Greek Orthodox Bishop Calls on Erdogan to Denounce Islam and Be Baptised

NEO KOSMOS: The proposal comes with the added suggestion that Russian President Vladimir Putin be his godfather

Greek Orthodox Bishop, Metropolit Seraphim of Piraeus has caused controversy by urging Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert to Orthodoxy with Russian President Vladimir Putin as his godfather. And no, it's not a joke.

In a 37-page letter to Erdogan written in Greek, Metropolit Seraphim asks the Turkish leader to denounce his Islamic faith and be baptised in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

"If you want to save yourself and your family you should convert to Greek Orthodox Church, the only real faith," Seraphim writes, reports Keep Talking Greece.

"We propose and we advise you to come to the arms of the Greek Orthodox Church before the end of your life on earth. » | Thursday, April 13, 2017

Letter of His Eminence Metropolitan of Piraeus Mr. Seraphim to the President of the Turkish Republic Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan (In Greek) »

Orthodox Christians in Turkey Dive into the Bosphorus
Jan. 6 - Greek Orthodox Christians brave the cold waters of the Bosphorus to compete for a wooden crucifix in a traditional Epiphany ceremony. Rough Cut.

Greek Church Raps Bishop Over Muslim, Jew Remarks
THE WASHINGTON POST: ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's Orthodox church has rejected disparaging comments about Muslims and Jews by a senior cleric that sparked protests from representatives of both faiths.

A statement by the church governing body, the Holy Synod, condemned "any form of racial and religious discrimination." >>> The Associated Press | Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Shown here is the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church near the World Trade Center, before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Photo: Fox News
What About the Ground Zero Church? Archdiocese Says Officials Abandoned Project
FOX NEWS: The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America accused New York officials on Tuesday of turning their backs on the reconstruction of the only church destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks, while the controversial mosque near Ground Zero moves forward.

The sidelined project is the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, a tiny, four-story building destroyed in 2001 when one of the World Trade Center towers fell on top of it. Nobody from the church was hurt in the attack, but the congregation has for the past decade been trying to rebuild its house of worship.

While the mosque project cleared red tape earlier this month, negotiations between government officials and the church stalled last year -- and have stayed that way. Though the particulars of the two projects are completely different and on the surface unrelated, the church and its supporters see a disconnect in the way the proposals have been handled.

An archdiocese official said Tuesday that the situation has created "consternation" for those still struggling to jump-start talks over the church.

"We have people that are saying, why isn't our church being rebuilt and why is there ... such concern for people of the mosque?" Father Alex Karloutsos, assistant to the archbishop, told FoxNews.com. He said "religious freedom" would allow a place of worship for any denomination to be built, but accused officials with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey of making no effort to help move the congregation's project along. >>> Judson Berger | Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Christians in Middle East Are Ignored, Vatican Claims
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Pope has claimed that the international community is ignoring the plight of Christians in the Middle East.

Pope Benedict XVI listens to a prayer during a holy mass at the Eleftheria Sports Centre in Nicosia. Photograph: The Telegraph
A working paper released during Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to Cyprus to prepare for a crisis summit of Middle East bishops in Rome in October also cites the "extremist current" unleashed by the rise of "political Islam" as a threat to Christians.

In his final Mass in Cyprus on Sunday, the pontiff said he was praying that the October meeting will focus the attention of the international community "on the plight of those Christians in the Middle East who suffer for their beliefs."

He appealed for an "urgent and concerted international effort to resolve the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially in the Holy Land, before such conflicts lead to greater bloodshed."

The Vatican considers mostly Greek Orthodox Cyprus as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East and invited bishops to come to the Mediterranean island to receive the working paper.

The pope said Cyprus can "play a particular role in promoting dialogue and co-operation" in the region.

Cyprus was ethnically split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent republic in the north in 1983, but only Turkey recognises it, and it maintains 35,000 troops there.

The island's Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu resumed long-running reunification talks in May after a two-month pause for the poll. The talks have yielded only limited progress so far.

The pope said he saw for himself the "sad division of the island" and that he was "deeply moved" by the pleas of Cypriots who wished to return to homes in the north that were lost during the war. >>> | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Being Greek - Greece
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Greece Wants Turkey to Re-Open Istanbul Seminary
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Ankara - Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has called on Turkey to re-open a Greek Orthodox seminary near Istanbul as a pre-condition for Turkish EU membership.

Mr Karamanlis is in Turkey for a three-day visit, the first such visit by a Greek leader in 50 years. Turkey closed the seminary during the 1971 conflict over Cyprus.

The Greek Orthodox Church says it cannot survive in Turkey without a seminary. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he is working on a solution. He also called on Greece to respect the rights of its Muslim minority. [Source: Greece wants Turkey to re-open Istanbul seminary]

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