The Discovery of the Holy Icon of Panagia Eleousa in Xyniada of Domokou in 1962

The First Appearance of the Theotokos to Athanasios Syros

The terrible earthquakes that shook Thessaly on 30 April 1954, the feastday of the Life-Giving Spring, are unforgettable to its oldest inhabitants. This day was particularly memorable for the villagers of Xyniada, and even more so for Athanasios Syros, who saw with his eyes the Most-Holy Theotokos.

Athanasios Nicholas Syros was eight years old then, and while playing on Friday afternoon along with other children on the mountainside, he saw in front of him a barefoot woman dressed in black doing prostrations. And while the ground at that spot was dry, the prostrations made by this unknown woman dressed in black made the ground soft and it sank like dough. At the three points where this unknown woman made these prostrations, the place exuded a sweet fragrance.

Then young Athanasios told the other children: "Children, look at the grandma doing prostrations." He called her grandmother because she wore black clothes, like almost all the grandmothers in the villages wear. None among all the other children could see her however. Then the kids went running to the villagers to announce what Athanasios saw, so they could quickly come to confirm the event.

Indeed Athanasios repeated for them that he saw an unknown woman doing prostrations at the same area. The villagers could not see anything and asked him insisting to tell them where he was seeing the woman dressed in black. Though the young Athanasios repeated the same to them, they could not see anything. All they could discern was the smell of a sweet fragrance emanating from the point where the little boy said that he saw the unknown woman dressed in black doing prostrations.

The Second Appearance of the Theotokos in Athanasios' Sleep

That same night the unknown woman made her appearance in Athanasios' sleep, who slept next to his parents on one side and his other siblings on the other. This time she had a bright crown on her head and he was a little bit frightened, asking her: "Grandma who are you? And what do you want from me? I am afraid!". And then the black dressed woman told him: "Do not be afraid, young one, I am the mother of the infant Christ, Whom you love so much, and He sent me to reveal to you that you have a clean heart and pure soul, and that at the central point you saw me marking, they should dig there and my icon will be found. That spot shall become a place of worship, and a church is to be built, a holy place." With these words the Panagia disappeared from before young Athanasios.

In the morning Athanasios told his family in detail about the second appearance of the Theotokos and begged them to dig at the spot mentioned by the Panagia.

The Reactions of the Villagers

Unfortunately, the reactions of the villagers were not favorable for the young Athanasios. Nobody could believe everything he narrated was true, and many times they browbeat him away with insulting phrases! Such is always done by people who do not believe. Approximately the same was done to the Lord, Who said: "Blessed are you when they insult and persecute you and speak against you any evil thing ... Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12).

All these reactions of the villagers however were unable to shake Athanasios. He gathered stones and built himself a small chapel where the Panagia indicated. There he placed a small icon of the Panagia, and he would go there every day, morning and evening, to light the oil lamp and pray to the Most-Holy Theotokos. In his constant entreaties to dig there at the spot indicated by the Panagia, at one point some villagers gave in. These actions, however, were isolated and without any effect.

Eight years of indifference by the villagers passed, but this stopped when a deadly disease befell the animals of the village. They began now to think seriously whether the illness of their "livelihood" was God's punishment for their lack of faith shown to the words of Athanasios. They began to make supplications to the Theotokos to forgive them and exempt them from the evil which befell them. Thus the death of the animals was the cause of the villagers to return closer to God.

The Discovery of the Sacred Icon of the Panagia

In early June of the year 1962 a bulldozer came to Xyniada to dig open the streets of the village. The residents then begged the operator, that upon finishing the digging, to help dig at the spot mentioned by Athanasios as suggested by the Panagia where her icon was to be found. The operator of the machine, however, named Elias Saltas and came from the village named Stavros Lamias, did not want to dig and even reacted violently to the persistent requests of the villagers.

Then stepped up another resident of Lamia, Spyros Houliaras, an official of the Ministry of Finance who had heard from his mother concerning the appearances of the Panagia. Mr. Houliaras heard of the reactions of the driver, and called a meeting of the leaders of the community, namely the president of the village, the teacher, the priest, the police and the church council, and together they went and asked the operator, whom they eventually convinced.

The machine began to dig and remove soil at the indicated spot and everyone had gathered, waiting anxiously. The operator after the first and second trench had no result. He began to blaspheme and tried a third time without success again. The machine stopped. Then the policeman who was close saw next to the blade of the machine near the root of an oak the icon of the Panagia.

What happened at that point is indescribable. Everyone who was there fell on their knees and venerated the holy icon of the Panagia and asked with tears in their eyes for her grace. Some ran and struck the bell to alert the other residents who were in the fields. Others ran and embraced the sixteen year old Athanasios and asked him to forgive them for their contempt and unbelief. The machine operator fell in tears, venerated the icon, and begged the Theotokos to forgive him. It is said that by resorting to the grace of the Panagia, with a warm faith, he was healed of a stomach ailment from which he was tormented until then.

The Miraculous Icon of the Theotokos

The miraculous icon of the Panagia was hidden at a depth of a meter and a half for centuries. It is small and bears the inscription "Mother of God Eleousa". According to expert opinion, the icon seems to belong to the era of iconoclasm. It remained in the soil however so many centuries without anything wrong with it. When the grace of God wills, the destructible becomes indestructible and the mortal immortal.

Today the icon of "Panagia Eleousa" is covered with silver and gold and placed in a beautiful shrine. The offerings of the faithful who are troubled and receive grace decorate the entire surface of the icon.

The Katholikon and the Cells

The pious pilgrims offered whatever they could for a small church to be built to serve the spiritual needs of the faithful who resorted to the Panagia. The chapel was built, and at the root of the oak, where they found the icon, they placed the altar.

This small church however could not serve the needs of the ever increasing pilgrims. That is why Metropolitan Damaskinos of Fthiotida in November 1965 laid the foundation for a larger church, which with the assistance of the faithful pilgrims ended in August 1966. Athanasios, now known as Father Athanasios, secured by personal efforts to complete the construction of the church. He loved this project so much that he built a magnificent Monastery. The dome and walls of the church were frescoed. In the eastern part of the Monastery was built the Abbot's residence and a few cells. The Abbot is Fr. Athanasios.

Consecration of the Church

The day of consecration was 21 June 1972, ie, the same day they found the icon. On June 21 Great Vespers was celebrated by the then chancellor and now the former Metropolitan Agathonikos of Mesogaias and Lavreotiki. The next day the great celebration of the consecration by Metropolitan Damaskinos of Fthiotida took place, accompanied by many priests and before a large number of believers.

The Holy Shrine celebrates twice a year: on the day of the discovery of the icon on June 21, and on August 15 for the celebration of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

MIRACLES OF THE THEOTOKOS

Healing of Demonic Possession

Lemonia Kokkini, from the village Agrapidia of Domokou, in the year 1963, became demon possessed at mealtime. The demon constantly annoyed her and would not calm down. Her parents, desperate, having brought her to many doctors, called on the Panagia Eleousa. The girl did not speak but made inarticulate cries. During the night a change in behavior was witnessed and the girl after a few days became absolutely tranquile. The event became known throughout the region, and the people ran to the miraculous icon of the Panagia to offer thanks. (From the newspaper National Struggle of Lamia, 3 January 1963).

Healing of Blindness

From the village of Xyniada in Domokou, the son of Vaios Polymeros, named Stavros, at dinner became blinded. His parents were astonished by what happened and placed their hopes in God. They grabbed their blind son and went to our Panagia who is Great in Grace. A Supplication Service took place and towards the end of it vision returned to the child. The parents, wanting to thank the Panagia, dedicated to the Monastery the gate of the garden.

The Greatest Gift of Heaven

Two childless married couples from Karditsa, whose surnames were Giannakis and Kafetzis, begged the Panagia to give them children. They asked the Abbot of the Monastery to pray a Supplication Service for them. The Abbot blessed them, and told them that the Panagia will do the miracle. The following year the two couples, holding their children in their arms, went to the Panagia to thank her and have them baptized. From then till now over 1,500 couples have sought assistance to bear children, and all baptized their children in the Monastery.

She Saved Her Monastery From Fire

Several years ago, a pilgrim left a lit candle in the church. The Abbot, forgetting the lit candle, locked the church. As the candle burned, it reached the point where it was attached to the candelabra and fell down, so it started burning the carpet. At midnight the Abbot, while sleeping, heard knocks on the window and a voice saying: "Wake up, the church is burning." Immediately he ran to the church, and he fought the flames alone, extinguishing the fire without seeing any man beside him. It was the Panagia who informed the Abbot and saved the Monastery from a sure fire. The burnt carpet still exists.

They Were Guided By A Bird

Pilgrims from Athens heard about the discovery of the icon and decided to visit and to venerate. Arriving at the 22nd km after Lamia, they did not know where to go. Then in front of the driver who was in despair there appeared in front of the bus a black bird, which showed him the way to the Monastery until the gate of the enclosure. Then the bird disappeared. All the pilgrims proclaimed the miracle of the Panagia and still proclaim it today.

The All-Night Vigil Which Brought A Miracle

From Ambelia Farsala two couples came to give thanks for the grace they received by attending an all-night vigil. The first couple had a child on whose cheek was seen an incision that reached up to his mouth. The diagnosis by the doctors was cancer. The believing parents brought the child to the Monastery for the vigil. While the child was asleep, he was healed. Waking in the morning his mother saw that the cut was gone.

The second married couple from the same village had a deaf-mute girl. Her mother constantly prayed to the Panagia and finally in desperation said: "My Panagia, either give her a voice or take her, as I cannot see her suffer."

The Panagia did the miracle and the girl spoke. The first word she said was "mama" ("mom").

An Incurable Illness

Panagiota Psihogios from Agia Paraskevi of Lokridos, now residing in Athens, confesses the miracle of the Panagia who cured her of cancer.

Chants From Heaven

The miraculous icon was found in 1962. The church started being built in 1965. North of this was built a temporary hut with three rooms. In one lived the Abbot, in the other builders, and in the third was placed the icon along with the sacred vessels. During the night the workers heard noises, censors and chanting coming from the room where the Panagia was kept. They became very frightened and wanted to leave before finishing the building of the church. The Abbot reassured them and told them not to fear because the chants were coming from the Panagia. This strengthened their faith and they remained until the completion of the church.

Always Close To Her Children

A resident from Karditsa told the Abbot that for three nights a woman with black clothes took him and brought him to a big door. The third time he found the courage and asked her where she was leaving him, and she replied "at the Sacred Monastery of Panagia Eleousis in Xyniada of Domokou."

Care of the Panagia For the Monastery

Entering the Main Gate of the church, to the right, surrounded by balusters for safety reasons, is kept the Holy Icon. Due to lack of money there wasn't a door for the balusters. Then the Panagia appeared to Mr. Karahalios, a resident of Lamia, and asked him to go fix the door. Surprised Mr. Karahalios asked to know which Monastery, and she replied "at the Sacred Monastery of Panagia Eleousis in Xyniada of Domokou."

Note:

The above text was based on the book by Archimandrite Panteleimon Poulos, preacher of the Archdiocese of Athens' "Holy Monastery of Panagia Eleousa".

The miracles were recorded by the theologian Dr. Sophia Tsagkali from narratives by the Abbot and pilgrims on August 18, 1998.

To date, there have been countless miracles.

Megalynarion
In your venerable Icon does the village of Xyniados truly rejoice, O Daughter, and take recourse in it; receiving endless strength, and mercy and grace, the faithful glorify you.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

Relics of the Monastery

Fr. Athanasios, to whom the Panagia appeared

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The Honorable Skull of Saint Kyriaki the Great Martyr

Saint Kyriaki was the daughter of Christian parents, Dorotheos and Eusevia. She was given her name because she was born on Sunday, the day of the Lord (in Greek, Kyriaki). She contested in Nicomedia during the reign of Diocletian, in the year 300. After many bitter torments she was condemned to suffer beheading, but being granted time to pray first, she made her prayer and gave up her holy soul in peace.

The Honorable Skull of St. Kyriaki is kept in the Sacred Monastery of the Archangels in Aigialeia. This Monastery was founded by Saint Leontios in c. 1450. As the son of an aristrocratic family of Constantinople, the Monastery was built with the support of his uncles Thomas and Demetrios Paleologos, who were impressed by the saintliness of their nephews life. As a gift they gave him also the Skull of St. Kyriaki from Constantinople, which remains a priceless treasure of the Monastery.


Kontakion in the Second Tone
The Martyr of Christ hath called us all together now to praise and acclaim her wrestlings and her godly feats; for possessed of manliness of mind, she hath proved to be worthy of her name, being lady and mistress of her mind and the passions of unseemliness.

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The Chapel of Saint Kyriaki In Lefkada

Across from Nydri in Lefkada, on the other side of Vlychos Bay, there is a small church which is hard not to notice. It is known as "the chapel on the rocks" to those who do not know that it is in fact dedicated to Saint Kyriaki the Great Martyr.

According to tradition, sailors who passed by this area one night saw light coming from a cave near the rocks of the coast. They were unable to approach the cave however because the current near the rocks was strong.

One day the owner of the property nearby this cave, whose name was Kakonas, discovered there the icon of Saint Kyriaki. He took the icon and determined to place it in a small chapel he was to build for it on much smoother ground on his property. This became impossible however, because the icon would leave its place and appear again in the cave where it was originally found. For this reason Kakonas had the chapel built near the cave, as the inscription on the chapel reads: "This sacred church was founded in 1906 and built by Kakonas."


It is unknown how the icon came to be in the cave originally. What is known, however, is that every year on July 7th, many faithful come to the Chapel of Saint Kyriaki which now stands near the cave, according to the desire of St. Kyriaki, to honor this wondrous and great Virgin Martyr of the Lord.

To get to the church without a boat, drive from Vlycho towards Geni and Desimi. At one point the path will fork to the left, and this is where the church is. The road stops short 200 meters from the church.

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Groundbreaking For Church Dedicated To Hieromartyr Gregory V in Dimitsana

July 7, 2011
Arcadia Voice

Yesterday at 7:00 pm before a large gathering of the faithful, clergy and hierarchs, there took place the groundbreaking ceremony for a sacred church dedicated to the martyr Saint Gregory V who was hung by the Turks on Pascha of 1821. It is the first church built in honor of Saint Gregory V in our land, and naturally it is here where he was born and walked his first steps in Dimitsana, as Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras said emotionally following his presiding over the Divine Liturgy prior to the groundbreaking.

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Elder Paisios: On Darwinian and Theistic Evolution

By Elder Paisios the Athonite

The nonsense we hear in schools these days about Darwin's theory and the rest, even the teachers themselves do not believe what they are teaching. Instead they proceed because they want to pollute the minds of our youth and take them away from the Church.

This is what someone told me: "Let's say the soil contained various substances and micro-organisms, and God took these and created man..."

"You mean," I replied, "that if those elements did not exist in the soil, God would not have been able to create man? It would have been really difficult for Him?"

"Well, let's say," he continued, "that He took some things from the ape and perfected them. Couldn't that be how it happened?"

"Are you trying to say," I answered, "that God cannot create a perfect creature, that he cannot create a human being, even after dedicating a whole day to it? What should He have done? Go get spare parts? Why don't you read the prophecy of Job [1] from the Scripture readings of Holy Thursday? Science does not accept all the claims about our kinship with apes. How long has it been since man went to the moon? In all these years, have apes evolved enough to build a bicycle or at least a skateboard? Have you ever seen an ape on a skateboard? Of course you can teach him to do that, but that's not the same thing."

But the man would not give up. He would insist, "Let's assume this," or "let's say that...."

"Well, let's just say that you will not assume a thing," I finally told him. "This way you'll find the certainty you want."

The theory of evolution was being taught by a professor I knew at the University. Once, I said to him: "In time and with proper care a green bean plant will become a better green bean plant, the eggplant a better eggplant. If you feed and take care of an ape, he will become a better ape, but he will not turn into a human being."

And then there's this thing to think about. Christ was born of a human being, the Panagia. Are we to believe that His ancestors were apes? What blasphemy! And those who support this theory don't realize that they are blaspheming. They throw a stone and do not check to see how many heads they have cracked. All you will hear from them is: "Mine went further than the other fellow's." That's what they are all about these days; they marvel at who will throw a stone the farthest. But they care nothing about those who are passing by and the many heads their stones will crack.

Q: Elder, some people think these theories will help bring Marxists to the Church.

A: Well, perhaps a few Marxists might come to the Church at first. But then they will want to organize as a party and start giving dictates to others: "Now you must go to church; now you may not. Now do this, now do that." They will have rules for everything. And in the end, they will start telling people: "Who told you that there is a God? There is no God! The priests are all making it up to deceive you." This is what will happen; the Marxists will use these good willing folks to achieve their goal. Marxists with a good will and disposition will come back to the Church, repent, and go to confession. But those who have no good disposition, they will never change.

1. Job 38:14 - "Or perhaps it was you who took dust from the earth, formed clay, made it into a living being with a mouth and the ability to speak, and placed him on earth."

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Patriarch Ilia Against the Legal Recognition of Five Religious Groups

July 5, 2011
Civil.ge

The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, has called on the Parliament “to suspend” approval of legislative amendments, which will allow five minority religious groups in Georgia to be registered as legal entities of public law – a legal status long sought by the religious groups.

In a written statement released on July 4 Ilia II said that such an important document should only be passed after public discussions and reaching “a consensus” with the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Under the existing law in order to receive a legal status, a religious group, other than the Georgian Orthodox Church whose special role and status is recognized by the 2002 concordat with the state, can be registered as a noncommercial entity of private law.

Such form of registration, however, has long been a source of complaint for religious minorities, which say that this rule deprives them the privilege to be formally recognized as religions in Georgia.

The Parliament passed amendments to the civil code with its first reading on July 1, according to which the Armenian Apostolic Church, Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical Baptist Church, Muslim and Jewish communities in Georgia will have the right to be registered as legal entities of public law.

According to the proposal, these five groups were selected because these religious communities “have close historic ties with Georgia.”

The ruling party lawmakers initiated legislative amendments less than two weeks after the visit to Georgia by the Armenian Catholicos, Karekin II, who was discussing with the Georgian side legal status of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia and disputed ownership of several churches in Georgia.

According to the Armenian Church, during Karekin II’s meeting with President Saakashvili on June 10 the latter agreed to register the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia; however, no agreement has been reached on the issue between the heads of the Georgian and Armenian churches. Ilia II said at the time that the legal status of the Georgian Church in Armenia should be the same one that the Armenian Church would have in Georgia. After the visit, Ilia II also said that the head of the Armenian Church was clever, but young, who needed “to gain more experience” and who wanted “everything to be done fast.” The Armenian Church responded that it respected Ilia II, but described his remarks as “inappropriate.”

“The [Georgian Orthodox] Church has never been against and has always supported granting status to other religions in Georgia, but this process has not seen an appropriate follow-up, meaning that no comprehensive state commission has been established by the authorities to study and agree on the issue,” Ilia II said in the written statement.

“It is noteworthy, that the issue of ownership and taking care of the Georgian churches in other countries has not been raised so far and the discussion of status of our church [in foreign countries has not yet started too.”

“Against this background approval of such an important document by the Parliament without public discussions and in such a hasty way is totally incomprehensible.”

“We deem it necessary to suspend further approval of the draft law (with its second and third readings) and [it is necessary] to hold public debates (including live televised debates) in order to form broad public opinion and to reach a consensus with the Orthodox Church, because a vast majority of the population is Orthodox Christian,” Ilia II said.

During the discussion of the proposed draft law in the Parliament on July 1, lawmakers from the Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM), a leading party in a small parliamentary minority group, also called on the ruling party not to hurry with approval of the draft.

“I think we should refrain from unilaterally taking such decisions; let’s ask [the Georgian Orthodox] Church how protected the legal status of our Church is in our neighboring countries,” MP Nika Laliashvili of CDM said.

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An Ode To Bulgarian Orthodox Who Saved Their Jewish Neighbors From the Nazi's

Menachem Wecker
June 29 2011
Jewish Daily Forward

When several trains entered Bulgaria secretly on March 8, 1943, to deport 8,000 Jews to Polish concentration camps, the Bulgarian Parliament, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Bulgarian people opposed the anti-Semitic plot so vehemently that Nazi-sympathetic Alexander Belev, chairman of the Commissariat for Jewish Affairs, had to back down. Other attempts to deport Jews from Bulgaria were similarly thwarted. Although the 11,000 Jews in Macedonia and Thrace, which were under Bulgarian military rule, were sent to death camps, the Jews of Bulgaria — numbering nearly 50,000 — were saved.

One would expect this story to be trumpeted in Holocaust curricula at every Jewish school and plastered on the walls of every museum devoted to genocide and World War II. But the words "arcane," "little-known" and "unheralded" were frequently used to describe the story at a June 21 festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in Washington, D.C., which was "inspired by the heroic acts of compassion displayed by the Bulgarian people."

The Songs of Life Festival is part of the Varna International Conductors Workshop, which was founded by husband-and-wife team Kalin and Sharon Tchonev. According to the festival website, Kalin, who is Bulgarian born, and Sharon, a native of Israel whose maternal grandparents were among the Bulgarian survivors, formed Songs of Life "to champion the principles of tolerance in the midst of diversity and bravery in the face of prejudice."

The first half of the festival featured a mix of about 15 short a cappella pieces, including the premiere of Charles David Osborne's Talmud-inspired "Whosoever Saves a Single Life." The repertoire included such meditative religious works as Dan Forest's Psalm 8 ("Adonai, Adonenu"), Zoltán Kodály's arrangement of "Ave Maria" and Zdeněk Lukáš's scoring of "Agnus Dei", as well as the unlikely sequence of Armenian folk song "Loosin Yelav," followed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's more upbeat "A Grand Night for Singing." To bring an authentic sound to the proceedings, singers from the Philip Kutev National Folklore Ensemble, based in Sofia, sang three traditional Bulgarian folk songs.

The second half of the concert provided the tour de force: the world premiere of the oratorio "A Melancholy Beauty," composed by the Bulgarian-born Georgi Andreev and conducted by Henry Leck, director of choral activities at Butler University. The oratorio, which was subsequently performed at Boston's Wang Theatre on June 23 and at New York City's Lincoln Center on June 26, featured about 250 singers and musicians from several groups, including the Indianapolis Children's Choir, of which Leck is founder and artistic director.

The libretto by poet Scott Cairns and Aryeh Finklestein, cantor at Congregation Mishkan Tefila in Chestnut Hill, Mass., spans seven and a half two-columned pages in the playbill and poetically tells the story of Liliana Panitza, secretary and lover of the anti-Semitic commissar. She alerted the Bulgarian rabbis about the plans to deport Bulgaria's Jews. Confronted by a tough choice between the man she loved and her values, Lily — beautifully sung by Bulgarian soprano Neli Atanasova Andreeva — decided to do the right thing. She says: "My lover, my commissar, you have grown small. So small, and so zealous, I don't recognize you." She continues: "And what of these others, our neighbors, our countrymen?... I cannot forsake them, no, not a one of them. I shall warn, warn them all, of this cruel plan."

Under pressure from the Bulgarian people and the Eastern Orthodox Church, the deportation plans had to be scrapped, but that news didn't reach the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. When the head priest of the church, Metropolitan Kiril, heard that the Jews of his city were imprisoned in a barbed wire enclosure, he forced himself past Nazi guards to join the imprisoned Jews. Quoting the Book of Ruth, he said, "Your nation is my nation, and your people are my people."

The libretto captures an impressive range of emotions: from the Bulgarian people, who emphatically insist, "This law is foreign to our own wise laws, denies the very good for which our Folk song and symphonic music are combined into a dramatic oratorio. nation's fathers — the Christians and the Jews — have shed their blood," to their monarch, King Boris III, who chooses to outwardly support the Nazis' plans he opposes. "I must find a way to seem still to be king," he says. According to Dan Mariaschin, executive vice president of B'nai B'rith International, the politics surrounding the country have contributed to the story's obscurity.

"I think that Bulgaria's being under Communist rule for 44 years contributed to its rescue story not being widely told, or known," said Mariaschin, whose organization published the 2005 book "The Power of Civil Society in a Time of Genocide" with the Bulgaria-based Sofia University. "As a child, I heard about it from my mother, who had a cousin in Israel married to a Bulgarian Jew, who arrived in pre-state Israel in the '30s. But I would assume we were probably in a minority of Jews who had heard of this." Since Bulgaria joined NATO and the European Union, the story is better known now, Mariaschin said, particularly with the "immense interest" today in Jewish communities of former Eastern Europe, "but still not as widely known as it could be."

Stan Engebretson, director of choral studies at George Mason University and artistic director of the National Philharmonic Chorale, participated in the performance with singers from both the chorale and George Mason. He has worked with Varna in the past, and heard about the history of Bulgaria's Jews from Kalin Tchonev. "Musically the composer has masterfully combined folk song with full symphonic music into a dramatic oratorio," Tchonev said. "Elements of gypsy music and Hebrew dance blend seamlessly with popular song and large full symphonic forces of almost 300 in the finale. It is hair raising at times, poignant at others, dance-like in a folk manner in places."

Asked if it was unusual to hear folk music performed on such a grand scale, Engebretson cited such composers as Aaron Copland and Antonín Dvořák. "What is unique is to import the authentic groups, however, as they have a special sound in their tone," he said, "very bright and forward sound singing in Bulgarian for the singers, and the use of plucked instruments similar to lutes and guitars in the ethnic dance instruments."

Swiss ethnomusicologist Marcel Cellier is credited with bringing Bulgarian music to Western audiences through the release on his label, Disques Cellier, of "Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares" ("The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices") in 1975. "Songs of Life" is not the first to venture into the realm of Bulgarian-Jewish music. Bulgarian ethnomusicologist Nikolai Kaufmann, who arranged thousands of Jewish and Bulgarian songs, some of which were featured in "Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares," released the album "Jewish Songs From Bulgaria" in 1994.

But Songs of Life is appropriately packed with Christian music. The performance is focused on the ways so-called righteous gentiles protected their Jewish neighbors. That's what makes the festival most compelling. It's not merely an opportunity to hear Bulgarian music, and it's not even just a chance to hear lyrical responses to the Holocaust. The Tchonevs' contribution is to use living Bulgarian music to celebrate and represent a heroic chapter in the Bulgarian story of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Read also:

Beyond Hitler's Grasp: The Heroic Rescue of Bulgaria's Jews

Bulgarian Jews During World War II

The Fragility of Goodness: why Bulgaria's Jews survived the Holocaust by Tzvetan Todorov

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Is Macedonia the Troll of the Balkans?

Nikola Petrov
July 5, 2011
Novinite

What do Alexander the Great, Byzantine Emperor Justinian the Great and medieval Bulgarian ruler Samuil have in common?

They are all historical figures who happened to be active at a certain point in the Balkan region of Macedonia, which includes parts of what nowadays are Bulgaria and Greece, as well as the whole eponymous country.

So, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, whose independent history as a nation started no earlier than 1944, decided to celebrate these and other great rulers raising massive monuments in their honor, a gesture that aims at "proving" they are all, in fact, Macedonian.

"The Very Ancient (Former Yugoslav) Republic of Macedonia" may look like a possible solution to the name dispute with Greece now. It does sound ridiculous, but spending tens of millions of a nation's meager state budget on building kitsch statues of foreign heroes and a triumphal arch (?) in the capital trying to substantiate your made-up history is no less ridiculous.

Of course, Macedonia is an independent country and may spend its money in any bizarre ways it feels like. But the problem is that its neighbors feel like their historical legacy is being mocked with.

Even though no independent historian would take the Macedonian provocations seriously, it is quite annoying – the way trolls in Internet forums are annoying, and even more so.

Needless to say, I do not mean to generalize about the whole Macedonian nation – there a lot of normally thinking individuals, too – and they even had oppositional media until recently.

But if the Macedonian government in particular does not change it childish attitude, the country may very well lose its EU candidate status, as Commissioner Stefan Fuele already warned. Unlike most Balkan politicians, he is not likely to be joking around.

Read also:

Macedonia Erects Alexander The Great Statue

Macedonia Erects Monument of Great Bulgarian Tsar Samuil

Sofia to Let Macedonia Enjoy Monument of Great Bulgarian Tsar Samuil

Macedonia Encouraged to Build Monuments of 6 More Medieval Bulgarian Tsars

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Egypt Court Allows Christian Reconverts To State Religion On ID Cards

Heba Fahmy
July 4, 2011
Daily News Egypt

Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled on Sunday in favor of Christian reconverts, allowing them to be identified as Christians on their national ID cards and birth certificates.

The court stated that the interior ministry must implement the order automatically in similar cases without reverting to the judiciary for individual verdicts, criticizing the ministry for refusing to implement similar verdicts passed previously.

Lawyer Peter El-Naggar said that Copts have been fighting for this verdict in court since 2004, adding that several similar verdicts, issued in 2008, have not been implemented.

The Supreme Administrative Court issued a similar verdict on Feb.12, however, the State Council’s fatwa committee (which is a lesser authority) later issued a contradictory verdict saying that each case must be reviewed individually by the court.

“That is why the Supreme Administrative Court issued another verdict [on Sunday] to overturn the committee’s ruling,” El-Naggar explained.

“The problem with Egypt’s judicial system is that each judge interprets the laws based on biases and personal beliefs,” he said.

El-Naggar was optimistic that this court order would be executed this time, saying that respect for Egypt’s judicial system and its integrity improved following the January 25 Revolution.

However Bishop Filopateer Gamil of the Giza Archbishopric disagreed, saying that he was skeptical that the verdict would be implemented by authorities.

“We’ve always commended our judicial system even before the revolution,” Gamil told Daily News Egypt. “However the problem is with the authorities who refuse to implement the court orders issued in our favor.”

In June, six Christians who had converted to Islam and then back to Christianity filed a complaint to the Prosecutor General against the interior minister and his assistant, the head of the Civil Status Organization, for not implementing a previous court order issued in 2008, allowing them to be identified as Christians on their national ID cards.

El-Naggar said the complaint is currently being investigated.

“Failing to implement a court order without any justifiable reason is a crime,” he said. “If the interior minister and his assistant are proven guilty, they can receive jail time.”

Gamil said there’s a double standard in dealing with conversions in Egypt. “When Christians decide to convert to Islam, they receive support from everyone including the authorities and their ID cards are changed to include their new religion in no time,” he said.

“When it’s the other way round, Christians face obstacles and difficulties that obstruct their freedom of belief and the lifestyle they choose to have,” he added.

Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), echoed Gamil’s concerns, saying that the interior ministry needed to end its “discriminatory policies” against Copts.

El-Naggar filed another complaint to the Prosecutor General last week, demanding the rights of Coptic teenagers, whose fathers converted to Islam, to choose the religion documented on their national ID cards when they turn 16 without a court order.

Children of fathers who convert from Christianity to Islam are automatically registered as Muslims on ID cards upon turning 16.

“Why should Copts be forced to spend two to four years in court to receive a verdict stipulating their basic right to freedom of belief,” he asked. “Not having a national ID card obstructs education opportunities and compromises Copts’ safety,” he added.

El-Naggar said a fatwa from Al-Azhar supports his claim, stating that a person must recite the shehada (basic statement of Islamic faith declaring that there is no God but Allah, and Mohamed is his prophet) in order to be considered a Muslim.

“People who claim that Egypt’s Copts exercise their full freedom of religion and expression are delusional,” Gamil said, adding that Coptic converts have to go through many hardships to receive their simplest right of recognition.

Copts represent 10 percent of Egypt’s population and often complain of discrimination.

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On the Vanity of Dabbling In End Time Mysteries

By St. Symeon the New Theologian

Let us therefore put aside every vain and unprofitable disputation, and let us not seek ahead of time to learn what is proper to that hour, i.e., the Second Coming, but instead let us be persuaded by the Master Who says: "Search the Scriptures" (Jn. 5:39). Search, that is, and not meddle! Search the Scriptures and do not busy yourselves with disputes which lie outside the sacred writings. Search the Scriptures so that you may learn about faith, and hope, and love. About faith, so that you may not be tossed about by every wind which comes from the trickery of unstable men, but are rather rooted in the true dogma of the apostolic and catholic Church and "rightly divide" the word of her truth (2 Tim. 2:15). And not only this, but you should be taught as well to seek out the fruits of faith and the profit which derives from them through the practice of the commandments. When you have been enabled to find them, then indeed you shall be in possession of hope unashamed, and in the latter you shall possess the entirety of love for God. For it is impossible for anyone to possess perfect love for God otherwise than by grace of an unalloyed faith and a hope which is secure and unshakable. Why then do we abandon the examination of ourselves concerning these matters? And, if in fact we have that faith in God which He Himself - Who will judge us - says He will demand of us, why should we busy ourselves with matters which are beyond us, in particular when in truth we fail to see things which lie at our very feet.

From the First Ethical Discourse, translated by Fr. Alexander Golitzin.

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The Insane Thought of Divine Abandonment

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

If your entire life passed smoothly and without worry, then weep for yourself. For the Gospel and the experience of the people, with one accord assert that no one has, without great suffering and pain, left behind any great and beneficial work on earth or was glorified in the heavens. If, however, your earthly sojourn is completely adorned with sweat and tears to attain righteousness and truth, rejoice and be exceedingly glad for truly great is your reward in the heavens. Do not ever succumb to the insane thought that God has abandoned you. God knows exactly how much one can endure and, according to that, measures the sufferings and pains of everyone. St. Nil Sorsky says: "When even men know how much weight a horse, or a donkey or a camel can carry and, according to that they are loading them according to their strength; when a potter knows how long to leave the clay in the kiln for it to be neither shattered nor over-baked, how could God not know how much temptation a soul can bear to make it ready and fitted for the Kingdom of Heaven?"

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Divine Liturgy At the Holy Mountain of Varasova

The holy mountain of Varasova is known as the Mount Athos of Western Greece. Great churches and monasteries were founded at the foot of Varasova during Byzantine times, as well as in the regions of Aitolia and Akarnania. However, in search of greater austerity and seclusion, many monks and ascetics left the big monasteries and entered the craggy caves of Varasova. Among these caves, the most important is that which is dedicated to Saint Nicholas in southern Varasova, which is unique in all Greece. Ascetics lived here from the 9th - 19th century, according to discoveries made by Athanasios Paliouras, professor at the University of Ioannina.

Every summer a pilgrimage and Divine Liturgy are organized at St. Nicholas of Varasova with the help of the fishermen of Kato Vasilikis who bring the pilgrims to the cave.

In the first two videos below one can see what it takes to make a pilgrimage to the Cave of St. Nicholas and see scenes from the Divine Liturgy which took place there on Saturday 2 July 2011, which was presided over by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos. In the second video is the Metropolitan's homily. The third video is a history of Mount Varasova by Mr. Paliouras. The last two videos are summed up in the first.

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Vasiliki Rallis: "How Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Revealed Themselves To Me"

Vasiliki Rallis was among the most significant of the many people of the village of Thermi in Lesvos to whom Sts. Raphael, Nicholas and Irene revealed themselves and their relics. It was because of her faith and those with her that we have their glorious shrine in Thermi today and thousands of miracles have been worked for the faithful throughout the world by the grace of God through His Saints.

In this video Vasiliki recounts her testimony of the events that transpired (in Greek).

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Ossuary Belonging to a Daughter of the Caiaphas Family of High Priests Discovered

June, 30 2011
Art Daily

Three years ago the Israel Antiquities Authority Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery acquired a decorated ossuary bearing an engraved inscription.

The ossuary was discovered by antiquities robbers who plundered an ancient Jewish tomb of the Second Temple period. During the course of the investigation it was determined that the ossuary came from a burial cave in the area of the Valley of 'Elah, in the Judean Shephelah.

To check the authenticity of the artifact and the significance of the engraved inscription, the Israel Antiquities Authority turned to Dr. Boaz Zissu of the Department of the Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology of Bar Ilan University and Professor Yuval Goren of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations of the Tel Aviv University.

Israel from the late first century BCE until the beginning of the second century CE. The front of the ossuary that was found is decorated with a stylized floral motif above which is a long Aramaic inscription engraved in Jewish script:

'Miriam Daughter of Yeshua Son of Caiaphas, Priests [of] Ma'aziah from Beth 'Imri'

(or, an alternative reading:

'Miriam Daughter of Yeshua Son of Caiaphas, Priest of Ma'aziah from Beth 'Imri')


In the conclusion of their study Dr. Boaz Zissu and Professor Yuval Goren write, 'the prime importance of the inscription lies in the reference to the ancestry of the deceased - Miriam daughter of Yeshua - to the Caiaphas family, indicating the connection to the family of the Ma'aziahcourse of priests of Beth 'Imri'. Caiaphas is the name of Yeshua's father, and Miriam's grandfather. From the wording of the inscription we learn that he belonged to a famous family of priests that was active in the first century CE. One family member, the high priest Yehosef Bar Caiaphas, is especially famous for his involvement in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus.

Ma'aziah /Ma'aziahu is the last of the twenty four priestly courses that served in the Temple in Jerusalem. The list of courses, which was formulated during King David's reign, appears in the Bible in I Chronicles (I Chronicles 24:18). The signatories to the pledge in the days of Nehemiah include among others, 'Ma½ aziah, Bilgai, Shem'aiah; these are the priests' (Nehemiah 10: 9). This is the first reference to the Ma½ aziah course in an epigraphic find from the SecondTemple period. For the first time we learn from an inscription that the Caiaphas family was related to the Ma'aziah course.

The names of other courses, such as Abijah, Eliashib, Bilgah, Delaiah, Hakkoz, Shecaniah, Hezir, Jehoiarib, Jakim (Jakin) and Jeshebeab, are known from historical and epigraphic texts from the SecondTemple period, including inscriptions discovered in tombs.

The ending 'from Beth 'Imri' can be interpreted two ways:

The first possibility is that Beth 'Imri is the name of a priestly family - the sons of 'Immer (Ezra 2: 36-37; Nehemiah 7:39

This week, the two scientists published the results of their research, which summarize the importance of the find and confirm its genuineness. The study appears in the Israel Exploration Journal (Volume 61) published this week by the Israel Exploration Society.

Ossuaries are small stone chests that Jews used for secondary burial of bones.

Read also: Israeli Scholars Say 2,000-year-old Burial Box Linked to Bible’s High Priest Is Genuine

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Avoid Confusion: Disbelieve Paleoanthropologists

June 28, 2011
Creation-Evolution Headlines

If you care about the true history of the human race, don’t believe paleoanthropologists. They are clueless and confused. Every solution they come up with creates new problems, and their boastful announcements are likely to be overturned. That’s the gist of a commentary in PNAS by Bernard Wood,1 who wrote, “The origin of our own genus remains frustratingly unclear.” He ought to know; he’s an eminent paleoanthropologist himself.

For decades, paleoanthropologists have declared to the world that human beings originated in Africa and migrated out to colonize Europe and Asia. Prepare for a surprise. Dr. Wood said:

Although many of my colleagues are agreed regarding the “what” with respect to Homo, there is no consensus as to the “how” and “when” questions. Until relatively recently, most paleoanthropologists (including the writer) assumed Africa was the answer to the “where” question, but in a little more than a decade discoveries at two sites beyond Africa, one at Dmanisi in Georgia and the other at Liang Bua on the island of Flores, have called this assumption into question. The results of recent excavations at Dmanisi reported in PNAS, which suggest that hominins visited that site on several occasions between ca. 1.85 and ca. 1.77 Ma, together with recent reassessments of the affinities of Homo habilis, are further reasons for questioning the assumption that Homo originated in Africa.

Wood continued by showing how the Dmanisi specimens are hard to classify (along with Homo erectus), but if they are H. erectus, they appear contemporaneous with African specimens. Then there are the Liang Bua specimens dubbed Homo floresiensis, that seem primitive yet overlap substantially with modern humans (dated between 17,000 and 74,000 years old by evolutionary methods). These miniature humans remain bewildering to paleoanthropologists.

As for “where” questions, Wood showed that the evidence could support opposite views: that our ancestors migrated either out of Africa or into Africa. He offered “scenarios” but admitted, “it would be misleading to claim that any of the scenarios are supported by that meager evidence.” Then he moaned, “Another stumbling block for an ancestor-descendant relationship between H. habilis and H. erectus sensu stricto within Africa is that both the ancestor and the descendant overlap in time in East Africa for several hundred thousand years.” Ann Gibbons wrote about the debates surrounding H. habilis in Science,2 leaving it unclear whether it should be considered inside Homo or outside; “The problem is that there are precious few fossils of either H. habilis or H. rudolfensis, especially from the neck down.”

What is the lesson of this confusion? Wood hoped for more bones like those at Dmanisi, but ended with a worse admission of ignorance that extends beyond Homo erectus issues:

In the meantime we need to be realistic about what can, and what cannot, be deduced about hominin evolutionary history. It is sobering to realize that even in the case of a taxon such as Homo neanderthalensis that has an order of magnitude better fossil record than for early Homo, we still have much to learn about its origin and evolution.

That the problems are not merely the opinions of one paleoanthropologist can be seen by other recent early-man stories. Science Daily echoed the confusion, stating on June 22,

Africa is regarded as the center of evolution of humans and their precursors. Yet long before modern humans left Africa some 125,000 years ago, their antecedents migrated from Africa to Eurasia many times, as is documented in the fossil record. How often, when and why hominoids went "out of Africa" is still a hotly debated field of intense research.

The article proceeded to describe a tooth from another “hominoid” that appears to have migrated into Swabia 17 million years ago, nearly ten times earlier than the conventional “out of Africa” hypothesis. To fit it into evolutionary timelines, they had to conclude that the line of this tooth was a dead end.

A BBC News article asked an obvious question, “Why is there only one human species?” All humans today are interfertile and clearly of one blood. Michael Mosley pondered, “Not so very long ago, we shared this planet with several other species of human, all of them clever, resourceful and excellent hunters, so why did only Homo sapiens survive?” Chris Stringer was quoted puzzling over the same question: “Even 100,000 years ago, we've still got several human species on Earth and that’s strange for us. We’re the only survivors of all of those great evolutionary experiments in how to be human.”

Those “evolutionary experiments” included Homo ergaster, who made tools, hunted skillfully, and “would have been a powerful runner, capable of speeds that would rival a modern Olympic athlete.” Moreover, this Homo was hairless and capable of dealing with heat like a modern beach bum. What’s the difference if “they’re very like us in terms of their overall body shape and body build”? And these were predecessors of Homo erectus in the evolutionary story.

Mosley was clearly just storytelling as he described groups of Homo responding to droughts and volcanoes, putting dates on events no paleoanthropologist ever witnessed. The only difference he could allege between the various Homo beings was brain size, a theory-laden measurement fraught with interpretation. Bigger is not always better (as with computers, comparing 1950 and 2010 models). Maybe smaller-brained individuals packed more power in less space. An article on PhysOrg about a Chinese scientist who measures skull capacities of Homo erectus fossils noted quite a bit of metrical diversity in brain size, “not unexpected given the temporal and geographical range of the species.”

Despite admitting that “Huge debates rage about human origins,” Mosley proceeded to write like an eyewitness reporter, presenting the standard out-of-Africa view as a “broad consensus among scientists” (contradicting Bernard Wood, and begging questions about how valid any consensus is among raging debaters). Sometimes, though, the questions are more interesting than the claims. Mosley quoted John Shea, professor of palaeoanthropology at Stony Brook University in New York, making a remark that casts doubt on the whole evolutionary story: “There's such a huge gulf between ourselves and our nearest primate relatives, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos,” he said, putting his faith in a big IF: “If that gap were populated by other hominids, we’d see that gap as not so much a gulf but rather a continuum with steps on the way.” Too bad all the species of Homo that Mosley discussed in his article appear just as equidistant from chimpanzees as the rest of us. If he had read Wood’s depressing commentary first, his claims might have been much less confident.

Now read Lund University’s press release on PhysOrg and see if the triumphant claim that “Cutting edge training developed the human brain 80,000 years ago” fits with what Bernard Wood said, besides begging questions about whether training developed the brain, or the brain developed training. The paleoanthropologists who inferred brain evolution from some spear points in an African cave failed to describe what mutation began a “period of transformation” that led to Homo sapiens, “man the wise”. Wise men learn to disbelieve scientists who, claiming to be wise, speak beyond the evidence.

1. Bernard Wood, Did early Homo migrate “out of ” or “in to” Africa?, PNAS, 2011 ; published ahead of print June 15, 2011, doi:10.1073/pnas.1107724108.

2. Ann Gibbons, Who Was Homo Habilis – and Was It Really Homo?, Science, 17 June 2011: Vol. 332 no. 6036 pp. 1370-1371, DOI: 10.1126/science.332.6036.1370.

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The Greek Economic Crisis: An Interview With Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

An insightful interview with Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos on the Greek economic crisis, by George Theoharis of Agioritikovima.gr, was published on June 27, 2011. Much has been written on this topic in the international news, yet very little in English has appeared presenting an Orthodox opinion on what is happening in Greece at this time.

Question: Your Eminence, the economic crisis has struck like a "lightning bolt", first the Greek economy, then thousands of our fellow citizens who are unable to cover even the costs of the month, with 90 thousand households living without electricity. Thousands of angry fellow-citizens have been camped outside Parliament, and the Europeans are pushing us to accept harsher austerity measures in recent years. Are we perhaps facing an impasse?

Answer: First, the economic crisis has not struck our country like a lightning bolt, as many had warned about this years ago. Politicians knew the issues but were afraid to make corrections. The expert economists knew. We the clergy also detected this as we observed a sharp increase in false wealth, consumer loans becoming a fashion among the people, the difference between consumption and production, and the discarding of spiritual life that gives meaning to our lives. Many pages have been written on this subject. Since the 60's of the last century, Marcuse spoke of the one-dimensional society and one-dimensional man who relies on the "plastic" needs of a consumer life and the enslavement to them.

Now these tragic events seem obvious. Leaders have to lead the people and not follow, otherwise they are not leaders, but movers and shakers rather than at someone's beck and call.

However, the situation today is difficult, but I can't say that it has reached an impasse, because there are always solutions and ways out. Man has within him infinite powers, and so does society. Nietzsche said: "He who has a purpose in life, can withstand almost anything." The tradition of our country is very strong and will help us, as long as we want it.

Question: What message would you send the "indignant" at Constitution Square?

Answer: I am also one of the "indignant" for the injustice that exists in society, the undermining of our standards and traditions, the cultivation of a consumer society, and the effects of cultural globalization that worked against our traditions and people. Eventually, the protests of people outside partisan lines, the attempts for safeguarded concentrations, and the discussions made in this "ecclesia" is a hope, as long as it is done with respect for democracy without undermining democratic institutions. I do not want this movement to result in anti-democratic events, because one of the laws of history is the "heterogenesis of purpose", according to which a struggle begins with good intentions and ends in different adverse effects. Thus, the movement of the "indignant" should help to improve democratic and social institutions rather than undermining them.

Question: Will you be on their side physically? Will you urge clergy of your Metropolis to go to Constitution Square?

Answer: Participation in each justified movement is fairly diverse. Personally, to express ecclesiastical tradition, the Church would like to enter the divided society to lead it to unity and not to keep on dividing. The Church is the Mother of all - the right-wingers and left-wingers, centrists and socialists, the indignant and the sore, the winners and the losers, the sick and the healthy.

I possess a strong democratic sentiment, which is why I do not urge anyone to do something, do not direct any action to those who do not want it, do not deprive people of their freedom or urge them to be weak-willed as if they are illogical beings. Everyone is free to act in the way they think, democratically, especially the clergy who should act under the principles of tradition with responsibility and discernment.

Question: Clergy of the Metropolis of Aigialias the other day marched at Constitution Square, thus expressing sympathy with all indignant citizens. Do you agree with this move?

Answer: I cannot comment on the actions of other priests, who are even located in other Metropolis'. I already told you my views. Besides, support of any movement to improve social affairs is diverse and not limited only to an action; it is not unequivocal. Each member of the Church has its own character, its own way in acting, and not all people take action or attend gatherings.

Question: The world today seems to have lost something precious - hope. What is the cause of this?

Answer: Indeed, today an uncertainty about the future dominates, especially since we hear and see contradictions. I think this atmosphere of despair is responsible for false promises that are hopeless, and denials which are major problems and risks. Sometimes I wonder: Why are not wiser voices with fair points listened to? Why are they on the margins of society and politics those who with freedom and openness have long been a sound of alarm? Why are the moulders of society's opinions led by the wrong people, but why also do people drift towards wrong actions by the "order of specialists"? These are questions which may indicate a lack of education, critical thinking, and of high standards of living.

Question: The Church today does not seem to give hope in the world for those who seek consolation, as many of our readers write who are dissatisfied with it.

Answer: The Church is itself the hope of life, because the method by which it was organized and the whole theological teaching is the true "Church of the municipality", it is our broader spiritual family, it is a spiritual hospital that treats spiritual illness and gives meaning to human life. Today the Church helps with families and the material needs of the people. Maybe sometimes the people of the Church disappoint, and not the Church itself.

But there is a basic principle: Christianity does all its social work mainly within the church area. Those who perceive the Church as an ideology, as a social and religious system, become frustrated. Those living outside the Church and are involved a few times a year in church life, do not know what is in it. In contrast, those close to the Church and its inner life are not only comforted, but they become stronger, and they become saints, and through the power of Christ they are above all their problems. The bad thing is that more are sitting outside the Church and they judge that which they do not know.

Question: At the same time, in the mid-term program there was announced reduction in state spending on salaries of clergy.

Answer: I do not know if there is an official announcement on this issue. What we know is that the State did occasional contracts with the Holy Synod of the Church, receiving church property in exchange for salaries of clergymen. And it is well known that the State must respect the agreements signed, otherwise it is unreliable, and does not act with fairness and respect for the institutions of society.

However, the economic crisis plaguing our country did not come from the salaries of the clergy, but by the reckless management of public funds, the lack of transparency laws and laws from corruption and tax evasion, fraud by the Exchange, by the squandering of pension funds, etc. Let us be honest and not hypocritical. In this circumstance the clergy are not at all responsible, on the contrary, and as they always were and are, they are supporters of the people, protagonists, except for their ecclesiastical duties, and as far as philanthropy is concerned they serve more than seven hundred (700) Foundations, as well as being protagonists in cultural projects, with the maintenance of churches many of which are cultural attractions. The clergy are the most positive factors in society. The Metropolis', the Parishes and the Monasteries are self-funded, with a few exceptions, and abuses are not observed, and some have exceeded their budget. So, in terms of management, the ecclesiastical organizations are prototypes for the State.

Question: Finally, since lately there is a confusion in ecclesiastical circles, are the salaries of the clergy at risk of being cut? Are they assured to be paid entirely by the State?

Answer: This issue will be handled by the Standing Holy Synod and if necessary the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece. I have confidence in the Synod Officers addressing issues calmly, soberly and responsibly. I am a member of the Hierarchy sixteen years and participated three times in the Standing Holy Synod with the last three archbishops (Seraphim, Christodoulos, Ieronymos), and saw the serious way the issues are dealt with, all in a similar manner.

I find the opportunity here to restate and clarify something I have said many times, that unfortunately prevails among the people regarding the Church having a fortune. This is a myth. The State over time has confiscated 96% of the original ecclesiastical property, while of the remaining 4%, 3% is reserved, thus the Church currently has 1% of its original property. Much of the property is given for charitable and educational purposes. The Church and the Clergy are benefactors of the Nation and Society.

If the State returned a portion of property pledged to the Church and if it is permitted to use the property lawfully, then the Church may be able to meet the payroll of Priests or any part thereof.

Question: Mr. Diamantopoulos in the recent meeting of the Joint Committee on State and Church Dialogue essentially asked for sacrifices, saying: "At this time the emphasis should be what 'you' give to your country, not what your country gives 'you'." Is the Church prepared to meet this challenge?

Answer: First of all, I rejoice because today there are talks about the homeland and everyone is interested in its salvation. Before the economic crisis we all talked about the benefits of globalization and the European Union and proceeded like it was linked to the nation and homeland. Today things have changed in the right direction, and there is a balance between homeland and universality. Our love for the homeland is a primary good, but of course this can be translated into chauvinism.

The Holy Synod and the local Metropolis' throughout the organization do what they can mainly to relieve human suffering. Where there are organized parishes people find solutions in the Church on many issues, ie, psychological, social, existential and above all spiritual. Those associated with the Church in practice usually love their homeland and are true patriots. Above all they love each person in pain and deal with human suffering.

Question: Let's touch a bit on Mount Athos. Do you think its image was severely affected after news of the sensational case of Vatopaidi?

Answer: The Holy Mountain is a great treasure, a contemporary bright beacon. It is a brilliant piece of Romania-Byzantium retained in our day. It preserves the empirical theology, the requirements of Orthodox doctrine, the great cultural heritage. They are fooled whoever thinks that a few errors or omissions affected Mount Athos, and are as mindless as one who believes that the sun can be extinguished with their saliva. Mount Athos, like the Orthodox Church, is a strong body which digests the toughest foods.

God made me worthy for many years to visit Mount Athos, to live in a coenobium, skete and seclusion, and of course, to know the secret heartbeat of Mount Athos, which is prayer and even praying for the world. Also, I met people who were sanctified revealing what is the natural person in terms of theology. I could cite many examples of contemporary elders who I met, showing love to all the pilgrims, but I will not, for lack of space. However we were nourished by their words and their love, they showed us who God is and how we should live as Orthodox Christians.

Now we suffer the economic crisis and we Greeks became the subject of ridicule around the world, since we are in the headlines of newspapers and the television media. We can better understand that as a country, unfortunately, we are not present in the modern world nor pioneering science or high technology, but we only have the Orthodox theology, which is sought by all the people in the East and the West, and the great Roman civilization, namely iconography, hymnography, Byzantine music, church architecture, etc. Through this perspective we believe Mount Athos, the sanctified monks and their works, are a priceless treasure which receives the respect of millions. It is what we have chosen to present to Europe and the world, showing what is the true Orthodox humanism and what is the deeper purpose of mankind. At least it should not be forgotten.

Question: The fathers of Vatopaidi argue, based on certain documents, that Lake Vistonida belongs to their Monastery and that everything was done legally. Indeed, they talk about conspiracy. What do you say?

Answer: What I know is that Article 181 of the Legislative Decree of 10/16-9-1926 titled "On the Ratification of the Charter of Mount Athos", says: "All the immovable property of the Monasteries are an absolutely inalienable thing as a divine right." And Article 188 of the Legislative Decree says the same: "This Charter shall enter into force after the approval thereof in the Community and the approval of the State. It applies to imperial edicts tech and formal, Patriarchal Sigillion, Sultan Firman, the current General Regulations and ancient Monastic institutions and regimes." This means that the State itself regulated the acceptance of the validity of the Edicts, of the Sigillion, of the Firman, the applicable General Regulations and ancient Monastic institutions and regimes.

Of course, the authenticity of the documents was verified by competent State Organs and the Charter of Mount Athos, under Article 105 of the Constitution, drafted and passed by the twenty monasteries of Mount Athos, with involvement of representatives of the State and approved by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Greek Parliament. Clearly, then, the property status of Mount Athos was determined by state law and not emotions, prejudices and varied interests.

The question that arises however is whether politicians of all parties for their own reasons were involved in the case of Vatopaidi negatively or positively. I think over time the story will reveal what really happened during that period. Already some elements have come to light through publicity.

However, there is an unchangeable spiritual law according to which the injustices caused to the other comes back on one's self. This is true for religious and political affairs. As the years pass, this spiritual law is always fulfilled.

Question: Let us end with the work of your Metropolis. Speak a little of this.

Answer: The Holy Metropolis is one of the smallest and poorest Holy Metropolis', but we strive to show the true face of the Church in our society. This, apart from the Mysteries, is done with the Orthodox theological word which heals man and gives light, life and vision, with the organization of the Parish as a family and therapeutic community, with the preservation of our cultural heritage and its many monuments we have, in communicating with people and in the practice of philanthropic work, etc. In particular, in each parish of the city there are established Unions of Love dealing with voluntary philanthropic work, there are operations at the Metropolis summer camps by hosting various events, I am chairing eleven Foundations-Endowments which practice a recognized social and philanthropic work, and many others. For all operations of the Metropolis the public are informed each month by the newspaper Ekklesiastiki Parembasis (http://www.parembasis.gr/), which from its beginning intervenes in various theological issues, which are the teachings of our Church.

Of course, there are currently many problems, but above all these God exists and blesses every effort and strengthens our cause. We must understand that we are not orphans on the earth, but we have God the Father, nor are we the only child of God, since we also have other siblings, as well as our true home which is Paradise, while here we are strangers and communities. Within this framework, we strive to avoid self-love and gain the love of God and philanthropy. The resolution of theological problems facing the people solves social problems, otherwise we will be unhappy.

It is known that in the French May 1968 protests there prevailed a few slogans, like: "Eat more, live less" and "All will eventually die from all the good times". A characteristic slogan that prevailed then was: "We refuse a world where the certainty that we will die of hunger is exchanged with the risk of being extinguished by boredom" and "Boredome is spreading, boredom is anti-revolutionary". The question is: hunger or boredom? Certainly we should be looking at reducing hunger, but worse is boredom, which manifests in good times. The biggest problem is consumerism.

Concluding the interview, I would like to thank you and to remind readers that in our everyday lives we have much good to do instead of crying about our fate. We can help those in need by cooperating to improve social conditions by combating corruption and fraud, by praying to God to rid us of boredom and acedie and obtain a meaningful life. The "being" of man is not identified with the "having", and the good fortune of man is not identified with consumption and happiness. We should strive to remedy society, but eventually you can be free living in the worst social conditions, or perhaps a slave and desperate while living in the best social conditions. There is always a possibility to overcome the social conditions and this death. Man cannot be a prisoner of social conditions, but must dominate above them. The biggest problem is social death. And in the race for the acquisition of material wealth, I see the fear of death. Who will deliver us from this? Fortunately, the Church is the place of resurrection.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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The Twelve Apostles: Timid Men Who Conquered the World

By St. John Chrysostom

It was clear through unlearned men that the cross was persuasive, in fact, it persuaded the whole world. Their discourse was not of unimportant matters but of God and true religion, of the Gospel way of life and future judgement, yet it turned plain, uneducated men into philosophers. How the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and his weakness stronger than men!

In what way is it stronger? It made its way throughout the world and overcame all men; countless men sought to eradicate the very name of the Crucified, but that name flourished and grew ever mightier. Its enemies lost out and perished; the living who waged a war on a dead man proved helpless. Therefore, when a Greek tells me I am dead, he shows only that he is foolish indeed, for I, whom he thinks a fool, turn out to be wiser than those reputed wise. So too, in calling me weak, he but shows that he is weaker still. For the good deeds which tax-collectors and fishermen were able to accomplish by God’s grace, the philosophers, the rulers, the countless multitudes cannot even imagine.

Paul had this in mind when he said: "The weakness of God is stronger than men". That the preaching of these men was indeed divine is brought home to us in the same way. For how otherwise could twelve uneducated men, who lived on lakes and rivers and wastelands, get the idea for such an immense enterprise? How could men who perhaps had never been in a city or a public square think of setting out to do battle with the whole world? That they were fearful, timid men, the evangelist makes clear; he did not reject the fact or try to hide their weaknesses. Indeed he turned these into a proof of the truth. What did he say of them? That when Christ was arrested, the others fled, despite all the miracles they had seen, while he who was leader of the others denied him!

How then account for the fact that these men, who in Christ’s lifetime did not stand up to the attacks by the Jews, set forth to do battle with the whole world once Christ was dead - if, as you claim, Christ did not rise and speak to them and rouse their courage? Did they perhaps say to themselves: “What is this? He could not save himself but he will protect us? He did not help himself when he was alive, but now that he is dead he will extend a helping hand to us? In his lifetime he brought no nation under his banner, but by uttering his name we will win over the whole world?” Would it not be wholly irrational even to think such thoughts, much less to act upon them?

It is evident, then, that if they had not seen him risen and had proof of his power, they would not have risked so much.

Source: PG 61:34-36


Apolytikion in the Third Tone
O Holy Apostles, intercede with the merciful God that He grant unto our souls forgiveness of offenses.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
O Lord, receive the steadfast and divinely voiced preachers, the pinnacle of Your disciples, unto their rest and the enjoyment of Your blessings. You received, above every offering, their labors and their life. You alone know what the heart holds.

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