Halki School
School Library
Posted on 10/26/2006 12:56:16 PM PDT by siunevada
ROME (CNS) -- Global interest in Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming trip to Turkey has focused on relations with Muslims, especially after the pope's recent remarks on Islam and the controversy that followed.
But the Nov. 28-Dec. 1 visit also will highlight the tiny but historic Greek Orthodox community in Turkey and its struggle for religious freedom.
In fact, it was Istanbul-based Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who first invited the pope to visit as a demonstration of ongoing dialogue between the Christians of East and West -- an aspect overshadowed by the latest controversy with Islam.
In an apparent desire to put ecumenical relations and Christian issues back on the map, Patriarch Bartholomew recently held meetings with reporters, outlining his expectations for the papal trip.
"We are awaiting the pope's visit with fraternal love and great anticipation. It will be very important for our country and for Catholic-Orthodox relations," the patriarch said in late September.
The tentative papal program includes several events hosted by the ecumenical patriarchate: vespers, a Divine Liturgy, private talks between the pope and the patriarch, and the signing of a joint ecumenical declaration.
In these and other encounters, the Orthodox are hoping the pope will raise the profile of their minority church in Turkey and provide public support for their religious rights.
"The pope always underlines the principles of religious freedom and human rights ... which are valid principles for democratic societies. So I think the pope in his sermon here will speak not only in favor of Catholics but in favor of all religious minorities," Patriarch Bartholomew said.
The ecumenical patriarch holds a place of special honor among the world's Orthodox leaders. His flock in Turkey, however, numbers only about 5,000 ethnic Greeks today, following a long exodus of Greek Christians over the last century. In 1923, when the modern Turkish state was founded, the country had an estimated 180,000 Greek Orthodox.
The patriarch could pack up and move to Greece, but he has remained, noting that the patriarchate has been located in Constantinople -- the traditional name for Istanbul -- since the fourth century. In fact, over the last decade Patriarch Bartholomew has been rebuilding his church's headquarters in the Phanar district of Istanbul and expanding its activities.
But the future of the Orthodox Church in Turkey is clouded by a number of government policies. For one thing, the ecumenical patriarch must be a Turkish citizen, a requirement that Patriarch Bartholomew has tried unsuccessfully to have modified. The Orthodox want to be able to elect a leader from the church's wider membership, in countries ranging from South Korea to the United States.
Perhaps the most visible church-state issue in Turkey is the patriarchate's attempts to reopen its seminary on the Turkish island of Heybeli -- better known among the Orthodox by its Greek name, Halki. The Halki school was renowned for centuries as an institute of learning, but was closed by the government in 1971 as part of a general decree against private religious colleges.
Today, the seminary's classrooms are empty and its hallways are silent, except for the echoing footsteps of three monks assigned to maintain the premises.
"In closing this school, the government of Turkey has acted against the principles of religious freedom and human rights," Patriarch Bartholomew said.
"The ecumenical patriarchate is the first see in the Orthodox world, and yet it is the only independent Orthodox church that has no theological school to prepare its theologians and its clerics. For us, this is unacceptable; it's an injustice," the patriarch said.
Despite pressure from the European Union and past U.S. administrations, the Turkish government has given no sign of relenting on the closure of the Halki school.
One of the clerics who stays at Halki, Deacon Dorotheus, gave reporters a tour of the vacant premises in late September. He gestured with pride at the library's shelves full of ancient books and manuscripts, which few if any students are able to use.
Deacon Dorotheus explained that, in his view, the academy's closure may have as much to do with Islam as with Christianity. He said those responsible for Turkey's internal security see private religious schools as a threat to the secular state.
"If permission is given for this school to reopen, some fanatics of Islam may want to open their own private religious schools. I hope I am mistaken, because if I am not mistaken we will have to wait another 35 years to reopen this school," Deacon Dorotheus said.
The patriarchate has had other properties, including a historic orphanage, confiscated by the state.
The Orthodox church has pinned most of its hopes for religious rights on the possible entry of Turkey into the European Union, which it believes will help give minority religions some political leverage.
"Regarding the problems for our community and for other religious minorities in Turkey, we nurture the hope that Turkey's 'European process' will resolve them one after another," Patriarch Bartholomew said.
"The members of the European Union are asking our country to respect these (religious) principles and rights, and I think a lay, democratic state like Turkey should respect and apply them," the patriarch said.
But so far, the Turkish government has shown little response to European pressure on the Orthodox church issues. And, in a development that worries the country's Christians, support for EU entry has plummeted in recent months among the Turkish population.
While the Orthodox expect Pope Benedict to defend religious freedom, the pope's own views on Turkish admission to the European Union complicate the issue. As a cardinal, he spoke out against Turkish entry, saying it did not make historical sense; since his election as pope, however, the Vatican has been careful to emphasize its neutrality on the question.
Even as the focus of the papal visit has shifted to Islam, Orthodox leaders say the Christian unity aspect of the trip remains crucial.
Deacon Ioakim, 34, who follows legal issues at the patriarchate, said the pope's presence will underline his church's ties with global Christianity. He said he expects the pope's words about the minority Christian community in Turkey to carry some weight.
"After all, he is not just any visitor. He is the head of the Roman Catholic Church," he said.
Let's hope, this visit makes it safer for Christianity in Turkey...but I'm not holding my breath.
I read an article last year about how the entire Middle East is de-Christianizing as Christians imigrate to avoid persecution.
I hope the Pope supports this school. In fact, I hope this will be a major bridge for everybody to cross over.
IMHO, our biggest problem now is not the devastation wrought by Vatican II (or its supposed "spirit"), but the separation between East and West. Resolve that and all the rest will fall into place.
Turks making life easier for Greeks living in Turkey? Doesn't seem very likely.
*LMAO How generous of you
ping
The last event of this year on which I wish to reflect here is the celebration of the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council 40 years ago. This memory prompts the question: What has been the result of the Council? Was it well received? What, in the acceptance of the Council, was good and what was inadequate or mistaken? What still remains to be done? No one can deny that in vast areas of the Church the implementation of the Council has been somewhat difficult, even without wishing to apply to what occurred in these years the description that St Basil, the great Doctor of the Church, made of the Church's situation after the Council of Nicea: he compares her situation to a naval battle in the darkness of the storm, saying among other things: "The raucous shouting of those who through disagreement rise up against one another, the incomprehensible chatter, the confused din of uninterrupted clamouring, has now filled almost the whole of the Church, falsifying through excess or failure the right doctrine of the faith..."
*Do you think turmoil follwing Councils is unique to our epoch? EVERY COUNCIL EVER HELD has been followed by turmoil, craziness, weirdness etc
BUT BLAMING AN Ecumenical COUNCIL. Show me in Tradition where that is acceptable. Vat Two was not the problem. Vat Two was the solution to innnumerable problems
"In 1923, when the modern Turkish state was founded, the country had an estimated 180,000 Greek Orthodox."
That was after 2,000,000 Greeks had been expelled in the "population exchange" of 1923 together with 550,000 massacred, and 1,700,000 as refugees into Greece and Russia between 1914 and 1922.
Don't count on much from the Turks when it comes to Orthodox Christians
In the meantime, the government in Turkey is in o position to make exceptions for the 5,000 Greeks and be accused of favoring a Christian minority over Muslims.
So, given this situation, things can only get worse for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. I foresee the return to Arabic script and veils in Turkey, as Islam, radicalized by recent stupid attempts to "democratize" the Middle East, only added fuel to an already burning fire.
Rather the world should listen to the words of Alija Izetbegovic, the former self-styled President of Bosnian Islamiya, who stated that there can be no peace between Muslim and non-Muslim societies. There can only be mutual exclusion. It's like water and oil. The only stable "solution" is when the two separate into distinct and homogeneous layers.
The Pope's visit will only be seen as catering to hated Christians. The Pope, with all his prestige and brotherly love will do but a token act of support, but everyone knows that even the Pope's prestige in Islamic world counts only to add fuel to the fire, and possibly give political ammunition to Islamic radicals that can further destabilize Turkey's artificial secualrism.
I doubt that there will really be much practical result from this, because as Kosta points out, Turkey is teetering on radicalization (as it has been for years and years). The Turkish government will most probably be playing to the Islamists.
However, it could be a good moment in the relationship between the churches.
I do hope for the best for the Christians living in Turkey and for its spiritual head, but with all the presures being placed on Turkey by the Islamists, it would not suprise me that the few remaining Christians in Turkey will end up having to leave because of this growing pressure.
"I foresee the return to Arabic script and veils in Turkey, as Islam, radicalized by recent stupid attempts to "democratize" the Middle East, only added fuel to an already burning fire."
Pre...cisely! Now what was it we were promised? Oh yeah, no more nation building. :(
School Library
Heck, even Europe and U.S. of A. are de-Christianizing. Please note the satanism around us hidden behind Halloween celebration.
As of ME, Betlehem is in Muslim hands today.
"IMHO, our biggest problem now is not the devastation wrought by Vatican II (or its supposed "spirit"), but the separation between East and West. Resolve that and all the rest will fall into place."
The problem is that while certain aspects of Vat II makes Catholicism more flexible in its relations with the Orthodox, the overwhelming effect of Vat II vis a vis us Orthodox has been to make reunion more impossible than it ever was.
I have often remarked that in my very Vatican II-ized city, if you were to ask Catholics which non-Catholic churches in town were most like them in faith and worship... I'm not sure we Orthodox would even make the top 10. I know that Catholic parishes would not be our first choice. The only Catholics who feel at home with us are the ones who don't particularly feel at home in our localCatholic parishes.
We are, for the record, a pretty middle-of-the road Orthodox parish -- nothing "hard-core."
"Pre...cisely! Now what was it we were promised? Oh yeah, no more nation building. :("
If W had kept that one promise, the world would be a different and better place. And the GOP wouldn't be fighting for its political life right now. When the first moves were made toward war in Iraq, I predicted that it would cost us Republicans the 2008 elections across the board. Little did I know that I was wrong... it is actually going to happen in 2006...
I think VaticanII has run its course, like an evil infection, and now the patient is on the mend. It was not a doctrinal council and in fact it wasn't expected to make any major changes in much of anything, but more or less restate things in more modern language and support already ongoing improvement efforts. These included things such as the attempt to improve the quality of celebration of the Mass, since many priests were sloppy about it, or the attempt to revive Gregorian and get rid of the sappy hymns which, even before Vatican II, had gotten themselves a niche in the Mass.
Most of the VatII generation is now fading away (since they were actually about a generation older than the baby boomers) and between the Pope and the new orthodox young priests we are getting, I think there will be a very different and genuinely restored Church before long.
The only good thing to come ouf of all the confusion, in my mind, is that there is more understanding of the varieties of worship and church structure. Many Byzantine rite Catholic churches, for example, were so appalled by the NO excesses that they became much more independent and rediscovered their liturgical tradition, which had been very corrupted by Western practices and the fact that they were often under the control of Latin rite bishops. Some people think that the Western Church will go to a system where both Latin rites (NO and Old Mass) are established as separate rites with all the privileges that go with that, although I don't think this will happen and I'm not sure it would be adviseable. But I think there is much more flexibility in internal Church governance than there was in the past, although of course this has been grossly abused by many NO folks, who regard themselves as a church separate from and better than the one that existed for the nearly 2000 years before 1965.
But in general, leaving aside abuses, I think this understanding is definitely going to help at the time of considering formal union of East and the West, if and when such a day comes.
*An Ecumenical Council is the gathering of the entire Church. According to you, that is an evil infection. Interesting...
The world is a very different place, A, thanks to W and some seriously challenged people who make up his team, some of whom in my opinion suffer from personality disorders.
The naïvete of the policy of changing the Muslim world into some western style democracies overnight is as stupid as it gets.
The real problem is that this "promise," stupid as it is, and undeliverable from the get-go, was a second thought to not finding the (in)famous WMDs.
I think the American people have finally realized that the team up there really has no clue about anything and need a reality check. Unfortunately, the party looking to take up a job is not much smarter.
Tanquerey, Manual of Dogmatic Theology Volume II
There has been some discussion as to whether the episcopate is an order fully distinct from the priesthood or an extension of, and a compliment to, the priesthood; whether the episcopal character of itself embraces only strictly episcopal power…or rather includes also the entire priestly power…in such a way that if a deacon should receive episcopal consecration he would become at the same time a priest and a bishop. Many theologians assert that the episcopal character embraces only strictly episcopal power; so no bishop can be validly consecrated unless he is first a priest.
*Come Vatican Two, which, as Fr Comgar notes....
The only passage of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church that could be considered a truly dogmatic declaration is the one that concerns the sacramentality of the episcopate (LG III, n. 21): in fact, it settles a question that until now had been freely disputed by theologians. At the same time it is proposed as a teaching on the same level with the others, without the use of the emphatic, repeated and solemn formulas that normally introduce a ‘definition.’… The manner of expressing it is not that of a dogmatic definition, but the matter is so important, the place it occupies in the doctrine of the episcopate so decisive, that one can hardly see how on this point the council has not issued a definitive judgment… On so many other points… one might dare to say that by a unanimous act of the extraordinary Magisterium the council has proposed the common doctrine of the ordinary, universal magisterium. This is not the same as a ‘definition,’ but it does suffice for the doctrine thus proposed to be binding as teaching on which the Catholic Magisterium is in unanimous agreement.
Lumen Gentium 21
21. In the bishops, therefore, for whom priests are assistants, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Supreme High Priest, is present in the midst of those who believe. For sitting at the right hand of God the Father, He is not absent from the gathering of His high priests,(17*) but above all through their excellent service He is preaching the word of God to all nations, and constantly administering the sacraments of faith to those who believe, by their paternal functioning(150) He incorporates new members in His Body by a heavenly regeneration, and finally by their wisdom and prudence He directs and guides the People of the New Testament in their pilgrimage toward eternal happiness. These pastors, chosen to shepherd the Lord's flock of the elect, are servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God,(151) to whom has been assigned the bearing of witness to the Gospel of the grace of God,(152) and the ministration of the Spirit and of justice in glory.(153)
For the discharging of such great duties, the apostles were enriched by Christ with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming upon them,(154) and they passed on this spiritual gift to their helpers by the imposition of hands,(155) and it has been transmitted down to us in episcopal consecration.(18*) And the Sacred Council teaches that by episcopal consecration the fullness of the sacrament of Orders is conferred, that fullness of power, namely, which both in the Church's liturgical practice and in the language of the Fathers of the Church is called the high priesthood, the supreme power of the sacred ministry.(19*) But episcopal consecration, together with the office of sanctifying, also confers the office of teaching and of governing, which, however, of its very nature, can be exercised only in hierarchical communion with the head and the members of the college. For from the tradition, which is expressed especially in liturgical rites and in the practice of both the Church of the East and of the West, it is clear that, by means of the imposition of hands and the words of consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is so conferred,(20*) and the sacred character so impressed,(21*) that bishops in an eminent and visible way sustain the roles of Christ Himself as Teacher, Shepherd and High Priest, and that they act in His person.(22*) Therefore it pertains to the bishops to admit newly elected members into the episcopal body by means of the sacrament of Orders
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And the Sacred Council Teaches...
*So, what was an open question prior to the Second Vatican Council is no longer open to question. It is settled.
So, do you think the Second Vatican Council can just be blown away or called an evil infection?
He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.
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