Categories
faith

The Orthodox Churches On The War

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew opposes the war in Ukraine. The Patriarchs of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Rumania, Bulgaria, and Georgia have spoken out as well. The Archbishop of the Czeck Lands and Slovakia has spoken out. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens has also spoken out. I may inadvertently have left other leaders out. In one form or another Orthodox leaders have raised their voices either to condemn the war outright or to urge President Putin to cease all military actions.

The voices of such a large portion of the Church cannot and should not be ignored. The most important plea for an end to the invasion of Ukraine came from Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev who is the spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is the canonical Church under the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia.

Patriarch Kyril of Moscow has been widely criticized for making a vague statement regarding the war. At this point, it is too early to judge and criticize. Patriarch Kyril made a statement very early on when it was unclear what was happening and why. Why should there be criticism for a a statement that was carefully guarded and restrained before all the facts were out?

As the war has progressed it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify Russian actions. Especially when Orthodox Christians are suffering. The religion of people in a war should not make a difference since we are all people. As it stands there are still many uncertainties and unknown factors.

Morally, Orthodox Christians should oppose the war. Not just this war but wars in general. Politics is clouding the issues here because factually the “international community” hates Russia. To bring about an end to the hostilities diplomacy must be given a chance to work.

The Orthodox Church could have the most significant influence on ending the war and its voice should be considered welcome by the world. President Putin is a churchgoer who has made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Mount Athos. There are reports that two hundred Russian priests are calling on the President to stop bombing Ukraine.

During the winter of 1996 there were pro democracy demonstrations in Belgrade, Serbia against the rule of President Slobodon Milosovic. The demonstrators were blessed by the late Serbian Patriarch Pavle. The Serbian Orthodox Church and other Serbian groups wanted peace in the former Yugoslavia and were willing to help remove Milosovic.

What the Church and the Serbs wanted was to ensure that Kosovo would remain part of Serbia. The United States and its leaders such as Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Richard Holbrooke, and Wesley Clarke preferred to destroy Serbia. Before the beginning of hostilities in 1999, Undersecretary of State Holbrooke presented the Serbs with a plan for “peace”. The plan would have required the Serbs to give up Kosovo after three years.

They knew the Serbs would not sign such a plan. They wanted to destroy Serbia. There are important similarities between Serbia and Russia. Kosovo was the spiritual center of Orthodox Serbia with its glorious Churches and Monasteries. Kiev is the birthplace of Orthodox Russia.

It is of extreme importance that the voice of the Orthodox Church be heard by all sides. As a son of the Church, President Putin should demonstrate his piety by ending the war. The west should cease and desist its hostile propaganda and military actions (NATO) against Russia.

Even more importantly, the west should give up trying to export LGBT to Orthodox countries. A member of British intelligence has said the campaign against Russia is about gay and transgender rights! People like this should have nothing to do with the sensitive issue of the war.

Just as President Putin should grant the requests of the Orthodox Churches and stop the war, the west should respect and acknowledge the Orthodox Churches. For decades western culture has promoted secularism in the name of pushing faith into private life.

The power and influence of Orthodoxy in Russia and Ukraine may very well be the key to restoring peace in the Russian and Ukrainian lands. This is assuming that the west has better intentions toward Russia than it had for Serbia.

Categories
political

Tulsi Gabbard Speaks The Truth And Kudos To Biden For A Change

Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been my favorite Democrat for some time. Actually, she is the only Democrat I like. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference Gabbard told the truth. NATO expansion to the Russian border triggered the Russian attack on Ukraine.

For speaking this truth, Gabbard was criticized by both warmongering Democrats and Republicans. The warmongers in both parties seem to think Putin invaded Ukraine simply because he is evil. Real life is more complicated. It appears the post Trump Republican Party is reverting back to the monstrosity that it was before Trump took over and cleaned it up.

Mitt Romney the opportunistic whore is gaining praise from the media and Democrats because of his anti Russian statements made over ten years ago. Any moron who is anti Russian is gaining praise. Hitler hated Russia with great passion so I would not be surprised if the media and both parties had some nice words to say about him.

Romney ran for Senate in Massachusetts to the left of Ted Kennedy. He was firmly pro abortion and pro gay rights. By the time he started running for President over a decade later he lied about being pro life his entire life. Romney was the only Republican to vote to impeach Donald Trump and he stupidly claims to be conservative even after marching with the Marxist Black Lives Matter.

Joe Biden deserves some credit for being the voice of reason. Biden has ruled out a no fly zone over Ukraine and seems determined (for now) to avoid a direct confrontation with the Russians. This is a very responsible and logical stance.

It is more commendable considering how stupid politicians in both parties are on the matter of Ukraine.

Categories
Letters

Letter To Move On

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 

Categories
political

The Ukrainian Mess

Neoconservative Republican Adam Kinzinger wants to send American soldiers to Ukraine. He wants to set up a no fly zone which means Americans would shoot down Russian planes. The President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass has called for “regime change” in Russia. Because regime change worked so well in Iraq.

Whenever I begin to have doubts about Russian military action in Ukraine, I can always depend on American lunatics to clarify the situation. The reason we have come to this situation is because American officials are stupid or deranged. Regime change in Russia!

The Russians believe that Russia faces an existential threat from an expanding NATO. Normal people (where are you Donald Trump?) would work to ease tensions and to clear the air. By no means am I an Orthodox Christian indifferent to the suffering of Ukrainian Orthodox men, women, and children. At the same time I recognize that Russia to an extent has been placed on the defensive by warmongering lunatics.

What is needed is rational thought. There are bright signs on the horizon. Ukrainian and Russian leaders may be meeting very soon. Hopefully, there will be a ceasefire and negotiations can begin.

How did we get here? We got here because the west did not respect Russia. Russia is a great country that has been invaded numerous times throughout history. Russia also crushed Napolean and Hitler. These were not easy victories.

Russia could demonstrate good faith by withdrawing from some territory as a gesture of good will. Then negotiations could begin. Washington could give assurances that Ukraine will not join NATO and Russia could give back more territory in a land for peace deal.

Vladimir Putin is not Hitler. His family was devastated by the Nazis during the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War. We must understand that it is the west that tends to support contemporary Nazi movements. The Azav batalions in Ukraine are Neo-Nazis who glorify the infamous Nazi collaborator Stephan Banderas.

During the wars of Yugoslavia in the 1990’s the Clinton administration supported the pro Nazi Croatians over the Serbs. We should learn what we are talking about but then this is a society where knowledge is based on “the Kardashians” and other bullshit. It is time to sit down and negotiate seriously and put tensions with Russia to rest.

There can be peace between Ukraine and Russia if the west does not encroach on Russian security.

Categories
political

Truth And Peace

Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

John 8:32

There are numerous truths regarding the Ukrainian war. Russia has very unwisely invaded Ukraine and caused suffering and death. President Vladimir Putin has disregarded appeals from many Orthodox Churches asking for an end to the invasion. Most significantly he has ignored the appeal of his beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry who is the spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

One can concede the wrongness of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, one must also concede the aggressive actions of America and the NATO alliance over the past three decades. In 1999, NATO bombed Orthodox Serbia for seventy eight days. Let’s not kid ourselves about the benevolent behavior the western alliance. General Wesley Clark advocated the firebombing of Serbian cities which led the the deaths of countless Serbian civilians.

Americans and Europeans who feign shock over Ukraine have bloody hands from the bombing of Serbia. The invasion of Iraq was a horror show that brought about a civil war between Sunnis and Shiites and the rise of Abu Al Zarqawi’s group which became ISIS. Zarqawi introduced the practice of decapitating people and burning them alive.

His successors introduced the slave trade which marketed Yazidi women. ISIS engaged in genocide. America and Europe saw Russia as the bigger threat. General Millie, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in 2015 Russia was a bigger threat than ISIS. Russia saved the Christians, Muslims and others from the genocide of ISIS and other jihadist groups.

Russia stopped Syria from becoming a failed state and a breeding ground for terrorism. But the lunatics in Washington and Brussels saw Russia as a threat. The American and NATO wars of Serbia, Iraq, and Syria produced countless horrors. This includes the sexual torture of Muslim men at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Yes, the Russians are in the wrong for invading Ukraine. This is a moral truth. It is also true that Washington was wrong to seek to expand NATO to the Russian border.

Did Washington think that Russia was Serbia or Iraq? If they did, they now should know better. On the other hand, as an Orthodox Christian Vladimir Putin should have empathy for the ordinary Ukrainian who bears no responsibility for the actions of his or her government or for the actions of NATO.

Vladimir Putin is a member of the Orthodox Church. He should respect the primates of the Orthodox Churches worldwide who have written to him asking him to stop the war. This did not have to happen.

Another truth. Hillary Clinton being the unscrupulous whore that she is, is attempting to demonize anyone who might be pro Russian. I am proudly pro Russian even though I am opposed to the invasion of Ukraine. The enemies of Russia in the west like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and others are a vile and odious group.

Hillary, Orthodox Christians do not forget the destruction of Orthodox Serbia by your husband. We do not forget the seizure of the Serbian Orthodox holy places of Kosovo and the ethnic cleansing of the Serbian Christians. This destruction of an Orthodox country by your sexual predator husband.

One last truth. I am an Orthodox Greek who believes that despite my anti war views that the slap that Putin has given the Democratic Party is well deserved. Now, all sides to the negotiating table to put a permanent end to all wars.

Categories
faith

Orthodoxy And War

Nearly one thousand years ago, the western Crusaders were on their way to the holy land when they were passing through Constantinople. Previous to this, Emperor Alexios Comnenos sent a message to the Pope requesting that mercenaries be sent to Constantinople to help recover territory that had been lost to the Turks in 1071. What the Emperor got to his horror were 100,000 crazed religious fanatics from western Europe.

Pope Urban had completely distorted the Emperor’s original intent. The Emperor had asked for mercenaries to recover territory in Anatolia since the Turks posed a threat to the Empire as a whole. The Pope had fantasies about liberating Jerusalem and so illiterate and uneducated Latin fanatics signed up for the Crusade which was something entirely different from what the Greeks wanted.

A discussion was had between the Greek Orthodox Emperor and the leaders of the Crusades. The Crusades were bloodthirsty and insisted that killing Muslims for Jerusalem would result in the remission of their sins. The Emperor insisted that murder was a sin no matter the religion of the victim.

The Emperor pointed out that the Christian Empire of the Greeks only waged war for defensive purposes. Since the Turks controlled large portions of Anatolia, the security of the Empire was under threat. The Emperor also suggested that the wars of the Empire were imperial wars, not religious wars. Orthodoxy does not have holy wars.

The Crusaders had entirely different views. The Greeks cited the canon of Saint Basil (a part of Orthodox canon law) in which a soldier who has killed in times of war is denied communion for a period of two or three years. This is not to suggest that a Christian soldier sinned by doing his duty to his country, but the Church recognizes that enemy soldiers are people created in the image of God.

Debates could be held about the righteousness of the Greek War of Independence, World War Two, and other conflicts. Circumstances vary and while the Roman Catholics have developed a doctrine for “just wars”, the Orthodox do not have the equivalent. Orthodoxy does not endorse war but recognizes that a country has a right to self defense as the Church in Byzantium recognized the Empire’s right to defend itself.

On the matter of Ukraine. The Russians should have probably restrained themselves and avoided invading Ukraine. Being anti war, I am inclined to suggest Russia may be in the wrong for invading Ukraine. However, the Russians made attempts at diplomacy and were rebuffed.

The Biden administration refused to recognize Russia’s security interests and concerns about being encircled by NATO. Therefore, the issue becomes somewhat blurred although the anti war position may have been the ideal strategy. What is beyond dispute is that war would not have started under a Trump administration.

The western world has a history of warmongering. A thousand years ago the Crusaders committed genocide against Muslims and Jews in the name of Christianity. Today, the Crusades come in the form of NATO and under the guise of democracy.

The United States and NATO have bombed Serbia, invaded Iraq, and engaged in war against Syria. These wars have led to the destruction of Eastern Christianity much as the Crusades led to the attack on Constantinople in 1204 which was left in devastation. The Biden administration like the Clinton and Bush administrations is intent on war.

Donald Trump was an attractive candidate mainly because of his anti war stance which in many ways resembled the position of the Christian Emperors of Constantinople. Anti war in principle but war when necessary and in self defense. The Clinton, Bush, and Biden administrations support ideological wars which is in the tradition of the Crusades. The neoconservatives and the neoliberals of today believe as the Crusaders did that the ends justify the means.

None have ever taken into account the misery of innocent people. From a Christian standpoint we should take into consideration the misery of ordinary people in Ukraine. They are the victims of the Russians to an extent, but they are more the victims of the west which exacerbated tensions.

Orthodox Church leaders have sent messages to President Putin asking for a cessation of hostilities. His beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Ukraine is among those who have asked for an end to the war. There should be a ceasefire and negotiations should begin between Washington, Kiev, and Moscow.

Washington needs to get rid of the arrogant view that it has the right to intervene anywhere in the world. The basis for peace should be that Ukraine maintain a neutral status outside of NATO in return for Russian withdrawal from occupied territories. Land for peace.

Being anti war and opposed to the invasion of Ukraine does not mean one does not sympathize with Russia. The Russians have serious grievances with the west. A permanent peace and reconciliation between Russia and the west is possible as demonstrated by the administration of Donald Trump.

The Trump administration did not provoke the Russians and there was never any war over Ukraine. If the hysteria emanating from the media and the Democratic Party had not made it impossible, America and Russia during the Trump years might have achieved a real and genuine peace.

What some of us feared from the Democrats has come to pass.

Categories
political

The Ukraine War And It’s Origins

I was on the island of Rhodes in 2016 reading the International New York Times when I read an op-ed by neoconservative Max Boot. Boot was like his fellow neocons a proponent of war and international meddling. He supported Hillary Clinton for President over Donald Trump. At that moment I decided to vote Trump for President.

During the campaign dozens of neoconservatives from the Republican camp endorsed Hillary Clinton. You can tell a lot about someone based on who their opponents are. Trump ran on an anti war platform because he understood the madness of unending wars and he understood the stupidity of turning Russia into an enemy.

If Donald Trump were President today Russia would not have invaded Ukraine. Trump respected Russia as a great power and had no inclination to expand NATO to the Russian border. Under Clinton, Bush, and Obama NATO gradually began to encircle Russia. Former Assistant Defense Secretary (and psychopath) under Bush Paul Wolfowitz once said the United States should go to war with Russia over Lithuania.

One can believe the Russians are wrong for invading Ukraine while simultaneously holding pro Russian sympathies. The Russians might be wrong for invading but they are correct in challenging the world order that the Clintons, Bushes, and Bidens have attempted to impose on the world. The United States has made it a practice to engage in war after war and has no business condemning the Russians as there is still a defensive aspect to the Russian offensive.

The United State bombed Serbia for three months in 1999 and took Kosovo, the spiritual center of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Russians were weak at the time and in no position to challenge the aggressors. Make no mistake about it, the Russians have never forgotten the bombing of Serbia.

The United States invaded Iraq and created a humanitarian disaster while opening the door for the Islamic State to rise and perpetrate genocide. The overthrow of President Khaddafi in Libya was also disastrous and led to a humanitarian disaster and the presence of Al Quada and ISIS in Libya. The western attempt to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad was more insanity. Thankfully, the Russians intervened and stopped the genocide of Syria’s Christians and the takeover of Syria by jihadist groups.

For about the past decade, there has been a wave of anti Russian hysteria in America. This predated the 2016 elections but became more fierce when Queen Hillary lost the election. The origins to the anti Russian hysteria lie in both the ideology of American social progressives and neoconservative ambitions to rule the world.

The neocons desire a free hand to intervene anywhere they like in the world. The expansionism of NATO began under Clinton but progressed further under Bush. The foreign policy elites of both parties are under the influence of the neoconservatives who follow the traditional anti Russian sentiments of the British and the French during the nineteenth century.

The social progressives and liberals were outraged when Orthodox Russia punished the criminal girls of “Pussy Riot”. This group desecrated the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow under the guise of “free speech”. Western journalists and celebrities condemned the prosecution of women who defiled an Orthodox Cathedral!

Furthermore, western funded non governmental organizations in Russia were promoting the teaching of gay propaganda in Russian schools. The objections of the Russian Church and Orthodox people of Russia put a stop to this. This further enraged western leftists.

Hillary Clinton, the power hungry hag could not accept her election loss with class. No, the evil Russians fixed the elections for Trump. The Democrats and the media played upon the dislike of Russia to exacerbate hatred of all Russians everywhere, including the Russian Orthodox Church.

Democrat Paul Begala suggested that if Trump wanted to prove he was not a Russian tool, then he should have bombed Russia. It has been clear for many years that the Democrats are psychopaths. It is also true that there are also psychopathic Republicans who share these deranged views.

Years of anti Russian hatred have culminated in the violation of religious freedom of Orthodox Christians. American pressure on the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Greece are well known among the Orthodox. In 2018, Patriarch Bartholomew recognized non canonical and schismatic groups in Ukraine (part of the Russian Church) as a legitimate Church in violation of Orthodox canon law and ecclesiology.

In 2019, at the behest of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Church of Greece recognized the Ukrainian schismatics. The chaos within the Orthodox Church continues up to the present time. There is nothing the war mongering neocons and their left wing interventionist allies will not do to undermine Russia.

In 2014, neoconservatives such Victoria Nuland and Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt supported the overthrow of the Ukrainian government to install an anti Russian regime. Pyatt later became Ambassador to Greece where he was involved in lobbying the Archbishop of Athens to recognize the fake church in Ukraine. The NATO alliance can talk about freedom and democracy but they have a hold over Greece that calls into question Greek sovereignty.

The British newspaper the Guardian had written that in 2008, Washington and London brought about the overthrow of the Karamanlis government in Athens. Prime Minister Karamanlis had negotiated an agreement with Russia over an oil pipeline because he thought it was in the interests of Greece. NATO objected and vetoed the deal.

Years of anti Russian propaganda and policies have brought about the lamentable war in Ukraine. The narcissism and arrogance of American and European officials who do not comprehend that other countries have security interests brought this about. I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. The wisest votes that I have ever cast.

Categories
political

Hagia Sophia Diaries 26

Turkish theologian: The Koran does not accept the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque

A Turkish Islamic theologian has criticized the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a Mosque. Mustafa Islamoglou said the conversion of Hagia Sophia is contrary to the teachings of the Koran. It is good to see such voices of moderation in Turkey today.

Hopefully, such voices will continue to protest and speak out and will grow stronger over time.

In addition, Eliza Vozemberg -Vryonidis a member of the European Parliament has written a letter to the European commission informing them of the further damage being done to the Great Church by the Turkish authorities.

(Hagia Sophia Diaries are entries being posted whenever there is news regarding the Great Church. The number refers to the number of entries. The first diaries-entries of the Hagia Sophia Diaries began in July 2020 during the run up to the conversion of Justinian’s Church)

Categories
political

Why Is Athens This Stupid?

Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis has said Greece will support Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the event of a Russian invasion. What exactly does this even mean? What isAthens going to do should Russia actually invade? Furthermore, why does Athens have an interest in Ukraine? What Greek interests are at stake?

Turkey has occupied Cyprus since 1974 and has ethnically cleansed the occupied territories of Greece. Turkey is openly threatening war with Greece by demanding the demilitarization of the Greek islands. Why does Mitsotakis care about Ukraine?

Sadly, the answer to this rhetorical question is that Greece is internationalist in its foreign policy. Greece has been westernized to such an extent that its sovereignty and independence in foreign affairs is nonexistent. Mitsotakis is much better in his foreign policy than his predecessors but far from perfect.

NATO and the European Union view Russia as a threat. Serious Greeks with a nationalist ethos and who are solidly Orthodox are pro Russian. Russian is not a threat to Greece and alone among the great powers has never dominated Greece or interfered in the internal affairs of Greece. Sorry, the Communists of the Soviet era do not count.

The only obstacle to the flourishing of Greek-Russian relations are ties between Russia and Turkey. The Russians sat on the sidelines when Azerbaijan with the backing of Turkey defeated the Armenians over a year ago. Russian support for Turkey is an obstacle to good relations with Greece. Of course, Patriarch Bartholomew has made Greek-Russian relations worse with his meddling in Ukraine.

For now, Greek foreign policy needs to concentrate on one thing. Defending its territorial integrity from Turkey. NATO has made very clear it has no interest in helping Greece. Within the European Union, the Germans have made it clear that Greece can expect no help or assistance.

Greece needs to keep all options open in Moscow and Washington. Washington right now cannot be depended on because it is agitating for war in Ukraine. As long as Russia is considered the enemy, Washington will support Turkey. Incidentally, Turkey is supplying Ukraine with drones which is angering the Russians.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis is in a tough position. For now, he should make no commitments to any cause other than the Hellenic cause. That means staying out of Ukraine and concentrating on defending the Hellenic homeland from Turkish aggression.

Categories
faith

Greece Under European Secularism

A Greek television station MEGA has been broadcasting a series on the life of Saint Paisios the Athonite (1924-1994). Saint Paisios is one of the most beloved Saints in the recent history of Orthodoxy. He was a holy and pious monk from Mount Athos who taught love and assisted anyone who sought his guidance. Miracles are said to have been attributed to him during his lifetime and after his death.

He was added to the list of Saints in 2015. Churches named for him have been built not only in Greece, but in Russia and Syria as well. His tomb outside Thessaloniki at the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian is a site of pilgrimage from throughout the Orthodox world.

Now, a secular Greek politician has proceeded to ridicule the series on Saint Paisios. Petros Tatsopoulos made one serious point but even that point was mangled by the insults and ridicule that he directed at Orthodox Christians. He suggested that the story of Saint Paisios cannot be considered historical. From the viewpoint of secular history and research this point is valid and in itself does not disrespect religious faith or the life of the Saint.

History is generally written through the prism of historians and researchers whose emphasis is on facts that can be proven in this world. Christian faith is not of this world and so the revelation of God is something that is beyond the scope and purposes of secular historians. The Church itself through the bishops, priests, theologians, and ecclesiastical historians have the task of examining the role of God in history and the world.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate recognized the Elder Paisios as a Saint in 2015. Under the influence of the holy spirit the works and miracles of Saint Paisios were recognized. Secular historians do not recognize divine miracles and it is not their purpose to pass judgement on matters of faith.

Many good secular historians have written about Christianity and other faiths with great respect. They have done so by explaining matters of faith. For example, the study of Byzantine history necessitates a knowledge of Orthodox faith and dogma. There are brilliant secular historians who have written about Byzantium and discussed the dogmas that were formulated by the Ecumenical Councils and Synods.

Now, returning to Tatsopoulos. Tatsopoulos does not do historians any favors by his comments. His attacks on the series depicting the life of Saint Paisios is motivated by ideology, not by his love of history. It is clear that like many officials of the Greek establishment that he is a secularist, an internationalist, and an ass.

His suggestion that Greece will not return to the middle ages is indicative of his western and anti hellenic mindset. The middle ages he refers to have to with Western Europe. Of what does Greece have to do with Europe? Greece languished under the Turks for centuries and before that under the yoke of the Franks who invaded Constantinople and other Greek lands.

Greece is a mess today. Greece has a spiritual crisis as well an identity crisis. The Greek political elite mock the Orthodox faith of the Greeks and their beloved Saints while erasing Greece’s history from schools and subordinating Greek interests to that abomination known as the European Union.

Tatsopoulos is apparently a former Syriza official that has joined New Democracy. This is now the second time someone associated with Prime Minister Mitsotakis has ridiculed the faith of the Greek people. Last December, the Greek representative to the World Health Organization ridiculed the Mother of God.

The Prime Minister needs to distance himself from the enemies of Orthodoxy and Hellenism.