The European Union has refused to impose sanctions on Turkey as demanded by the Government of Cyprus. The Europeans have imposed sanction on Byelorussia which can be easily interpreted as an indirect attack on Russia since that country is a Russian ally. Turkish aggression against Cyprus and Greece has won a reprieve and most likely because of the Germans who seek to appease Turkish dictator Erdogan.
Turkey is engaging in acts of aggression against Greek and Cypriot territorial rights in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. The refusal of the European Union to impose sanctions on Turkey proves that the Hellenic world cannot put its trust in western alliances. Greece and Cyprus can and should work with individual members such as France and Italy who have been supportive, but should reject the European Union as a whole.
The European Union imposed sanctions on Byelorussia although that country is not a member of the European Union and so its internal affairs are a domestic matter. Cyprus and Greece are both members of the European Union and have received no support although they are being menaced by a jihadist state that is not a member of the European Union. The pressure is on Greece and Cyprus to surrender at it has been so many times in history.
Today is October 1 and the season of Halloween is near. There is a great deal of debate among Christians about the appropriateness of Halloween. Some say that its roots are pagan and inappropriate for Christians while others say it is harmless.
I am in the middle of this. I usually commemorate Halloween by watching classic horror films and rereading classic horror stories such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. These are respected classics of English literature and have inspired great horror films that made Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee famous. I credit horror cinema for giving me an interest to read the Bible and take an interest in my Orthodox faith.
At some point during the month, I am going to make a list of the greatest horror films of all time. To start Halloween off though I will simply review some horror films with Christian themes. The first film I will mention is the one that I wrote about in the first post that appeared on this blog back on May 11.
The 1973 horror classic “The Wicker Man” starred Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. The film is British and the story is set on a Scottish island in which a Police Officer (played by Woodward) has been summoned to investigate the case of a missing girl. The officer is a devout Christian and Churchgoer and comes to discover that the island not only has no Churches or Christian clerics but is inhabited by Pagans!
The Officer is stunned by the immorality of the pagans and their bizarre lifestyles. Officer Howie eventually meets the leader of the pagan cult (Christopher Lee) who openly expresses disdain for Christianity and approval of the false pagan gods worshipped by the cult. Officer Howie acts appropriately like a Christian and expresses outrage at everything that he sees and hears. This film is in many ways a foreshadowing of the very real anti Christian sentiments that we are beginning to see in our own day.
Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” has inspired many cinematic versions starting with the 1922 silent feature, “Nosferatu” that starred Max Shreck. A remake of “Nosferatu” was released in 1979 that starred Bruno Ganz and Klaus Kinski. The most famous “Dracula” of all time however was the 1931 classic that starred Bela Lugosi. Lugosi defined the very character of Dracula.
In 1958 the British film company “Hammer Films” made “Horror of Dracula” a new version based on Stoker’s novel. This version is my favorite version. The original was great but I like this one mostly because of the ending. Dracula is a classic Christian story based on Christianity vs Satanism. Dracula is a vampire who represents the Devil.
The hero of the story is Van Helsing, well educated Doctor who understands that medicine has its limits and some problems which afflict people are spiritual. Van Helsing is a Doctor who carries a crucifix and holy water. It is his mission to destroy Dracula. The ending of the 1958 “Horror of Dracula” shows Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) making a cross out of two candlesticks and opening the curtains in Dracula’s library to let the sunlight in.
The power of the cross and the power of the sun light emanating from God destroy Dracula who cannot stand the power of Christ. The power of the cross destroys the evil and death that Dracula represents. This scene reminds me of the vision that Saint Constantine saw before going to battle with his troops in 312 AD which depicted the cross and a voice that said “by this sign conquer”.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was originally written in 1816 and became a classic about the irresponsibility of man. Film versions have made significant changes to the story but the original themes remain intact. Frankenstein is about man’s blasphemy in trying to emulate God.
The 1931 film by Universal Pictures (which also made Dracula) starred Boris Karloff as the monster. Colin Clive played the Doctor who was either an atheist or an agnostic and who dared to interfere with life and death. The result of his actions bring nothing but death and grief to the Doctor and those around him.
The Hammer Films version called “The Curse of Frankenstein” which was released in 1957 is not as good as the Karloff version but Peter Cushing stands out as the greatest Dr. Frankenstein ever depicted on film. Whereas the Doctor in the 1931 film version was a seriously misguided individual who later repented in the 1935 sequel the “Bride of Frankenstein” the Cushing version of the Doctor is nothing more than a complete psychopath.
The Doctor in the novel and the 1931 film steals body parts to make his creature. The Cushing version of the Doctor actually murders an elderly Professor to steal his brain. This series of Frankenstein films which lasted until 1973 are actually very fun. Whereas the previous versions of the Doctor in the novel and the 1931 film showed him as being motivated to help mankind, the Cushing version shows him as the ultimate blasphemer in trying to make himself god. The Hammer Film series of films may be the most Christian versions of Frankenstein ever made.
Then there is “Rosemary’s Baby” released in 1968 and based on the novel by Ira Levin. The story centers around a rather gullible flake named Rosemary who comes from a staunch Roman Catholic family but gradually drifts away from her Christian faith. She marries a secular guy who has to be the most evil and horrible husband in the history of cinema (horror and non horror).
Her husband Guy wants to be an actor and after he and Rosemary move into a new apartment building they befriend and elderly couple. Elderly people who look nice and harmless. I am reminded from Saint Paul in the New Testament who writes, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14.
The harmless looking elderly couple are the leaders of a satanic cult whose members are overwhelmingly old and harmless looking but who are evil. The character of Rosemary’s husband Guy (brilliantly played by Greek American actor John Cassavetes) enters into a pact with the Devil. The film has no violence or blood but it is very scary and disturbing.
It is however Christian because it is a warning about people who lose their faith in God. Horror films like this serve as a warning that evil and the Devil exist. Furthermore, it demonstrates that evil can appear in many forms and is able to disguise itself quite effectively. We have the examples of Nazi war criminals and serial killers who appeared outwardly to be nice and normal to their families and associates but inwardly they were motivated by evil.
Finally, in this brief introduction to horror cinema there is “The Exorcist”. A theologically powerful film in which Roman Catholic Priests participated. The story centers around a twelve year old girl living with her divorced mother. Regan gradually begins to change. Her mother takes her to Doctors and Psychiatrists who cannot help her.
The Mother, either an agnostic or atheist becomes convinced that her daughter is demonically possessed. She turns to Christian priests to help her. The moral in the film is that some problems are spiritual and cannot be resolved by Doctors or Psychiatrists. God is the hero in this film who defeats the Devil.
This is another film which warns us about the reality of Evil and about the Devil. The film has one or two scenes that make me uncomfortable and there is one scene in particular I would have liked to see removed.
Still, the film is very powerful and dramatic. It is also faithfully based on scripture The Gospels have several accounts of Jesus exorcising people who were possessed. The Devil is depicted here as being repulsive and hideous. He is obscene, vulgar, and disgusting. He is as Jesus tells us in the Gospels, “the father of all lies”.
The Exorcist, Frankenstein, and Dracula really awakened my interest in matters of faith and theology. The Exorcist was based on the original novel by William Peter Blatty who is a devout Roman Catholic. It is not for everyone as many people will be severely disturbed by it.
It is however a theologically important film. Horror films and stories take the subject of evil and faith very seriously.
While on a visit to Athens Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the Russians of trying to “coopt” the Orthodox Church. This is laughable coming from a buffoon whose employees at the American embassy in Athens have interfered blatantly in the affairs of the Orthodox Church of Greece and on Mount Athos. It is the fake “church” of Ukraine that is persecuting the bishops, priests, and faithful of the canonical Ukrainian Church.
This artificial creation calling itself “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” is a political creation and has nothing to do with the Church of Jesus Christ and the Holy Apostles! The sickness of anti Russian racism is so depraved that all Russians are apparently being targeted. In the estimation of Mike Pompeo and the State Department Russian Bishops, Priests, and ordinary believers are nothing more than instruments being used by Moscow.
This is utterly despicable. It is Washington alone that has successfully co opted the Ecumenical Patriarchate and a significant portion of the Church of Greece along with the upper ranks of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. At a time when Turkish aggression is manifesting itself against the territorial rights of Greece, Pompeo should have stuck to political and diplomatic matters.
Pompeo should be fired as Secretary of State for being a violator of religious freedom. As a Greek Orthodox, I find it infuriating to watch the Greek Orthodox world being co opted by these secularists as part of their insane anti Russian agenda. The Trump administration has made some mistakes.
One mistake had the name John Bolton and was taken care of. Another mistake is named Mike Pompeo and it is time for him to be shown the door.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has announced it will petition the United Nations to pressure Turkey to respect the Great Church of Hagia Sophia. This is a welcome move and it is truly a good thing to see that the effort to protect Hagia Sophia has not dissipated. Hagia Sophia cannot be abandoned to its fate under the Erdogan government in Turkey.
The Hellenic world has united against Turkey in an unprecedented way. The Turkish aggression against Hagia Sophia is in many ways inseparable from Ankara’s aggressions against Greece and Cyprus. Whatever may come from this appeal to the United Nations it will bring attention to the UN that Hagia Sophia is historically, culturally, and spiritually a Church.
I disagree with much that is taking place at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, but I believe that the Archdiocese is on the right track regarding its activities pertaining to Hagia Sophia. Now if the Archdiocese could support religious freedom for the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church that is under persecution in Ukraine, this would be good news as well and would strengthen the moral case for protecting Hagia Sophia while ending the schism that threatens the unity of Orthodoxy.
Letter to the article in the Washington Post published September 27, 2020 and followed by the article being responded to
The following letter is in response to the article featuring an interview with retired Turkish admiral Gurdeniz. The retired admiral praises the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus as “one of the biggest achievements in military history”. The reality is that the invasion of Cyprus was an act of Turkish aggression and expansionism that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of over 200,000 Greek Cypriots bases on their ancestry and imposed a policy of colonization of the occupied territories of Cyprus by giving Greek homes and property to settlers from Turkey. It is indicative of the evil and expansionist designs of Turkey that such a prominent former official of Turkey can continue bestowing praise on the inhumane policies of Turkey.
The admiral furthermore describes himself as a “Kemalist” but denies he is a “zealous” nationalist. One can debate the meaning of what constitutes a nationalist but what is certainly accepted by historians is that Kemal, the “father” of modern Turkey was both a “zealous” nationalist and a racist. His conquest of the Christian city of Smyrna was accompanied by the mass slaughter and physical extermination of well over 100,000 Greek and Armenian Christians who were hunted down by Kemal’s troops for extermination. Contemporary media reports of what transpired in Smyrna and more recent scholarly works affirm unequivocally that Kemal was a mass murderer.
Left unsaid in the Post article is the widespread praise given to Kemal’s armies for the crimes against humanity against the Greeks and Armenians at Smyrna. Turkish officials,including the President have warned Greece of a repetition of the events of 1922. Furthermore, the Post article omits the Turkish President’s condemnation of the Treaty of Lausanne that was signed in 1923 and the claims he has put forward on the Greek Dodecanese islands that are indisputably Greek and populated by Greeks. Turkish claims over these islands and Turkish expansionism in Greek territorial waters have been accompanied by undisputed rhetoric threatening genocide.
The civilized world is obligated to stand with Greece and Cyprus against Turkish aggression.
Amid Mediterranean tensions, retired Turkish admiral grabs the spotlight touting supremacy at sea
Retired Turkish admiral and author Cem Gurdeniz on Heybeliada, in the Princes’ Islands near Istanbul, in August. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
By Kareem FahimSeptember 27, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. EDTAdd to list
ISTANBUL — After a career at sea and eight years of retirement, Cem Gurdeniz, a 62-year-old Turkish admiral, has suddenly found himself in the limelight here, touting an expansive, nationalist vision of Turkish power projected far into the contested waters off his country’s shores.
Gurdeniz developed the maritime doctrine, called Blue Homeland, more than a decade ago because he was disturbed by what he said was the government’s reluctance to secure Turkey’s rights. His vision has gained popularity at a volatile moment as Turkey and Greece square off in the eastern Mediterranean, leading to fears of a war within NATO.
Blue Homeland’s aims are spelled out on a map showing Turkey’s land mass surrounded by a wide buffer of nearly 180,000 squares miles of sea stretching beyond the Greek islands off Turkey’s west coast. The concept — once narrowly associated with left-wing nationalists — is now regularly cited by Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when talking about maritime disputes. Blue Homeland has energized Turks who feel the country has been unjustly denied its rightful claims to the sea, given its long coastline, and has confirmed for adversaries fears of resurgent Turkish expansionism.
“We cannot neglect the seas again. We cannot be pushed away from the geopolitics of the Mediterranean, the civilization of the Mediterranean,†Gurdeniz said in an interview in an Istanbul cafe overlooking the Bosporus and, in the distance, the Black Sea.
Rival claims by Turkey and Greece over sovereignty in the island-dotted seas that separate them have set off a squall, marked by taunts, denunciations, rival maps and aggressive deployment of warplanes and ships.
In the last few months, tensions have centered on the Oruc Reis, a Turkish seismic research vessel that has been exploring for oil and gas deposits in contested waters while escorted by Turkish naval ships and stalked by Greek frigates. Greek and Turkish naval ships collided in mid-August, heightening concerns of a wider conflagration.
The conflict has cleaved the region into feuding camps, pitting Turkey and Libya against an alliance led by Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. France has sided with Greece, and the United States finds itself stuck between its NATO allies.
Increasingly bellicose attitudes toward Europe among elements of Turkey’s political establishment have proved fertile ground for promoters of Blue Homeland. “Just as our nation achieved victory in its fight for independence despite poverty and deprivation, it will never hesitate to thwart the desires and moves for a Sèvres in Blue Homeland today as well,†Erdogan said in a speech last month, referring to the Treaty of Sèvres, which divided up the Ottoman Empire among European powers.
The Turkish research vessel Oruc Reis, in red and white, is surrounded by Turkish navy vessels as it heads west of the Turkish city of Antalya on the Mediterranean on Aug. 10. The Oruc Reis has carried out seismic research for energy resources in an area Greece says is on its continental shelf. (Turkish Defense Ministry/Pool/AP)
Turkey’s Defense Ministry has referred to Gurdeniz’s vision — Mavi Vatan in Turkish — as its “covenant.†The admiral has become a frequent guest on television talk shows. Blue Homeland has seeped into the culture as well, featuring, for instance, in a recent radio commercial for a Turkish solar panel company.
There is “significant evidence that suggests that Gurdeniz’s views have had a profound impact,†Ryan Gingeras, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., about Blue Homeland that noted its widespread use in the Turkish political establishment and among other former senior naval officers.
A clear sign of the doctrine’s influence was a maritime agreement Turkey struck with one of Libya’s two warring governments last year that seeks to extend Turkish jurisdiction far into the Mediterranean, south of Crete.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, writing this month in several European newspapers, called Turkey’s agreement with Libya “illegal†and cited a litany of provocative actions carried out by Erdogan, including hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters. “Turkey’s rhetoric is from a bygone age,†Mitsotakis wrote. “It talks about enemies, martyrs, struggle, and a willingness to pay any price.â€
A recent announcement by the Trump administration that it would conduct military training with Cyprus, Greece’s ally, angered Ankara. In the last few days, the United States has taken the unusual step of denouncing a rival map that has been used to justify claims by Greece and Cyprus to broad swaths of the sea — a move intended to assuage Turkish fears.
“The United States does not regard this document as having legal significance,†David M. Satterfield, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, said during a meeting with journalists Tuesday, referring to the Seville Map commissioned more than a decade ago by the European Union.
“This cannot be resolved by declarations, nor can it be resolved by production of maps or other documents,†he said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks during a news conference in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Sept. 13. Mitsotakis outlined plans to upgrade the country’s defense capabilities, including purchases of new fighter planes, frigates, helicopters and weapons systems, amid heightened tensions with neighboring Turkey over rights to resources in the eastern Mediterranean. (Giannis Papanikos/AP)
On Tuesday, in what seemed like a breakthrough, Turkey and Greece agreed to start a new round of negotiations “in the near future†over their contested maritime claims, Greece’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
But in advance of any talks, Turkey and Greece have staked out “maximalist positions,†according to Sinem Adar, an associate at the Center for Applied Turkey Studies in Berlin. “Reaching a compromise will be a hard and long path if it ever happens,†she said.
Arguments over maritime claims have brought the two countries close to blows before, including in 1996, when the United States stepped in to defuse a conflict over a 10-acre uninhabited island. The stakes are higher now, because of the scramble for oil and gas deposits in the contested waters around Cyprus.
The disputes will be solved only when Ankara and Athens show a willingness to compromise, analysts say, but so far, the two governments have been unable to even agree on the ground rules, with Turkey rejecting definitions laid out in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which it has never ratified, and Greece saying its claims — including to expansive jurisdiction around its many islands — apply to Turkey as a matter of settled international law.
Before Blue Homeland was widely adopted by Turkish politicians, it was seen as reflecting the worldview of nationalists who oppose Ankara’s orientation toward NATO, the United States and the E.U. and favor closer ties with Russia and China. Gurdeniz — who studied at the Naval Postgraduate School, worked at NATO and collaborated extensively with U.S. naval officers — said he agreed with those views but is not a “zealous†nationalist. He called himself a “Kemalist,†referring to the secular ideology of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and distancing himself from Erdogan’s Islamist-based policies. But he added: “I don’t get involved in the daily politics of Turkey.â€
Gurdeniz joined the Turkish navy in 1972 as a 14-year-old cadet, became an officer seven years later and was promoted to admiral in 2004. He came up with the concept of Blue Homeland while working in the navy’s policy and planning office in 2006, drawing inspiration for the phrase from his late mother, who was a “maritime poet,†he said.
In the interview, Gurdeniz laid out his doctrine’s lineage, a history of grievances stretching back to the Ottoman era that he said showed how Turkey had missed opportunities to exert its maritime claims or been unfairly hemmed in by foreign powers. A turning point, he said, was Turkey’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus and the division of that country between the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish Cypriot north. Only Turkey recognizes the northern government. “Turkey changed the map,†he said, referring to the invasion as “one of the biggest achievements in military history.â€
Turkish paratroopers land near Nicosia, Cyprus, during the invasion in July 1974. (Watford/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
In 2011, Gurdeniz was among hundreds who were arrested in a purge of nationalist officers and convicted of plotting to overthrow Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party. He said he promoted his ideas about naval power at his trial and later, as he served 3½ years in prison, in a column he wrote every Sunday for a newspaper affiliated with Vatan, a Turkish nationalist party.
But it was not until after a coup attempt against Erdogan’s government in 2016 that the concept of Blue Homeland really took off, Adar said, as Erdogan formed a political alliance with nationalists and embarked on a more aggressive foreign policy that has seen Turkish armed forces engaged in conflicts from northern Iraq to Libya.
She said Turkey’s ruling circles had concluded after the coup attempt that “Turkey is under threat. The global order is changing. We can’t trust our Western partners. We have to help ourselves.â€
It is unclear, however, how long Blue Homeland will remain popular. A recent poll by the Turkish research group Metropoll showed the Turkish public overwhelmingly opposed to a military conflict in the eastern Mediterranean, Adar said. Among Turkey’s ruling elites, a central disagreement has been whether to emphasize diplomacy with Greece or continue to lean on military power. Another point of divergence is Turkey’s relationship with Egypt, with some — including Gurdeniz — arguing Turkey should mend fences with Egypt’s military-backed government, which is an adversary in the current crisis but some view as a natural ally.
Ultimately, the question for Gurdeniz is how to resist adversaries that want to see Turkey “landlocked.â€
At stake, he said, is Turkey’s defense, its security, its access to resources and its welfare. “Even happiness,†he said.
The following letter is intended to condemn the missile attack against the peaceful Armenian population of Artsakh that is part of Nagorno Karabakh. On the morning of September 27, the leadership of Azerbaijan launched a missile attack. This is an act of blatant aggression and an act of war that should be condemned by the United States. The civilized world show its solidarity for the population of Artsakh and for the Armenian nation in general. Azerbaijan has engaged in provocative acts and statements recently including a threat to attack a nuclear reactor in Armenia.
Azerbaijan may have genocidal ambitions against the Armenian population of Artsakh. The United States should firmly support all Armenian historical, cultural, religious, and political claims in the region. Theodore G. Karakostas
During the First World War, Germany was the ally of the Ottoman Empire. The Germans gave military, diplomatic, and political support to the Young Turks when the genocide of the Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks was well under way. During the Second World War, Germany occupied Greece and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Greeks through either massacres or famine.
The Germans have proven that no matter whether they are ruled by the Kaiser, Hitler, or Angela Merkel they remain firmly consistent in their disregard for the rights of Greece. Germany is not, never has been, and never will be a friend of Greece. The Washington Post now reports that Germany may have arranged a meeting between Prime Minister Mitsotakis and President Erdogan.
The Greek Prime Minister must be very careful not to make any concessions. International law is on the side of Greece and the support for Greece from France, Italy, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates has has been achieved through diplomacy and hard work. German interests are not Greek interests.
Many Greek Americans are opposed to President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. This is a mistake. While it is true that Russia presently enjoys friendly relations with Turkey, that is likely to change as is the relationship between President Trump and President Erdogan. It German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Greeks everywhere should be looking at with hostility.
Germany has evolved from the country that was appeased in 1938 to the country that is Europe’s appeaser in 2020. The Germans are looking to appease President Erdogan’s Turkey. The Turks are threatening to flood Europe with millions of refugees. Rather than being outraged by Turkish blackmail and concluding that Ankara should be challenged, Berlin seeks to appease Ankara and probably at the expense of Athens.
Prime Mitsotakis has done well in deterring Turkish aggression. It would be a mistake for him to embrace the pan European internationalism that the Socialist Party (PASOK) embraced between 1996 and 2004. If Greece accepts a flawed agreement with Turkey under German auspices this will be victory of Pan European internationalism at the expense of Pan Hellenic nationalism. Turkey is an international threat and menace and capitulating to Ankara will only make that threat much worse.
The Washington Post following the New York Times thinks “diplomacy” is a good thing. This depends on what “diplomacy” looks like. The New York Times lamented the absence of Richard Holbrooke who was an appeaser of Turkish aggression in 1996. The Washington Post commends Angela Merkel’s initiative. Athens must beware lest Angela Merkel becomes the Richard Holbrooke of 2020 and Athens snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.
Patriarch Theodoros of the Patriarchate of Alexandria the second highest ranking Patriarchate in the dyptychs of the Orthodox Church took a cheap shot at the Russian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch criticized the Russian Church and said its reaction to the recognition of the pseudo Church in Ukraine by Constantinople, Alexandria, and Greece was “not correct”. The schismatic entity in Ukraine that the aforementioned Churches have established communion with is not a Church as it does not possess catholicy, canonicity, or apostolicity.
The Patriarch knows that the recognition of his Patriarchate of the pseudo Church in Ukraine at the expense of the canonical Church is wrong. When the Ecumenical Patriarchate began the process that would lead to the recognition of the “church” with the bogus bishops in Ukraine, Patriarch Theodoros responded by traveling to Ukraine to concelebrate the liturgy with bishops, priests, monastics, and faithful of the canonical and legitimate Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The Orthodox Church is in a state of crisis because the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, and Greece have bestowed recognition on a political movement whose leaders dress like Orthodox Bishops and Priests but have no ordinations or consecrations as each and every cleric of this “church” has either been defrocked by the canonical Orthodox Church or has never been a part of it. This statement by the Patriarch of Alexandria is a reminder of how dishonest the Churches that have entered into communion with the Ukrainian schismatics really are. Of the three Churches that have recognized the schismatics none have addressed either the canonical issues at stake regarding proper ecclesiology or the political factors that instigated this crisis.
Political factors include the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the state and by various Neo-Nazi militias. Political factors also include Washington’s influence over the three Churches that recognized the schismatic entity. Patriarch Theodoros says that the Ukrainians have a right to have their own Church.
The Polish Orthodox Church has also said that the Ukrainians have a right to have their own Church. But not at the expense of the canon laws of the Church and the disregard for the sacredness of the Holy Orders of the Orthodox Church. Furthermore, the Patriarch of Alexandria surely knows that the canonical Ukrainian Church consists of two thirds of Ukrainians.
The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has rejected seeking autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church on the grounds that it already enjoys a great deal of autonomy from Moscow. In most areas, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church governs itself without Moscow’s interference. It is hard to believe that the Synods of the three Churches that have established communion with the Ukrainian schismatics have done this with any sincerity or good faith.
On the positive side, the number of Churches recognizing the Ukrainian schismatics has been contained to three. As serious as the crisis remains, it is at the very least contained. Given some time the three Churches may come to reverse their decisions once they realize there will be no further recognition bestowed upon the lay people in Ukraine masquerading as bishops.
The following letter is intended to condemn Nic Robertson’s distorted news report that declares, “Greek President provokes Turkey by visiting tiny Island At center of eastern mediterranean dispute.” Since when is it a provocation for a head of state to visit the territory of her own country. Provocations have emanated from the jihadist President of Turkey and his Ministers who have sought to drill for oil in waters that belong to Greece. In addition to challenging international law which recognizes Greek sovereign rights over these territorial waters, Turkey has exploited millions of refugees by attempting to force them over the Greek border.
The Turkish President over the past three years has made statements demanding a revision of the Treaty of Lausanne which defines the borders of Greece and Turkey. The Turkish President, Turkish cabinet members, and opposition leaders have all put forward territorial claimsover the Dodecanese islands which have been part of modern Greece since 1947 and are populated overwhelmingly by Greeks. In recent days,Turkish extremists who serve as President Erdogan’s political allies have celebrated the anniversary of the Turkish massacres of Greek and Armenian Christians in the old City of Smyrna in 1922.
Verbal threats from Turkish officials have accompanied Turkey’s aggressive actions in Greek territorial waters. Turkish remarks have contained implied threats of genocide as they have warned Greece of the possibility of a repetition of the genocidal horrors experienced by the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian Christians by Turkish leaders between 1914 and 1923. Remarkable in this news report is the assertion that neither side actually wants war. Anyone familiar with the realities of present day Turkey would not have made such a false and dishonest assertion.
In addition to threatening Greece, the Turkish leadership has attempted to blackmail Europe by threatening to flood Europe with millions of refugees. The Turkish leadership sees these unfortunate people as nothing more than weapons to be used against any countries that dare to challenge the aggressive and expansionist tendencies of Ankara. CNN and Nic Robertson are morally bankrupt propagandists for daring to criticize the Greek President for visiting the island of Castellorizo.
The island of Castellorizo and its people have been at the receiving end of Turkish threats and bullying. All Greeks are fully aware of what the fate of the people of the Dodecanese islands would be if the Turkish President were to succeed in conquering these Hellenic islands. The GreekPresident and the whole of the Greek government should be seen as heroic for defending their territory and their citizens from the predatory designs of the Turkish leadership.
The Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis has returned to Turkey despite the strong words from the Turkish leadership in recent days and the provocations of the National Action Party (the Grey Wolves) who celebrated the anniversary of the Turkish slaughter of Armenian and Greek Christians at Smyrna. This is the third Greek victory over Turkey this year. Earlier this year, Athens successfully defended the Greek border from refugees who were being exploited by Turkey for use as a political weapon against Greece.
At the end of July, Turkey stopped drilling for oil near the Greek island of Castellorizo. Prime Minister Mitsotakis has understandably adopted a diplomatic stance following the Turkish withdrawal but should not conclude that the Turkish threat has diminished. President Erdogan’s bragging about the events at Smyrna and other Turkish officials bragging about Syrian jihadists who were prepared to fight with Turkey in the event of a war with Greece should not be forgotten.
Strong support from France, Italy and Egypt has been of enormous benefit to Greece as has the threat of European sanctions against Turkey. Greek diplomacy has won another small but serious victory. It should be remembered that Erdogan has constantly called for the revision of the Treaty of Lausanne and Turkish officials in all parties sitting in the Turkish Parliament have called for the seizure of the Greek islands.
Greece has taken strong steps in purchasing military equipment and sending troops to the island of Castellorizo. Its strong determination to defend its territory and its islands played a role in deterring Turkish aggression at this particular time. Athens needs to build on the small but significant victories it has achieved this year. It must continue purchasing military equipment and keeping its military on guard for the next confrontation that Turkey instigates.
Alarmist articles in the New York Times and the Guardian lamented the absence of traditional American diplomacy in the handling of Greek-Turkish confrontations. If the late Richard Holbrook whose absence has been lamented by these misguided editorialists had handled this Greece would have been forced to forfeit its rights. Greece has just benefitted from the replacement of traditional American “diplomacy” by Trump’s diplomacy.
The Trump administration stayed out of it and did not pressure Greece. The Greeks stood up for themselves and Turkey capitulated. This is a Greek victory in the Trump era which has no precedents during the eras of the Clinton or Obama administrations. Nor does it have any precedents in the Republican administration of George W. Bush.
There are yet more dangers that exist. The world remains strangely silent at the exploitation of millions of Middle Eastern refugees by the Turkish government. Turkey has threatened to flood Europe with these refugees. Germany has been so struck with fear over another refugee crisis that it was willing to appease Turkish aggression against Greece.
Certainly, there are reasons to fear another refugee crisis in Europe. Even at the best of times the refugee crisis was a problem. Now in the world of covid-19 millions of refugees flooding Europe will add far greater dangers than ever before. The Turkish government is attempting to hold Europe hostage through the inhumane treatment of the refugees and the potential threat to millions of people in Europe.
The Erdogan government is an international menace to the entire world. Greece has emerged as a front line state and is taking its place. At last, Athens is finding its voice and putting forward its national interests like a normal country.
