NEWS 

Danger of Turkization of Europe Feared Archbishop

Church’s Hostel for Women Victims of Trafficking

The Church on Migration

Catalonia pays for Athos fix-up

Pope Honors Hans Urs von Balthasar

The challenges of theology in a pluralistic Europe

Orthodox bishop says Vatican assembly confirms Orthodox traditional values


REPORT 

IS THERE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN TURKEY?
By Otmar Oehring



NEWS 

Danger of Turkization of Europe Feared Archbishop

Once again Archbishop Christodoulos sided against Turkey’s accession in the European Union and asked for the acknowledgement of the Genocide of the Greeks of Asia Minor.

During the unveiling of the statue of the late Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Smyrna, the Archbishop made mention of, among other things, that we must not believe that Turkey will become European but should be concerned that Europe could become Turkish.

Besides, during the consecration of Paul, the new Metropolitan of Drama, Archbishop Christodoulos spoke about the unjustified struggle of the Hellenes of Pontus (Asia Minor) and about the stigma of the Turkish perpetrators which, as he said, cannot be erased. He also asked for the acknowledgement of the Genocide of the Greeks from Pontos (Asia Minor).

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Church’s Hostel for Women Victims of Trafficking

The new hostel for abused women which will be housed in a building of "SOLIDARITY" of the Church of Greece, was inaugurated and given the name “Affection”.

During his address, the CEO of "SOLIDARITY", Mr Dimitris Fourlemadis, defined the work as an act of the love and social solidarity of the Church, which would assist the victims of trafficking. He noted also, that the hostel is the fruit of the good relations between Church and State, as both the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health contirbuted to its realization, and it was equipped using items from the Olympic Games.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Evripides Stylianides extolled the activities of "SOLIDARITY" abroad, as "together we carry out humanistic dilpomacy abroad and this is most significant and remunerative for our national interests".

On her behalf Mrs Gianna Despotopoulou, General Secretary of Social Solidarity of the Ministry of Health, noted that the hostel is an expression of the love of the Church for the benefit of the non-privileged members of society.

In closing, His Beatitude Christodoulos stressed that the concern of the Church for every person constitutes the worth of our existence. He extolled the very remunerative co-operation between Church and State in these activities, a fact which will lead also to future similar initiatives.

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The Church on Migration

Archbishop Christodoulos expressed the position of the Church regarding migration while speaking at the 2nd Annual Conference of the Institute for Migration Policy, which took place in Athens (10 & 11/10/2005).

He noted that the “cultural and social inclusion of immigrants can only be completed within the framework of local society: the neighbourhood, the parish, the school, the village square, the village market, daily association. And at this point, the Church, the most decentralized institution of Greek society, the institution which continues to be represented even in the most far-flung areas…wants to and can contribute substantially to the smooth, creative and impartial inclusion of our immigrant brothers in Christ”.

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Catalonia pays for Athos fix-up

Exactly 700 years after a band of Catalan mercenaries rampaged through Mount Athos, a ceremony was held yesterday at one of the holy site’s monasteries to mark a major restoration project which was funded by the local government in Catalonia.

The Vatopedi monastery held a low-key ceremony to mark the end of two years of restoration work which, according to some reports, cost more than 200,000 euros. The money was put up by the Catalan administration as a goodwill gesture after it became aware that mercenaries known as Almogavers had ransacked one the holiest sites in Christian Orthodoxy in 1305, the monastery’ s Father Arsenios told Kathimerini.

The Almogavers had been hired by the Byzantine Empire to help in the fight against the Ottoman Turks. They fell out with their paymasters when their leader was thought to have been assassinated by killers hired by the Byzantine rulers.

Thousands of Byzantine documents and icons are housed in the monastery’s vestry, which was the focus of the restoration work and will be turned into a museum.

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Pope Honors Hans Urs von Balthasar

Pope Benedict XVI has paid tribute to his friend, the late theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, in a statement released on October 7. The Pope's statement is addressed to participants in a seminar being held at the Pontifical Lateran University. The seminar, marking the 100th anniversary of the Swiss theologian's birth, is centered on a theme from von Balthasar's work: "Only love is credible."

In his message the Pope recalling Henri de Lubac's claim that the Swiss theologian was "the most cultured man of our century." And He says “Hans Urs von Balthasar was a theologian who put his research at the service of the Church, as he was convinced that only theology could be characterized by the ecclesial.”

The Pope Benedict added: “Reflecting specifically on this aspect, he wrote: "Does scientific theology only begin with Peter Lombard? And, yet, is there someone who has spoken of Christianity in a more appropriate way than Cyril of Jerusalem, than Origen in his homilies, than Gregory of Nazianzus, and than the master of theological reverence, the Areopagite? Who would dare to reproach anything to any of the Fathers? Then it was known what the theological style was, the natural unity both in the attitude of faith and the scientific attitude as in objectivity and reverence. While theology was the work of saints, it was a praying theology. This is the reason why its fruits of prayer, its fecundity for prayer and its power to generate it are so disproportionately great”.

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The challenges of theology in a pluralistic Europe

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Catholic Theological Faculty of the Karl-Franzens-University of Graz, Austria, have announced the convening of the Second Consultation of the Theological Faculties in Europe. The consultation will be held in Graz, from 6-9 July 2006, on the theme "The challenges of theology in a pluralistic Europe".

Theological studies and continuing education are burning issues with regard to the complex process of European integration, and not least in the perspective of the so called "Bologna process" (whose purpose is to harmonise academic degrees and quality assurance standards throughout Europe).

The invitation for the 2006 meeting, underlines the necessity and value of stronger cooperation among theological faculties, colleges, and institutions across national and confessional lines. Student and teacher exchanges, and the integration of ecumenical learning into theological education are indispensable for the future of Europe's churches.

The July 2006 Consultation will be centered around the following sub-themes:

- core values for theological faculties in Europe in responding to evolving needs of churches and society;

- challenges of the "Bologna Process" for the theological faculties and churches in Europe;

- the development of a network of theological faculties in Europe, with the proposal to create an "Ecumenical Conference of European Theological Faculties and Educational Institutions".

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Orthodox bishop says Vatican assembly confirms Orthodox traditional values

ROME (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Orthodox Church considers current discussions at the Catholic Synod of Bishops assembly in the Vatican to confirm the Orthodox Church's traditional values, a Russian bishop said. The assembly is focusing on the theme "the Eucharist, source and summit of the life and mission of the Church".

Bishop Mark Yegorevsky, deputy head of external relations for the Moscow Patriarch, who is leading a Russian Orthodox Church delegation to the Vatican, said decisions made by Catholic leaders over liturgical issues would ultimately result in a return to traditions.

Bishop Mark said changes made 40 years ago had substantially relaxed access to Catholic communion. "The aim of the Catholic Church to adapt to the modern world, to make Christianity more understandable and 'easy' for the world has had serious negative consequences," he said.

According to Bishop Mark, this situation has also caused a reverse reactionary process, geared towards returning to the same traditions the Orthodox Church has faithfully observed. "We view this process as a confirmation of the correctness of our own experience and the importance of maintaining our traditions," the bishop said.

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REPORT 

IS THERE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN TURKEY?
By Otmar Oehring

The European Union (EU) must make full religious freedom for all a core demand in the EU membership negotiations with Turkey which have just begun, argues Otmar Oehring, head of the human rights office of the German Catholic charity Missio. Here are some extracts from this highly important report.

Go to any mosque or church in Turkey and you will see people worshipping. So clearly some religious freedom exists. Yet serious problems persist. Religious communities are not allowed to organise themselves as they choose. As soon as a religious community wants to organise itself, problems arise. This holds just as much for Muslims as for communities of other faiths.

Although many Turks dislike the term "State Islam", it has to be stated that Islam is organised by the state. Sunnis who consider this an unacceptable innovation are not allowed to organise. Although Sufi orders exist, some even with a vast membership, they have been officially forbidden banned since the 1920s.

The main problem religious communities identify is their lack of legal status as religious communities. Religious meetings and services without authorisation remain illegal, though it remains unclear in law what constitutes legal and illegal worship. The Ottoman millet system recognised some religious minorities and the 1923 Lausanne Treaty spoke vaguely of religious minority rights without naming them, but the Turkish authorities interpret this to exclude communities such as the Roman Catholics, Syriac Orthodox and Lutherans, even though these communities have found ways to function.

The Law on Associations - adopted by Parliament in October 2004 - does not allow the founding of associations with a religious purpose, so founding a religious discussion group or even a religious freedom group is impossible, even if some religious communities do try to register as associations. Some Sufi orders and new Islamic movements have registered as businesses, even with religious names.

Religious education remains tightly controlled. It is generally impossible to found higher education establishments for Muslims, Christians and others. The Armenian Apostolic and the Greek Orthodox seminaries were closed down in the 1970s and the government has resisted all attempts to reopen them. Protestants cannot normally establish Bible colleges.

The Law on Construction - which came into force into July 2003 - makes it possible to "establish" places of worship. But the law - probably deliberately - does not define if this means "build", "rent" or "buy". Protestant churches face problems trying to build. Any community wishing to build a place of worship officially can do so in an area with a minimum number of adherents of their faith - but the state decides if the community has enough members to get the land it needs. There is no authoritative definition of how the law should be interpreted. The Justice Minister said recently that religious communities intending to establish a place of worship should apply, but how can religious communities apply if officially they cannot exist?

Some religious communities can officially invite foreign religious workers. The Catholics can under the 1923 Lausanne Treaty invite foreign priests up to a certain number, though even then the government makes this difficult, asking why the Church needs so many priests when there are so few Catholics. It is more difficult for Protestant communities, as officially they do not exist as religious communities.

All religious communities are under state surveillance, with religious minorities facing the closest scrutiny. Christian leaders know they are listened in to and their telephones are tapped. The Ecumenical Patriarch states that "walls have ears," even when speaking within his own Patriarchate in the Fener district of Istanbul. Police visit individual Christian churches to ask who attends, which foreigners have visited, what they discussed. They are particularly interested in which Turkish citizens attend.

One former Interior Minister stated that Christians should only conduct missionary activity among such people of Christian descent. He estimated the numbers of such people at between 800,000 and three million people.

You have to be very courageous to set up a Protestant church in remote areas, as pastor Ahmet Guvener found in Diyarbakir. Problems can come from neighbours and from the authorities. Even if not working hand in hand, neighbours and officials share the same hostility. They cannot understand why anyone would convert to Christianity. People are not upset seeing old Christian churches - Syriac Orthodox and other Christian churches have always existed in Anatolia - but seeing a new Protestant church, even when housed in a shop or private flat, arouses hostility.

Officials vary in their attitudes. The Kemalist bureaucracy follows Ataturk's secularist line and is against anything religious. There is a nationalist, chauvinistic wing of officialdom which believes that anything not Turkish is a threat to be countered. The security and intelligence services, including the powerful military, are both Kemalist and nationalist. Anyone considered not to be Turkish and not Sunni Muslim faces problems. Even Sunni Muslim Kurds are excluded, while Alevi Kurds are regarded as even worse.

It is very difficult to imagine that in the next decade or so Turkish society will change to allow full religious freedom. To take one example, for the change to be conceivable the chauvinistic content of primary and secondary school education - constant praise of Ataturk, Turkey and all things Turkish - will have to change. Unless this happens, it is very hard to imagine Turkey evolving into an open society that is truly ready to accept European Union (EU) human rights requirements. One non-religious illustration of the lack of openness in Turkish society is the near impossibility of free discussion of the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians and Assyrians in the last years of the Ottoman empire, along with continued official denial that the genocide took place.

Christian churches have welcomed the prospect of Turkish EU accession, often due to their own communities' experience and hopes. If negotiations last for more than a few years some improvements for religious minorities - including Islamic minorities - might be possible.

Foreign churches and religious communities should be talking to their own governments, to press them to promote religious freedom in Turkey. They will have to convince them they are not simply advocating greater rights for their co-religionists but truly advocate religious freedom for all in Turkey, including Muslims.

The big question remains: do the Turkish government and people have the will to allow full religious freedom for all? The Turkish media speculates that the current government might not be in favour of EU membership, but is merely using this as a way to introduce domestic developments to achieve Islamist aims. The suggestion put forward in the media is that, if democracy develops, the military will be prevented from mounting a coup and so there will no longer be any obstacle to Islamist aims.

Whether or not this media speculation reflects reality, all those who believe in religious freedom in Turkey - both within the country and abroad - must keep the issue on the domestic and international agenda - and be honest about the continuing obstructions to religious life of Turkey's Muslim, Christian and other religious communities. 

Dr Otmar Oehring, head of the human rights office at Missio , a Catholic mission based in the German city of Aachen, contributed this comment to Forum 18 News Service.

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