Your readers may have received an email requesting them to sign a petition supporting the “restoration and reopening” of Hagia Sophia. The email states that this petition would oppose Turkey’s entry into the European Union unless or until the Turkish government “restored” Hagia Sophia (currently a museum) to a church. To my mind, Hagia Sophia is the most magnificient edifice in the world. I believe that its mosaics – particularly the 14th century Deisis - is the greatest work of art ever conceived! However, this campaign is misguided and lamentable. It demeans the current survival struggle that is unfolding before us regarding the life of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to which the world community and the Orthodox faithful have barely awaken. The call to action to which all women and men of conscience should respond is the call to protect the living institution of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

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

Instead of being beguiled in the comfortable click of an email signature endorsing a petition to “restore and reopen” Hagia Sophia, let us all commit to taking profound action to ensure the perpetual health of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Here are some of the many things you can do:

1. Make a donation to the Order of Saint Andrew for its Patriarchal Defense Initiatives. These initiatives will support legal actions in seeking governmental intervention against the repression of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the courts and governments of the United States, Europe and the Middle East;

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

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

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

Sincerely,

Anthony J. Limberakis, MD
Archon Akoutarios
National Commander]

RE: IMMIGRANT 'REGISTRATION' BY JUNE (http://www.helleniccomserve.com/immigrantregistration.html)

[Regarding] the article "Immigrant 'registration' by June" in your page (November 15 ?), it is very annoying to read articles without a date. A lot of serious sites like yours are doing this, on a consistent basis. You see, events without a date can be from misleading to useless. Please *do an effort* to date your articles. Thank you. Kind regards--Anton Tempos, Greece (12 March 2006)

[HCS Publishers and Editors agree with Mr. Tempos and have decided to place posting dates visible to readers at the foot of each piece on HCS. Many thanks to Mr. Tempos for kindly contacting us with his excellent suggestion. (12 March 2006)]

RE: TAXIARCHIS OF LESVOS (http://www.helleniccomserve.com/taxiarchis.html)

I would like to thank Christos and Mary Papoutsy for publishing a wonderful article on the Hellenic Communication Service site (http://www.helleniccomserve.com/taxiarchis.html) about my blog. It is very kind of them especially because they give to all of us valuable information about the Saint. Thank you so much to both of you!--Manos (http://sainttaxiarchis.blogspot.com/)

RE: FYROM Must Join Greece in Name Compromise: No Historical Basis for "Republic of Macedonia"(http://www.helleniccomserve.com/fyromlomis.html)

Hello , this article about the name controversy of FYROM is a very interesting article. I was surprised to know that Kissinger would have said anything in the defense of Greece, as he only helped to make things difficult for Cyprus in 1974. It was very helpful to include the stamp as a physical image of the country's heritage. The compromise I was not in favor of, although I see the author's point. I have and still believe that it would be in the best interest of Greece noy yo allow the word "Macedonia" or a Slavic spelling thereof, to be used by another country to define their own heritage. And I believe that goes for . . .[naming] a province or county as well. It would be akin to naming Aroostook County [northern Maine] "Canadian County," to reflect the possible ethnic group we may think dominates that county. Of course I don't want to take away the true heritage of anyone that is Hellenic and living in Southern Yugoslavia. However, the country is Serb/Slav and NOT Greek. Greece should not allow it's heritage to be taken from them in one fell swoop or in small victories; remember it was the small victories that Stalin and Tito saw as the way to change the consciousness of the people and win the rights to the land. I do support the country reclaiming it's own true heritage, for the people mostly, and also for the government. This would heal the country, would help to build their heritage and history in the name of truth. And they could move into the future proudly, . . .[but] would need to accept the ethnic diversity in their land as any other country would.--Jeffrey S., Maine


RE: HCS Lodges Complaint with National Radio Broadcaster Paul Harvey over Remarks about Cyprus (http://www.helleniccomserve.com/cypruspaulharvey.html)

Bravo, Bravo ! I have tried to keep myself informed over the last couple of years on the issues of Cyprus and FYROM. Most of the current info available to us come[s] from either your wonderful, informative site or from the American Hellenic Institute. Oh, the Pan Macedonian site is very informative regarding the FYROM matter. I have been very disappointed with our current government's treatment of both issues, [but I'm] not really surprised, however, [since] this administration seems to care nothing about the actual people involved in these very serious matters or the Hellenic constituents. Your response to the Paul Harvey broadcast is outstanding. Let's see if he is made of the right metal. Will he stand up and apologize and attempt to set the record straight? I am not taking this matter lightly. I feel it is very serious and his comments are harmful in many ways, but let me end this e-mail with a small joke poked at Harvey, using his own famous line 'Now from the Hellenic Communication Services, that's the rest of the story.--Jeffrey S., Maine

RE: Caveat Emptor: World Stock Markets May Be Rising Again On the Back of 'Irrational Exuberance' (http://www.helleniccomserve.com/caveatemptor.html)

I read your wonderful article and agree with you in all respects. Since the late 1980's, successive Australian governments have encouraged workers to put their surplus money into superannuation investment accounts. . . .Many people . . . don't understand or have very little knowledge of how the stock market and financial investment systems work. All I can say is that some people who will invest their superannuation with these new financial companies may in the end lose everything.[Read entire response.] --Stavros Stavrides, Australia

RE: Caveat Emptor: World Stock Markets May Be Rising Again On the Back of 'Irrational Exuberance' (http://www.helleniccomserve.com/caveatemptor.html)

You are quite right in your article. But the situation seems to be the result of four things . . . . On top of that, the CEO's of corporations receive almost obscene salaraies and fringe benefits, which do not really reflect their achievements. I agree that CEO and top management should be well-paid, but look at the earnings in the financial community: those people were NOT worth their money. They have gambled away many a person's future, retirement, home and education.[Read entire response.]--Rudi Neumann, Austria

Our Thanks. . .

Many thanks to our readers for taking the time to send comments about the site--we appreciate it. To add your own remarks, simply fill out the guest book at the bottom of the home page of HCS at the URL: http://www.helleniccomserve.com. --the publishers