. It is most unfortunate that the Orthodox Church has become a political pawn between Ukraine, Russia, and the west. The sooner they all cease from attempting to interfere in the spiritual life of the Orthodox Church the more likely for peace in Ukraine. Orthodox Churches are profoundly influential in their countries. However, the State Department has interfered in the internal life of the Greek Orthodox Churches in the hope of promoting a split with the Russian Church.

I am certain you may find this very confusing as do I. The Ukrainian government is getting money and arms from the United States. Washington should at least demand that the persecution of Churches
that the Kiev government does not like should cease immediately. If anything, the government in Kiev is creating disunity among Ukrainians by promoting religious hatred and religious strife. Orthodox Christians throughout the world are watching the persecution of their coreligionists in Ukraine with horror and revulsion.

The assault on religious freedom in Ukraine should cease. The persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church (twice as large as the schismatic Church) will contribute to stability and peace in Ukraine if given the opportunity to do so.

Thank You

Theodore Karakostas

To Congressman Lynch,

My name is Theodore Karakostas and I am writing to you about a matter that I consider to be of great importance. This has to do with the unrestrained behavior of Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland who over the years has become notorious for her pro war and interventionist activities. At the present time, this woman is said by various news reports to be interfering with the Monastic Republic of Mount Athos. Mount Athos is one of the great spiritual centers of the Eastern Orthodox Church and is located in the Greek province of Macedonia. 

There are twenty active Monasteries and some Sketes on what Orthodox Christians refer to as the “holy mountain”. Most of the Monasteries are Greek as Mount Athos is located in Greece. There are numerous Monks however who are of non Greek ancestry. Many of the Monasteries include converts who are American, Western European, Australian, African, or Asian. The Holy Mountain is an example of Monks of many nationalities living together communally in brotherhood and who follow the daily cycles of prayer and liturgical services of the Eastern Orthodox Church. There are three non Greek Monasteries (Serbian, Bulgarian, and Russian) and this seems to be what has attracted the attention of Nuland.

The Monastery of Saint Panteleimon is Russian and Russian Monks have lived on the holy mountain for one thousand years. Allegations have been put forward that the Russian Monks are in service to the foreign policy of the Russian government.This is absurd and ridiculous. In the climate of anti Russian hysteria, it appears ALL Russians are viewed collectively as agents of Moscow and not seen as actual individuals. This is the definition of bigotry and racism. 

Monks of all nationalities have been living on Mount Athos for centuries without incident. This includes the Russian Monks. To suggest that the Russian Monks are promoting a Russian takeover of the holy mountain is like suggesting that Germany or Argentina were conspiring to take over the Vatican because the last two Popes were of German and Argentinian heritage. The Greeks are always going to have a numerical advantage on Mount Athos so it is utterly false to suggest the Russians are planning on taking over Mount Athos. 

Victoria Nuland and other American officials have no business intervening on Mount Athos. The Monastic Republic of Mount Athos is dedicated to the honor of Panagia (in Greek this means, most holy) the Mother of God. It is a sacred place and the 
first Monastery was established in 963 by the pious and Christ loving Emperor of blessed Memory Nikephoras Phokas. The Monks of Mount Athos have historically served as guardians of Orthodox faith and worship and have given their lives as martyrs in witness to the Orthodox faith during the Crusades and under the infidel rule of the Ottoman Empire. 

Mount Athos is a very sacred place for Orthodox Christians and many of us are becoming very angry that the garden of Panaghia (as Greeks call it) is becoming gradually politicized by ambitious non believing and power hungry officials such as Victoria 
Nuland and others like her. There are those of us who are also outraged that the sovereignty of Greece is gradually being violated by Nuland and other American officials. The holy Mountain is an autonomous part of the Hellenic Republic and is accountable under Greek law to the government in Athens. It is not accountable to the United States which as a non Orthodox country has no business or rights there.

Since 2018, the Department of State has been intervening blatantly in the affairs of the Orthodox Church. It has encouraged a schism that was created by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and it is an incontestable fact that the Patriarch is being propped up over the Orthodox Churches by Washington. Patriarch Bartholomew has challenged the ecclesiology of the Orthodox Church and claims power and authority that he does not rightfully possess. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt supported Patriarch Bartholomew’s claims in the name of combatting the Russians. 

The activities of the State Department in the affairs of the Orthodox Church (chiefly, the Greek speaking Churches) and on Mount Athos constitute a violation of religious freedom and have an impact on Orthodox Christians everywhere (including myself) 
who will have to make decisions about their spiritual future as the schism which Patriarch Bartholomew created with the assistance of his American friends has shown no signs of abating. One of the outcomes of this political meddling has been to prevent the Orthodox Church from using its influence to end the war in Ukraine. 

I respectfully ask that you give consideration to the issue regarding Mount Athos. Sacred places should not be disturbed by secular political interests. Monastics on Mount Athos should not be expelled because of their ethnic heritage. Mount 
Athos is a sacred place dedicated to the Mother of God. 

The politicization of the holy mountain can only be seen by Orthodox Christians in America and around the world as profoundly disrespectful to the Mother of God and to Jesus Christ himself. It is a disrespect for the monastic life which is based on a life of prayer, asceticism, and fasting. It is based on a withdrawal from the world. Monastics in all parts of the Orthodox world strive to achieve a level of holiness and spend much of their time praying for the future of the world. Its activities are strictly spiritual, and not political. 

It is morally unacceptable for any government to attempt to bring the holy mountain under its influence. I hope you will consider asking the State Department to cease and desist from engaging in any activities on the holy mountain,from commenting on any of the Monasteries, and from further violating the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic.

This letter is written during the Orthodox Christian season of Pascha (Easter) when Orthodox Christians greet each other with the joyous phrases “Christ is Risen” and “Truly he is risen”. We would like our holy places to be properly respected and treated
with reverence. Mount Athos belongs to the Panagia which Orthodox Christians believe was gifted to her by her son and our God and savior Jesus Christ. It is not a strategic base or asset. 

Thank You 

Theodore Karakostas

Dear Congressman Lynch.

I am aware that the country is presently preoccupied with the Ukrainian war but as an American of Greek ancestry I wish to make clear my views as a constituent that I stand in total and complete opposition to Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland. It is well known that Victoria Nuland is a neoconservative and a very aggressive “diplomat”. She is also profoundly hostile to Greece and Cyprus both of which are democratic countries with a long history of aligning themselves with the United States. Ms. Nuland is serving as an enforcer for the Biden administration’s efforts to appease the terrorist sponsoring Republic of Turkey.

Turkey has been occupying the Republic of Cyprus since 1974 when its forces invaded and ethnically cleansed the territories it occupied of over 200,000 Greek Cypriots. At the present time, Turkey has been threatening to invade Greece and challenges the status of islands that belong under international treaties to the Hellenic Republic. Turkey is a country run by a jihadist dictator whose regime has sponsored Al Quada affiliates in Syria and has assisted the genocidal Islamic State. Ms. Nuland has visited Greece and Cyprus with the intent of forcing these two countries to include Turkey in an energy deal that they had previously signed with Israel. 

The Biden administration deserves censure for preparing to sacrifice Greece and Cyprus who are fighting for their very existence against a much larger and much more powerful Turkey still being aided and abetted by NATO. I wish to remind you of the hypocrisy of  the American foreign policy establishment. Two years ago, efforts were made to impeach President Trump on the grounds that he had threatened and bullied Ukrainian President Zelensky. There were a few more details but the heart of the matter was that the former President was accused of and nearly impeached for allegedly bullying a foreign leader. 

Being the author of three books and possessing an expertise in Byzantine and modern Greek history, I am acutely aware that Greece has been repeatedly bullied throughout the decades by various American administrations. During the 1950’s, and 1960’s, the United States whitewashed the ethnic cleansing of Greek Orthodox Christians from Constantinople by the Turkish government. In the interests of NATO, Greece was forced to abandon its interests in preserving the ethnic Greek minority residing in Turkey. During the 1960’s, the Johnson administration bullied then Greek Ambassador to Washington Alexander Matsas with the use of language and a tone that was unbecoming for an American President. 

Being of Greek ancestry, I concur with the late journalist Christopher Hitchens who denounced former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as a war criminal for his policies which permitted and enabled the Turkish invasions of Cyprus in 1974. All these unhappy memories are recalled as a result of the treacherous anti Hellenic policies being undertaken by the Biden administration under the apparent influence of Victoria Nuland and others who share her extreme views. Greece is a country that fought with the United States in two World Wars, the Cold War, and the Korean War. 

Greece and Cyprus do not deserve to be sacrificed in order to appease the jihadist regime in Turkey which has demonstrated repeatedly its staunchly anti American policies by embracing the aforementioned terrorist movements. Washington has also kept 
silent as Turkey’s clients in Azerbaijan have massacred and ethnically cleansed Armenian Christians in the territories of Artsakh and elsewhere. It is understandable that the United States wants to concentrate on Ukraine right now, but nothing can justify the sacrifice of Greece, Cyprus, and Armenia in order to appease Erdogan’s Turkey.

Congress must look into the matter of how the energy deal involving Greece, Cyprus, and Israel was terminated and should oppose unconditionally the inclusion of Turkey. Turkey should be targeted for sanctions and treated as a pariah and should not 
be appeased. 

Theodore Karakostas 

I will have to respectfully decline to sign your petition. Although I oppose morally the invasion of Ukraine as I come from a traditional Byzantine anti war perspective,I oppose the poisonous anti Russian hatred that has predated this war by many years. I believe that I am consistent in my anti war views as I have opposed the American-NATO bombing of Serbia, the invasion of Iraq, the overthrow of Libya’s government in 2011, and the mad effort to aid jihadist groups in Syria by overthrowing the secular government of Bashar Asaad. 

I have an expertise on Byzantine and Russian history and I have a theological degree in Eastern Orthodoxy, the faith of most Russians and Ukrainians.There is a complex history here going back to the 
Crusader attacks on Constantinople in 1204 and the Teutonic Knight invasion of Russia in 1242. I am sure you will be baffled by what these centuries old issues have to do with today. Because history has defined Russia as Eastern and Eastern Orthodox countries have not only long been excluded by the west, they have frequently been targeted by the west. 

Ukraine is the source of tension between Eastern and Western Christianity. There are complex historical, cultural, and religious factors at play. It is in what is now western Ukraine that the Roman Catholics imposed on Orthodox Ukrainians the dogmas and authority of the Pope while permitting them to maintain byzantine liturgical rites. Kiev is also the birthplace of Christian Russia which was baptized in the year 988 AD by Greek Orthodox Emperor Basil II.

Certainly, I condemn all atrocities being committed by the Russian army without question. But the fact of the matter is that the western world only dislikes those wars that somebody else starts. In 1999, NATO bombed Orthodox Serbia for seventy eight days and it is well known that American General Wesley Clark specifically and purposely targeted the bombing of civilian targets because Serbs were considered to be collectively guilty for the crimes of the Milosovic regime. Being progressives, I am sure you are aware of the horrendous destruction of Iraq and the horrific war crimes of the Bush-Cheney administration which can be seen by the insane torture and sexual humiliation of Iraqi men. 

I would remind you that in the fall of 2020, the nefarious regime of Azerbaijan invaded peaceful Armenia. The Azerbaijani forces seized Armenian lands which are populated overwhelmingly by Armenians and belong historically to the Armenian people. Azerbaijanis committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. They slaughtered civilians and they tortured and murdered Armenian prisoners of war in complete violation of the Geneva conventions. It is more than apparent that the media and both political parties in the United States very selectively choose what they cover. 

Being a Greek American, I am committed to the freedom of Greece from Turkish aggression and the liberation of Cyprus from Turkish occupation. I am sure that you are unaware that Turkey has been threatening to invade Greece. The jihadist regime in Turkey led by the madman Recep Teyyip Erdogan has put forward claims to the islands of Greece. Some of these have been part of modern Greece since 1923 and some since 1947. All belong to Greece under international treaties and the populations of all these islands are fully Greek. These factors have not stopped Turkey from threatening to invade Greece.

If Turkey should invade Greece, it is my opinion that that groups like yours, the political parties, and the media will remain just as oblivious and indifferent as they were when Azerbaijan invaded Armenia. 

The Republic of Cyprus was invaded by Turkey in 1974 and Turkish troops are still there. They have been bringing settlers from Turkey to seize the homes of Greek Cypriots who were ethnically cleansed by the invading Turkish army. More recently, Turkey invaded the Kurdish regions of Syria to the indifference of the world. In this regard, the Russians deserve as much criticism as the western governments. The Russians let the Turks attack the Kurds and the Russians stood aside when Azerbaijan attacked Armenia. 

For years now, there has been an unrelenting hysteria against the Russians. This is long before the invasion of Ukraine last week. The fact of the matter is the unscrupulous and ignorant media along with unscrupulous political actors have a very poor knowledge and understanding of history or of other countries. As a Greek American, I have felt this over the years by the repeated attacks in the media and elsewhere against Greece and Cyprus who have been frequently maligned.

International tensions escalated when the Biden administration following the playbook of Hillary Clinton’s anti Russian drivel decided to push NATO closer to the Russian border. The Russians have been imperialistic in history. It is also true that Great Britain, France, Germany, and the United States have also been imperialistic. The crimes of the British in the Middle East, Africa, and other areas such as Cyprus are legendary. The United States is still pursuing an imperialistic foreign policy. 

NATO would have us believe they are promoting democracy. The same alliance that arms the jihadist state of Turkey to the teeth. When the Greek Prime Minister made an appeal to NATO to intervene to stop Turkish aggressive claims against Greece, the alliance declined. Those of us of Greek descent are aware of the fact that a small country like Greece is not considered as important as Turkey. This is why Turkey is permitted to slaughter minorities and to invade other countries with no consequences. 

I lament the beginning of yet another major war in the twenty first century. However, this did not have to occur and would not have occurred if the west did not arrogantly provoke the Russians by attempting to encircle by expanding NATO to the Russian border. The Russians have an impressive history from the victories of Alexander Nevsky in the thirteenth century to their victories over Napolean and Hitler later on. Provoking the Russians is something that anyone with a knowledge of history would have known to avoid. 

The comparison of Vladimir Putin with Hitler by Hillary Clinton and other sources was especially stupid. Considering her husband’s past support for the pro-Nazi governments of Croatia and Bosnia during the 1990’s, and considering the various neo Nazi militias in Ukraine it is probably not wise to make that comparison. These are some thoughts that you might wish to consider and I send this message to you with the best of intentions. 

Theodore Karakostas 

Dear Senator Warren,
I am a Greek American constituent. I am writing to express my revulsion at the blatant hypocrisy over the foreign policy establishment’s rush to war over Ukraine. Much of the Ukrainian affair has to do with Kiev’s aspirations to join NATO. The fact of the matter is that there is an aggressor and predator within NATO that engages in acts of external aggression and ethnic cleansing. That member of NATO is Turkey.

The Turkish government has assisted Azerbaijan in its genocidal campaign against the Armenians of Artsakh and other territories that were occupied by Baku in 2020. Turkey has been threatening to wage war on Greece and has openly claimed Greek islands that have been recognized by international treaties. Since 1974, Turkey has been occupying the northern territories of Cyprus from which it has ethnically cleansed over 200,000 Greek Cypriots. 

It is hypocritical in the extreme to be risking war over Ukraine when an international aggressor and menace such as Turkey is a member of NATO. It now appears that the Biden administration has played a role in bringing about the demise of the Greece-Cyprus-Israel partnership that would have done much to diminish dependence on the monstrous dictatorship that rules Turkey. It is simply not possible to suggest that a conflict over Ukraine has any relationship to freedom considering the unceasing support that Washington gives to Turkey and its ally Azerbaijan.

The State Department cannot claim to be interested in the sovereignty of Ukraine while simultaneously tolerating and/or supporting the Turkish and Azerbaijani occupations of Cypriot and Armenian territory. There are those of us who think the United States should get its house in order by restraining those it considers its “allies”. 

Theodore Karakostas 

Greetings to the American Embassy, 

My name is Theodore Karakostas and I am an American Greek Orthodox. I am writing to you to express criticism of his excellency Ambassador Pyatt,former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and any others that have interfered blatantly in the spiritual life of the Orthodox Church. The desire to support religious freedom is admirable. Religious freedom means that all people have the right to go to any Church or temple they want without being harassed or subjected to violence and persecution.

What American officials such as Ambassador Pyatt and others have done has nothing to do with religious freedom. There were three versions of Orthodoxy in Ukraine. The proper and ethical viewpoint of the American government should have been to ensure that all are free to go to which particular Church they like. According to ecclesiastical rules and canon law of the Orthodox Church, there is only one legitimate Church in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the synod of Metropolitan Onuphry enjoys recognition in Orthodoxy as the canonical Church whose bishops and priests possess apostolic succession and catholicity. Their bishops and priests can trace their succession back to the apostles as other bishops in Orthodoxy do. 

It is well known that the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church is disliked by American authorities because it is a part of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Ambassador and other officials of the State Department have no business involving themselves in these matters. Having involved themselves in these Church matters they have made pronouncements on the legitimacy of episcopal consecrations, priestly ordinations and matters of ecclesiology which do not concern secular officials.

The State Department has violated religious freedom for Orthodox Christians in three ways. First, in Ukraine, the State Department has overlooked the forcible seizure of Churches belonging to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It has ignored the violence and beatings that have been directed against clergy and lay people of the legitimate Church by fanatical supporters of a faction that is not considered to be a part of the Orthodox Church according to the strict tenets of canon law. The”hierarchs” and “priests” that American officials support are not real priests because all of them have either been anathematized (excommunicated) or have never been ordained within the authentic Orthodox Church. 

Secondly, the intervention in the internal affairs of the Orthodox Church of Greece and the holy mountain of Athos by American officials is seen by myself certainly, and millions of other Orthodox Christians as sacrilege and blasphemy. It is a matter of public record that former Secretary Pompeo travelled to Athens to ask his beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens to extend recognition to the fake “church” that his all holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople helped to create in December2018. Secretary Pompeo had no business in making this request and the Archbishop had no business granting it. In the Orthodox Church, the faithful are obligated to criticize hierarchs when they violate canon laws and the precepts of the Orthodox Church. In the Orthodox Church, Patriarchs and bishops are not infallible and have often been opposed by righteous faithful in history when they stray. 

Neither Patriarch Bartholomew nor Archbishop Ieronymos are above criticism. Both they and other bishops within the Churches of Constantinople and Greece are in the wrong for intervening in Ukrainian Church affairs. The Ukrainian Church is a part of the Russian Orthodox Church and its future is dependent on the Russian Patriarchate as the mother Church. American intervention inside the Churches of Constantinople and Greece for the purposes of pursuing foreign policy goals is an explicit violation of religious freedom. American officials have requested that these Churches violate their own religious precepts for political purposes and they have created divisions between Orthodox Christians of Greek heritage and the rest of the Orthodox world. 

Thirdly, there are Orthodox Christians around the world who happen to be under the omophorion (an ecclesiastical word) of the Church of Constantinople. This has put a strain on the spiritual life of Orthodox Christians not at ease with the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine. There are those who also happen to love the Church and City of Constantinople who are dismayed by the actions that have been undertaken by that Church and who are disturbed by the role of secular officials in prompting them to take actions that should never have been undertaken. 

Orthodox Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the leader and founder of the Orthodox Church! The Orthodox Church is not a Church, it is THE Church. We do not think it is proper or correct for secular officials to use the Church that is led by Christ as if it were a political party or a non governmental organization. These are matters that have to do with the sacred and the divine. Some respect is in order by the officials of the State Department. 

His excellency Ambassador Pyatt has expressed concern about the “tomos” that was granted to the fake “church” in Ukraine. This is none of his business. The past three years of secular interference with the faith of Christ has created havoc, chaos, and division among Orthodox Christians. Those hierarchs who have become involved in secular politics are not without blame and according to the conciliar tradition of the Orthodox Church they must account for their actions at a future council. 

This is my protest as a Greek Orthodox Christian dedicated to the true faith of Christ! Orthodoxy is not a play thing. It is the authentic Church of Christ. 

Glory to God!!!!!
Theodore Karakostas

USA

Professor Mossialos, 

I am a Greek Orthodox Christian living in America and have become aware of your recent insult and blasphemy that was directed at the most holy Virgin Mother of God. I am a person who is fully vaccinated and has received the booster shot. I also wear a mask in consideration of the safety of other people. I am not quite sure why you felt the need to make a tasteless joke about the most holy Theotokos. 

Apparently, you believe it is fine to ridicule and insult Christians. Permit me to tell you what many scientists and doctors here in America believe. I live in a country where scientists and doctors are telling us that it is possible for men to become pregnant. There are those who also believe that there may be as many as sixty three genders or more. Even worse, there are people in the field of science and medicine who are attempting to use these theories to experiment on minor children. In some American states, it is legal for children as young as thirteen years old to “transition” to the opposite gender without permission from their parents. 

Saint Paul, the holy apostle who brought the light of Christ to our beloved Greek homeland wrote, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” ( 1 Corinthians 1:25). On Christmas we celebrated the birth of the incarnate logos who took the flesh of man in order to bring about the redemption of man. The redemption of man was needed because man as a creature fell into sin. Men have fallen repeatedly throughout the course of history and we have seen the fall of man yet again as a result of the worldwide pandemic for which some scientists are indisputably responsible for. 

It is well known that American and other scientists were funding gain of function research in the lab in Wuhan. Distinguished scientists such as yourself should carry on working to put an end to the pandemic. The Orthodox Churches throughout the world have been offering up prayers for scientists and doctors and the sick throughout this entire crisis. It is unclear why you would presume to insult the most Holy Theotokos. 

In addition, your insult to the Christian faith betrays an attitude of arrogance and elitism. Worldwide, there is a dangerous division between the scientific-medical communities and ordinary people. Blasphemous pictures on social media that insult Christians everywhere do nothing to put an end to this division. It is necessary for people of differing beliefs to work together for the common good. Your disrespect for the Virgin Mary betrays this goal. 

The above mentioned quote of the holy Apostle makes very clear that man is nothing before God. The end of the pandemic will be hastened by the grace of God to whom Christians throughout the world direct their prayers. We believe in miracles. We believe in the glory of God and in the miracle of the incarnation. We believe that Mary the Mother of God was indeed a Virgin. With God all things are possible and we believe that through the power of faith this pandemic will be eradicated. 

Christ is born! Glorify him! 

Theodore Karakostas

Boston, MA 

USA