http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/08/albanian-officials-order-seizure-of.html
On August 16th, the day after the
feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, government officials in Permet,
Albania violently seized and looted the Church of the Entrance of the
Theotokos into the Temple, and prevented worshipers from entering.
The church has existed there
since the early 17th century. In the 1960's communists turned the church
into a cultural center. The Supreme Court of Albania ruled in 1996 that
the building belongs to the Orthodox Church, and liturgical services
resumed and have continued there since.
Yesterday, from the Cathedral of
the Resurrection in Tirana, Archbishop Anastasios was particularly
critical of what happened in Permet. Among other things, he said: "We
are reliving the nightmare of 1967 when the communist party thought they
could uproot forever the religious faith of the Albanian people," and
he added, "We cannot allow the desecration of our churches in the 21st
century, in this Europe of freedom and human rights." Archbishop
Anastasios also made the following comment: "If one of us Orthodox took a
Koran from a Mosque and threw it on a truck, would there not would be a
revolution? Justifiably! But then they say to us why are we
complaining? Of course we are protesting." The Archbishop also stated:
"We do not know the details of who is behind this, but it is a great
insult." And he wondered: "Who are those who want to bring us back in
time?" (The video of this sermon can be seen here.)
A Greek report on what happened can be seen here.
Metropolitan Kosmas of Aitolia calls this "an insult to Orthodoxy and
Greece," in an effort to encourage Greece to get involved in this issue.
Below are videos of what took place together with an official declaration by the Orthodox clergy and photos.
OFFICIAL DECLARATION
From the Clergy of the Holy Metropolis of Gjirokaster
Today in Permet the Orthodox Community
witnessed the most brutal violation of the very notion of democracy or
human rights; in particular the right to religious freedom as sanctioned
by the Constitution, as well as violation of the most basic conditions
that must be guaranteed within the framework of a state that ensures
equal rights.
This morning, Friday, August 16,
2013, while all the Orthodox Community continued to observe the great
feastday, the Dormition of the All-holy Virgin Mary – often called “the
Summer Pascha”, paramilitary groups (with the aid of municipal employees
and the silent support of municipal authorities) inflicted many forms
of violence on the clergy and faithful of Permet, on the pretext that
they were responding to a judicial issue.
Our entire Church stands behind
the faithful of the “Entrance of the All-holy Virgin Mary into the
Temple” parish in protest today because:
- the clergy of this city were beaten barbarically.
- the faithful were violently prevented from entering their church in order to carry out the duties of their faith.
- many church articles were
stolen on the pretext of executing a judicial decision which had not
been implemented in the proscribed time frame.
- grave sacrileges were
committed as those who forcefully entered the church handled sacred
church items (icons, sacred vessels used for worship, etc).
Those in power that speculate
different legal procedures in fact aim at the violent removal of the
faithful from their place of worship. The State, on the other hand, has
ratified the Agreement between the Council of Ministers and the Orthodox
Autocephalous Church of Albania with specific laws, where particular
priority is given to securing the freedom of the Church to use its holy
places for worship purposes.
We raise our voices in protest
and at the same time declare that we are determined to continue our
efforts, with whatever means and methods possible, that our right to the
property and free use of the parish church, “Entrance of the All-holy
Virgin Mary into the Temple”, be completely secured.
These dark forces which have
committed today’s violent acts are without any control of a state of law
and the spirit of tolerance and social cohesion. We demand that they
receive the rightful punishment set forth by the Law.
No comments:
Post a Comment