The National Herald
ab
VOL. 9, ISSUE 449
A WEEKLY GREEK AMERICAN PUBLICATION MAY 20, 2006
Avramopoulos Promotes
Medical Collaboration
By Liana Sideri
Special to the National Herald
NEW YORK - “The unknown is never very far from
knowledge,” was Greek Health
Minister Demetris Avramopoulos' closing remark at this year's
annual Hellenic Medical Society
of New York Symposium, organized in memory of the late Dr.
George N. Papanicolaou at New
York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill
Cornell Medical College last
Thursday, May 11.
The symposium was also cosponsored by the Federation of
Hellenic Societies of Greater
New York and the Pan-Evoikos
Society (Dr. Papanicolaou was
born in the town of Kymi in
Evia).
Mr.
Avramopoulos
announced his ministry's annual
contribution of $50,000 to the
HMS scholarship fund.
Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr.,
Dean of Weill Cornell Medical
www.thenationalherald.com
$1.00 - GREECE: 1.75 Euro
Getty Museum to Return Antiquities to Greece
New Director Agrees to
Recommend Returning
At Least Four Items
College, offered his welcoming
remarks and expressed his reverence toward Dr. Papanicolaou,
who invented the famous screening test bearing his name (i.e.,
the Pap test), which helps detects malignant and pre-malignant changes in the cervix, a
method which continues to save
thousands of women's lives daily. On behalf of Weill Cornell
Medical College, Dr. Gotto
matched the Greek Government's contribution to the HMS
scholarship fund with another
$50,000, and he reminded the
audience that, as of 2005, Cornell's graduating medical students have been using the modified version of the Hippocratic
Oath during their commencement exercises.
Mr. Avramopoulos stressed
the need to advance the level of
scientific research in Greece's
healthcare sector and proposed
By Zoe Tsine
Special to The National Herald
Continued on Page 6
Archbishop: Da Vinci Code
Is Just a “Detective Story”
By Theodore Kalmoukos
Special to The National Herald
BOSTON - In an interview with
the National Herald, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of
America offered an analysis of
Dan Brown's controversial bestseller, “The Da Vinci Code,” from
both scientific and theological
standpoints, on the occasion of the
upcoming release of a Hollywood
film based on the novel.
The book's main claim is that
Christ was married to, and had
Capt. Tsakos
Honored by
Maritime
Association
By Liana Sideri
Special to the National Herald
NEW YORK - The Maritime
Association of New York & New
Jersey honored Greek ship owner
and humanitarian Captain Panagiotis Tsakos with its 2006 Hall of
Fame Award during the Association's 13th annual banquet at the
United Nations Delegates Dining
Room last week.
Captain Tsakos, founder of the
Tsakos Shipping & Trade SA, was
one among six men in the shipping
industry to be presented with this
year's award. The other five were:
Thomas W. Gleason, Peter I.
Keller, John Meredith, Robert D.
Somerville and Gary P. LaGrange.
The ceremony, held on May 10,
was attended by Greek Health
Minister Demetris Avramopoulos,
Council of Hellenes Abroad
World President Andrew Athens
and several of Captain Tsakos'
family members, colleagues, attorneys and other guests.
“At first I thought it was a mistake,” Captain Tsakos said upon
receiving his honorary award, referring to his initial nomination for
the award. “Afterwards, I thought
it was a Chian event I was invited
to attend before I finally realized it
was the prestigious New York &
New Jersey Maritime Association
that organized it. I feel privileged
to be here tonight among the other
distinguished honorees, and I'm
proud that I'm part of such a great
internationally recognized organization.”
Captain Tsakos entertained
Continued on Page 2
*052006*
children with, Mary Magdalene.
The Archbishop has delved extensively into Christian texts and
original sources throughout his
academic career. He taught at
Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, as well as at the Holy Cross
Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and is widely considered a
biblical and hermeneutical theologian of world-class caliber.
Mr. Brown's book is a novel,
the Archbishop told the Herald.
“It is a detective story. Its writer
uses a well-known painting by
Leonardo Da Vinci, in which he
depicts the Last Supper, and interprets the person sitting on Christ's
right, who is supposed to be John
the Evangelist, but the writer
claims it is a female; hence, this
story was created,” His Eminence
said.
“Even though it is a novel - and
as such, it is fantasy, and one can
write whatever he wishes - it nevertheless touches upon issues that
have great importance and offend
basic dogmas of faith and, of
course, historical truth,” he added.
“The author claims Christ wasn't God from the beginning, but
that they managed to promote him
as a God through various schemes
of Constantine the Great in the
First Ecumenical Council of 325.
This is a huge distortion and historical violation because, already
Continued on Page 5
EUROKINISSI
Meeting more regularly these days
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, left, greets Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as
Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni looks on during a 45-minute meeting on the sidelines of the E.U. Summit
with Latin American and Caribbean countries in Vienna last week. The meeting focused on economic and
business issues. See story on page 9.
Continued on Page 9
Greek Mythology Accessible to Kids Phil Angelides
By Liana Sideri
Special to the National Herald
NEW YORK - How would you
feel if you were 7 years old and
greeted by the mighty voice of the
Olympian Zeus, welcoming you
when you get home? And what if
you could, in fact, become Zeus
momentarily and enjoy the king of
the Ancient Greek god's mighty
powers?
It is precisely such an experience which is soon to become virtual reality at the Children's Museum of Manhattan, where children
between the ages of 6 and 10 will
be active participants in the re-cre-
ation and rediscovery of Ancient
Greece. Children and their families will be able to visit an extraordinary interactive exhibition,
“Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece.” The project, currently under construction
at the Museum, is scheduled to
open in February 2007.
The thrill of Greek gods and
heroes is not necessarily part of
the average American school curriculum, especially in the public
sector. In general, American
school children tend to be less familiar with Greek mythology and
Greek culture than they once
were.
But this is about to change, as
school kids can now come closer to
the roots of Greek culture and
Western civilization through a
program which will also help them
gain a better understanding of the
contemporary world and its challenges.
The Children's Museum is
planning to house its new national
touring exhibition in a 4,000square-foot space, and it will be
based on five themes relevant to
Ancient Greece and its impact on
present-day life: the relationship
between the human and the di-
By Demetris Tsakas
Special to The National Herald
Corporal Steve Vahaviolos of Airmont in Rockland County, New York
is pictured above with his parents, Vassiliki and Costas, shortly before
leaving for his last assignment to Iraq. Corporal Vahaviolos was one of
four United States Marines killed in a military vehicle accident on
May 11.
Racks Up the
Endorsements
In Gov’s Race
and an employee of Bank of New
York, adding that her son was a
loving person who genuinely cared
about others.
“One of his dreams and passions was to serve in the military
and give everything to the country
where he was born and raised.
Steve was a sweet boy with a
unique personality. He not only
loved his parents, who brought
him into this world and raised him,
and his sister Panagiota, but the
entire world,” she said.
Corporal Vahaviolos was very
well liked both in Brooklyn, where
he spent his early years, and in Airmont, where the family moved 12
years ago, his mother said.
“We are proud because our son
is now in the hands of God,” Mrs.
Vahaviolos said, her voice trembling. “We don't know why he left
us so early, but we are sure that we
will meet him again some day. I
wish that all the children serving
our country and trying to reestablish peace and democracy in Iraq
will return safely to their homes,
their families and their mothers.”
Corporal Vahaviolos' body was
SACRAMENTO - The California League of Conservation
Voters (CLCV) announced that it
is endorsing State Treasurer Phil
Angelides' campaign for Governor, two days after Angelides debated his Democratic primary opponent Steve Westly in a CLCVsponsored debate in Los Angeles.
The CLCV endorsement required
a 2/3rd vote by its Board of Directors.
“State Treasurer Angelides has
a long and distinguished career of
being a leader on environmental
issues, and is certain to be one of
the most effective environmental
Governors this state has ever had,”
stated CLCV Executive Director
Susan Smartt. “Phil Angelides has
introduced innovative ways to invest billions of dollars to develop
renewable energy, cutting edge environmental technologies, reduce
our dependence on petroleum,
protect our coast, and encourage
economic progress in California's
inner cities,” she added.
Angelides expressed gratitude
and appreciation for CLCV's support: “I am honored to receive the
endorsement of CLCV, and I am
proud to be counted on as someone who will stand up for environmental protection,” he said. “I
have always put environmental
protection at the center of my
work. As Governor, I will fight every day to protect California's
coastline, work hard to protect our
forests and improve the quality of
the air we breathe and the water
we drink.”
CLCV joins the Sierra Club,
Vote The Coast and more than 70
prominent environmental leaders
supporting Angelides' campaign,
including Carlyle Hall and Robert
Garcia of the Center for Law in
the Public Interest, Susan Jordan
Continued on Page 8
Continued on Page 7
Continued on Page 7
Greek American Marine Dies in Tank Accident
NEW YORK - A Greek American marine, sent to Iraq only six
weeks ago, died last week during a
military vehicle accident.
Corporal Steve Vahaviolos, 21,
of Airmont in Rockland County,
New York drowned alongside
three more servicemen when their
attack tank flipped into a canal,
while on patrol in the Iraqi
Province of Anbar.
The United States Marine
Corps also identified Lance Corporal Jason K. Burnett, 20 (St.
Cloud, Florida), Lance Corporal
David J. Grames Sanchez, 22
(Fort Wayne, Indiana) and 2nd
Lieutenant Michael L. Licalzi, 24
(Garden City, New York) among
the deceased. All four servicemen
were assigned to the 2nd Tank
Battalion, 2nd Marine Division of
the II Marine Expeditionary Force
from Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina.
“My son died like a hero. That
soothes my pain for the premature
death of someone so young,” said
Corporal Vahaviolos' mother Vassiliki, a native of Tripolis, Greece
NEW YORK - The director of
the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los
Angeles has agreed to recommend
the return of some four ancient artifacts to Greece to its Board of
Directors, after a meeting between
the museum's new director,
Michael Brand, and Greek Culture Minister George Voulgarakis
in Athens this past Tuesday, May
16.
The announcement was made
in a joint statement, without specify how many and which artifacts
would be returned, however.
Greek authorities have named
four artifacts, which they allege
were illegally exported from the
country: a 2,500-year-old gold
Macedonian funerary wreath,
which is displayed in the catalogue
of the Getty's renovated facility in
Malibu; a funerary slab; a 6th Century BC marble statue of a woman's torso acquired by the Getty in
1993 for $5.2 million which, according to Mr. Brand, is also
claimed by Italy; and a votive relief, which was purchased by Museum Founder J. Paul Getty himself in 1955.
The Macedonian wreath was
uncovered in northern Greece by a
farmer in 1990, and was acquired
for the Getty in 1993 by former
Getty Curator Marion True, who
is currently on trial in Italy on
charges of illegal acquisition of
looted antiquities from Italian soil.
Greek authorities have also not
excluded the possibility of prosecuting Mrs. True.
A joint statement read to reporters by Mr. Brand on Tuesday
after the four-hour meeting with
2 COMMUNITY
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
Captain P. Tsakos, Greek Ship Owner, Inducted to International Maritime Hall of Fame
Continued from page 1
guests with details about his first
experience in New York 50 years
ago, and extended his gratitude towards the warm and heartfelt support he had then received from his
aunts and uncles in Brooklyn, as
well as his appreciation towards
his family and colleagues who contributed to his steady success.
Today, Captain Tsakos manages and operates one of the
largest diversified shipping companies in the world. Established in
1970, Tsakos Shipping & Trade
has a fleet of almost 70 ships, consisting of tankers, containers and
dry cargo. His company manages
Tsakos Energy Navigation LTD,
which provides sea-borne crude oil
and petroleum product transportation services worldwide, and
is listed with the New York Stock
Exchange (trading at $37.41 per
share on May 15).
He spoke with clear pride
about his hometown of Kardamyla
on the island of Chios, and he acknowledged the global magnitude
AP PHOTO/GRACE BEAHM
OPA! Never too young to start
Three-year-old Spiro Fokas, right, plays an imaginary instrument
along with the music, while Kirk Andreopoulos dances at the annual
Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Charleston,
South Carolina last Sunday, May 14.
of the shipping industry today,
telling the National Herald that,
“if it wasn't for decades of loyal
support and hard work of the people of the sea, I wouldn't be here
today. I want to extend a message
of love towards seamen and the
sea itself, as it is a great source of
many riches and much success.”
He thanked Mr. Avramopoulos
for attending the annual dinner,
emphasizing the Health Minister's
dedication to his political duties and
noting that his objectives are worth
supporting (see related story).
In turn, Mr. Avramopoulos told
the Herald that the Maritime Association of New York & New Jersey
“represents the most significant
shipping companies in the world
and tonight honors a great Greek
ship owner, Captain Tsakos. As a
self-made man who embarked on
his life's journey from an early age,
alone and poor from the town of
Kardamyla, he succeeded to become one of the most powerful individuals in the shipping world.”
The Minister said Captain
Tsakos' record and accomplishments set a splendid example for
Greeks both here and abroad, and
especially for younger generations.
Referring to increasing competition in the fields of Economics,
Education and the Arts, Mr.
Avramopoulos stressed that Captain Tsakos' example is inspiring:
“The tradition of the Greek merchant marine, as demonstrated by
Captain Tsakos, honors modern
Greece and its history,” he said.
Speaking about the honoree's
many
contributions,
Mr.
Avramopoulos
said
Captain
Tsakos' “support for social, national and Greek Orthodox causes
is continuous,” noting that “his
simplicity and wisdom are inspiring, and his devotion to his homeland and his heritage commendable.” He also highlighted Captain
Tsakos' determination, which
guided him through adversity and
poverty to a dramatically different
destiny of achievement.
Mr. Athens, who introduced
the Greek honoree, talked about
Captain Tsakos' assistance to the
Greek nation and Greek Orthodoxy, citing several occasions
when the Captain offered substantial support and hospitality.
“He is a humble man, a decisive
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
At the reception before the 13th annual International Maritime Hall of Fame Awards Dinner at the United
Nations Delegates Dining Room honoring Captain Panagiotis Tsakos, right, who is shown having a discussion with Greek Health Minister Demetris Avramopoulos. John & Marissa Payiavlas are seen standing to
the left.
problem-solver and a caring humanitarian who supports our ethno-religious
concerns,”
Mr.
Athens said, noting Captain
Tsakos' contributions to civic and
social relationships between the
United States, Greece and Cyprus.
With his firm's headquarters in
Athens, several business offices
around the world and memberships on the boards of many prestigious maritime organizations, to
include his active involvement in
the conservation of the maritime
environment, Captain Tsakos has
never forgotten his roots, Mr.
Athens added.
“He is a distinguished member
of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund,
which supports Greek Orthodoxy
in this country. Yet for all the accolades, including tonight's prestigious honor, Captain Tsakos is a
straightforward man who loves his
wife, Dr. Maria Tsakos, his children, family, country and faith. In
spite of his many accomplishments, he has remained true to
himself and his heritage, and has
dedicated himself to the professionalism of maritime commerce.
Council of Hellenes Abroad World President Andrew Athens, left, presenting Captain Panagiotis Tsakos with the 13th annual International
Maritime Hall of Fame Award. Mr. Athens spoke of Captain Tsakos'
unwavering support for Hellenic issues and interests.
It is an honor and a privilege to be
his friend, and to present to him
the Ships' Lookout Statue as part
of his induction into the International Maritime Hall of Fame,”
Mr. Athens said.
Greek Who Gave Nixon Checkers Dies
By Colleen Mastony
Chicago Tribune
Sometimes history can turn on
the most unlikely of events. Louis
"Lou" Carrol was acting on impulse the day he decided to send a
black-and-white puppy named
Checkers to Richard Nixon. But
that simple, spontaneous gift
helped change the course of history.
Nixon spoke about the cocker
spaniel in a nationwide broadcast
of his famous 1952 "Checkers
Speech," using the sad-eyed puppy
to help counter a growing scandal
which nearly toppled his early political ambitions. Even Nixon said
later that, without Checkers, he
might never have become President.
"If it hadn't been for that
broadcast, I never would have
been around to run for the Presidency," Nixon wrote in his autobiography.
Mr. Carrol long marveled at
how the pooch had saved a presidency: "I remember like yesterday
when we sent her to Washington in
a little wooden crate. We packed
bits of dog food for the train men
to feed her along the way," Mr.
Carrol said in an interview with
the Chicago Tribune in 2002. "I
had no idea I'd see her on television. I had no idea she'd be such a
big deal."
Mr. Carrol, 83, of Barrington
Hills, Illinois, died on Monday,
April 3, in a nursing home.
Born Louis Leon Karavoulias
in Lynn, Massachusetts on March
28, 1923 (the family, Greek immigrants, later Americanized their
name), Mr. Carrol studied at Holy
Cross Greek Orthodox School of
Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts and earned a bachelor's
degree in business from Indiana
University in 1948. He enlisted in
the Army during World War II,
fought in the Battle of the Bulge
and earned the Bronze Star and a
Purple Heart, family members
said. He then began a sales career.
In 1952, Mr. Carrol was working as a traveling salesman in
Texas and eating supper in a late-
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The National Herald
The late President Richard Nixon
received his famous dog, Checkers, from a Greek American.
night diner, when he came upon a
newspaper article which mentioned that Nixon's wife, Patricia,
was looking for a puppy for her
two little girls.
Mr. Carrol's dog, a cocker
spaniel named Boots, had recently
given birth to a litter of purebred
pups. So Mr. Carrol, an admirer of
Nixon, walked across the street to
a Western Union office and sent a
telegram to Nixon's office.
Four days later, Mr. Carrol received an affirmative reply written
by Rose Mary Woods, Nixon's secretary, saying Nixon, then a senator from California, would love to
receive a new puppy (though Tricia Nixon was reported to have
thought of the name Checkers,
Mr. Carrol's first wife, Beatrice,
took credit for naming her in an
interview with the Tribune in
2002).
Checkers arrived in Washington amid a political firestorm. The
press had recently uncovered an
$18,000 so-called slush fund used
by Nixon, who was then running
for vice president on the GOP
ticket with Dwight Eisenhower.
Critics were calling for Nixon's
Continued on Page 8
COMMUNITY 3
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
GOINGS ON...
May 21
The Cathedral Fellowship hosts a
Greek food and wine tasting to
benefit the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, at the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral
of the Holy Trinity, 337 East 74th
Street in Manhattan; 5- 8 pm.
Greek and Cypriot restaurants
from Manhattan and Astoria will
contribute specially prepared dishes for tasting. Wine from Amerikus
Importers. Admission $15. RSVP
to Andrea, (917) 691-4161 or at
[email protected].
May 20-21
The solo exhibition “RetroActive:
A Collection of Old and New
Drawings,” by Dionisios Kavvadias
closes at the Athanasiades Cultural
Center Artspace, 30-98 42nd Str
(corner of 31 Avenue) in Astoria.
Free admission. Over 60 pencil, ink
and color drawings. Gallery hours
12-3 pm. Closing reception on May
21 from 12-4 [email protected]
May 20-21
The Hellenic Federation of Publishers and Booksellers will represent Greece at booth No. 1048 of
Book Expo America, BEA, which
closes at the Washington Convention Center-www.bookexpoamerica.com.
May 20-21
Aeschylus' tragedy “The Persians”
performed by the Shakespeare
Theatre Company closes at The
Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th Street
NW Washington, DC. A new version by Ellen McLaughlin, directed
by Ethan McSweeny, on one of
seven surviving plays by Aeschylus
about the perils of unbridled pride
and overreaching power. RSVPBox office, (202) 547-1122 or
ShakespeareTheatre.org.
May 22
A fundraising event to benefit 3year-old Nicolas Moundros, grandson of Pancyprian Athletic Division President Lefteris Eliades,
who suffers from an aggressive
form of brain and spinal cancer, is
hosted at Taverna Vraka Restaurant, 23-15 31st Street in Astoria,
New York; at 7:30 pm. Special account for donations at Marathon
Bank, number 1000015483. Donations can be deposited directly to
the account, or mailed to Pancyprian Association, 23-15 31st Street,
Astoria, NY 11105. Checks/money
orders made payable to “Pancyprian Association Inc in benefit of Nicolas Moundros.” Tax deductible.
RSVP to (718) 545-7202 or
[email protected].
May 23
The Hellenic American Bankers
Association honors Senator Paul S.
Sarbanes at the New York Athletic
Club, 180 Central Park South in
New York City. Cocktail reception, 6:30-7:30 pm followed by dinner. Mr. John Metaxas of WCBS
Newsradio 880 will be Master of
Ceremonies-(212) 421-1057 or
www.HABA.org.
May 25
The American Hellenic Institute
hosts a noon forum entitled “Memory: The Soul of History- The
Pontian Genocide” with Thea Halo author of “Not Even My Name”
at The Hellenic House, 1220 16th
Street, NW in Washington, DC;
12-1 pm. Light refreshments
served. RSVP to the AHI by May
23 at (202) 785-8430 or [email protected].
May 27
A concert with Greek singer Periklis and guest star Konstantinos
Pantzis is held at the Matheos Hall,
409 Old Coachman Rd. in Clearwater, Fl. Tickets: $40. Portion of
proceeds from tickets purchased
through Clearwater YAL to benefit the Holy Trinity Church of
Clearwater. RSVP to Alexa (727)
460-5187
or
[email protected].
May 30, 31
MidAmerica Productions presents
two concerts featuring Greek
artists and composers at Carnegie
Hall, Weill Recital Hall, corner of
57th Street and 7th Avenue in
Manhattan. May 30: the Olympic
Trio performs Mikis Theodorakis
and Manolis Kalomiris. May 31: pianist Lefki Karpodini performs
works by Beethoven, Shostakovich,
Chopin, Schumann and Anastassios Karpodinis. Both concerts at 8
pm-CarnegieCharge, (212) 2477800 or www.carnegiehall.org.
May 20-June 16
“Penelopeia: The Other Journey;
e-migration,” a contemporary art
exhibition featuring Greek and international women artists continues
at the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, 801 W. Adams St. 4th
Floor, in Chicago, IL. The exhibition focuses on issues of traveling,
migration and displacement and is
inspired by Penelope, the female
protagonist of Homer's epic “The
Odyssey.” Museum hours: Tues.Fri. 10 am-4 pm; Saturday, 11 am-4
pm. Regular admission, $5; HMCC
members and children free-(312)
655.1234. Exhibition is part of The
Penelopeia Project, an ongoing
project featuring various cultural
events inspired by the myth of
Penelope-www.penelopeia.net.
June 2
A contemporary Greek music concert to benefit Hellenic Public Radio Cosmos FM at WNYE 91.5 FM
is held at the Skirball Center for the
Performing Arts at New York
University, 566 LaGuardia Place
(Washington Square South) in
Manhattan; at 8 pm. Featuring New
York City Greek vocalists under
the direction of Panos Chrysovergis
in songs by George Andreou,
Stamatis Kraounakis, Thanos
Mikroutsikos,
Demetris
Papademetriou, Pandelis Thalassinos
and others. Performers: Alexis
Chrysovergis, Aphorodite Daniel,
Fay, Eleni Kalaitzidou, Grigoris
Maninakis, Myrto Meletiou, Anna
Paidousi, Tasos Papaioannou and
Rena Tsapelas. Tickets: $75, $55,
$45, $35, $25; available at Greek
Music & Video, (718) 932-8400 or
Ticket Central, (212) 279-4200. Information at (718) 204-8900 or
www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.
June 3
A staged, concert performance of
the opera “Medee” by Cherubini,
based on the play by Euripides, is
held at the Carnegie Hall, Isaac
Stern Auditorium, corner of 57th
Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan; at 7:30 pm. With the Manhattan Philharmonic, conducted by
Peter Tiboris. Irene Tsirakidou in
the title role. Featuring the Russian
Chamber Chorus of New York and
members of the Aquila Theatre
Company in speaking roles. Opera
in French, dialogue in English; with
supertitles-CarnegieCharge, (212)
247-7800 or www.carnegiehall.org.
June 14
The American Hellenic Institute
hosts its 2nd Anniversary Athens
Hellenic Heritage Achievement
and National Public Service
Awards Dinner at the Grand Bretagne Hotel in Athens. This year's
honorees: Alexandra Mitsotakis,
President of ActionAid Hellas and
Prodromos Emfietzoglou, Chairman of Michaniki Group of Companies. Also a fundraising event:
Grand benefactor 7,000 euros;
President's circle 3,000 euros;
Chairman's circle 1,500 euros;
Sponsor 1,000 euros-Nick Larigakis
(202) 785-8430 or [email protected].
June 26-29, July 1-3 and 8-15
The 2006 Aegean Arts Circle summer writing workshops is held on
the Greek island of Andros. With
Greek writer Nick Papandreou,
Chicago
poet/writer
Beatriz
Badikian and New York writer/poet June Gould. Writers with
manuscripts, writers who want to
start new work and aspiring writers
will be considered. Group and oneon-one sessions, daily feedback and
discussion and uninterrupted writing time in a magnificent quiet location. Short stories, memoir, novels
in progress, and creative non-fiction are welcome. June 26-29: Papandreou will examine acclaimed
works from Homer to Malamud.
July 1-3: Badikian will teach participants to draw from their personal
experiences. July 8-15: Gould will
assist novelists, poets, short story or
memoir writers with getting into
publishable
form—www.aegeanartscircle.com.
June 19, 23
The Annual Week in Washington,
entitled “Preeminent Hellenes
Sharing Their Secrets to Success
with the Next Generation” is open
to Hellenic individuals between the
ages of 18-30 who are nominated by
a Hellenic leader. Opportunity to
converse with preeminent Hellenes. Cost $750. Registration
deadline, June 2nd. Limited spaces(202)
393-0251
or
[email protected].
w w w. t h e n a t i o n a l h e r a l d . c o m
Still Frightened, Mugging Victim Tells her Story
By Dimitri Soultogiannis
Special to The National Herald
WASHINGTON, D.C. - James
A. Dorsey, the man accused of beating and robbing an elderly street
vendor, outside her Foggy Bottom
apartment in Washington almost a
year ago, is now facing up to 75 years
in prison.
Mr. Dorsey, 47, was convicted of
armed robbery of a senior citizen
and aggravated assault while armed
last Thursday, May 10, in D.C. Superior Court. According to a report
in the May 11 edition of the Washington Post, “the jury was divided
until the final few hours of its long
deliberations.”
Vasiliki Fotopoulos, known as
“Grandma,” sold shirts, hats, umbrellas and other souvenirs near the
Foggy Bottom Metro Station. The
National Herald spoke to a stillfrightened Mrs. Fotopoulos about
what she has been going through
over the past year.
“I am a very sick old lady. After
this man attacked me, I have gotten
worse and worse day by day,” she
said, adding that her whole body is
still in pain, and that she can not
walk without limping.
JUST A BAD MAN
“I'm just glad I have my son and
daughter by my side. They have both
been such tremendous help to me
during this immensely difficult
time,” she said. When asked to respond to Mr. Dorsey's pre-trial
claims that she owed him money,
Mrs. Fotopoulos said, “I didn't owe
him anything. He is just a bad, bad
man.”
The 84-year-old woman also said
she was astonished that her attacker
did not respect her age: “I could
have been his mother. That's not
how you treat old people,” she said.
According to Mrs. Fotopoulos,
her doctors recommended that she
stay in the hospital for a month. “My
daughter first took me to George
Washington University Hospital,”
Priest Arrested during a
Sting Operation in Florida
By Theodore Kalmoukos
Special to The National Herald
BOSTON - Rev. Demetrios
Kavouras, pastor of the Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church in Port
Charlotte, Florida was one of 15
people arrested during a prostitution sting operation in Fort Myers,
Florida last Thursday, May 11.
Father Kavouras, 68, of Cape
Coral is married with adult children,
and is also a grandfather. He has
been serving Holy Trinity Church
since 1998. According to the official
police report, “officers from the
Fort Myers Police Department were
conducting an operation designed
to target prostitution in the areas
documented for prostitution-related offenses. On this date (May 11,
2006), Fort Myers Police Department officers were working in an uncovered capacity in the area of
Cleveland and Hanson. The officers
were posing as prostitutes, who
would wait at this location for people to approach them and solicit
them to exchange money or goods
for sexual acts. This location was
identified and utilized due to documented complaints, undercover operation and independent surveillance contacted by members of the
Fort Myers Police Department as
being an area frequented by prostitutes and their customers.”
The police report continues:
“Police Officer (name withheld) was
approached by a white male identified as Demetrios Kavouras in a
small silver vehicle. Kavouras pulled
into the parking lot and waited by
the pay phone. Kavouras continued
to wait inside the vehicle and waived
(name withheld) to his vehicle.
(Name withheld) walked away from
the vehicle and headed towards
Cleveland Avenue, at which time
Kavouras called her over, and again
waived her over to his vehicle.
(Name withheld) made contact with
Kavouras, at which time he asked
her if she wanted a ride. She asked
him 'well, what do you want to do?'
Kavouras said… that he wanted 'full
sex.' At that point, and while they
were negotiating the price, undercover police rushed into the scene
and arrested Father Demetrios
Kavouras on the spot. He was processed and released the next day,
Friday May 12, posting his own
guarantee.”
Fourteen more individuals were
apprehended during that sting operation, a female and a juvenile
among them, according to the report.
The National Herald attempted
to communicate with Father
Kavouras. His church office had a
tape recorder advising the caller to
leave a message. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has
placed him on indefinite suspension.
The Herald also called the
Metropolis of Atlanta this past
Tuesday, May 16, and asked to
speak with Metropolitan Alexios,
but his secretary, Cynthia Stratton
said that the Metropolitan was in
Greece. The Herald was also informed that Alexios' chancellor,
Rev. George Tsahakis, was out of
the office, and that he could not be
reached.
Miss Stratton then advised the
Herald to contact the Archdiocese.
Archbishop Demetrios of America's
chief secretary said the Archbishop
was en route to New York from an
archpastoral visit. Rev. Frank
Marangos, Director of the Communications
and
Archdiocese
spokesman, told the Herald that
“Father Kavouras has been suspended” and directed the Herald to
communicate with the Metropolis
of Atlanta's chancellor.
The Herald has learned that
Father Kavouras was born in Sparta. He served as a priest in Canada
for a few years. He came to the
United States in the 1970's. He was
enrolled as a special student at Holy
Cross G reek Orthodox School of
Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts and served the Holy
Trinity Church in Concord, New
Hampshire for two years. He was
transferred to the Diocese (now
Metropolis) of Chicago and served
at Holy Cross Church in Justice, Illinois. He left that parish after administrative and community problems
had developed. Prior to his current
parish assignment, he was without a
parish for a number of years. The
parish in Port Charlotte consists of
85 families, and is a relatively new
parish, established in 1990.
TNH/DIMITRI SOULTOGIANNIS
Vasiliki Fotopoulos, 84, a street vendor in Washington, says she still
suffers physical pain after being robbed and assaulted last year. Her
assailant has been convicted of armed robbery of a senior citizen and
aggravated assault while armed, and faces up to 75 years in prison.
she said. “I had to stay there for
about a week. My nose and cheeks
were broken, and my face was extremely swollen.”
Mrs. Fotopoulos was administered with first aid at GWU Hospital, and then she had to be transferred to Virginia Hospital Center
in Arlington for further treatment.
“I've been through a lot. I'm
scared. I don't trust anyone anymore,” she said. The elderly woman
also lost her husband almost two
years ago, and since then has been
living by herself in her one-bedroom
apartment in downtown Washington.
“After this man attacked me, I'm
trying not to spend a lot of time outside my apartment. I still go to work
so I can make some money, but after
I go home at the end of the day, I
lock the doors and stay there for the
rest of the night,” she said, adding
that she feels lucky her friends and
neighbors helped her get through an
extremely difficult period in her life.
The attack was recorded by a
surveillance camera and broadcast
repeatedly on local television news
stations. Even though the videotape
was also played in the courtroom,
the jurors told the judge they had
trouble reaching a unanimous verdict, indicating they were unable to
do so because of one juror holding
up the decision.
The jury finally reached its decision late last Wednesday evening,
May 9, but waited until the following
morning to tell the judge and the
courtroom audience.
The armed robbery charge carries a 45-year maximum penalty,
while the aggravated assault charge
carries a 30-year maximum penalty.
“It's only fair this man pays for
what he did to me,” Mrs. Fotopoulos told the Herald.
When the jury rendered its guilty
verdict, Mr. Dorsey showed little
emotion. According to Assistant
U.S Attorney Jonathan W. Haray,
however, the convicted felon felt
guilty during the trial.
“His guilt led him to confess,”
Mr. Haray said. “He felt bad for
what he had done to her, and he
wanted it off his chest.” Mr. Dorsey
had confessed to police, but his attorneys argued that the confession
was coerced.
As it turns out that, however, a
few days before the attack, Mr.
Dorsey had failed to pay his rent.
“Dorsey was driven by that desperation, and that's why he attacked the
vendor,” Mr. Haray said.
Mrs. Fotopoulos was not able to
identify her attacker then, and she
was not asked to identify Mr.
Dorsey in court.
Mr. Dorsey, whose face was not
clearly identified in the video, which
shows a man throwing Mrs. Fotopoulos violently to the ground and
relentlessly kicking her, is scheduled
for sentencing on July 20.
4 PEOPLE
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
NYS Assemblyman Matt Mirones: I will not seek re-election this Fall
By Demetris Tsakas
Special to The National Herald
NEW YORK - New York State
Assemblyman Matthew Mirones
(R-60th Assembly District) has
announced his decision not to seek
his reelection in the upcoming
elections this November, and said
he plans to return actively to his
career as a healthcare professional
in the private sector.
Unless another Greek American candidate is elected to the
NYS Assembly, Assemblyman
Mirones' imminent departure will
bring the number of Greek American members in the Assembly
down from one to two.
“I want to thank the people of
Staten Island and Brooklyn for
their overwhelming support over
the past five years,” Mr. Mirones
stated in a recent press release. “I
will forever remain humbled for the
confidence they have placed in me,
and for the fact that they entrusted
me to represent their interests and
values in Albany. I have also been
blessed to have so many supporters,
both new and longtime, who have
stood by me and helped me every
day that I have served my community. I owe them, and all the people
of Staten Island and Brooklyn, a
sincere thank you.”
Mr. Mirones first ran for the
NYS Assembly under the Republican ticket during special elections
in February 2002. He won by a
landslide and replaced Eric Vitaliano, who earlier that month had
been appointed a NYS Supreme
Court justice (and earlier this
month was inducted as a federal
judge for the U.S. Eastern District
of New York).
During the general elections in
November 2002, Mr. Mirones was
re-elected with 65 percent of the
vote, and was again elected by a
large margin in November 2004.
“Representing my community
in the Assembly has been among
the proudest achievements of my
life,” he said in his statement. “I
went to Albany not to begin a career, but rather to make a difference in my community and the entire State.”
He said he looked back on his
service with “great pride” and cited his fight against tax increases,
the successful elimination of the
NYS Assemblyman Matthew Mirones
sales tax on clothing and his efforts
to “greater accountability to our
public schools” among his most
important contributions as a state
legislator.
“I also am proud of my work
bringing the issue of civil confinement for sex offenders to the fore-
front and making government
more transparent and accountable
to the people,” he added.
A republican, Mr. Mirones still
participated in bi-partisan efforts
with all Greek American politicians in Albany, according to NYS
Assemblyman Michael Gianaris
(D-36th
Assembly
District,
Queens) told the National Herald,
noting that the Greek American
community loses representation
with Assemblyman Mirones' departure
“His decision to return to the
private sector decreases the
strength of the omogeneia in Albany. Even though we were on opposite sides of the aisle, we collaborated not only on issues that involved the Greek American community and Greece, but also on issues that involved the entire New
York metropolitan area,” Mr.
Giannaris said.
Prior to his election in 2002,
Mr. Mirones specialized in prosthetic and orthotic rehabilitation
through his family-owned company, ARIMED (celebrating 56
years, with offices in Staten Island,
Brooklyn Manhattan and the
Bronx), to which he will return.
“I have come to miss the satisfaction of helping patients heal,
and empowering them to reclaim
their lives,” he said. “There's no
greater feeling than helping a person become healthy. In recent
months, I've been inspired to return to my previous profession,
which has been a major part of my
adult life. I did not come to this
decision easily, but in my heart, I
know that returning to the private
sector is right for me.”
Mr. Mirones also said he wanted to assure Greek Americans
that, despite his departure from
the legislative arena, he will remain active in his community, and
said that he has discovered the
power of the individual in this
country.
“During my five years in office,
I have come to realize that an individual can have a great impact improving his or her community, as
long as they are involved. In that
regard, I will always work alongside my fellow Staten Islanders
and Brooklynites to make our
hometown the very best it can be,”
he said.
Metropolitan Pavlos of GOC Undergoing Speech and Physical Therapy
By Stavros Marmarinos
Special to The National Herald
NEW YORK - Metropolitan
Pavlos of the Holy Metropolis of
the Genuine Greek Orthodox
Church of America, based at St.
Markella's Cathedral in Astoria,
emerged from his coma during
Holy Week, and has partially re-
covered from a severe stroke he
suffered at the very end of February.
Bishop
Christodoulos
of
Theoupolis, the Metropolitan's assistant, told the National Herald
that Pavlos is now off life support;
able to speak a little; to stay seated
in a chair; and is currently undergoing both speech and physical
AP PHOTO/HELMUT MUEHLEDER
Will he become a Greek?
Athina Onassis and her Brazilian husband, Alvaro de Miranda Neto
(a.k.a., “Doda”), arrive for a CSIO Equestrian tournament in Linz,
Austria last Friday, May 12. Greek press reports have disclosed that
the pair was in Athens recently to explore the possibility of Doda becoming a “Greek athletic nationality.”
therapy at Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation
is Woodbury, Long Island.
Pavlos is still partially incapacitated physically, Christodoulos
added, but stressed that the recovery is nothing short of miraculous.
“Because we didn't want to
alarm the community any further I'm sure you can appreciate that it
was a very stressful time for all of
us - we weren't saying anything in
the early weeks. But the doctors
were telling us that, due to the
severity of the stroke, the likelihood of His Eminence recovering
was very slim, and that if he came
out of his coma, neither his memory nor his personality would be intact. But he woke up just before
Easter, and he recognized me, and
his personality and memory seem
to be intact,” Christodoulos said.
“His right side is immobile, but
he is undergoing both speech and
physical therapy at the rehab center right now. It's going to take
time, of course, but he's forming
short phrases, and just the fact that
he's in rehab is truly remarkable,
so we're hopeful,” Christodoulos
added.
Christodoulos was on his way to
visit Pavlos at the rehabilitation
center this past Monday, to which
he was transferred from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan shortly
after he came out of his coma.
Pavlos has not relinquished his
metropolitical throne, the Bishop
explained, but because he is physically unable to perform his ministerial duties presently, Chrysostomos, the GOC's Archbishop in
Athens, Greece is now serving as
locum tenens (acting metropolitan) for the GOC in America, an
old calendarist community which is
not in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
“My duties haven't changed.
I'm still the assistant bishop, except
for the time being, I'm taking my
orders from Archbishop Chrysostomos instead of Metropolitan
ST. ATHANASIOS
TNH ARCHIVES
Metropolitan Pavlos of the Genuine Greek Orthodox Church of America is shown tossing the Cross into the
water during a past Epiphany celebration in this archive photo. Pavlos suffered a severe stroke at the end of
February, and is now recovering. His assistant, Bishop Christodoulos of Theoupolis, is shown to the left.
Pavlos,” Christodoulos said.
A few days ago, the ailing Pavlos was able to listen to a phone call
placed by Chrysostomos, who
called him from Athens to wish
him a speedy recovery.
“It is a miracle,” said St.
Markella Cathedral Director Elias
Katsaris. “He understands everything,” added Cathedral President
Isidore Spanos, who said he has
been making regular visits to Cold
Spring Hills, although he conceded
that Pavlos is frustrated by his current physical limitations.
“He has a hard time physically
answering, so some people think
he doesn't understand them, but
he understands everything,” Mr.
Spanos said. “When we're alone,
we communicate. He answers
back; he nods; and his facial expressions are just like they always
were. But when tries to speak a little, he gets tired and tongue-tied.
HAVE YOU LOST OR ARE YOU LOSING YOUR TEETH ?
32 nd ANNUAL
He seems to get upset because of
that. He is aware of his condition.”
Dr. Michael Yunakov, a practicing dermatologist in Long Island
and one of Pavlos' spiritual children, confirmed the news that the
Metropolitan's health is improving.
“In the past few days, his doctors told me, he has improved significantly, and I can tell you that,
every day that goes by and I see
him, he seems to be getting better
and better,” said Dr. Yunakov,
who is in regular communication
with Pavlos' physicians.
“He has is completely awake
and alert. His personality is there.
He understands when he is spoken
to 100 percent, and he can respond
with simple answers like 'yes' or
'no.' ” “He is trying to speak more,
though he is understandably having a hard time right now. But his
doctors are giving us hope that, in
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time, his speech will improve. He
is currently undergoing physical
and speech therapy, and with
God's help, he will get even better,” Dr. Yunakov added.
In the past few days, as news of
Pavlos' improved condition started circulating within the community, family and friends visited
him, Dr. Yunakov said, but the rehabilitation center plans to curb
visitation.
Faithful interested in learning
more about the Metropolitan's
condition have inundated the St.
Markella's with phone calls.
“We want to thank the people
for their support and collaboration,” Mr. Spanos said. “Our
church is steadily continuing its
mission. I hope our prayers will be
heard. Everyone wishes for his
health to improve. In Jerusalem,
the Holy Sepulcher, the Holy
Mountain (Mount Athos), and in
all the churches and monasteries
in Greece, people's prayers have
been heard.”
Upon suffering his stroke on
February 28, Pavlos, 50, was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in
Queens and then, a few hours later, to Mount Sinai Hospital in
Manhattan. That evening he had
plans to go to the GOC's
monastery in Woodstock, New
York. About 6 PM, he told his
chancellor, Father Nifonas, and
another priest, Father Nektarios,
that he wasn't feeling well and was
experiencing a severe headache.
Pavlos, who also suffered from diabetes, sat down in his sofa, and
felt his entire right side go numb.
An ambulance arrived shortly afterwards, followed by a police car.
A stroke was soon diagnosed, as
the metropolitan slipped into a coma.
The GOC's synod in Greece
sent Metropolitan Chrysostomos
of Attica to serve its Metropolis in
America during the Lenten season
through Bright Monday (the day
after Pascha), Christodoulos said,
and may possibly send other hierarchs to assist in Pentecostal celebrations and for other major feast
days. The GOC presently has eight
parishes and three monasteries in
North America, the Bishop added.
FEATURE 5
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
The Greeks of Michigan Were Not Just your Average Argonauts
By Steve Frangos
Special to The National Herald
William Poulos Sr., formerly
Vasilios Anagnostopoulos, became a driving economic force in
rural northeast Michigan in the
early 1900's. This intrepid Hellene
was destined to start and operate a
series of businesses in Bay City,
Saginaw, Flint, Mt. Pleasant and
Midland, all in Michigan. Recounting something of his life will
help us better understand the lives
and experiences of Greeks in rural
America.
On September 14, 1930
Alexandros N. Rapanos married
Nicoletta Anagnostopoulos in the
Poulos Building. The couple honeymooned at the Winnona Hotel
in Bay City. This fact is always recalled, since decades later, one of
this couple's sons would have purchased the Winnona. The newlyweds first moved to Chicago,
where Alexandros worked in his
family's grocery businesses.
The 1930's were a time when
Greek Americans experienced
more than just the Great Depression the rest of the nation faced.
Sometime in early 1937, while attending the local St. John's
Lutheran Church with his wife Ida,
Bill Poulos was approached by a
fellow parishioner, a Mr. Thorsberg. This gentleman told Poulos
that he has a vacant lot next to his
own home, and that he'd like to
sell it to him.
DIRTY GREEK
Poulos went to get a building
permit, and as family members
adamantly recall, he was told point
blank, “You can't build there because you are a dirty Greek.”
Poulos never said a word. But
he purchased the lot at 113 Helen
Street and began to build a large
home without a permit. This
caused a long running legal battle
with city hall, which never had the
legal right to restrict Poulos from
building where he wanted based
on his ethnicity alone. Nevertheless, the City Council revoked the
beer and wine license at his Busy
Bee Restaurant, hoping to ruin the
business.
The ever-resourceful Poulos
was not to be outdone, however. In
1937, Poulos, along with Alexandros Rapanos and good friend
Pete Williams, opened the Lorelei
Gardens Nightclub on Bay City
Road. In German mythology,
Lorelei is a siren. As family memory now recalls, Ida's family back in
Germany had a Lorelei Garden
restaurant.
The Bay City Road 'nightclub'
was a tavern which featured only
ham sandwiches, shoestring potatoes and beer. The Lorelei's claim
to fame was that Polish dance
bands played seven days a week,
with German bands alternating on
Saturday and Sunday nights. The
Lorelei was a wildly successful
business. There were literally no
other nightclubs in northeastern
Michigan, and people from nearby
Bay City, Saginaw and Standish
were regular patrons. Elaine Harris (Harlambopoulos), a Rapanos
cousin, recalls seeing the ground
shake around the Lorelei Gardens
because the bands played so loud.
Public records also report that,
from 1933 to 1941, other Greeks
were then residing in Midland.
William Linos, along with his
wife Geneva, ran the LaSalle Restaurant at 134 East Main.
George and Dorothy Suppes
moved to Midland with their five
children: Henry, George Jr.,
Dorothy, Carlotta and Ruth
Elaine. Young Dorothy was a
waitress at the Busy Bee Restaurant for many years. Harry Dilas
and Jack Pappas owned a restaurant out on 3000 Bay City Road.
Peter Apostle and his wife
Pauline were another couple who
owned and operated an eating establishment on Midland's Main
Street, the Blue Bird Café at 235
East Main. They had two children
Patricia and Ronald.
Peter Moutsatson was the
proud owner of the Star Sandwich
Shop, located at 110 Fitzhugh.
Moutsatson's family consisted of
his wife Mary and their two children, George and Janice.
In 1937, when Alex and Nicoletta Rapanos moved to Midland,
they had three sons: Nicholas, George and John. Loss was also part
of the Midland Greek's experiences. After Nick Pappas died in
the mid-1930's, his wife Fannie
owned and operated the Daylight
Tavern at 211 West Gordon.
George and Dina Kougias were
visitors to Midland during this era,
but moved to that city later, in the
late 1950's or early 1960's.
For several years during the
1930's, John Rapanos recalls going
from Greek-owned business to
Greek-owned business down Mid-
[
You can't build there
because you are
a dirty Greek.
]
land's East Main Street singing the
Greek National Anthem every
March 25th. Even during those
dark years, young John was paid
handsomely for his patriotic performances.
NOT UNIQUE
It should be stressed that the
heavy Greek presence along the
main street of this small northeastern Michigan city was by no means
unique. Many smaller cities across
the country like Mason City, Iowa,
Dayton, Ohio, Pensacola, Florida
and many others had a strong
Greek immigrant business community easily seen along their
main street.
At any rate, from approximately 1937 to 1946, Bill Poulos was involved in a number of businesses,
including the Mecca and Midland
Theaters, the Chemical City
Cleaners, and even Shorty's Pool
Hall.
Poulos, spurred on by his experiences in 1937, began to get more
and more involved with home
building. He was responsible for
various new subdivisions in Midland, of which the Princeton Court
subdivision is best recalled. He also very shrewdly purchased houses
from the Dow Chemical Company. As Dow expanded its facilities,
it would buy up houses just for the
land. Poulos purchased the houses
for a dollar each; had them relocated; and then resold them at
tremendous profit.
In 1944, Poulos became a partner in the H.W. Beckwith Company, which was recognized at that
time, and later, as “one of Midland's oldest mercantile establishments (Midland Daily News, December 30, 1955).” Other partners
taking over the firm with Poulos at
the time were Claude Goodrich of
Detroit and Roy Batch of Midland. Poulos eventually bought out
his two partners, and with his sons
Louis and William Jr., maintained
an interest in the company until
the time of his death. After 1951,
his principal interest was in his
home construction business.
William Poulos died on December 29, 1955 in Midland
Hospital due to a cerebral hemorrhage. Funeral services were held
on January 2, 1956 at the Scott
Wilson Memorial Chapel with
Reverend G. Walter Schoedel,
pastor of St. John's Lutheran
church, officiating. Burial was at
the Midland Cemetery.
The Poulos Building was razed
in the 1980's so that an assisted living residence could be built on its
location. John and Judy Rapanos
donated a sweeping terrace to the
back of this facility, which now
faces a wooded park and small
creek. As one steps out onto the
terrace, a modest bronze plaque
notes that the site was once the location of the Poulos Block, and
briefly mentions something of this
man's complex influence on the
city of Midland.
But the Rapanoses had something else in mind: If you stand
among the trees in the park and
look up at the terrace, you see on
the exterior wall the original letters, which proudly spell out
“POULOS BLOCK,” set into the
curved wall face.
Every early Greek pioneer in
the city of Midland, each in their
own way and after their own spirit,
helped change how local Americans viewed the then new immigrants. Bill Poulos, the tireless
worker who courageously contended with every problem and every ethnic slur with his own catch
phrase, “Thatza' nothin',” was
among their august number.
The above is the second of two
parts. Readers interested in contacting Mr. Frangos can e-mail
him at [email protected].
Demetrios: Da Vinci Code is Devoid of Correct Historical Interpretation
Continued from page 1
in the Gospels, there are declarations of the Lord's divinity: Peter's
confessions, the Gospel according
to Saint John, the Apostle Paul's
letters to the Philippians, Ephesians and Colossians. There are also the Resurrection accounts,
Thomas' confession, so the declaration of His divinity is clear,” the
Archbishop Said.
“From very early on, we have
the letters of St. Ignatius the
Theophoros (He who Wears
God), written between 90 and 100
AD, like the ones he wrote to the
Ephesians,
the
Smyrneans,
Philadelphians, Tralians, Magnesians, Romans and St. Polycarp, all
of which clearly declared the divinity of Jesus Christ. In addition, we
have in the Apologists, a clear declaration of the divinity of the Lord
to the Roman Emperors, including Justin Martyr, who wrote
around 150 in one of his dialogues
with Typhoo the Jew, which was a
clear declaration, as well. So we
have had this declaration circulating in the Church in such texts, as
well as in liturgical texts like Fos
Ilaron (Joyous Light), which was
first written around 180, so the
Church did not wait for the First
Ecumenical Council in Nicaea to
convene in 325 in order to say that
Christ is God,” he added.
Discussing the controversial
claim of Christ's marriage to Mary
Magdalene, His Eminence noted
that there is no such evidence for
this.
“There is no such witness anywhere. If there had been such an
element, something would have
been clear in the Gospels, which
are not afraid to discuss the importance of women. The only passage
that seems to mention something
is the Gnostic Gospel of Philip,
but that passage is badly damaged,
and it has many gaps, which anyone can fill out according to their
wishes. And it still doesn't talk
about marriage or common life,
but instead includes a general expression about a friendship,” he
said.
Asked whether marriage would
have lowered the Lord's status as
Theanthropos (the God-Man), the
Book cover to Dan Brown's controversial bestseller.
Archbishop said, “One of the criticisms of Mr. Brown's book by
(Evangelical Historian) Darrell
Bock is that it wouldn't lower it because it would be considered just
one more natural element, like His
need to sleep and His experience
of hunger, which in theological
terms are referred to as 'adiavlita
pathi' (blameless or natural passions). But no such thing happened.”
In the thousands of pages of
Fathers and Theologians, His
Eminence pointed out, there was
no effort to address the idea that
Christ was married, or that he was
Magdalene's husband.
Asked whether “The Da Vinci
Code” is an unchristian book, the
Archbishop said yes, adding that
Mr. Brown's book promotes and
emphasizes unchristian ideas: “To
a certain degree it is, because it essentially attacks Christ, first His
divinity and second by adding the
element of marriage and descendants. It can try to find cover behind the excuse that, 'I write a novel and make my characters say
whatever they want.' He takes cover behind a certain literary genre
which we call a novel, but this coverage is completely superficial because, in one way or another, it essentially promotes ideas and, in
fact, emphasizes them,” he said.
His Eminence also said the
book indicates either that Mr.
Brown lacks sufficient historical
and textual knowledge, or that he
deliberately refrains from incorporating such knowledge into his story.
“I read Mr. Brown's book. It
shows that this man does not know
basic things about history, so his
book is historically weak, if not
historically non-existent. In terms
of text, it is extremely weak because it selectively presents a few
things from the Gnostic Gospels.
If it intended to show their other
elements, however, it would present an image of horror, but it
doesn't do that because it wants to
support its thesis, so it indeed
shows an author who either doesn't know, or doesn't want to show,
that he knows real history. He has
not dealt with the essence, with the
real texts, and simply writes a
smart - let's put it that way - novel,
which garners tremendous commercial value through dissemination propaganda, and that's really
the crux of the matter,” he added.
Asked whether members of the
Greek Orthodox Church should
feel free to see, or skip going to,
the upcoming movie, the Archbishop said the Orthodox Church
issues no decrees forbidding someone to exercise his or her free will,
but noted that, by paying to see
such a film, he or she is contributing to something which is inherently wrong.
“Freedom is absolute. I heard
that the Roman Catholic Church,
which is more insulted by Brown's
book, issued an order on people
not to go and watch the movie. I
have also seen the related encyclical of the Church of Greece, which
says that 'we have no reason to tell
people to go or not to go.' But I
would say that, although it may be
irrelevant whether or not you go to
see the movie, when you go to
watch a film, you pay to see it, and
by doing that, you indirectly contribute to the dissemination of
something which is against your
faith, he said.”
Asked about the Holy Grail,
which is also referred to extensively in the book, the Hs Eminence
said, “It is an old theory of the
Western Middle Ages - that a vessel was saved which contained the
blood of Christ. The East knows
TNH ARCHIVES
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox
Church in America.
nothing about this vessel; knows
nothing about Mary Magdalene
and her escape; or her descendants in France. But all these are
products of the Western Middle
Ages, and for that reason, they do
not concern us.”
Regarding the term, “brothers
of the Lord,” the Archbishop explained that, “the term brother
means relative. The most prominent claim is that it describes the
children of Joseph from a previous
marriage, either cousins of the
Lord the Virgin Mary's or Joseph's
side.”
CRIMINAL DEFENSE
LAW OFFICES OF GEORGE VOMVOLAKIS
ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW
The Hellenic American Bankers Association
Requests the honor of your presence
at
The Executive of the Year Award Dinner
in honor of
Senator Paul S. Sarbanes
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The New York Athletic Club
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For further information call (212) 421-1057 ñ E-mail: [email protected]
6 FEATURE
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
Avramopoulos Proposes Medical Collaboration between U.S. & Greece
Continued from page 1
collaboration between Greece and
the United States, as well as with
the rest of the world. He shared an
ambitious vision of Greece as the
world's future center for medical
research: “Thanks to its history
and its scientific potential, Greece
can become a global center for research,” he said during his address
to the Symposium.
Mr. Avramopoulos said his priority is to transform healthcare to
an attainable goal beyond national
borders. His agenda clearly leans toward a global approach which
unites doctors, healthcare professionals and researchers and encourages them to participate in, and contribute to, programs which can enhance Greece's public healthcare
system. “Nowadays, everything is
global and local, national and international, individual and general,”
he said, underscoring his ministry's
primary objective to create a system
of healthcare and social programs
which will ensure that all Greek citizens will enjoy high quality healthcare services. According to OECD
(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) public
healthcare indicators, he noted,
Greece ranks 13th among all nations, while the United States is
ranked 24th.
“Although Greece has progressed considerably of late, there is
always room for advancement,” he
added, emphasizing the significance
of the HMS contribution not only to
the Greek and American people,
but also to humanity at-large, quoting Hippocrates: “Wherever the art
of medicine is, there lies love for humanity.”
Mr. Avramopoulos also congratulated HMS, on behalf of the Hellenic Republic, for its initiative to
establish the Dr. Papanicolaou
scholarship fund at Weill Cornell
Medical College, and assured HMS
that he will do everything in his
power to pursue further progress in
healthcare.
He cited Dr. Papanicolaou's pioneering work in cytology and early
cancer detection, a success which
did not win him the Nobel Prize, for
which he was nominated, but which
certainly earned him the scientific
world's utmost respect.
Determined to create the necessary healthcare infrastructure,
which stands to alter the pre-existing image of healthcare in Greece,
Mr. Avramopoulos called on HMS
to accept his invitation to strive for
that goal: “Should we unite our efforts, we shall progress more rapidly,” he said, adding that his ministry
relies heavily on the Greeks of the
Diaspora, their scientific communities and the global network of support.
“Through research, we will be
able to fight illnesses, genetic disabilities and viruses that are ironically produced by life itself,” he said.
HMS President Dr. George D.
Dangas expressed the Greek American medical community's “great
satisfaction” with Mr. Avramopoulos' participation at the Symposium,
and with the current Greek Government's annual commitment to the
scholarship fund, adding that he
supports a program of collaboration
with Greece.
In an interview with the National
Herald, Dr. Dangas said, “For the
first time, we have the opportunity
to see the Greek Government take
an active initiative to involve the
Greek American community of
physicians in its healthcare reform.
There is a positive climate of collaboration between the members of the
Hellenic Medical Society and various Greek authorities in the healthcare sector, and we hope to build a
bridge of communication that will
lead to the organization of educational programs on all levels - research and drastic improvement in
the way visiting patients are handled
in the United States in terms of lowering their medical costs while providing high quality healthcare.”
He also told the Herald about
the possibility of creating multiple
programs directed towards medical
graduates, residents or post-graduate specialists from Greece and discussed opening the channels of
communication with Greek universities, as well as various departments within the Greek Health
Ministry. Doctors who may use
Greek grants or scholarships for
their doctoral and post-doctoral research can receive assistance from
HMS for placement at American
institutions where they can perform
their research, he added.
“It's a new era of relations between the international medical
community and Greece, and it's the
right time to strengthen the networking ties of physicians in
TNH/COSTAS BEJ
TOP: Greek Health Minister Demetris Avramopoulos, left, addressed
the Hellenic Medical Society of New York's annual Symposium at New
York Presbyterian Hospital last week, in memory of Dr. George Papanicolaou. Here, he is having a conversation with (L-R) Dr. Spyros
Mezitis, HMS President Dr. George Dangas and Dr. Nicholas Mezitis.
ABOVE RIGHT: Dr. S. Mezitis, Mr. Avramopoulos, Weill Cornell
Medical College Dean Dr. Antonio Gotto Jr., and Dr. Dangas standing
in front of a banner featuring the late Dr. Papanicolaou banner during
the HMS Symposium. CENTER: Students form the Ascension School
of Fairview, New Jersey greet Mr. Avramopoulos and offering him
flowers at the end of the annual HMS Symposium. Dr. Dangas is
standing to the Greek Health Minister's left. BOTTOM: Mr.
Avramopoulos also paid a visit to the Ronald McDonald House Greek
Division during his stateside visit last week. Here, he is greeting Stavro
Chryssanthou and his parents Fanos and Dina. RMH Greek Division
Chairman Niki Sideris is standing in the background, and RMH New
York City President William Sullivan is to the left.
Greece, the United States and
Canada,” said Dr. Spyros Mezitis, a
professor of Endocrinology at
Weill-Medical College of Cornell
University, past president of HMS
and current president of the Federation of Hellenic Medical Societies
of North America.
Dr. Mezitis enthusiastically approved of Mr. Avramopoulos' intention to work with HMS, an effort
he said has been on the HMS agenda for a long time. HMS can be
helpful in improving the standards
of excellence in the Greek healthcare system by working more closely with Hellenic healthcare communities throughout the world, he
added. “The potential is there on
the part of our physicians, and on
the part of Mr. Avramopoulos' vision,” he said, noting that a major
medical conference is soon to be
held in Greece.
Pan-Evoikos Society President
Vassilios Simeonides highlighted
the importance of following one's
dreams, noting that Dr. Papanicolaou's first paper was received with
great suspicion by the medical
world at that time, but that his confidence in the value of his methods
was strong enough to make him
continue his research, and that he
lived by his words: “I live to serve
life.”
Dr. Papanicolaou's hometown
recently transformed his family
home to a museum through the effort of Kymi Mayor Demetris
Thomas, who played an instrumental role in purchasing and converting the house. The town of Kymi, in
concert with the Greek Health Ministry, the University of Thessalia
and the University Medical Center
of Larissa has established the George Papanicolaou Research Foundation, an Internet research and information center which is scheduled
to open in July.
Among the speakers that
evening was Dr. Katherine A. Hajjar, chairman of the Department of
Cellular & Developmental Biology
at Weill Cornell Medical College,
Paul A. Elgert, cytopathology supervisor at the New York University School of Medicine and Bellevue
Hospital Center, Dr. Anna Di Gregorio, assistant professor at the
Weill Cornell Department of Cellular & Developmental Biology, and
Professor Demosthenes Triantafyllou, assistant principal of Humanities High School in Manhattan.
Upon conclusion of the symposium, Mr. Avramopoulos, who was
on his way to attend a similar event
in London, told the National Herald that, “As I get to know the big
family of Greek American physicians better, of whom we must all be
very proud, I feel our support for
the medical community ought to be
stronger.”
ABOUT DR. GEORGE N. PAPANICOLAOU
Georgios N. Papanicolaou was born on
May 13, 1883 in Kymi of Evia in Greece.
He was a pioneer in cytology and early cancer detection. He studied at the University
of Athens, where he received his medical
degree in 1904. Six years later, he received
his doctorate in Zoology from the University of Munich in Germany, where he studied briefly with August Weisman.
Dr. Papanicolaou then returned to
Greece, where he met Andromache
Mavroyeni, later known as Mary Papanicolaou or “Mrs. Pap,” who also worked as his
technician. He then went with his wife to
France, where he worked as a physiologist.
From there, just before the outbreak of the
first Balkan War, the couple returned to
Greece.
While serving in the Greek Army, Dr.
Papanicolaou met American volunteers,
who told him about opportunities in the
United States. He emigrated from Greece
to the U.S. in 1913 to work in the Pathology
Department of New York Hospital and the
Anatomy Department at Cornell University Medical School (now Weill Cornell
Medical College).
His work at Cornell was rich in discovery. It was there that Dr. Papanicolaou
worked examining vaginal smears of
guinea pigs to determine the existence of a
menstrual cycle. He observed changes in
the female genital tract of a guinea pig, and
those observations contributed substantially to the basic understanding of the endocrinology of human reproductive organs.
Eventually, Dr. Papanicolaou became
interested in the menstrual cycle of women.
In 1933, he published “The Sexual Cycle of
the Human Female as Revealed by the
Vaginal Smear.” It was while he was doing
this work that he noticed cancer cells coming form the cervix.
Dr. Papanicolaou first reported that
uterine cancer could be diagnosed by
means of a vaginal smear in 1928, but the
importance of his work was not recognized
until the publication (together with Herbert Traut) of “Diagnosis of Uterine
Cancer by the Vaginal Smear” in 1943. The
book discusses the preparation of the vaginal and cervical smear, physiological and
cytological changes during the menstrual
cycle; effects of various pathological conditions; and the changes seen in the presence
of cancer in the cervix and the endometrium of the uterus.
He thus became known for his invention
of the Papanicolaou Test, now more commonly known as the Pap Smear or “Pap
Test,” which is used worldwide for the detection and prevention of cervical cancer
and other cytological diseases of the female
reproductive system. Millions of women
have received the Pap Test, and deaths
from uterine cancer have been greatly reduced as a result.
It was predominantly through Dr. Papanicolaou's efforts that cytology became
accepted as a basis for diagnosis. His comprehensive scientific treatise, “Atlas of Exfoliative Cytology,” was published in 1954.
This work contained a compendium of cytological findings in health and disease involving multiple organ systems of the human body.
As a self-made man, Dr. Papanicolaou
was motivated to excel in his chosen field.
Much later in life, he observed that he was
one of the fortunate few to see his dream
become a reality, but that paying a price
through contending with adversity, anxiety
and hardship also placed him at the same
level with that of his fellowman.
Dr. Papanicolaou died of heart failure
and pulmonary edema on February 18, 1962
and is buried in New Jersey. He worked at
Cornell from 1913 until a just few months
before his death.
During his lifetime, he authored more
than 150 scholarly and medical articles, and
received many honors and awards, the 1950
Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award
among them.
The Albert Lasker Medical Research
Awards have been awarded annually since
1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science. They
are administered by the Lasker Foundation
(founded by advertising pioneer Albert
Lasker and his wife, Mary Woodward
Lasker, who later became an influential
medical research activist). Highly prestigious, the awards are sometimes referred
to as “America's Nobels.” As of 2005, 71
recipients have gone onto win the Nobel
Prize in Physiology or Medicine since 1962.
The above incorporates information
from wikipedia.org and www.papsociety.org.
FEATURE 7
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
Angelides Racks Up Endorsements before California Democratic Primary
Continued from page 1
AP PHOTO/DAMIAN DOVARGANES
California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, second from left, joins Los Angeles lawyers last Thursday, May 11, at a news conference. Angelides is
joined by attorney Mark Geragos, left, and attorneys of Armenian descent who filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of descendants of Armenian
Genocide victims against Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank for assets belonging to descendants of Armenian Genocide victims. Angelides and
Geragos are of Greek heritage.
of California Coastal Protection
Network, Mary Nichols of
UCLA's Institute of the Environment, Gary Patton of Land Watch
Monterey County, former State
Senator Byron Sher, former Planning and Conservation League Executive Director Gerald Meral,
conservationist Sam Schuchat,
Global Green Founder Diane
Meyer Simon, and environmental
advocates Julia Louis-Dreyfus,
Ted Danson, Ed Begley and Laurie David.
“Once again, after taking a
close look at the two Democratic
candidates for Governor, CLCV
made a clear choice,” said Angelides' campaign manager Cathy
Calfo.
“Just like the California Democratic Party last weekend, CLCV
decided that Phil Angelides is the
one candidate that they can count
on to stand up for our environment, and for California families,”
she added. “Over the next several
weeks, just like the Democratic
Party delegates and CLCV, California voters will become familiar
with both candidates' records and
visions and come to the same conclusion: Phil Angelides is the candidate we can count on to do
what's right.”
In recent months, Angelides
has introduced his “Clean California” plan to reduce California's
gasoline and diesel use by 25 percent in ten years, and his “Coast
Guard” plan to protect the California coastline.
The California Chronicle published the above on May 7. The
original headline is, “California
League of Conservation Voters
Endorses Phil Angelides for
Governor.” To read more about
Phil Angelides and his environmental plans, please visit Environmentalists for Angelides at
www.ProtectOurGoldenState.com.
To contribute to his campaign,
visit
the
web
at
www.angelides.com.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan to Bring Greek Mythology to Life
Continued from page 1
vine; rational inquiry of inner self
and the external world; transmission of Hellenic values and ideals;
learning about the past; and Hellenic contributions to modern society (the arts, democracy, history,
scientific thought and process).
The exhibition has been generously supported by the Stavros
Niarchos Foundation, the Michael
& Mary Jaharis Foundation and
the National Endowment for the
Humanities, as well as by prominent members of the Greek American community in New York, and
has been embraced by the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Kathryn Jaharis and Kallia
Filippaki-Yannopoulou co-chair
the program.
“This is the most ambitious
project this institution has ever undertaken. It is so ambitious because we feel it's so important. If
we don't understand where we
have come from, we can't understand where we're going. American children need to understand
their classical roots, and how much
we owe to the people of Greece.
We've focused on a lot of cultures
in our exhibitions at the museum.
This one, we think, will be the
most special,” said Andrew S.
Ackerman, executive director of
the Children's Museum, during
the exhibition preview this past
Monday evening, May 15.
The great achievements of classical culture and the democratic
ideals of Ancient Greece can offer
children opportunities to gain
knowledge about our own social
and political system, literature and
art, he said.
In a power-point presentation,
Mr. Ackerman gave an overview
of the program, stating that the
museum hopes to reach an audience of 3 million people across the
country over a period of four
years, upholding its goal to raise
$1.7 million (currently, the museum has secured commitments totaling $480,000).
Through reference images and
floor plans, he illustrated the four
sections of the exhibition: The
Gods of Olympus; Growing Up
Greek; The Odyssey; and Discovering Greece. In each section,
youngsters will be challenged to
engage in reconstructing the ancient past, and will be encouraged
to find traces of Hellenic culture in
their own lives and the world surrounding them. The exhibition will
include original artifacts, replicas,
theatrical experiences, multimedia
games and hands-on interactive
stations to create a variety of ways
for visitors to learn about Ancient
Greece.
The use of technology will be
central in this exhibition (e.g.,
aerial flyovers of Greece and its
mountainous terrains, cities and
temples, a fleet of ancient ships in
stormy weather, and more).
Visitors will overhear conversations among images of different
gods arguing about Odysseus or
discussing the Temple of Zeus at
Olympia. Through an interactive
multimedia experience, they will
be able to play the roles of various
gods, and their footsteps and hand
motions will affect a video projection on the floor, moving visual elements, triggering sound effects
and changing the image.
Dioramas will allow visitors to
examine scenes from a typical day
for an Ancient Greek boy or girl at
his or her “oikos” (home), or at
the gymnasium. Athletics, writing
and use of textiles will be displayed
in museum cases, and replicas of
sculptures will provide the basis
for interactive components which
explore the role of the visual arts.
Children will “reconstruct”
miniature replicas of sculptures.
They will be challenged to become
Odysseus and seek their own solutions to the trials he faced during
his epic journey back to Ithaca.
Floor graphics will narrate key
episodes and provide clues to be
used in the Odyssey Game. There
will also be “Hero Stations,”
screens where kids will be further
challenged with puzzles, decisions
and problems which require solving. They can do this alone, or by
consulting the messages of wisdom
(L-R) Rev. Alexander Karloutsos, Kathryn Jaharis, chair of the preview exhibition, “Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece,” Fr. Demetrios Antokas, John Catsimatidis, NY Commerce Bank President
David Slackman, Kallia Filippaki-Yannopoulou, co-chair of the event, Children's Museum of Manhattan
Executive Director Andrew Ackerman, Greek Consul general in New York Catherine Boura and Mary Jaharis at the Children's Museum this past Monday, May 15.
found in myths, or even by making
sacrifices and other offerings to
the gods.
Finally, visitors will return to
present times and places, where
they can be historians or archaeologists engaged in the process of
uncovering, investigating, interpreting and reconstructing the
past. There will be a shipwreck
partially reconstructed, and kids
will need to go underwater, where
they will position equipment to
move objects for closer investigation, and photograph them. They
will also use three-dimensional
computer models (e.g., Zeus Temple reconstruction activity).
Mr. Ackerman expressed visible enthusiasm about the several
activities which will take children
The above sketch, “The Gods of Olympus,” is one of five themes to which visitors will initially be introduced
as they enter a virtual temple at the upcoming exhibition at the Children's Museum of Manhattan in February 2007. School children will have the option to either “be the god” or choose to look at themselves in the
“magic mirror.”
to a “journey home” to the roots of
Western culture, giving them an
opportunity to learn to study philosophy and history, thus preparing them for contemporary challenges.
Mr. Ackerman acknowledged
the presence of several Greek
American dignitaries at the preview, as well as the contributions
of two people who are spearheading this museum program: Karen
Snider, deputy director of exhibits,
and Dr. Megan Cifarelli, “an outstanding scholar.”
Ms. Jaharis, who said the Children's Museum is her “beloved institution, run with much grace and
wisdom by Andy Ackerman,” noted that, ever since they moved to
the Museum's neighborhood several years ago, she, her husband
and their two children have been
frequent visitors to the museum,
to the tune of 25-30 times a year.
She also said she was “thrilled”
that the new exhibition would be
showcased in a museum where
children are inspired to love learning, and where they are challenged
to think and experience the world
in new ways.
“In my view, the greatest
achievement of this museum has
been to bring wonderful elements
of the adult world to a child's level,” she said. “In an age of world
chaos, a healthy dose of the principles of the Ancient Greek world
and its philosophies, which are delivered straight to our children,
could not be more timely.”
She then informed the audience that the Museum is just about
finished with the planning stages
of the project, and is now entering
the implementation phase.
Mrs. Filippaki-Yannopoulou
said that, “while the United Sates
is a proponent of democracy and
human rights, the Greeks were the
first to practice these ideas and
ideals,” referring to the importance of introducing ancient values to modern children.
With a cautious mix of enthusiasm and skepticism regarding the
project's sophistication, Sonia Celestin, principal of the Cathedral
School in Manhattan, told the National Herald that some of the aspects of the exhibition (e.g., the
need for heroes to sacrifice to the
gods) already require a certain level of knowledge, including appro-
priate vocabulary for children to
understand the meaning and the
rules of the games. “Though the
exhibition will be a regular fieldtrip destination for our school's
kids, I'm a little concerned that
children from public schools, who
are not taught Greek mythology,
may not have sufficient knowledge
to enjoy and appreciate this wonderful event,” she said.
Mr. Ackerman told the Herald
that the idea for the exhibition
came as a “great surprise - from
one Museum board member during a regular board meeting, “and
left everybody speechless.” Everyone evidently loved the idea, however, which soon generated
enough excitement to hold brainstorming sessions for more ideas
about how to make Ancient Greek
culture more accessible to children. Mr. Ackerman said the exhibition will remain in New York City for 18 months before it travels to
other cities.
Greek Consul General of New
York Catherine Boura, Cyprus
Consul General of New York
Martha Mavrommati, Onassis
Public Benefit Foundation Executive Director Ambassador Loukas
Tsilas, Rev. Alexander Karloutsos
and Rev. Demetrios Antokas, executive director of the Archbishop
Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund, were among the honored guests that evening.
For more information about
“Gods, Myths and Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece,” visit the
Children's Museum website at
www.cmom.org, or call 212-7211223.
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8 OBITUARIES/CLASSIFIEDS
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
Chris Patterakis, Former Thunderbird Commander, Fighter Pilot and Congressional Candidate, Dies at 70
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Chris Patterakis, a former commander of
the Air Force Thunderbirds and a
decorated fighter pilot, has died.
He was 70 years old.
Patterakis died on May 9 of unknown causes while visiting Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, according to his brother, Mike.
Patterakis commanded the
Thunderbirds flight demonstration team based at Nellis Air
Force Base near Las Vegas from
1975 to 1977.
"He just had a lot of charisma,"
said Dick Pfeiffer, who served as
Patterakis' crew chief. "When he
walked out on the flight line, you
knew he was on the flight line."
A child of Greek immigrants,
he flew 315 combat missions during the Vietnam War. In 1978, Patterakis launched an unsuccessful
bid for Congress.
He later started his own local
telephone company and worked as
a pilot for United Airlines for ten
years until his retirement in 2001.
Economou, Cleo (nee Cladas) Age 93; of West Hartford, Conn.
beloved widow of James E.
Economou, Sr. died Monday, May
8, 2006 at St. Francis Hospital and
Medical Center. She was born in
New Britain, daughter of the late
George and Irene (Parandes)
Cladas and had lived in West Hartford since 1922. Cleo was an active
member of St. George Greek
Orthodox Cathedral, where she
served as Godmother of the church.
She was a member of The Daughters of Penelope Thoas Chapter 198
and The Ladies of Philoptochos Society. She is survived by two sons
and daughters-in-law, James E.
Economou, Jr. and Rosemary of
West Hartford and Richard E.
Economou and Athena of New
York, NY; and daughter-in-law,
Euphrosine Economou of West
Hartford; four grandchildren, Peter
J. Economou, Alexa E. Economou,
James E. Economou, III and Paul
T. Economou; two sisters, Mary
Murray of Farmington and Helen
Sargeant of Stafford Springs; a
brother, Marco Cladas of Hartford;
and several nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by a brother,
Angelo Cladas and two sisters,
Bessie and Theresa Cladas. The funeral was held on Friday, May 12 in
St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Hartford, with the Very Rev.
Archimandrite John A. Heropoulos. Burial followed in Cedar Hill
Cemetery. Visiting hours were on
May 11 at The Dillon-Baxter
Funeral Home in Wethersfield,
with a Trisagion Service held later
that evening at the funeral home.
Contributions in her memory may
be made to: St. George Greek
Orthodox Cathedral Capital Fund
in memory of James and Cleo
Economou, 433 Fairfield Ave.,
Hartford, CT 06114 or The
Economou Family Scholarship
Fund at Watkinson School, 180
Bloomfield Ave., Hartford, CT
06105.
in Greece and Plainfield again before moving to Colts Neck. Surviving are his wife, Antigone; daughters, Vickie Theocharides and Dr.
Julie Simon, and five grandchildren.
Ganifas, “Harry” Theoharis. Age 79; of Colts Neck, NJ; a mass
was held on May 12 in the Kimisis
Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox
Church, Holmdel. Mr. Ganifas,
who died on May 9 in Raritan Bay
Medical Center, Old Bridge, was
the owner of the Rahway Grill in
Rahway. Born in Plainfield, he lived
Gianoulis, Violet (nee Greanias) - Age 90; widow of Attorney
Nicholas D. Gianoulis; mother of
Dorothea (the late James) Malina
of Pennington, NJ; daughter of the
late Constantine T. and Marian,
nee Kontos, Greanias; proud
grandmother of James N. Malina of
Dallas, TX and Alice A. Malina of
New York City; sister of Marie (the
late John D.) Cally, Evon C. (Barbara) Greanias and the late Elaine
(the late Robert E.) Heft; fond aunt
of five surviving nieces and nephews
and great-aunt of five; godmother
of Annette Joannides Jiaras. Visitation was on Saturday, May 13 at St.
Andrew Greek Orthodox Church,
5649 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL,
60660. Funeral Service followed.
Interment Elmwood Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to St. Andrew Church or to the charity of
your choice.
Harris, Helen. - We honor and
celebrate the beautiful memories of
our cherished mother, yiayia, and
great grandmother, Helen Harris,
who passed away on Tuesday, (May
2, 2006) surrounded by her loving
family. Her heart beat only with
love: love for her husband Demos,
love for her six children, love for her
ten grandchildren, and love for her
eleven (almost twelve) great grandchildren. That love is the glue that
kept us together. Gathering family
around the Sunday dinner table after church, and then sitting on the
floor to play with each of her grandchildren was her greatest joy. Born
in Istanbul, Turkey in 1909, she immigrated to America during the
Depression to begin a new life with
her husband. They celebrated fortyfour years of marriage before his
death in 1973. Life wasn't easy, but
her incredible strength, character,
faith and spirituality were the foundation for the family. Her quick wit
and sense of humor kept us laughing, and she was always there to
make each success more joyful and
each hurt less painful. We will dearly miss our beloved mother. She was
an angel on earth, and she is now an
angel in heaven. She leaves six lov-
Louis “Lou” Carrol, Greek Who
Gave Nixon Checkers, Dies at 83
Continued from page 1
resignation.
6 MAJOR CRISES
Nixon considered the scandal
one of the six major crises of his
career, and in his autobiography,
he described how he decided to
mention Checkers in his historic
speech: "I knew I had to go for
broke. This broadcast must not
just be good. It had to be a smash
hit, one that really moved people,
one that was designed not simply
to explain the complicated and
dull facts about the fund to the
people, but also one that would inspire them to enthusiastic, positive
support."
With his wife at his side, Nixon
took to the airwaves on September
23, 1952. In a nationally televised
address, he insisted that he used
the funds for political expenses.
He described his family's modest
lifestyle. He went through every
debt he owed, including Pat's ''respectable Republican cloth coat,''
his $20,000 mortgage and his 1950
Oldsmobile Then he brought up
Checkers: ''And you know, the
kids, like all kids, love the dog, and
I just want to say this, right now,
that regardless of what they say
about it, we're going to keep it.''
The public quickly embraced
Nixon, sending dog collars, leashes, blankets and enough dog food
for a year. The next day, Eisenhower met Nixon and proclaimed,
"You're my boy."
Although he rarely mentioned
the present he gave to Nixon, Mr.
Carrol remained proud of his
small role in the country's history,
keeping faded pictures, articles
and telegrams hanging on the
walls of his home. He was a lifelong Republican who had supported Nixon to the end.
Checkers died in 1964.
Family members said sending a
dog to Nixon was typical of Mr.
Carrol, whom they described as
boisterous and outgoing. He came
to Illinois and built a career as a
salesman, working at Des Plainesbased Lawson Products, where he
retired in 1996 as senior executive
vice president for sales.
Mr. Carrol is survived by his
wife, the former Alice "Cis" Buckley; three children from his first
marriage, Robert, Clark and Lisa;
a stepdaughter, Linda Ray Buckley; a brother, Arthur; five grandchildren; and the mother of his
children, Beatrice Carrol.
Memorial services were held on
Friday, May 19, at St. Michael's
Episcopal Church in Barrington.
The Chicago Tribune published the above on May 17. The
original headline is, “Louis 'Lou'
Carrol (1923-2006), Gave Puppy
that Saved Nixon: Five decades
ago, traveling salesman sent
Richard Nixon a cocker spaniel
that became the inspiration for
his career-saving 'Checkers'
speech.” The above story also incorporates information from a
story published in the May 17 edition of the New York Times (by
Margalit Fox).
"He didn't sit still," boyhood
friend Glen Streeter told The
Modesto Bee.
The Pentagon lured Patterakis,
a retired Air Force major, out of
retirement shortly after September 11, 2001.
He and his wife, Vicki, left their
Modesto, California home and
moved to northern Virginia. He
was named a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force, assigned to
oversee programs intended to
boost ethnic, gender and econom-
Deaths
Economou, Cleo (nee
Cladas)
Ganifas, “Harry”Theoharis
Gianoulis,Violet (nee Greanias)
Harris, Helen
Lambros, Nicholas
Maroudas, Dimitrios
Microulis, Claire C.
Moskos, George K.
ing children: Emanuel Harris, Milton Harris, Angela Zavras and her
husband Nestor, Phi Andreas and
her husband Mike, Melanie Yalanis, and Marilyn Yacavone and her
husband Tom. She also leaves ten
adored grandchildren: Michelle
Parsons and her husband Tom, Aris
Zavras and his wife Renee, Dana
Kaplinski and her husband Tom,
Elena Dulik and her husband Andy,
Elise Andreas, Helen Harris-Prout,
her husband Trevor and their baby
on the way, Eleni Yalanis, Tamara
Yacavone, Jason Yacavone and
Dean Yalanis, and her precious
eleven great grandchildren: Graham, Brynn and Laine Parsons,
Eva, Grant and Faye Kaplinski,
Daphne, Lola and Mimi Zavras, Julia and Andrew Dulik, and her
niece and family in New Jersey. She
was predeceased by her husband
Demos, two brothers, Stavros and
Costa, a sister, Julia, and her son-inlaw, Tom. Funeral and burial services were private at the convenience of the family. Donations in
her memory may be made to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral,
433 Fairfield Avenue, Hartford, CT
06114 or to a charity of the donor's
choice.
Lambros, Nicholas. - Age 80; of
Cranston, RI; passed away suddenly
May 3, 2006 at Kent Hospital, Warwick. RI. He was the beloved husband of Demetra (Pliakas) Lambros. Mr. and Mrs. Lambros have
been married for 42 years. Born in
Clinton, Mass., a son of the late
Harry and Stavroula (Despotopoulos) Lambros. Mr. Lambros was a
Providence School Principle at various Elementary Schools before retiring. He was a Graduate of Boston
University and also received his
master degree from the University.
Mr. Lambros was a communicant of
the Church of the Annunciation
Greek Orthodox in Cranston, a
member of AHEPA. He was formerly on the Board of Trustee's of
St. Basil's Academy in New York, a
former member of the National
Board of Orthodox Missions. He
was a WW II Navy Veteran. He was
the father of Nicholas A. Lambros
and his wife Joanna of Cranston.
Grandfather of Nicholas D. and
This is a service
to the community.
Announcements of deaths
may be telephoned to the
Classified Department of
The National Herald at
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ic diversity in the military.
Patterakis, who was born in
New Mexico, joined the Air Force
three days after graduating from
Modesto High School in 1953.
He served the next four years
on active duty as an enlisted man,
including a tour with an Air Force
band, before earning his officer's
commission and pilot's wings
through the peacetime Air National Guard.
In Vietnam, Patterakis flew an
F-4C Phantom II out of Cam
Ranh Bay. He received several
medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross.
He was considered a promising
Republican candidate when a
Northern San Joaquin Valley
House seat opened up in 1978.
Without any political experience,
he took on Democrat Tony Coelho, a seasoned Capitol Hill staffer,
and lost.
"He got the Greek community,
which was traditionally Democratic, to vote for him, and he won
Modesto," Coelho said, but "he
just didn't have the political fire;
he was sort of shy."
His military colleagues remembered him for his strong leadership: "If you had a case, and a sign
that said, 'Break in time of war,'
Chris Patterakis would be inside,"
said Bob Gore, a former Air Force
colleague.
"You would just follow him to
hell and back. I would."
Services were held in Modesto
on Wednesday and Thursday.
Christopher P. Lambros and the
late Demetra Nikki Lambros.
Brother of Christine Lambros and
Helen Ackerman both of Clinton,
Mass., and the late George, Frank,
Andrew, Nikki and Jennie Lambros
and Angela Vaughan. Relatives and
friends attended a Funeral Service
on Saturday, May 6 in the Church of
the Annunciation Greek Orthodox
175 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston.
Donations in his memory may be
made to the Church.
Maroudas, Dimitrios. - Age 37;
a resident of Anchorage, Alaska;
died May 10, 2004, at Providence
Alaska Medical Center. A memorial service was on Sunday, May 7,
2006 at Holy Transfiguration Greek
Orthodox Church. Family and
friends met afterward at Angelus
Memorial Park Cemetery for
prayers, then proceeded to the
Maroudas family home for a reception.
Microulis, Claire C. - Age 80; of
Oakdale Ave., Pawtucket, R.I. died
on Tuesday May 9, 2006 at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I.
Claire was the wife of the late George Microulis. Born in Dickson City, Pa. daughter of the late John and
Mary (Gunsrath) Logan; she had
lived in Pawtucket for over 55 years.
Claire was a homemaker. She is survived by three sons, Paul with whom
she lived, Peter and his wife Maria
of North Providence, and John Microulis and his companion Cindy
Ganosel of Burriville. She was also
the loving grandmother to George
and Nina Microulis. Claire also
leaves three sisters, Rita Graff and
Ann Marie Mackarewitz of New
Jersey and Helen Williams of Tennessee. She was the sister of the late
Joseph, Richard and Margaret Logan, Gertrude Karsnak, Anna and
Mae Rasmus. She also leaves several nieces and nephews and godchildren. Claire was a communicant of
the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Greek Orthodox Church of Pawtucket, and a long time member and
former president of the St. Barbara's
Philoptochos
Society.
Friends and relatives were invited
to attend funeral services in the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church
in Pawtucket on Saturday, May 13.
Burial in Walnut Hill Cemetery,
Pawtucket. Donations may be made
to the Assumption Greek Orthodox
Church Endowment Fund 97 Walcott St., Pawtucket RI 02860 in
Claire's memory.
Moskos, George K. - Age 81;
Venice, FL; died April 29, 2006. He
was born July 27, 1924, in Symi Island, Greece, and came to Venice
27 years ago from Akron, Ohio. He
was former owner of a Brown Derby Restaurant in Akron and was an
Army veteran of World War II. He
was a member of St. Barbara Greek
Orthodox Church. Survivors include his wife, Gretchen; daughters
Nina Hoffman, Rene and Erini, all
of Ohio; sons Dean and Nick, both
of Ohio; stepsons Erickson and Damon Powell, both of Ohio; a sister,
Lela Grives of Ohio; and 10 grandchildren. Visitation was on Tuesday, May 2 at Ewing Funeral Home.
A service was on Wednesday, May 3
at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to TideWell
Hospice and Palliative Care, 5955
Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238.
Corporal Steve Vahaviolos, Marine,
Dies in Tank Accident in Iraq at 21
Continued from page 1
reportedly flown back to the United States on Tuesday. A funeral
was expected to be held this weekend, with full military honors. Arrangements were still incomplete
at press time.
The family has already received
dozens of phone calls since the news
of their son's death broke out.
Among the callers were Defense
Department officials, as well as
Greek American friends and relatives form Logastra in the region of
Laconia in Greece, where Corporal
Vahaviolos' father Costas is from.
President of the Pan-Laconian
Federation of the United States &
Canada Takis Nikolopoulos was
among the first to communicate
with the parents of the deceased
soldier to express his condolences.
“Logastra mourns the loss of a
young man with such promise,
while also experiencing feelings of
pride for the new generation of
Logastrian natives living in the
United States who are following in
the footsteps of their ancestors,
who fought for the freedom of
Greece,” Mr. Nikolopoulos told
the National Herald. “It is no accident that our compatriot arrived in
Iraq on March 25, the day he
Greeks celebrate their Independence and the feast day of the Annunciation,” he added.
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GREECE/CYPRUS 9
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
Karamanlis Meets Erdogan in Vienna, More Meetings Ahead
NEW YORK - Greek Prime
Minister Costas Karamanlis met
last Friday morning, May 12, with
his Turkish counterpart, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of
the European Union's Summit
with
Latin
American
and
Caribbean countries. The Greek
and Turkish Premiers discussed
mainly economic and business issues, particularly in view of the imminent commencement of the
tourism season.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora
Bakoyanni and Turkish Minister
of State Ali Babacan were also
present for the 45-minute meeting.
The discussion, which came on
the heels of a Karamanlis-Erdogan
meeting on the sidelines of the
South East Europe Cooperation
Process Summit in Thessaloniki
on May 4, was held within the
framework of the two leaders' new
policy of frequent bilateral contacts, and was requested by Mr.
Erdogan two days earlier.
Commenting on the meeting
last Friday, Mr. Karamanlis said
that everyone would have to get
used to the idea that such meetings and contacts would take place
more regularly and would not be
major news, adding that the main
focus of his talks with Mr. Erdogan
had been economic, particularly
on tourism and cooperation in the
tourism sector.
Regarding tourism, a moratorium on trans-border violations
aimed at reducing tension during
the summer months, which was
agreed to in 1988 between then
Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers Karolos Papoulias - currently
President of the Hellenic Republic
- and Mesut Yilmaz, is still in effect, although the issue was not
broached during the KaramanlisErdogan meeting.
Mr. Karamanlis also called for
the repeal of a $50 duty imposed
by Turkish authorities on tourists
traveling to Greece from Turkey even for a brief visit. Mr. Erdogan
replied that it was an “administrative matter” which concerned state
services, and promised to look into
a possible solution.
The two men also discussed the
problem of long delays at the
Evros River Bridge on the GreekTurkish frontier, which are mainly
due to bureaucracy, and mulled
the possibility of establishing a second bridge.
Discussions also touched on
Greek-Turkish cooperation in the
energy sector. Mr. Babacan presented a briefing on progress in
Turkey's E.U. accession course,
but the issue of the Customs
Union Protocol for Cyprus was not
broached.
Unidentified Greek Government sources told the Athens and
Macedonian Press Agencies that
“Turkey is very much interested in
showing that it is doing everything
possible to fulfill the criteria set
out by the E.U., and let's not forget that all these are also linked
with the domestic political front.”
The two sides also underscored
their desire to improve and en-
hance Greek-Turkish relations.
Mrs. Bakoyanni is scheduled to
visit Constantinople (present-day
Istanbul) on June 10 for a GreekTurkish journalists' conference,
and will meet with her Turkish
counterpart, Abdullah Gul, on the
sidelines of that conference.
Mrs. Bakoyanni also said over
the weekend that Mr. Karamanlis
may visit Turkey by the end of this
year. “We're now trying to set a
date for the visit through diplomatic channels. It might take place
this year,” she said in an interview
with the Greek daily newspaper,
Ethnos.
Getty Director: I’ll recommend that antiquities be returned
Continued from page 1
the Greek Government, suggested
that Greece is prepared to offer
the Getty Museum long-term
loans of Greek antiquities as part
of the deal.
“Talks are ongoing, and representatives will be appointed to seek
resolution of the matter within the
next two or three months,” Mr.
Brand said. “Once the requirements of the Ministry of Culture
are met, a fruitful cooperation,
which could include long-term
loans, can start,” he added. Asked
if he had been pressured into making this decision, he replied: “No.”
In a statement to the New York
Times, Vivi Vassilopoulou, head
of antiquities at the Culture Ministry, said that the Greek side had
shown Mr. Brand “hard evidence”
of the objects' provenance. Mr.
Brand attended the meeting, along
with a group of Getty employees,
including legal counsel. “Their
Greek provenance is undisputable. We made that very clear
to Mr. Brand,” Mrs. Vassilopoulou said after the talks.
Among the evidence was incriminating evidence involving the
gold wreath, according to George
Gligoris, head of a special police
unit which investigates antiquities
smuggling.
Mr. Gligoris noted that Greek
police were able to trace its sale
from a Greek antiquities smuggler
just last month. The smuggler
“corresponded and sent pictures
of the wreath to an antiquities collector in Europe,” Mr. Gligoris
told the New York Times.
A ministry official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, told the
Associated Press that Greece had
strong documentation of the antiquities expected to be returned.
The Greek daily newspaper
Kathimerini further cited sources
that the number of objects in question may exceed four.
DENIED SINCE 1993
Greece had been making open
claims over these artifacts since
1993, but Getty officials had continuously rejected any discussion
on the issue. Last November, how-
A Macedonian funerary wreath from 320-300 BC, one of four artifacts
displayed at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles which Greece alleges were looted from its soil. The wreath may be among an unspecified number of objects Greece wants returned.
ever, Greece warned the Getty that
it would take legal action to recover the four antiquities as part of a
concerted effort to squash illegal
trafficking of its cultural heritage.
“A time framework has been
set, and it is clear that the Getty's
policy of delaying, regarding the
Greek demands, now belongs to
the past,” Culture Ministry Secretary-General Christos Zachopoulos told AP this week.
Asked whether Greece would
now go after other U.S. museums,
he replied that was a good possibility: “We reserve all legal right
concerning possible new evidence
on other antiquities. We are examining all cases. We have our files,
and we are now following a policy
with specific steps, setting targets,”
he said.
But policy is not the only reason
behind this past week's success
and Greece's resolve.
The Getty's positive response
to Greek demands has come amid
a strong Italian campaign to reclaim many of the Museum's an-
tiquities excavated and subsequently (allegedly) looted from
Italian soil. Meanwhile, Mrs.
True's ongoing trial in Rome has
created a kind of domino effect on
other major American museums
which, in the past, have adamantly
refused to negotiate over their
possessions.
According to Greek authorities, Tuesday's talks were requested by Mr. Brand himself last
month, only hours after it was announced that Greek police raided
Mrs. True's summer home on the
island of Paros, and had uncovered 12 “illegally held” ancient artifacts.
A previous raid on Mrs. True's
Paros home had yielded another
17 antiquities from the Hellenistic
and Roman eras. Greek law requires that all collections of ancient art must be declared to the
proper authorities. Mrs. True's attorneys have countered that the
objects were of nominal value, and
that she had alerted local officials
of their presence in her villa when
she bought it in 1995.
GROUND HAS SHIFTED
Following Italy's and Greece's
radical measures, the ground
seems to have shifted. Three of 52
antiquities were returned to the
Italian Government by the Getty
only days before the True trial began, while the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York also
agreed in February to return 21
objects to Italy, in exchange for
special long-term loans. Among
the Met objects is a famous 6th
Century BC Greek wine vessel
called the Euphronios Krater,
which was purchased by the Met in
the 1970's for $1 million. The
Krater, one of few in the world of
its kind, is now scheduled to return
to Italy in 2008.
Greece was next in line to reclaim disputed objects. In December, soon after of Mrs. True's trial
commenced, the Getty announced
it would consider the Greek request as soon as Mr. Brand as-
sumed his directorial post in January.
In an interview with the New
York Times last week, Mr. Brand
said that opening a dialogue with
Greek and Italian authorities was
a “top priority,” while also ex-
[
Greece warned the
Getty that it would
take legal action
]
pressing a firm commitment to “do
the right thing” about the disputed
antiquities.
In the same interview, Mr.
Brand would not criticize the Getty's policies. He defended the Museum and praised Mrs. True as a
“brilliant and visionary” curator,
and said that her resignation from
the Museum following the Italian
accusations was “a travesty.”
“I think if you look at Marion,
and at the Getty Museum, I don't
think you could ever accuse us of
not using objects to good ends,” he
added.
But there seems to be little
doubt that the Getty Museum is
undergoing one of the most trying
periods in its history. On January
28, the Museum opened its Getty
Villa in Malibu, following a major
$275 million renovation project.
On display at the Villa are more
than 1,200 antiquities of Greek,
Etruscan and Roman origin.
Many of them may not be gracing Getty's galleries for long, however. According to reports in the
New York Times, several objects
have also been identified by reporters among the pieces on the
Italian and Greek lists of looted
art.
Such collectibles include a
small stone statue of Tyche, the
Greek goddess of fortune; two
red-figure Attic vases with scenes
of athletes; and a painting-size
fragment of a Pompeian fresco.
AP PHOTO/THANASSIS STAVRAKIS
Getty Museum Director Michael Brand leaves the Greek Ministry of Culture after his meeting with the Culture Minister George Voulgarakis in Athens this past Tuesday, May 16. Brand has agreed to recommend
the return of some of four ancient artifacts wanted by Greece which are currently housed in the wealthy Los
Angeles museum.
Cyprus Coalition Government Looks Good Going In
AP PHOTO/PETROS GIANNAKOURIS
I still got it
Argentinean soccer legend Diego Maradona, wearing an Olympiakos
jersey, shows off his skill to the crowd at the Karaiskaki stadium in Piraeus, near Athens last Sunday, May 14. Maradona, 35, was the guest
of honor at the fiesta celebrating Olympiakos' Greek League and Cup
double.
NEW YORK (AFP) - The center-right DIKO party of Cypriot
President Tassos Papadopoulos
made a strong showing in an opinion poll published last Sunday, a
week ahead of the parliamentary
elections in the Republic of
Cyprus.
Meanwhile, a senior member of
the communist AKEL, part of Mr.
Papadopoulos' ruling coalition
government, was clinging to a
marginal lead over rightwing rivals
DISY, the main opposition, with
the resurgent DIKO trailing in
third.
A record number of parties are
squaring off in the May 21 parliamentary elections, which are widely seen as the first real litmus test
for Mr. Papadopoulos' hardline
policy on efforts to reunify the island.
Last Sunday's poll, published by
the Greek Cypriot daily Simerini,
put AKEL ahead with 30 percent
of the vote, compared to the opposition DISY's 28 percent. Junior
coalition partner DIKO garnered
16 percent, 10 points clear of the
fourth-placed
socialist
party
EDEK, which mustered 6 percent.
The center-right European Party, made up mostly of disgruntled
DISY deputies who left the party,
followed with just 5 percent, while
the Cyprus Greens had only 3 percent.
The
leftwing
United
Democrats, the only party to front
a Turkish Cypriot candidate in the
Greek Cypriot poll, received 1.5
percent, just short of the 1.8 percent threshold needed to secure a
seat in parliament.
Two other parties - the European Democracy party and the
Movement of Free Citizens - both
garnered less than 1 percent. The
opinion poll showed both AKEL
and DISY to have hemorrhaged
support compared to their showing
in the 2001 elections, when they
won 34.7 and 34 percent of the
vote, respectively.
The poll was conducted by
Cyprus College between April 28
and May 8, using a random sample
of 1,043 people. No margin of error was given.
LANDMARK VOTE
Meanwhile, as previously reported by the Middle East Times,
hundreds of Turkish Cypriots have
registered to vote in the Cypriot
Parliamentary race in the government-controlled south of the divided island republic for the first time
in decades.
Cypriot Interior Minister Andreas Christou said that the May
21 parliamentary election would be
“significant” for the precedent-setting participation of 270 Turkish
Cypriot voters.
Turkish Cypriot Poet Neshe
Yashin, who resides in the south, is
also making history by standing as
a candidate for the staunchly proreunification United Democrats
party.
The registration change was
made possible after Parliament approved an amendment to the constitution in January, allowing Turkish Cypriots living in the internationally recognized governmentcontrolled areas to vote or stand as
candidates in the Cypriot poll.
An estimated 1,000 Turkish
Cypriots live in the predominantly
Greek Cypriot south, which has an
overall population of about
750,000. The change does not apply to Turkish Cypriots living in the
island's Turkish-occupied north,
the so-called Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus, recognized only
by Ankara.
Mr. Christou said there are also
more candidates and parties appearing on the ballot than ever before, all vying for a place in the 56seat Cypriot Parliament.
“This time around, we will have
the biggest ballot ever for a Parliamentary election,” he told reporters.
Although the ballot papers will
be in Greek, information pamphlets about the ballot will be
available in Turkish at 30 polling
stations, where Turkish Cypriots
are registered to vote.
The change was made after the
European Court of Human Rights
criticized the Cypriot Government
for denying voting rights to Turkish Cypriots living within the territory it controls.
Under the Cypriot constitution,
adopted after independence in
1960, each community had the
right to vote for members of Parliament from their own community
on separate ballots.
According to a quota system, 30
percent of the seats in the Cypriot
House of Representatives were reserved for the Turkish Cypriot
community.
During communal disturbances
in 1963-64, Turkish Cypriots withdrew from Parliament amid a political crisis, and their seats remain
vacant to date.
The situation was further compounded in 1974, when Turkish
troops invaded and occupied the
island's northern third, exploiting a
Greek Cypriot coup in Lefkosia
(Nicosia) seeking union with
Greece.
There are more than 470,000
Greek Cypriot registered voters on
the island, where voting is mandatory by law.
Meanwhile, tempers flared this
week leading up to the election between Mr. Papadopoulos and
DISY Party Chairman Nicos Anastasiades after the former turned
down the latter's request to participate in a televised debate. Mr. Papadopoulos suggested that Mr.
Anastasiades should wait for “another opportunity” to publicly debate him, and Mr. Anastasiades responded by calling the Greek
Cypriot leader “arrogant.”
10 EDITORIALS/LETTERS
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THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
Greece Has Lost
The Game if its Own
Reporters Mess Up
To the Editor:
It was disconcerting to read the
recent article written by Nicholas
Paphitis, “Greek & Turkish
Premiers Meet Up,” in the National Herald's May 6 edition. The
article deals with the recent conference held in Thessaloniki, and
lists the Balkan countries which
were participants in the Southeast
Europe Cooperation Process
Summit. The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia is referred
to, or identified, in the article as
“Macedonia.”
For Greek reporters to identify
FYROM as “Macedonia” is an indication that Greece is a total loser
related to the issue. It should be
Periodical postage paid at L.I.C. NY and additional mailing offices.
noted that the problem related to
FYROM is more than a name issue. FYROM was previously
known as Vardarska Bonovina before Tito renamed it the “Republic
of Macedonia.” Tito's aim was to
expand his territory and take over
Greek Macedonia.
It should also be noted that the
country was admitted as member to
the United Nations with the name
“FYROM,” under the condition
that the country's future name will
be negotiated with Greece.
To date, FYROM has not cooperated with Greece, and has not
shown any interest in genuinely resolving the problem. FYROM,
most likely, does not consider it
necessary to resolve the issue with
Greece since, now, even Greeks
identify Vardarska Bonovina as
“Macedonia,” a prime example
being Mr. Paphitis' article, an As-
sociated Press writer who is
Greek, and published by the National Herald, a Greek American
publication.
Respectfully submitted,
Athanasia Gregoriades
New York, New York
Kousoulas Makes a
Good Point about
Our Sunday Schools
To the Editor,
Dr. Kousoulas' recent article,
“Promoting Hellenism within our
Church: Let's Keep an Open
Mind” (see March 4 edition), has
great merit. A little time spent
teaching our Sunday School children about their Hellenic heritage
will no doubt strengthen their ties
to our ethnic identity and culture.
Thank you.
Respectfully submitted,
Chris Kalogerson
Edina, Minnesota
TO OUR READERS
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include the writer’s name, address, and telephone number
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Phil Angelides Endorsed by the Los Angeles Times
In service of his country
One more Greek American, Corporal Steve Vahaviolos, lost his life
in Iraq last week in service of his country. He served two tours in Iraq, returning to the United States in April for only three weeks, as if to say
goodbye to his family for the last time.
Can words soften the blow, the pain of losing such a young life, for his
family, friends and community at-large?
Yes, they can. And they come from an improbable source: his mother,
Vasiliki. “Steve served his country. His sacrifices and heroism made us
feel proud, and that eases our pain,” she told this newspaper.
While most of us debate the pros and cons of the war in Iraq, there
are more than 100 thousand American soldiers there who risk their lives
every day, following the orders of the President, their Commander inChief, as the Constitution dictates.
While that should not be an obstacle to an open and honest debate
about the war, that should also not be too far-removed from our minds,
as the death of Corporal Vahaviolos indicates.
Good job
On May 7, 1982 a crowd gathered at a building adjacent to Saint
Demetrios Cathedral in Astoria to celebrate the grand opening of Saint
Demetrios High School. Until then, the School offered instruction up to
the 9th grade.
The crowd was exuberant, but not without its skeptics. As a matter of
fact, it could be that there were more doubters than not. Was the school
necessary, they asked? Could it survive? Would it not be a heavy financial burden on the church itself?
These were serious questions then, and not to be taken lightly. Even
the man behind this Herculean effort, Nikos Andriotis, in a recent interview with our Greek-language daily, conceded that he, too, lost some
sleep over what looked like a risky undertaking at the time.
Admittedly, it has not been an easy ride. But thousands of graduates
later, it has become clear that the school is succeeding beyond the imagination of those who dared to dream. This year, many of the 48 graduates
were admitted to some of this country's top colleges and universities,
Yale and Columbia among them.
What can we learn from this success story?
First, there is a need for parochial schools, at least in our larger cities,
like Saint Demetrios in Astoria and William Spyropoulos of Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Flushing - and others - which teach all the regular
subjects, as well as Greek language, religion and history. Second, the
quality of education provided by these schools is much higher than the
public perceives it to be. Third, the community should support more
such schools, and should invest even more in the existing ones.
As a matter of fact, it is no coincidence that the level of success
achieved by our schools jumped while some individuals and institutions
(e.g., the Niarchos Foundation) have come to their assistance.
The Getty
The Italians made the first breakthrough with the New York
Metropolitan Museum of Art for the return of antiquities to Italian soil.
And the Greeks are not far behind.
This past week, the director of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles made a trip to Athens where, after meeting with the Greek Culture
Minister for several hours, he announced that he would “recommend the
return of some of the claimed antiquities in the near future.” In exchange, Greece could make some “long-term loans” to the Getty.
The New York Times called it a “coup for the Greek Government.”
And indeed it was.
But it goes far beyond who “won and lost.” The important thing is to
find a mechanism through which these priceless treasures will be made
available to the world, while at the same time respecting their creators
and birthplace.
It also seems that this milestone reached between the Getty Museum
and Greece somewhat shortens the timeframe for returning the socalled Elgin Marbles of the Parthenon to their rightful place. At least we
hope so.
Hellenic Medical Society
In the entrance hall at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York,
there is only one statue: the statue of Dr. George Papanicolaou of Pap
Test fame, the test which has saved millions of women's lives.
To honor the memory of this great physician, a symposium was organized by the Hellenic Medical Society of New York, in cooperation with
the Pan-Evoikos Society, which represents the Greek island where he
was born.
As expected, members of the organizations involved, friends and College officials attended. What was unexpected was that Greek Health
Minister Demetris Avramopoulos, the past Minister of Tourism and former Mayor of Athens, would also be there. He flew in from Athens to
connect with members of the Medical Society's Board and attend the
Medical Society's symposium in honor of Dr. Papanicolaou's memory.
And that was a first. Never before had a Health Minister of Greece
graced an HMS event with his presence. And never before had a Greek
Health Minister taken the time to recognize the level of achievement of
our community's medical professionals, and their potential to help improve Greece improve its healthcare system through collaboration.
And this is only the beginning. Our sources tell us that both Mr.
Avramopoulos and HMS are determined to push ahead with exploring
the avenues of cooperation.
That would be very good for the health of the people of Greece, and for
the advancement of Greek medical research. It also gives Greek American
physicians an opportunity to make a contribution to the country of their
birth and/or heritage, as well as the recognition they so richly deserve.
This should be a golden time for
California Democrats. They control both chambers of the Legislature. The state's Republican governor has low (though improving)
performance ratings. And they
have two gubernatorial candidates
with the resources to mount a substantial challenge in the Fall. But
there is no gold. There are only the
leaden frontrunners, State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly - two wealthy
men who spend so much time raising more money and clawing at
each other that it's hard to tell
them apart.
Angelides calls himself the "anti-Arnold" and points out that, as
treasurer, he stood against Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's
deficit reduction plan. He contends that California's structural
budget shortfall must be resolved
in part by considering (as a "last resort," of course) raising taxes on
the wealthy. Westly labels himself
a different kind of Democrat, and
notes that he teamed with Schwarzenegger to promote the governor's recovery plan. He says raising
taxes would bring disaster, and
must be avoided (except, of course,
as a "last resort"). Other than that,
their policy differences are so minuscule as to be without meaning,
although they debate them fiercely.
Both are competent state officials with roots deep in the party
establishment and forays into the
private sector.
Angelides ran for office in his
native Sacramento even before
graduating from college, and then
went to work at the Capitol before
becoming a real estate developer.
He returned to politics in the
1990's, as chairman of the state
party, and was elected treasurer in
1998.
Westly likes to emphasize his
early role at eBay and his academic
career at Stanford, but he too
worked his way through the state
party ranks, and lost a race for party chairman himself in 1989. In
2002, Westly used part of his eBay
fortune to mount a campaign for
state controller and won.
Either of the two ought to pose
a formidable challenge to Schwarzenegger. But Angelides and
Westly are colorless and uninspir-
ing, not because they aren't movie
action heroes, but because they are
unable to connect with the average
non-millionaire Californian.
In a sense, they are interchangeable with the other Democrats
termed out of statewide office this
year who are scrambling for power
bases in other, sometimes surprising, posts. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante is the frontrunner for insurance commissioner. Insurance
Commissioner John Garamendi is
running for lieutenant governor.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer is
on the ballot for treasurer. It's as if
they're playing a game of musical
chairs - but agreed beforehand to
arrange their landing spots.
The Times is not endorsing in
those primaries, but will weigh in
for the November general election.
Nor do we decide today whether
Schwarzenegger deserves another
term. That, too, is a question for
this fall. But we want the
Democrats to put forward the best
they can offer, to select the candidate on June 6 who is most likely to
give Californians a healthy debate
and a clear choice in November.
That candidate is Phil An-
gelides. He may lack charisma, but
he doesn't lack conviction, and he
has been unwavering in his criticism of quick fixes and false budget
promises. He has more experience
in state office than Westly, whose
"fix-it" approach to government is
appealing at first, but on closer inspection appears shallow.
Angelides may be dull, but he is
not shallow. His commitment to
healthcare reform, education, environmental protection and fiscal
responsibility are real. We are wary
of his quick jump to taxes, but acknowledge some respect for his
willingness to tell it as he sees it.
We are not fans of his website's
childish anti-Schwarzenegger cartoon. But we are confident Angelides is better than his website.
He is the best Democratic candidate to challenge the governor and
debate the future of California.
The Los Angeles Times published the above editorial on May
14. The original headline is, “For
Governor: Phil Angelides - In a
ripe year, California Democrats
have produced two unsatisfying
choices for governor.”
Greek MP Comes Under Fire for Genocide Claim
By Rick Wallace
The Australian
VICTORIA - A Labor Party
MP of Greek descent, who raised
genocide allegations in the Victorian Parliament, has sparked an international row with the Turkish
Government.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs has warned backbencher
Jenny Mikakos against accusing
Turkey of committing a "holocaust"
comparable to Adolf Hitler's.
"This claim is just the distortion
of historical facts," it said in a statement issued to The Australian on
May 16, which is likely to infuriate
the Greek Government and
Greeks throughout the world.
"These baseless claims are
counter-productive and in contrast
with cooperation and (the) dialogue spirit which we endeavor to
develop between Greece and
Turkey," the statement said.
Mrs. Mikakos' comments also
incensed a fellow Labor MP,
Michael Leighton, who is the son of
a holocaust survivor, whose relatives died in Hitler's wartime
slaughter of Jewish people.
The row started when Mrs.
Mikakos called on Turkey to apologize for the alleged killing of more
than 350,000 Greeks in the socalled Pontian Genocide between
1916 and 1923.
"Unlike Germany, which has
taken responsibility for the Jewish
holocaust, Turkey has never apologized to its victims," she said.
Mrs. Mikakos defied Premier
Steve Bracks' efforts to quell the
row by releasing a statement repeating her accusations of genocide, although she dropped any
mention of the holocaust.
Labor sources said Mr. Bracks
privately "carpeted" Mrs. Mikakos
for her comments last week amid
fears they would spark race-based
bickering within the party in the
lead-up to the November election.
The two Labor MP's of Turkish
descent, John Eren and Adem
Somyurek, who interjected during
her speech on May 4, refused to
continue fanning the row, despite
Mrs. Mikakos repeating the genocide claim.
"I raised the Genocide of Pontic
Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians
in the Victorian Parliament in the
lead-up to this Friday's commemoration," she said. "I have never vilified any community."
Her comments relate to incidents during and after World War
I, a period when Turkey and
Greece were fighting each other.
"Between 1916 and 1923, more
than 353,000 Pontic Greeks living
in Asia Minor and in Pontos, which
is near the Black Sea, died as a result of the 20th Century's first, but
less known, genocide," she told parliament.
"Over a million Pontic Greeks
were forced into exile. In the preceding years, 1.5 million Armenians and 750,000 Assyrians in various parts of Turkey also perished.
Most victims died from exhaustion
or dehydration on forced marches
or work in the so-called labor battalions," she added.
But the Turkish Government
continues to deny that a holocaust
involving Pontian Greeks, Armenians or Assyrian Christians took
place. "The so-called Pontian
Genocide is devoid of historical basis," the Turkish Foreign Ministry
told The Australian.
"We suggest that the Greek authorities and scholars evaluate the
historical events in an objective
manner, instead of coming forward
with these kind of allegations which
would damage Turkish-Greek bilateral relations."
The two countries have vastly
improved their relationship in recent years, with Greece now supporting Turkey's inclusion in the
European Union.
The Australian published the
above on May 17. The original
headline is, “Turks Fuming Over
Genocide Claim.”
NYTimes: Turkey’s Genocide Denial Self-Destructive
Turkey's self-destructive obsession with denying the Armenian
Genocide seems to have no limits.
The Turks pulled out of a NATO
exercise this week because the
Canadian prime minister used the
term "genocide" in reference to the
mass killings of Armenians in
Turkey during and after World
War I. Before that, the Turkish
ambassador to France was temporarily recalled to protest a
French bill which would make it illegal to deny that the Armenian
Genocide occurred. And before
that, a leading Turkish novelist,
Orhan Pamuk, was charged with
"insulting Turkish identity" for referring to the Genocide (the
charges were dropped after an international outcry).
Turkey's stance is hard to fathom. Each time the Turks lash out,
new questions arise about
Turkey's claim to a place in the
European Union, and the Armenian diaspora becomes even more
adamant in demanding a public
reckoning over what happened.
Granted, genocide is a difficult
crime for any nation to acknowledge. But it is absurd to treat any
reference to the issue within
Turkey as a crime and to scream
"lie" every time someone mentions
genocide. By the same token, we
do not see the point of the French
law to ban genocide denial. Historical truths must be established
through dispassionate research
and debate, not legislation, even if
some of those who question the
evidence do so for insidious motives.
But the Turkish Government
considers even discussion of the issue to be a grave national insult,
and reacts to it with hysteria. Five
journalists who criticized a court's
decision to shut down a conference in Istanbul on the massacre
of Armenians were arrested for insulting the courts.
Charges against four were subsequently dropped, but a fifth remains on trial.
The preponderance of serious
scholarship outside Turkey accepts that more than a million Armenians perished between 1914
and 1923 in a regime-sponsored
campaign. Turkey's continued refusal to countenance even a discussion of the issue stands as a major obstacle to restoring relations
with neighboring Armenia, and to
claiming Turkey's rightful place in
Europe and the West. It is time for
the Turks to realize that the
greater danger to them is denying
history.
The New York Times published the above editorial on May
16. The original headline is,
“Turkey, Armenia and Denial.”
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VIEWPOINTS 11
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006
New Strategy Needed to Save Endangered Ecumenical Patriarchate
By Peter Marudas
Special to The National Herald
When His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,
51, was enthroned in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) on
November 2, 1991 there was great
hope in Orthodox circles that this
relatively young, well-educated and
energetic hierarch would restore
the Ecumenical Patriarchate's role
and lead world Orthodoxy to a new
era of spiritual rebirth and secular
status. Nearly 15 years have elapsed
since that event, and this expectation has evaporated like wisps of
smoke from a flickering church candle.
Many political and ecclesiastical
factors have contributed to this development, but a major influence
has been a series of missteps and
miscalculations by the Ecumenical
Patriarch - serious mistakes in judgment which have alienated the Patriarchate from longtime supporters, as well as from important segments of world Orthodoxy.
The Patriarch is certainly not responsible for all these many contentious issues - although he has
done his share - but he and his
agents are culpable for handling
them in a heavy-handed and
counter-productive manner, responses and decisions which have
steadily undercut the Ecumenical
Patriarchate's international prestige and status. A brief listing is instructive:
ñ Continuous feuding with the
Patriarchate of Moscow, the largest
Orthodox Church in the world, to
the point where the two Orthodox
centers had suspended relations.
An uneasy truce prevails, but these
strained relations have denied the
Patriarchate the vital support of
millions of Russian Orthodox
Christians.
ñ
The highly publicized confrontation with the Church of
Greece over jurisdictional and hierarchical control of the so-called
“New Lands,” dioceses located in
Greece. The Orthodox and secular
worlds were shocked and appalled
by the bitter public exchange this
dispute
generated
between
Bartholomew and Archbishop
Christodoulos of Athens & All
Greece. Its coverage by international and Greek media was intense,
lengthy and embarrassing. It divided Greek Orthodox faithful around
the world; split Greek public opinion; and became such an intense political issue that only intervention at
the highest levels of the Greek
Government finally resolved it.
Why
Patriarch
Bartholomew
pushed this issue when his predecessors did not was never made
clear. One explanation was offered
by Rev. Alexander Karloutsos, generally viewed as the Patriarch's closest advisor in America, during a
chance encounter in Baltimore in
the summer of 2004. Asked why the
Patriarch persisted on this issue,
Father Karloutsos responded that,
since His All Holiness was convinced that these Episcopal arrangements violated the Patriarchate's rights, he was determined to
protect these prerogatives. One has
to assume that Father Karloutsos
was accurately conveying the Patriarch's position, a stance which was
eventually both self-defeating and
humiliating for the Patriarchate.
ñ Treating the late and muchadmired Archbishop lakavos with
disrespect and actively pushing for
his ouster. Even if it was time for the
aging prelate to retire, his departure
should have been conducted in a
manner befitting his many years of
devotion and service to the Church.
Instead, his retirement was abruptly
forced, leaving a lingering resentment among many Orthodox in
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They should include the writer’s name, address, and telephone number and be addressed to the View Points Editor, The National Herald, 37-10
30th Street, Long Island City,
NY 11101. They can also be
faxed to (718) 472-0510 or,
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America.
ñ Replacing lakovos with Archbishop Spyridon, a well-intentioned, inexperienced hierarch with
a very limited understanding of
America. This appointment created
four years of tension and controversy, culminating with Spyridon's unceremonious removal, an action
which sparked further division and
rancor in America.
ñ Replacing Iakovos with Archbishop Spyridon, a well-intentioned, inexperienced hierarch with
a very limited understanding of
America. This appointment created
four years of tension and controversy culminating with Spyridon's unceremonious removal; an action
which sparked further division and
rancor in America.
ñ Arbitrarily destroying the unity of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North & South America by
dissolving
it
into
weaker
Metropolises, concurrent with
Spyridon's appointment. This unilateral reorganization was imposed
without consulting either Archbishop Spyridon or the clergy and laity
of the Church in the Western
Hemisphere. It is a reorganization
which has weakened the Church internally, and has also affected the
Archdiocese's ability to assist the
Patriarchate with greater unity and
decisiveness.
ñ A highly divisive and public
confrontation with the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
and its primate, Archbishop
Stylianos, another controversy
which created ill will toward the Patriarchate in this growing corner of
Orthodoxy.
ñ Disregard for transparency
and proper process in the governance of the Archdiocese of North
& South America, since downgraded to the Archdiocese of America.
This controversy centered on imposition of a new charter by the Patriarchate over the objections of many
devout Greek Orthodox who felt
that the Patriarch should have
shown a greater measure of pastoral feeling and understanding in
this matter.
ñ The bitter struggle between
the Patriarch and the monks of the
Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount
Athos, which has turned into an international public relations nightmare for the Patriarchate. Even if
one concedes that these monks are
rebellious fanatics, the inability of
the Patriarchate to resolve or manage this dispute, short of cutting off
their food supply and electricity,
represents a failure of leadership.
ñ Bartholomew's trip to Cuba in
January of 2004.
The Patriarch's heralded trip to
Cuba takes the cake for an initiative
where mature political judgment
was virtually absent.
Why would the Patriarchate and
its advocates, while actively seeking
help from the Bush Administration,
the most viscerally anti-Castro administration in recent years, undertake a high-profile trip to Cuba to
dedicate a small Orthodox church
in Havana? Did they not calculate
how the Bush Administration
would view this trip through the
prism of trying to wrench concessions from Turkey with respect toward the Patriarchate?
The visit generated just enough
attention from mainstream media
to spark some controversy, while
the Archdiocese released a barrage
of press releases and photos showing the aging Cuban dictator wining
and dining with Bartholomew,
Archbishop Demetrios and a bevy
of Greek Americans. To make matters worse, either through a mix-up
or an intentional slight, the Patriarch skipped a special reception
specifically arranged for him by the
American special interest section
with representatives of Cuban Human Rights groups. Archbishop
Demetrios went instead, to the chagrin of American officials and human rights activists.
Is this any way to win friends and
influence among people in Washington (or Athens, for that matter)?
Playing a front-and-center role in
the Patriarch's trip was none other
than the deposed King of Greece,
Constantine Di Grecia, a person
whose actions many believe undermined parliamentary democracy in
Greece and paved the way for the
seven-year nightmare of the military junta. With the Patriarch's
standing in Greece already weakened because of the New Lands dispute, appearing publicly with an unpopular ex-monarch could only increase public displeasure.
And what about the reaction of
those Greek Orthodox in America
(whether they take a hard or softer
line toward Cuba) observing their
spiritual head openly embracing a
dictator who betrayed the Cuban
TNH ARCHIVES
The main entrance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. The Patriarchate is facing yet another challenging period in its long history, and is becoming increasingly alienated from its flock in America,
according to Mr. Marudas.
Revolution and brought the world
to the brink of nuclear war? Or
those Orthodox Christians in the
former communist countries who
suffered severe repression, and
even lost relatives to martyrdom,
under totalitarian regimes which
Castro extolled over the years?
In both conception and implementation, the Patriarchal extravaganza in Cuba demonstrated, with
depressing clarity, an almost amateurish perception of contemporary
politics and history.
By now, it should be evident that
those officially responsible for advancing the Patriarchate's agenda
lack a fundamental understanding
of the complex political and religious issues whose interplay threaten, or can assure, the Patriarchate's
survival in Constantinople. This status quo is unacceptable, and if it
continues, it will eventually end up
with a “last person to the leave the
Phanar door” scenario.
NEW PEOPLE AND
NEW APPROACHES
New people and new approaches
are needed immediately. What
might be the components of such a
new strategy? Here are a few suggestions to jumpstart a long over-
treasures and spirit of Mt. Athos.
It should go beyond bestowing
awards and banquets upon leaders
like Nobel laureates Elie Wiesel
and Bishop Tutu and Mikail Gorbachev, or ex-Presidents Jimmy
Carter and George H.W. Bush. Requesting their services as honorary
chairs, or even working members,
of broad-based committees with real agendas in support of the Patriarchate is essential. Every European
Union country should have such
committees, all working in unison
to hold Turkey's feet to the fire of
religious freedom.
The Patriarchate must become
truly ecumenical, not only in name,
but also in spirit and practice. The
Phanar and its supporters must decide whether it will remain merely a
national Orthodox Center for
Greeks similar to the Serbian and
Bulgarian Patriarchates, or meet its
ecumenical obligations as the spiritual leader of world Orthodoxy. Attempting to perform both roles has
led to an ecclesiastical schizophrenia, sapping the Patriarchate's religious and moral position.
It is unthinkable that, in this
post-Ottoman, post Cold War era, a
Patriarch
who
asserts,
as
TNH ARCHIVES
A view of the interior of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople, the Great Church of Christ. A Pan-Orthodox Synod of Orthodox
Bishops worldwide may be necessary in order to help preserve the Ecumenical Patriarchate's historic position and location, Mr. Marudas
argues.
due debate, which will hopefully encourage others to come forward
with additional ideas:
No effort has ever been made to
recruit to the Patriarchate's cause.
But it is imperative to truly internationalize the effort to save the Patriarchate, first by severing its connection with Greek national issues, and
second by creating entities which
would maximize foreign pressure
on the Turkish Government and
possibly develop stronger ties with
Turkish elites inclined to look favorably on the Patriarchate.
This would mean placing the
sanctity and independence of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate at the top
of the world's religious freedom priorities. Committees of prominent
public and academic officials would
be formed throughout the world,
heavily laced with non-Greek and
non-Orthodox figures, like the late
Sir Stephen Runciman, for instance
the man who revolutionized world
thinking about the Crusades and
who also authored “The Great
Church in Captivity,” the definitive
work on the Greek Orthodox
Church under Ottoman rule, an individual who devoted an enormous
amount of personal resources and
energy to preserving the religious
Bartholomew did over ten years
ago, he is the leader of the “Apodemon Ellenes” (Greeks living
abroad) can expect to be perceived
as the Ecumenical Patriarch of all
Orthodox. Assuming the role of a
Greek ethnarch confuses the faithful; legitimately angers Greek secular and religious leadership; and incites the Turks. By assuming its ecumenical role, the Patriarchate increases its chances of survival. Continuing on its present parochial
path, as recent experience strongly
suggests, may well seal its doom.
The Patriarchate needs to become more ecumenical, but this
does not imply de-Hellenization.
Just as the Vatican remains Italian
in spirit and staff, even though the
past two popes have been Polish
and German, so could the Patriarchate remain Greek.
It would become more ecumenical overnight, however, simply by
appointing non-Greek hierarchs in
its jurisdiction as rotating members
of the Holy & Sacred Synod in the
way the Roman Catholic Church
became more inclusive by appointing more non-Italians to its College
of Cardinals.
Two outstanding candidates immediately come to mind: Bishop
Kallistos Ware of England, a member of the Monastery of St. John the
Theologian on Patmos, the most
widely known author and proponent of Orthodoxy in the Englishspeaking world, and Metropolitan
Nicholas, primate of the AmericanCarpatho Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA. A friend of Patriarch Bartholomew, Metropolitan
Nicholas, who was also a student at
Halki, is probably the most effective
Orthodox bishop in the United
States. Additional appointments
could be selected from the Patriarchate's other jurisdictions. By this
and similar appointments, the argument that the Patriarchate is exclusively Greek in orientation would
be removed.
The Patriarchate has demonstrated it can make wise decisions.
A stellar appointment was the decision to send Archbishop Anastasios
Yianoulattos, a Greek national, to
the Church in Albania, an essentially non-Greek country. Anastasios
has transformed the Albanian
Orthodox Church, one of the most
suppressed during the Cold War,
into a viable force for Orthodoxy
and reconciliation among all Albanians.
Expanding the planning and
leadership base of the Patriarchal
effort in America is also crucial.
This can develop in many forms.
For instance, the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese could establish commissions of clergy, academics, public officials and other laity to advise
the Archons, and even the Patriarchate, on strategy and tactics. Such
a process would have the advantage
of diversifying information and
ideas, while subjecting old and new
policies to serious review. For too
long, the Patriarchate has relied on
a narrow, small group of advisors in
America whose capacities have
been either overtaxed, or who are of
insufficient competence.
The Patriarchate must immediately convene a Great and Holy
Synod of all Orthodox Churches. It
is an ecclesiastical imperative to
bring all Orthodox together in this
post-modern globalized world, but
most importantly, because it is essential to the Patriarchate's own
survival. By this one single action,
the Patriarchate would signal to the
world - and to Turkey, in particular
- that it is the only entity authorized
to convene a Pan-Orthodox synod.
In so doing, it would establish itself
as the bona fide spiritual center of
Orthodoxy in both the secular and
religious worlds.
A Pan-Orthodox synod would
also address the harmful jurisdictional disputes which have plagued
contemporary Orthodoxy. Such a
meeting would empower the Orthodox Churches to engage the modem
world with renewed unity and re-invigorated intellectual and spiritual
capacities.
In this process, and in all its dealings with other independent Orthodox Churches, the Patriarchate
must understand that it has much
more to gain by taking on its canonical
role
as
the
chief
coordinator/convener and mediator
for world Orthodoxy, rather than
trying to act as its controller. Becoming a leader of Orthodoxy in
this manner will strengthen its position with respect to Turkey by establishing a bedrock of support,
both in Orthodox countries and
among Orthodox wherever they
live.
In fact, Patriarch Bartholomew
told a group from America, to include myself, visiting him at the
Phanar in November 1993 that a
Great Orthodox Synod would be
convened before the end of the 20th
Century. It's now 16 years later, and
a synod has yet to been called.
Seventeen years have also passed
since the fall of the Berlin Wall,
marking the end of the cold war and
the liberation of Eastern European
Orthodoxy from the yolk of Communist atheism. Any further delay
in arranging a Pan-Orthodox synod
is inexcusable and threatens the viability of the Patriarchate.
SUPREME IRONY
It is supreme irony that the
Orthodox Churches in former
Communist states now have more
freedom than the Ecumenical Patriarchate residing in NATO member
and EU applicant Turkey.
There is much to be done in a
very short time. It is hoped that
these observations and criticisms
will stimulate new people with new
ideas, as well as renew the spirits of
those who have carried the Patriarchate's banner these many years.
Complete unanimity among
Orthodox concerning the Patriarchate's future is lacking, however.
Many believe the struggle is hopeless and not worth pursuing; that, in
the end, it will be in God's hands.
Others propose moving it from inhospitable Istanbul to more conducive locations like the island of
Patmos, Mount Athos, Thessaloniki or even the United States. Others
contend that the Patriarchate is so
out of touch with the contemporary
challenges and opportunities facing
today's Orthodox that it is religiously irrelevant.
Each of the above observations
have considerable merit. But for all
Orthodox Christians, there are profound and practical reasons for
keeping the Ecumenical Patriarchate in its ancient, spiritual home.
It is one of the original five centers
of Christianity, after all (the other
four being Jerusalem. Antioch,
Alexandria and Rome). For Orthodox and all canonical Christians,
survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is a vital
part of their spiritual heritage. It
was founded by the Saint Andrew
the First-Called Apostle, and is a
holy place from which the river of
faith runs deep and true.
The Patriarchate also has surprising contemporary utility, even
for non-believers of good faith. It
has had a long, if tumultuous, history of living with Islam. Consequently, it and the other historic Eastern
Patriarchates have an accumulated
and balanced institutional memory
in dealing with Islamic peoples, one
not distorted by the ignorance and
arrogance of many “Western” religious, political and academic figures.
The present Patriarch has already demonstrated proven leadership in this realm. A revived Ecumenical Patriarchate operating as a
free and independent institution
could do much for alleviating the
tensions between the so-called East
and West, Christianity and Islam.
To even begin to think of these
possibilities, however, the Patriarchate and its quasi-official supporters must reach out much more
broadly for advice, information and
support. Perhaps they should borrow a page from the great
Athenagoras, who led the Patriarchate during the dark days of the
September 1955 anti-Greek riots in
Istanbul, and in the early years of
Christian ecumenism.
Despite this awful and terrible
event, Patriarch Athenagoras never
looked back, and just ten years after
this catastrophe, he reached reconciliation with the Roman Church;
maintained Orthodoxy as an important part of the Christian Ecumenical movement; and restored the Patriarchate's dignity and authority
unblemished. And he accomplished
those feats not only under the most
oppressive and dangerous conditions, but also with an abiding faith
steeped in a spirit of openness and
love for all. That spirit would serve
us well today, as we seek to build a
broad coalition in support of his
beloved Patriarchate.
The above is the second of two
parts. Mr. Marudas began his professional career covering government and politics for the Baltimore Evening Sun, for which he also wrote many articles about
Greek-Turkish relations, the
Cyprus question and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He also covered
President Johnson's separate
White House meetings on Cyprus
in 1965 with the late Greek Prime
Minister George Papandreou and
the late Turkish Prime Minister
Ismet Inonou. In addition to serving for 23 years as Chief of Staff to
Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, he also served as Chief of
Staff to two Baltimore Mayors and
as a senior staff person to a third.
12
THE NATIONAL HERALD, MAY 20, 2006