26 May 2003
NEWS
New Metropolitans in Greece
The Holy Synod elected as Metropolitan of Serres and Nigrita Mr Theologos, and Metropolitan of Zichne and Nevrokopi Mr Ierotheos.
Mr Theologos was till now the First Secretary of the Synod. So, after his election as a Metropolitan, the Hierarchy appointed to the vacant post the Archimandrite Chrysostom Sklithras.
Vatican doubt over Turkey EU bid
Just over a month before Italy takes over the presidency of the European Union, two senior figures in the Vatican have publicly questioned the suitability of Turkey for eventual EU membership.
The foreign secretary of the papal state, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera there should be geographical limits to the EU.
He also called for an emphasis on sharing what he called the heritage of European values.
As work on the future European constitution advances, the Vatican has been placing heavy emphasis on the EU's Christian roots.
It has had some success in that the draft agrees that the status given by national legislations to churches and religious associations, and relations with them, should be respected.
"I hope all that will be confirmed in the final version," Archbishop Tauran told Corriere della Sera.
But the Roman Catholic Church is less happy with the preamble, where it wants to see reference to "religious, and specially Christian, heritage" in the basic text.
"Even the more general mention of 'religious heritage' would not be enough," he said.
Another senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, said the EU had been posed an extremely delicate problem by the application from Turkey, which he described as a deeply Muslim country with a fast-growing population.
Cardinal Ruini, who is head of the Conference of Italian Bishops, did however say that admitting Turkey to the EU would improve the lot of its small Christian minority.
Source: BBC
Related: Please read the Archbishop Christodoulos' address to the Conference "European Principles and Values" on http://www.ecclesia.gr/English/archbishop/speeches/europe_church.html
Vatican Turning over Church to Bulgarian Orthodox
The Vatican is turning over the church of St. Vincent and St. Anastasius, near the Trevi fountain in Rome to Bulgarian Orthodox believers in an elaborate ceremony on Saturday, the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Bulgaria.
The Pope made the offer to Patriarch Maxim of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church during his apostolic visit to Bulgaria last year.
A mobile iconostasis, which permits the Eastern liturgy to be celebrated, has been installed in the church. Construction has also been done in order to facilitate the development of catechesis activities for the Bulgarian Orthodox faithful.
A delegation of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church,
composed of nine members, is visiting Rome for the purpose from May 22.
European Union Must Not Be Limited to Economic Factors Alone
A recent congress, organized to study relations between Catholicism and European literature, warns that the construction of the European Union must not neglect its spiritual, cultural and artistic roots.
The congress entitled "Catholicism and 20th Century Literature. A Bridge
Between East and West," cautions against a construction of the European
Union limited to economic criteria alone, since the literature of the
Eastern countries has proven itself as a factor of unity toward the continent
and the world.
"In 2004, seven European countries will become part of the European
Union, countries that belong to what Olivier Clement called the 'Third
Europe,' between Russia and the Western countries," Andrea Monda, the
organizer and moderator of the meeting, explained to ZENIT agency.
"It seemed opportune for us to pay attention to these countries because,
as the Holy Father often stresses, the construction of the European
Union cannot be done strictly on the economic factor," Andrea said. "In
fact, the spiritual, cultural, and artistic roots of Europe must be
re-established."
Andrea Monda emphasized, "art, religiosity, and culture are
dimensions that go hand in hand. To forget that Europe was already
united in the Middle Ages by the same Christian faith means to risk not
creating a real union, but only to partially resolve market problems. These are partial resolutions that do not unify Europe."
"For these reasons, we have opted to look at the literature of this
third Europe, including great Russia. This part of Europe has given us
very great authors, even in the 20th century, such a tragic century.
The different speakers have tried to show how in these situations of division and opposition, the artists maintained contact with Europe and the world," he added.
"The present tendency in Europe is to disregard God, without realizing
that by so doing, man is also disregarded," Andrea Monda warned.
