DIFFERENT APPROACH TO ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS

GREEK HELSINKI MONITOR

(Greek National Committee of the International Helsinki Federation)

& MINORITY RIGHTS GROUP - GREECE

(Greek Affiliate of Minority Rights Group International)

P.O. Box 51393, GR-14510 Kifisia, Greece; tel. 30-1-620.01.20; fax: 30-1-807.57.67;

e-mail: office@greekhelsinki.gr      http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/

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PRESS RELEASE

 

7/5/1998

 

TOPIC: A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS

 

The cooperating organizations Greek Helsinki Monitor and Minority Rights Group - Greece consider it necessary to express their concern and draw the attention of the competent state officials to the potential consequences related to human rights and fundamental freedoms which may occur after the election of Mr. Christodoulos as Archbishop of Athens. In his public speeches and numerous articles in the press the new Archbishop has repeatedly expressed views which are contrary to the principles of respect for religious freedom and tolerance towards diversity.

 

We want to emphasize that, in contrast to the impression which most of the mass media have created, Mr. Christodoulos’ views show extreme conservatism which is reactionary in spirit. In particular, his sharp opposition to the separation between Church and State and his persistent support for the current state of relations between these two institutions is a permanent source of discrimination against citizens who share minority religious beliefs. All the above suggests that the new Archbishop will oppose to any reformist effort concerning the protection of religious freedom.

 

His intention to oppose to such efforts was made clear on 3/5/1998 in his declarations to the local authorities and media of Magnisia. There he explicitly states that he “will proceed with the dynamic confrontation,” that he “will look for the help of the people” and that he “will raise barriers” in front of those who - in his opinion - try to push Orthodoxy to the margin. To the proposition submitted by 52 PASOK MPs and one New Democracy MP, according to which there should be no religious oath for the MPs, he reacted with a violent anti-European rhetoric. Mr. Christodoulos’ claim that anyone who tries to turn the country into a secular state “commits a crime against the history of the people and this should not be allowed to happen” proves that his declarations are inflammatory.

 

His recent statements of support for the continuation of the practice of penal prosecutions against religious minorities through the Law on Proselytism are quite disturbing. On the other hand his persistence related to the compulsory registration of one’s religion on their IDs proves that his attitude towards a serious matter with impact on the freedom of religious conscience is negative. A staunch supporter of religious teaching in school, he has falsely claimed that a similar system of “catechism” (i.e. religious teaching which excludes the objective approach towards the non-Orthodox religions) exists in most of the EU countries. This was followed by a detailed disclaimer from a Constitutional Law Professor, a specialist on the issue. In addition, his recent intervention in the affairs of a school in Volos related to compulsory confession of students during school hours - which has been denounced by our organizations - is quite impressive.

 

His intolerance towards Conscientious Objectors (COs) is even more pronounced. He said - in a public speech to the lawyers and judges of Magnissia on 4/10/95 - that COs “do not respect the moral values and the needs of the country,” that “they endanger the security of the country” and that the state should confront them “in an adamant way.” In an article in the Sunday newspaper To Vima (8/6/97) he misinforms the public by claiming that conscientious objection has nowhere been recognized as an individual constitutional right on the legal level. This was again followed by a written answer from another Constitutional Law Professor who had been scientifically involved in this issue. The Archbishop quotes some French psychiatrists in the same article. These psychiatrists’ view that  “COs need cutting of lobe” is unacceptable.

 

In general, Christodoulos’ articles express such an ethnocentric ideology which gives legitimacy to the practices and rhetoric of para-ecclesiastic organizations with extreme right wing goals (e.g. his opposition to the Schengen Agreement because of “666”).

 

When it comes to the dispute between Greece and Turkey about the Imia islands he adopts the most extreme nationalistic approach and expresses the view that the avoidance of national defeat is more important than the pursuit of peace.

 

In any case, the Archbishop’s future deeds will be the only ones to confirm or contradict the concern of our organizations. Keeping in mind the forthcoming revision of the Constitution, we appeal to the government and the political parties to take every necessary initiative for the drawing of a clear separation border between Church and State. Consequently - without ignoring the traditions of this country - we support the idea to turn Greece into a secular state like the ones which one can see in the rest of the EU countries, where we want to belong.