NEWS FROM THE CHURCH OF GREECE 

Archbishop Christodoulos on Roger Milliex

Great academic, intellectual and philhellene Roger Milliex passed away on Friday morning, in Athens, where he lived most of his life, aged 93. Archbishop Christodoulos, expressing his condolences has noted how important the philhellenism of great European writers and thinkers is for the Greeks. Roger Milliex was a noble man of letters, who loved Greece, understood our tradition and supported our culture.

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Archbishop Christodoulos Offers Condolences to Spanish Ambassador

The Archbishop of Athens and all Greece was quickly informed of the Valencia accident, and had offered prayers for the victims and their families.
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Former Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain Methodios passed away

Former Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain Methodios died on Friday 30 of June. Methodios Fouyias was born in 1925, in Korinthia. He studied Theology at the Athens Univ. and Philosophy at Manchester Univ. In 1970 he was appointed professor of Theology at the Edinburgh University.

Methodios Fouyias was ordained deacon in 1947 and priest in 1950. He served at Munich, Germany (1951 to 1954) , head secretary of the Alexandria Patriarchate (1954 to 1956), and in Adis Abeba (1958 to 1960) From to 1968 He was Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece (1966-1968) and he elected Metropolitan of Ethiopia. He was Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain from 1979 to 1988.

Methodios has written many books, among them: Steps in the course of the youth, Hellenism and Judaism, International dimension of Greek culture.

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NEWS, VIEWS AND REPORTS ACROSS THE WEB 

Garegin Facing Prosecution in Turkey for Urging Genocide Recognition
From Armenia Liberty, By Emil Danielyan

Turkish prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Catholicos Garegin II’s calls for Turkey to recognize the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, it emerged on Thursday.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church said the Armenian genocide is a fact that can not be disputed by the Turkish government and scholars. “For our people, the Genocide is not a matter for research – it is a reality of fact that happened, which must be recognized.”

The Turkish Cihan news agency reported that the prosecutor’s office in Istanbul believes that Garegin thereby “denigrated Turkishness” and are considering bringing relevant criminal charges against him. It said the inquiry was launched after a written complaint lodged by an association of Turkish nationalist lawyers. Members of the association were reportedly among a small number of people who staged daily protests last week against Garegin’s presence in Istanbul.

Garegin would be prosecuted, in absentia, under a highly controversial article of the Turkish criminal code that has already been applied against writer Orhan Pamuk and other prominent Turkish intellectuals who have questioned official Ankara’s vehement denial of the genocide. The European Union, which has condemned the high-profile case against Pamuk, is pushing for the abolition of the clause.

Garegin arrived in Turkey on June 20 at the invitation of the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and the spiritual leader of the local Armenian community, Patriarch Mesrob II.

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Serbian Church warns against Kosovo's independence

BELGRADE, June 28, 2006 - An influential leader of Serbia's Orthodox Church, Archbishop Amfilohije, said that Kosovo's independence would turn the Balkans into a "powder keg."

Archbishop Amfilohije was speaking on the anniversary of the 1389 Kosovo battle between Turkish occupiers and Serb troops. The battle came to symbolize Serbs' resolve not to give up Kosovo, the heartland of its statehood and religion.

"An independent Kosovo would turn the Balkans into a long-term powder keg," said Amfilohije. "The most optimal solution for Kosovo would be for it to remain within Serbia with the greatest possible autonomy and guarantees for human rights of all of its citizens," Amfilohije said.

Amfilohije, who is considered the spiritual leader of the influential Serbian Orthodox Church, said that Kosovo's independence would be "a historical precedent." He said that Kosovo's independence would result in the "purge and destruction" of the remaining Kosovo Serb minority and "their Christian heritage."

Meanwhile, top clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church held a memorial service at St. Marks church in Belgrade for thousands of Serbs killed in the 1389 Kosovo battle against the Turks, which the Serbs lost.

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"The Orthodox Church" Is Released in Spanish

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA – Over Forty years ago, Timothy Ware (now Bishop Kallistos Ware) wrote what has become the standard introduction to Orthodoxy, The Orthodox Church. Now, for the first time, the classic text will be published in Spanish as La Inglesia Ortodoxa by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and South America with permission of Penguin Books in London.

In this influential text, Bishop Kallistos explains the Orthodox views on such divergent topics as Ecumenical Councils, Sacraments, Free Will, Purgatory, The Papacy and the relation between the different Orthodox Churches.

The English version of La Inglesia Ortodoxa was first published in 1963. Frances Garcia translated the book into Spanish nine years ago. It is with great rejoicing that this excellent resource is made available to Spanish speaking Orthodox Christians worldwide with the hope that it will be embraced, studied and used as a source of growth.

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Ecumenical Conference of European Theological Institutions in Graz

Seventy-five participants from 23 European countries responded to the invitation of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Faculty of Theology of the University of Graz for a second Consultation of Theological Faculties in Europe on the theme "The challenges of Theology in a Pluralistic Europe". The meeting continued the work of the first Consultation, held in Graz in 2002.

The Consultation proposed the establishment of a permanent body, to be called the "Conference of Theological Formation, Faculties, and Colleges in Europe", based in Graz. A website is to be created to promote the work of the new body and to facilitate further dialogue. A planning committee will be soon be established to oversee the progress of the Consultation's proposals.

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