The National HeraldA WEEKLY GREEK AMERICAN PUBLICATION

February 2, 2008

www.thenationalherald.comVOL. 11, ISSUE 538 $1.00 GREECE: 1.75 EURO

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By Evan C. LambrouSpecial to The National Herald

NEW YORK – In a groundbreakingtrip to further enhance a continuedthaw in bilateral relations betweenGreece and longtime nemesisTurkey, Prime Ministers CostasKaramanlis and Recep Tayyip Erdo-gan both agreed more efforts wereneeded to accelerate normalizationby improving economic relations.

Though they did not reach anyconcrete agreements on certaincore issues which have plaguedGreek-Turkish relations over theyears, Mr. Karamanlis and Mr. Er-dogan agreed to strengthen tiesthrough areas which are consid-ered positive aspects in Greek-Turkish relations, as well as to im-prove “in principle” those areaswhich are still a source of frictionbetween the two countries – e.g.,lack of religious freedom for the Ec-umenical Patriarchate in Constan-tinople and the ongoing Turkish oc-cupation of Cyprus.

In an effort to overcome decades

Could an Increase in Trade Lead to Rapprochement?

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, center, and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left,review a military guard of honor during a welcome ceremony for Karamanlis in Ankara last week.

By Nicholas Paphitis Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – The popu-lar but controversially outspokenhead of Greece's powerful Ortho-dox Church was buried in Athenson Thursday, January 31, 2008 in astate funeral attended by thou-sands of mourners and top Greekofficials.

Crowds bearing flags clappedand a 21-gun salute rang out asArchbishop Christodoulos' opencasket wound through the city cen-ter on a gun carriage, followed by alarge cortege on foot.

“The archbishop was close to thepeople and the people loved him.We honor him today,” Bishop Sime-on of Nea Smyrni said shortly afterthe funeral service.

Schools, courts and governmentoffices were closed as Christodou-los was accorded honors typicallygranted to heads of state, reflectingthe power of a church that repre-sents 97 percent of Greece's native-born population.

Earlier, Ecumenical PatriarchBartholomew I – the Istanbul-basedspiritual leader of the world's 250million Orthodox Christians – ledmorning prayers at Athens Cathe-dral, a service attended by PrimeMinister Costas Karamanlis, Presi-dent Karolos Papoulias and top Or-thodox officials.

“The archbishop's death was agreat loss for the Orthodox world,”Bartholomew said.

Christodoulos died of cancer athis Athens home Monday, aged 69,prompting an outpouring of publicgrief.

Preceded by long files of robedpriests, the archbishop's casket wasborne for 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) toAthens' First Cemetery, near the1,800-year-old temple of OlympianZeus, accompanied by a 900-sol-dier guard of honor.

ChristodoulosFuneral ShutsDown Athens

By Yannis SofianosSpecial to the National Herald

ATHENS – Despite threats of a pos-sible economic recession, whichmay result in the short-term reduc-tion of tourists visiting Greece fromthe United States, new GreekTourism Minister Aris Spiliotopou-los believes the Greek AmericanCommunity can play a decisive rolein aiding Greece to become an evenmore popular tourist hot spot.

The National Herald caught upwith Mr. Spiliotopoulos shortly be-fore his departure for Paris, France.During his interview, he main-tained that it is of “primary impor-tance” for Greece – which is becom-ing an increasingly more lucrativemarket for major new investors – towelcome “more and more GreekAmericans each year – especiallythe younger generation.”

By succeeding in “making theleap to a higher quality of tourismand hospitality services” and“streamlining tourist packages”Greece can become a travel desti-nation “where visitors gain uniqueand genuine experiences.” This willenable the country to reach its

strategic goal of extending itstourist season to a full twelvemonths per year.

According to Mr. Spiliotopoulos,Greece is a country with uniquecompetitive advantages. In fact, hehimself admits that he has difficul-ty in objectively pinpointing his fa-vorite tourist spot in Greece.“Greece is one of the most populartravel destinations in the entireworld. Following the 2004 SummerOlympics in Athens, our countrybecame one of the world’s toptourist-getters, which is somethingextremely important in the contextof the ever-increasing internationalcompetition taking place in this in-dustry. The potential that the Greektourism market displays stands as agreat challenge, while giving causefor great expectation and carryingits share of responsibilities. Overthe next few years, our efforts willfocus on upgrading the quality ofour tourist industry in every aspect,securing Greece a spot among theworld’s top travel destinations, andcreating a climate that attracts andencourages new investments and

Spiliotopoulos: Tourism Up From U.S.

By Stavros MarmarinosSpecial to the National Herald

NEW YORK – The terrible days ofthe Jewish Holocaust, the Nazi per-secution of Jews living in the Greekprefecture of Magnesia duringWorld War II, and the heroic effortsof their Greek countrymen to hideand harbor them to safety were re-lived at Astoria’s Stathakion Center,during last Saturday, January 27,Holocaust Remembrance orga-nized by the Argonauts Associationof Magnesia. This tribute tookplace for the second year in a row,and was presented under the aus-pices of the Greek Embassy in theUnited Staates. Greek AmbassadorAlexandros Mallias sent his greet-ings to the audience and highlight-ed the meaning of this memorialevent.

The President of the Argonauts

Embassy HoldsHolocaustRemembrance

By Theodore KalmoukosSpecial to The National Herald

BOSTON – Archbishop Christodou-los of Athens & All Greece died atthe age of 69 early this past Mon-day morning, January 28, after aprotracted illness. He was eulo-gized this past Thursday, January31, at the Greek Orthodox Cathe-dral of Athens.

His All Holiness Ecumenical Pa-triarch Bartholomew of Constan-tinople, and Patriarchs of Theodor-os of Alexandria and Theophilos ofJerusalem, as well as many Arch-bishops, Metropolitans, Bishopsand clerics from around the worldparticipated in his funeral service.

The late Archbishop Christodou-los, who headed the Church ofGreece for almost a decade, wasfirst hospitalized in Athens this pastJune 11 after he felt persistent painin his abdominal area before beingdiagnosed with liver and colon can-cer. He had surgery to remove a tu-mor from his large intestine. It wasduring that operation when agrowth on his liver was discovered,which marked the beginning of acourageous battle with cancer.

He remained in the AretaieionHospital in Athens for about tenweeks before finally been trans-ported to the Jackson MemorialHospital in Miami Florida for a livertransplant this past August. After acompatible liver was found, the liv-er transplant operation had to beaborted this past October, however,because a team of physicians head-ed by renowned surgeon AndreasTzakis discovered that the cancerhad spread to the Archbishop’s ab-dominal cavity.

The Archbishop returned toAthens and stayed in his archiepis-copal residence in the Athens sub-urb of Psychiko. He refused hospi-talization during the final weeks ofhis life, preferring instead to re-main at home and receive medicalcare there. He passed away at hishome at 5:15 AM.

State officials, including PrimeMinister Costas Karamanlis, Presi-dent of the Hellenic Republic Karo-los Papoulias, Main Oppositionleader George Papandreou, GreekGovernment ministers and deputyministers, hierarchs, priests,monks, nuns and thousands offaithful gathered to pay their re-spects.

Loss of GreekPrelate FeltWorldwide

Greek Tourism Minister ArisSpiliotopoulos during his recentvisit to Paris, France.

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Leader of Greece's Orthodox Church, Archbishop Christodoulos, DiesFour-Day Period of Mourning Held as Thousands Attend Funeral Service in Athens

Black-robed church officials follow the open casket of Greek church leader Archbishop Christodoulos in Athens, Greece, on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008. AP PHOTOS/DIMITRI MESSINIS

COMMUNITY2 THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008

■ FEBRUARY 2-3BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The GreekOrthodox Metropolis of Atlantaand the Greek Orthodox Youth As-sociation (GOYA) of Birminghamcordially invites the community toits 9th Annual Volleyball Tourna-ment on February 1-3. For more in-formation, please contactyouth@atlmetropolis.org.

■ FEBRUARY 6WASHINGTON, D.C. – GeorgetownUniversity, Modern Greek Program, Classics Department and The Cre-tan Association of Greater Wash-ington, D.C. cordially invite thecommunity to “Kazantzakis’ Politi-cal Reworking of Homer’sOdyssey,” by Dr. Peter Bien, Profes-sor of English and Comparative Lit-erature, Emeritus, at DartmouthCollege, at the ICC Auditorium,Georgetown University on Wednes-day February 6, at 6:30PM. In1938, Nikos Kazantzakis publishedhis enormous Odyssey (33,333verses), which he utilized to pro-ject his philosophic system and alsohis radical political ideas resultingfrom what he considered the deathof European civilization after thefirst world war and the Greeks’“Asia Minor Catastrophe” (1922).But his politics were always embed-ded in a spiritual context; thusOdysseus, who designs and thenbuilds an ideal city that is de-stroyed almost before it begins toexist, is transformed into a contem-plator, guru, and artist, exemplify-ing Kazantzakis’s central religiousbelief that “God” calls upon each ofus to convert materiality into non-materiality. Kazantzakis hoped thathis epic would be widely read andappreciated. However, because it isso long and difficult, it has general-ly been neglected. Nevertheless,when seen as a whole and exam-ined in light of its author’s majorconcerns, it becomes not only total-ly comprehensible but also, per-haps, even important. A receptionwill follow. For more information,e-mail pp57@georgetown.edu.

■ FEBRUARY 15STAMFORD, Conn. – The Stamfordchapter of AHEPA and the GreekOrthodox Church of the Archangelscordially invite the community to“Alexander the Great: Lessons fromthe Past,” a presentation and booksigning by the esteemed classicalscholar and historian Dr. GuyMacLean Rogers, Macricostas Chairof Hellenic Studies, Western Con-necticut State University at thechurch’s hall (1527 Bedford Street)on Friday, February 15 at 7 PM. Dr.Rogers is the author of 'Alexander:The Ambiguity of Greatness', theproduct of over ten years of re-search. Pizza and soda will be serv-er. The presentation will beginpromptly at 7:30 PM. Attendance isfree of charge, but voluntary contri-butions towards the cost of the foodwill be very much appreciated. Fornearly two and a half millennia,Alexander the Great has loomedover history as a legend and anenigma. Wounded repeatedly butalways triumphant in battle, heconquered most of the knownworld, only to die mysteriously atthe age of thirty-two. Who was theman who wielded such power?Why did he embark on an unprece-dented program of global domina-tion? What accounted for his aston-ishing success on the battlefield? Inthis luminous biography, Dr. Rogerssifts through thousands of years ofhistory and myth to uncover thetruth about this complex genius.Dr. Rogers holds a Ph.D. in classicsfrom Princeton University. He hasreceived numerous grants and fel-lowships, including those from theNational Endowment for the Hu-manities, the American Philosophi-cal Society, and All Souls College,Oxford. For more information, e-mail niketes@yahoo.com.

■ FEBRUARY 21WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ameri-can Hellenic Institute cordially in-vites the community to “Time onthe Mountain: The O.S.S. in Axis-Occupied Greece, 1943-1944," a fo-rum presented by Kyriakos Nalm-pantis, Doctoral Candidate, KentState University at The HellenicHouse (1220 16th Street, NW) onThursday, February 21, 2008, at12:00 – 1:00 PM. Light refresh-ments will be served. For more in-formation, call 202-785-8430.

■ MARCH 7-8TAMPA BAY, Fla. – The American

Foundation for Greek Language andCulture (AFGLC), in partnershipwith theInterdisciplinary Centers forHellenic Studies (ICHS) at the Uni-versity of South Florida (USF) andthe Richard Stockton College of NJ(RSCNJ) cordially invites the com-munity to “The Hellenic Legacythrough the Ages,” a conference atthe USF campus on March 7-8,2008. The Conference will bring to-gether academicians, scholars, andinterested individuals who will ad-dress a) the long-term influence ofHellenism in the world, and b) theon-going and projected educationalcontributions of the Interdiscipli-nary Centers – which AFGLC has es-tablished in institutions of higherlearning. The cost of the Conferencewill be underwritten by the well-known philanthropists and AFGLCbenefactors George and MargoBehrakis. For more information, goto website of the Foundation atwww.afglc.org; or contact ActingPresident of AFGLC, Dr. John U.Balis at jbalis1@tampabay.rr.com,or the Conference Program Chairs,Dr. James Strange atstrange@cas.usf.edu, or Dr. Tom Pa-pademetriou at apapadem@com-cast.net.

■ MARCH 17WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Presi-dent of the Alexander S. OnassisPublic Benefit Foundation Mr. An-thony Papadimitriou cordially in-vites the community to a dramaticreading of selected passages“Thucydides’ History of the Pelopon-nesian War,” with commentary byDr. Josiah Ober Professor of Classicsand Political Science; ConstantinosMitsotakis Chair, School of Humani-ties and Sciences, Stanford Universi-ty, California at The ShakespeareTheatre Company Lansburgh The-atre (450 7th Street NW) on Mon-day, March 17 at 7 PM. Dramaticreading by professional actors. Di-rected by David Muse, Associate Di-rector, Shakespeare Theatre Compa-ny. The Spartans consider argu-ments for and against going to warwith the Athenians, exposing time-less issues of foreign policy. Periclesdelivers his great funeral orationsetting forth the highest ideals of thecivilization of Classical Athens.Those ideals are tested when Athensdestroys Melos. Alcibiades urges theAthenians to expand their empire,but the invasion in Sicily fails, lead-ing to Thucydides' sober assessmentof the most momentous event in allHellenic history.

■ THROUGH MAY 2008NEW YORK – The Children’s Muse-um of Manhattan cordially invitesthe community to “Gods, Myths &Mortals: Discover Ancient Greece,”an exhibition which allows childrento explore the world of ancientGreece at CMOM (The Tisch Build-ing, 212 West 83rd Street). Yourinitial tour guides will be the greatgods Zeus, Poseidon and Athena asthey reminisce about their powersand responsibilities. Learn how theAncient Greeks believed gods andmortals interacted and take an on-screen personality quiz to deter-mine which mythological characteryou are most like. Visit the gymna-sium (school) and oikos (home) todiscover which skills were most val-ued in Ancient Greek boys andgirls. Explore the importance ofathletic competition as you armwrestle ancient Greek counterpartsusing mechanical arms, or test yourleg strength as you learn about an-cient jumpers. Become familiarwith the ancient Greek alphabet bytranslating messages from Greek toEnglish. Learn about the heroism ofancient Greek women in myth anddaily life and compete with thegoddess Athena in a virtual weav-ing contest. Climb inside a 12 foottall Trojan Horse before steppinginto Homer’s great epic poem, TheOdyssey, where you will journeythrough rocky caves and over openseas; escape the crawl-through Cy-clops Cave; and sing like a Siren inthe Sirens Karaoke Cove. Be pre-pared to face on-screen dilemmas,your choices will be tracked alongthe way and your personalized on-screen Hero Record can be e-mailed home. Budding archaeolo-gists can visit the Temple of Zeus atOlympia and assist in the recon-struction of a 3-D temple; learnabout column construction, sculp-tures and the giant statue of Zeus(one of the Seven Wonders of theAncient World). For more informa-tion, call Janet Ralston at 212-721-1223.

GOINGS ON...

Association’s Organizing Commit-tee Asher Matathias, a Political Sci-ence Professor at St. John’s Univer-sity, spoke about the historical de-tails of the Holocaust and its signif-icance. Professor Matathias alsospoke about the recent visit madeby U.S. President George Bush toJerusalem and the Holocaust Muse-um, and subsequently read a mes-sage from Marcel Solomon, Presi-dent of the Jewish Community inVolos, Greece.

Prof. Matathias focused in partic-ular on the Argonauts Association’sdecision to hold this event in memo-ry of the Jewish residents of Magne-sia who fell victim to Nazi atrocities,as well as to honor the Magnesianpeople for heroically helping a re-markable 80% of the local Jewrysurvive the Nazi Occupation. Theheroism of the ever-memorableMetropolitan Ioakeim of Volos (whowas formerly Bishop of Boston), thelate Mayor of Volos Nikolaos Sarat-sis, the freedom fighters of theGreek resistance, and everyday citi-zens who risked their lives offeringsanctuary to their Jewish neighborswas recognized. According to statis-tics, Magnesia boasts the secondhighest survival rate among Jewishresidents in Greece during WorldWar II, second only to Zakynthos.

The keynote event speaker LenaCasuto-Goren was a Holocaust sur-vivor herself. A native of Thessaloni-ki, she moved to Larissa with herfamily at the age of three. Duringher address, she shared the hard-ships she underwent along with herfamily, and recalled the nightmareof the Nazi invasion of Greece. Ms.Casuto-Goren spoke about her fa-ther, a rabbi in Thessaloniki andsubsequently in Larissa, who re-fused to give the names of the localJewish residents to the occupyingNazi forces. She also retold how herfather was informed of impendingNazi plans to round up the Jews liv-ing in Larissa, and how he secretlysent word warning local Jews to fleethe city. Ms. Casuto-Goren’s familywas given sanctuary at a monastery,where they remained in hiding forapproximately a year-and-a-half.

Gregory Matson, a senior advisorfor the Office of Holocaust Issues atthe U.S. State Department also at-tended the event. Mr. Matson actu-ally delivered the first part of hisspeech in Greek, and shared hishappiness at being married to aGreek woman. Mr. Matson was sta-tioned at the U.S. Embassy inAthens for eight years, and calledhis time in Greece “unbelievablybeautiful.” He congratulated the or-ganizers of the Holocaust Remem-brance, calling the event “very sig-nificant.”

The Consul General of Greece inNew York Aghi Balta congratulatedeveryone who worked to make thisHolocaust Remembrance possible,and stressed the importance of pay-ing tribute to the victims of Nazibrutality. “We must never forgetthese things,” she said.

The Consul General of Cyprus inNew York Andreas Panagiotou not-ed that by honoring the heroic peo-ple of Magnesia, all the Greeks andnon-Greeks throughout Europe who

helped save Jews from the Nazis arealso honored. He added that nearly280 Greeks and Cypriots have beennamed “Righteous Among Nations”by the State of Israel at the Holo-caust Memorial in Jerusalem fortheir role in saving Jewry duringWorld War II. “When we rememberthe Holocaust, we remind ourselves– and the younger generation espe-cially – about the ideals of toler-ance, Democracy, and all the funda-mental rights of man,” he said.

U.S. Congresswoman CarolynMaloney mentioned that she has al-ready submitted a proposal to theHouse of Representatives calling onTurkey to respect the religious free-dom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,while also referring to her upcom-ing trip to Turkey, where she willmeet with Ecumenical PatriarchBartholomew.

George Kasapis spoke on behalfof State Senator George Onorato,and presented a proclamation is-sued by the New York State Senateto Argonauts Association President

Apostolos Zoupaniotis. State As-semblyman Michael Gianaris con-gratulated the Argonauts Associa-tion for their annual initiative to re-member the victims of the Holo-caust, and hailed the contribution ofJewish and Greek people to thefields of business and education re-spectively. City Council Member Pe-ter Vallone Jr. said that he too visit-ed the Holocaust Museum inJerusalem, and spoke about the im-portance of commemorating theJewish Holocaust and paying trib-ute to the victims who died in WorldWar II.

The Pastor of the St. DemetriosCathedral in Astoria, N.Y. Very Rev.Apostolos Koufallakis was in atten-dance as well, and passed on theblessings of Archbishop Demetriosof America to the audience mem-bers. He pointed out that Greeceshows its love to all of its people,and stressed the importance ofpraying for the peace and love ofGod to prevail in the world.

The President of the Federationof Hellenic Societies of Greater NewYork Nikos Diamantides congratu-lated the Argonauts Association ontheir annual event. He also men-tioned that last year’s Greek Inde-pendence Day Parade in New Yorkwas dedicated to religious freedom,while urging the audience not tooverlook major issues involvingGreece like the F.Y.R.O.M. namecontroversy, the Cyprus issue, andother matters of national interest.

The past President of the Pan-Macedonian Federation Panos Spili-akos noted that there regrettablyare still people out there looking torewrite history. He spoke about hu-man rights and the usage of theGreek term “Macedonia,” whichF.Y.R.O.M. is trying to usurp. Mr.Spiliakos also said he was proudthat his father personally helpedJews to safety during World War II.

Oil and supermarket mogul JohnCatsimatides was on hand to deliverhis greeting as well, and even of-fered to assume the expenses for theArgonauts Association’s float in theupcoming Greek Parade.

The President of the ArgonautsAssociation Apostolos Zoupaniotisthanked the audience for attendingthis event and spoke about the Mag-nesians’ place in history, as well asthe Jews who fought in the Greekarmy at the Albanian front and sub-sequently joined in the resistanceagainst the Nazis. Mr. Zoupaniotistalked about the need to keep histo-ry alive, because when history is for-gotten there will always be peoplewho will try to cause problems dueto xenophobia. “We Greeks havefallen victim to Holocausts on manyoccasions,” he added.

Following the event, there was ascreening of the documentary film“The Jews of Thessaloniki,” whichwas directed by Demetris Sofi-anopoulos and written by VasilisVasilikos. Afterwards, the tradition-al cutting of the New Year’s Vasilopi-ta took place and was followed by areception.

Argonauts Association of Magnesia Hold HolocaustRemembrance Day at Greek Embassy in D.C.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Vote on our website!

You have the chance to express your opinion on our website on animportant question in the news.

The results will be published in our printed edition next weekalong with the question for that week.

The question this week is: Will Archbishop Christodoulos be re-membered as one of the greatest leaders in the history of the GreekOrthodox Church?❏ Yes❏ No❏ I Don’t Know

The results for last week’s question: Do you believe that the timewas right for Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to become the firstGreek premier in 49 years to visit Turkey?84.6% Yes11.5% No3.9% I Don’t Know

Please vote at: www.thenationalherald.com

Continued from page 1

Astoria’s Stathakion Center filled with people attending an event commemorating the Holocaust. Standing on the right, at the podium, is U.S.Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. Seated at the front row, from left to right, are Nikos Diamantides, Asher Matathias, Apostolos Zoupaniotis,V. Rev. Apostolos Koufallakis, Andreas Panagiotou, Aghi Balta, Lena Casuto-Goren, Gregory Madsen and John Catsimatides.

Holocaust survivor Lena Casuto-Goren, the keynote speaker at the event commemorating the Holocaust,which took place last Saturday evening courtesy of the Argonauts Association of Magnesia listens as Prof.Asher Matathias, President of the Association’s Organizing Committee speaks to the audience.

By Evan C. LambrouSpecial to The National Herald

NEW YORK – A famous 2,500-year-old vase known as the EuphroniosKrater finally made it back to Romethis past January 18, after years ofback-and-forth haggling between theItalian Government and New York’sMetropolitan Museum of Art.

It is considered a triumph for lessindustrialized countries, from whichancient treasures were essentiallylooted decades – even centuries – agoand taken to the hallowed halls ofmuseums in more developed coun-tries, proudly displaying works whichbelonged to another culture’s her-itage.

It’s a major development in the artworld. Art dealers and museums arestarting to come to grips with newstandards, which basically maintainthat it is wrong for a countries like theUnited States and Great Britain toclaim ownership of priceless antiqui-ties which once belonged to Greeceand Italy, the inheritors and descen-dents of Classical Greece and Rome,but were plundered and sold, some-times for millions.

What is not necessarily so wellknown is the triggering event whichhas led to these startling new devel-opments, the J. Paul Getty Museum’sdecision to return several ancient ar-tifacts to Greece last year, amongthem.

It all began in 1973, whenNicholas Gage, the pre-eminentGreek American author and journal-ist, wrote a series of stories for theNew York Times – 19 consecutivefront-page stories, in fact – about theMet’s acquisition of the EuphroniosKrater, which exposed the practicesof the art world and compelled it tostart changing its way of doing busi-ness.

Mr. Gage’s work on that seriesearned him a Publisher’s MeritAward and a letter of commendationfrom Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, presi-dent and publisher of the New YorkTimes. The text of the letter (datedMarch 9, 1973), signed by Mr.Sulzberger, reads as follows:

“Dear Nick, everyone who hasread your articles on the Metropoli-tan’s acquisition of the EuphroniosKrater has acclaimed them as one ofthe finest reporting jobs ever done bythe paper. I agree, and I am delightedthat they have won the Publisher’sMerit Award for investigative report-ing. The check for $150 is enclosed.Congratulations,” Mr. Sulzbergerwrote.

“That was a lot of money in thosedays,” Mr. Gage told the NationalHerald, chuckling.

Mr. Gage said the trend of return-ing antiquities to their rightful own-ers has raised the bar for standardpractice among museums and art

dealers, adding that it could evenhelp lead to the return of the ElginMarbles, the priceless sculpturesTurkish authorities allowed ThomasBruce, the Seventh Earl of Elgin andBritish ambassador to the OttomanEmpire in 1799-1803, to swipe fromthe Parthenon between 1801 and1812, and subsequently sold to theBritish Museum in 1816.

“It’s a question of ethics. Nowthere’s an understanding about tak-ing antiquities from their countries.Before, there were no such under-standings. There was just this elitistattitude that only industrializedcountries were advanced enough toappreciate art, so it was okay to takeantiquities from less developed coun-tries, which were regarded as unableto care for their own cultural trea-sures properly,” Mr. Gage said.

“The fact that the New York Met-ropolitan has returned the Euphro-nios Krater to Italy, and that othermajor museums like the Getty are do-ing the same, is very significant be-cause it shows that the art world isquestioning its own acquisitionspractices, and admitting that the oldway of doing things is no longer ac-ceptable. It may even lead to the re-turn of the biggest prize of all (the El-gin Marbles),” he added.

Asked whether he really thoughtthe British Museum would eventual-ly relent and agree to return the ElginMarbles to Greece, Mr. Gage said, “Ithink they’ll have to. Public opinionand worldwide pressure will eventu-ally lead to that.”

The return of the EuphroniosKrater to Italy is a definite step in that

direction, he emphasized.In the minds of Greeks and Ital-

ians, the Krater holds a special place,symbolizing the war against clandes-tine tomb-robbing and illicit antiqui-ties trafficking of their nations’ cul-tural patrimonies.

Euphronios, a painter, was one ofAncient Greece’s greatest artists.Fewer than 30 of his vases are knownto have survived. The Krater datesfrom around 515 BC and is consid-ered one of his finest achievements. Itwas created by Euphronios and thepotter Euxitheos, depicting the hero-warrior Sarpedon, a son of Zeus, be-ing carried from a Trojan War battle-field by the winged figures of Deathand Sleep, bleeding from wounds tohis heart, stomach and leg.

The significance of the unantici-pated and unwanted exposure theMet got from Mr. Gage’s stories onthe Krater back in the early 1970’swas not lost on New York Times edi-tors.

In his memoir, “City Room” (Put-nam: 2003), Arthur Gelb, then theTimes’ metropolitan desk editor, de-voted the entire 44th chapter to Mr.Gage and his investigative reportingprowess.

In his 664-page book, Mr. Gelb re-calls receiving a memo on January 5,1973 from John Canaday, the news-paper’s chief art critic, expressing sus-picion about the origin of a vase theMet had acquired the previous sum-mer for a record $1 million. The Mu-seum said it had purchased the vasefrom its owner, but refused to identi-fy him. Mr. Gage was then broughtinto the developing story.

“After covering (Joseph ColomboSr.’s) murder during a rally in Colum-bus Circle on Columbus Day… andwriting a series of exclusive storiesabout the intricate politics of the var-ious crime families, Gage was ac-knowledged as a foremost investiga-tive reporter. Fully appreciative of hisgift for winning the confidence ofboth gangland and law enforcementsources and persuading them to spillsecrets, I thought he was just the manto investigate the murky provenanceof an Ancient Greek vase, the Eu-phronios Krater, whose acquisitionhad recently been trumpeted by theMetropolitan Museum of Art. It hadall the elements of a great art caper(pg. 578),” Mr. Gelb writes.

“After working on the story formore than a month, they hit a deadend – except for one important factdiscovered by (reporter DavidShirey). He had cajoled a source atthe Museum into disclosing the daythat the vase had arrived at KennedyAirport. I told Canaday we neededNick Gage’s investigative smarts (pg.579),” Mr. Gelb writes.

Armed only with the date the vasearrived in the United States, Mr. Gagesearched for its entry papers among1,600 items which passed throughU.S. Customs at JKF InternationalAirport on August 31, 1972.

He discovered that the vase hadbeen brought to New York by RobertE. Hecht Jr., the leading antiquitiesdealer of his generation, who is nowon trial in Italy on charges of conspir-ing to traffic looted artifacts (in con-nection with objects which went tothe Getty; Mr. Hecht has denied

wrongdoing).“Canaday’s sources did, however,

reveal to him that Hecht was thedealer who had sold the vase to theMuseum on behalf of an anonymousowner. It turned out that Hecht, anAmerican living in Rome, had arrestrecords in Italy and Turkey for pur-chasing illegally excavated antiqui-ties, and had been declared personanon grata (unwelcome person) bythe Turkish Government. The Muse-um, not naming him, had describedhim as a ‘reputable dealer.’ I was fas-cinated that such a lofty institution asthe Met would stoop to cloak-and-dagger conspiracies (pg. 579),” Mr.Gelb writes, citing a memo by Mr.Canaday which cautioned treadinglightly in dealing with Mr. Hecht: “‘Hecht is feared,’ Canaday’s memocontinued, quoting his sources assaying, ‘He is capable of sending mento beat us up.’ ”

Mr. Gelb nonetheless dispatchedMr. Gage to track Mr. Hecht down inRome and follow the Krater’s trail “towherever it led (pg. 580).” In Rome,Mr. Hecht proved evasive, saying hewas only the agent for an anonymousseller who feared tax problems. Healso said the seller’s family hadowned the Krater for more than 50years, and felt it was time to let it go.

In New York, Dietrich Von Both-mer, the Met’s curator of Greek andRoman antiquities, told Mr. Shireythat Mr. Hecht had sold the Krater onbehalf of Dikran Sarrafian, an Ar-menian collector living in Lebanonwho had originally purchased it inLondon back in 1920.

“I called Gage in Rome and toldhim to get on the first plane to Beirut– which in art circles was known asthe city that laundered the prove-nance of smuggled antiquities dug upin Italy and Greece (pg. 581),” Mr.Gelb writes.

While he was in Beirut, Mr. Gagelearned from European art expertsand dealers that the Krater may haveactually been unearthed north ofRome in 1971 by antiquities poach-ers, known as tombaroli.

“The tombaroli, it seemed, hadsold the vase to Hecht through a mid-dleman for $100,000 (pg. 582),” Mr.Gelb writes. “Hecht eventuallyturned up in Zurich and reiterated hisand the Museum’s story to Shirey byphone… He said the EuphroniosKrater had been in Switzerland eversince the Sarrafian family broughtthe fragments there in 1920. ‘It wasnever in Beirut, to my knowledge,’ heassured Gage. Not knowing whatHecht had told Shirey, however, both(Met Director Thomas Hoving) andSarrafian contradicted him. Theysaid the vase fragments had beenshipped to Switzerland from Beirut.Soon, Italian authorities issued awarrant for Hecht’s arrest as more ev-idence was discovered that support-

ed (Armando) Cenere’s version of theevents (Pg. 583)… Year’s later, Hov-ing himself admitted the vase hadbeen illegally excavated (pg. 584).”

Mr. Cenere, a source discoveredby Mr. Gage, was a mason and afarmhand in Italy. He was also an il-licit digger who told the Greek Amer-ican journalist that his gang had dugup the Krater and other objects inSantangelo, an area rich in Etruscantombs some 25 miles northeast ofRome.

Mr. Gelb concludes his reflectionon the Euphronios Krater caper bypointing out that , in a series of arti-cles for artnet magazine in 2001, Mr.Hoving wrote that Mr. Hecht admit-ted he “switched Sarrafian’s docu-ments onto the Met’s vase… At last,from the source himself, Gage, Cana-day, Shirey and the Times were vindi-cated (Pg. 584).”

In the rest of the 44th chapter of“City Room,” Mr. Gelb writes aboutMr. Gage’s story concerning Mario Bi-aggi, a former New York City policeofficer who had been elected a con-gressman in the Bronx, and who waseventually convicted on 15 felonies,and referred to Mr. Gage’s story as“the most nerve-wracking story of myediting career.” He also writes abouthow Mr. Gage had also found asource with access to White Housedocuments “who let him listen tocopies of some of Nixon’s tapes, thefirst such tapes to which a reporterhad been given access (pg. 590).”

Those are stories in and of them-selves, of course, but concerning Mr.Gage’s investigative reporting on theEuphronios Krater, there seems to belittle doubt that those stories eventu-ally led to a sea change in the artworld.

COMMUNITYTHE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 3

By Demetris TsakasSpecial to the National Herald

NEW YORK – The European TravelCommission kicked off its 2008 mar-keting campaign last Wednesday onboard the Queen Mary 2 luxurycruise liner, which was docked inBrooklyn, N.Y. Twenty-one Euro-pean countries, including Cyprus,came together to present the promo-tional program entitled “Giants ofCulture.” As part of this program,movable art work displaying themesfrom all 21 member countries wasfeatured, designed by Dan Mes-tanza, a French artist of Spanish ori-gin. The costumes will be on displayat Terminal 4 in New York’s JFK In-ternational Airport throughout thespring.

Cyprus sported the slogan “Beau-ty and Love Live in Cyprus,” whichwas complimented by Mr. Mes-tanza’s art display featuring the god-dess Aphrodite rising out of the wa-ter. The Greek Tourist Office alsoparticipated in this program, andsponsored the musical entertain-ment in an effort to promote Athens’New Acropolis Museum.

In a statement to The NationalHerald, Jean-Philippe Perol, Direc-tor of Maison De La France and Pres-ident of the European Travel Com-mission, echoed the sentiments heshared with the crowd during hisaddress and told of his gratitude to-wards the late Greek actress and

Culture Minister Melina Mercourifor her leading role in establishingthe rotating European Capital ofCulture.

Mr. Perol also highlighted thatEuropean travel destinations aremajor attraction for U.S. tourists. Heobserved that despite the recentweak exchange rate of the dollar,Americans continue vacationing inEurope. In fact, he cited a 2% in-crease in U.S. tourists during 2007,while sharing his high hopes for Eu-rope’s tourism industry in 2008. Ac-cording to Mr. Perol, the number ofU.S. citizens applying for passportsis up 30%. He spoke about the newpossibilities available for Europeantourism now that visitors can travelacross 24 European countries with-out having to worry about customsand passport control.

Chrysanthos Petsilas, the DeputyDirector of the Greek Tourist Officein New York told TNH that Greece’stourism industry maintained itssteady growth throughout 2007.“While the number of U.S. touristsin Europe grew by 2%, there was a30% rise in American tourists visit-ing Greece; and that figure does notaccount for Americans traveling oncruises leaving Monte Carlo to tourthe Greek isles.”

Mr. Petsilas attributed the in-crease of American visitors toGreece, up from 160,000 in 2004 to500,000 last year, to the successfulorganization of the 2004 Olympic

Games in Athens, the establishmentof a Ministry of Tourism, and a suc-cessful marketing campaign, whichreally changed tourists’ attitudesabout Greece.

According to Mr. Petsilas, Ameri-can tourists also stayed in Greecetwo days longer. “In 2004, the aver-age number of days Americansstayed in Greece ranged between12-14 days, and today that periodhas increased to 17 days. That aloneshows that Greece is a top vacationhot spot for Americans.” The GreekTourists Office’s Deputy Director al-so spoke about a significant rise inthe number of Greek travel pack-ages American tour operators havebeen offering their clients over thepast three years.

He also stated that Greek ad cam-paigns for tourist services have beenvery successful and noted that theyare perhaps the only ones that havegenerated such directly quantifiableresults. Describing the Greek touristsectors where the greatest progresshas been made, Mr. Petsilas pointedto luxury tourism, citing increasedyacht rentals and longer stays atfive-star hotels. He also mentionedhoneymoon trips, religious tourismand conference tourism as fast-growing sectors in the Greek touristmarket.

“Greek American tour operatorshave played an important part inthis growth, in addition to the newgeneration of Greek Americans whoare convincing their friends to visitGreece along with them,” Mr. Petsi-las said.

From a geographic perspective,U.S. citizens from the East Coastwere the most frequent visitors toGreece at 22%, followed by WestCoast residents who are at 21%, andtrailed by Southerners – mainly Tex-ans – at 11%. Chicago residentstopped the list in terms of businesstravelers coming to Greece to attendconferences.

Mr. Petsilas revealed that for yetanother year Greece would be amain sponsor of the Los AngelesTourist Exhibition which will runfrom February 9 to 10, in addition tothe New York Times Tourist Exhibi-tion, which will take place from Feb-ruary 29 to March 3 at the JacobJavits Center in New York.

The increased number of airlinesmaking non-stop flights to Greecefrom the U.S. has generated new-found interest in Greece as a con-vention destination, since theseevents can now be booked more se-curely, not just one year, but two tothree years in advance.

Series of Stories from 1973 Triggered Eventual Return of Famous Ancient Vase

U.S. Tourists Visiting Greece Up 30%

Cyprus was named one of the “Giants of Culture” for the year 2008.Pictured in the photo are Andrea Dalango (l) and the wife of Cyprus’U.N. ambassador Kalliope Mavrogiannis. The cardboard statue ofAphrodite coming out the water stands in the middle.

Nicholas Gage, acclaimed authorand journalist for the NYT’s.

The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art has finally returned the Euphronios Krater, above, to Italy. Thetrend to return antiquities to their provenance could lead to the return of the Elgin Marbles.

Dear fellow Greek-Americans

The 2008 AHEPA Family Supreme Convention will be held in Athens, Greece. Please join the entire AHEPAFamily for a once in a lifetime trip and convention experience!

The AHEPA Family has visited Greece for Supreme Conventions twice since 1922. In 1965, and again in 1970,thousands flocked to Greece to reconnect with family and history. Join us as we do it again!The dates to remember for the 2008 Supreme Convention in Athens, Greece, are July 1-11, 2008.

The AHEPA Convention Committee has been working hard to prepare a wonderful getaway for the entireAHEPA community. The AHEPA Family from Australia, Canada, Greece and Cyprus, will be attending ourevent in Athens, Greece. Thousands of Ahepans, Daughters, Sons and Maids will work together for an unfor-gettable family reunion.

We have planned a week of events, a spectacular Opening Ceremony, July 4th Party, dances and social events,which will forever be engraved in your heart and soul. This homecoming will be unlike any convention youhave been to, so we hope you and your family will join us.

We have not only prepared AHEPA business, but also cultural events, a cruise, and lots of fun! This is not justa convention, it is a vacation!

AHEPA and Olympic Airlines have forged a partnership to bring Ahepans to Greece. Olympic has agreed to ex-tend to all AHEPA members an AHEPA ONLY price. The AHEPA price will be the lowest available price for air-fare to Greece. Pricing is based on availability and dates. Savings can be hundreds of dollars per ticket, if youare a member of AHEPA.

The special AHEPA only price can be obtained by using the AHEPA promotional Code and your unique AHEPAID membership number. Promotion Code: CFR087

Call Olympic Airlines today at 1(800)223-1226 and make your reservation. Seats are selling fast, and lowestfares are based on availability. For additional information or to join, please visit www.ahepa.org or call AHEPAHeadquarters at 202-232-6300.

The FREI Travel Congress has been retained to make reservations for the 2008 AHEPA Convention. The totalpackage, including the AHEPA Cruise, is the most affordable value, for you and your family. Please contactFREI directly via email at ahepa2008@frei.gr or by phone at 011-30-210-321-5600, and ask for Anna,AHEPA’s Agent. They are open 9-5 Greece time (2 AM -2 PM, Eastern Standard Time).

By Stavros MarmarinosSpecial to the National Herald

NEW YORK – The National Heraldnamed veteran Greek American ed-ucator Timoleon Kokkinos itsTeacher of the Year for 2007. Uponhearing the news, a sentimentalMr. Kokkinos, who was taken abackby the news of his latest award,managed to respond “I cannot be-lieve it…Thank you very much.”

Afterwards, Mr. Kokkinos, Prin-cipal of the St. Demetrios Greek Af-ternoon School in Astoria, N.Y., de-scribed his initial response over theunexpected good news as a mixtureof surprise, sentiment, and satisfac-tion all at once.

“I consider this award to meanthat the Greek American Commu-nity – which this fine newspaperworthily represents – recognizedmy contribution and all the yearsthat I have been laboring on behalfof education. I view the honor giv-en to me as a recognition of thecontribution, constant sacrifices,and daily labors made by GreekAmerican teachers. I believe thatthe Greek American Communityand The National Herald – which isits voice – expressed its gratitudefor the great job our teachers allacross the United States are doing.”

This year’s recipient of TNH’sTeacher of the Year Award will cele-brate his 50th anniversary in theteaching profession next year. Tim-oleon Kokkinos was born in Nikia

on the island of Nisyros. After grad-uating the highly respected Vene-tokleion High School in Rhodes, heattended the Rhodes TeachersAcademy, where he graduatedmagna cum laude. His first teach-ing assignment was at a publicschool in the island of Cephalonia.Following this, he fulfilled hismandatory military service in theGreek army, where he became a re-serve officer.

Upon discharge, he came to theUnited States to continue his stud-ies at prestigious Columbia Univer-sity. His first teaching job in theU.S. was at the Community of St.Spyridon in Washington Heights,where he taught at both the dayand afternoon schools. He went onto teach at the Holy Trinity Cathe-dral School in Manhattan for fouryears. Afterwards, he moved on tothe third and most illustrious stageof his educational career, acceptinga teaching job at St. DemetriosCathedral in Astoria, where he hasremained ever since. At the time,the school’s Principal DemosthenesTriantafillou recruited him to headthe day school’s Greek department.

Nearly four-and-a-half yearsago, Mr. Kokkinos was faced withthe sad loss of his wife Anastasia.When her illness began to overtakeher, Mr. Kokkinos resigned from hispost at the day school and kept on-ly his position at the community’safternoon school, where he hasbeen serving as Principal for many

years now.“I feel a great sense of satisfac-

tion because my efforts were a bigfactor in the $1.4 million donationthat St. Demetrios received from itslate benefactor Petros Sarantakos,”Mr. Kokkinos said. “Mr. Sarantakos’best friend Vlasis Georgousis hadintroduced us.”

An emotional Mr. Kokkinos re-membered his old colleague at St.Demetrios, the late Vasiliki Rentas.“It was close to Christmas break,and as she was getting her classready for the school show, whenshe suddenly began to feel ill. I ranto help her and she collapsed in myarms before the paramedics evenhad a chance to give her first aid.She was comatose for a day or two,and then we lost her.”

Awards are nothing new to Mr.Kokkinos, who has received manydistinctions during his long careerfrom organizations like the GreekAmerican Homeowners Associa-tion in Astoria, the Ionian CulturalFederation, the St. Demetrios Dayand Afternoon School PTA, the Fed-eration of Hellenic Societies ofGreater N.Y., the St. John the The-ologian Nisyrian Society, the Nisyri-an Youth Club, and the Pan-Corinthian Federation.

“The work of a teacher is noble,as well as delicate and responsi-ble,” Mr. Kokkinos pointed out. “Ateacher truly has to believe in hismission – and especially a teacherworking at our Greek American

schools. If he sees his work purelyas a way to make money, then hiscontribution is not what it has to beto allow him to cultivate the mindsand souls of his students.”

Mr. Kokkinos spoke about thepride he feels when he meets for-mer Greek Americans students ofhis who have gone on to succeed intheir respective fields. “AstoriaState Assemblyman Michael Gia-naris, who is a lawyer, was my stu-dent at the St. Demetrios Greek Af-ternoon School. He was a kid with asharp mind, lots of energy, and athirst for knowledge. Of course, healso grew up in a house surroundedby family members who were col-lege professors. Whenever the op-portunity lends itself, Mike Gia-naris always brings up the fact thatI was his teacher in his speechesand talks about me with love andrespect. I cannot help but feel hap-py at this. The Latos brothers, whoare also well-known lawyers, werestudents of mine as well. Anotherstudent of mine happened to beJohn Kulukundis, son of ship mag-nate Elias Kulukundis, and he hasgone on to take over his father’sshipping company. Like many otherteachers, I too have happened tohave students whose parents werealso former students of mine in the

past. I am touched each time that Iam approached by someone and re-minded that I was their teacheronce, when they were a child. Theylove me, even if I used to be strictwith them, because it was for theirown good. Children can tell if youare justified in scolding them ornot.”

The vital issue of the future ofGreek Education in the UnitedStates is something that could nothelp but concern a veteran educa-tor like Mr. Kokkinos. “The state ofGreek Education could have beenbetter. I am not too optimisticabout the future of Greek Educa-tion in the United States, but I can-not say that I am doubtful either. Ibelieve that even if a handful ofschools remain, Greek Educationwill stay alive in this country. I seethat non-Greeks are showing agrowing interest in learning Greek.Many centers and programs inGreek studies are being set up inlots of colleges across the U.S.,where Greek is being taught. But asGreeks, we are not doing all thatwe could to sustain Greek languageeducation and our communityschools in general.”

Mr. Kokkinos had some adviceof his own to share with parents.“They ought to at least send their

kids to Greek Afternoon schools, ifthe tuition at Greek day schools istoo much of a burden. The tuitionat Greek Afternoon schools is sosmall that they are not justified innot bringing their children. Someparents simply just don’t careenough as they should about this is-sue.”

When he retires, Mr. Kokkinosrevealed that he plans to purse a ca-reer as an author, as well as publishhis memoirs. He was a member ofthe committee that formulated thecurriculum for the specialized set oftextbooks issued by the Greek Min-istry of Education for Greeks stu-dents abroad entitled “MathainoEllinika.” He was also appointed tothe committee overseeing the cur-riculum for the “Paidea” project atthe University of Crete, geared todeveloping educational materialsfor students of Greek origin livingabroad. He is also considering of-fering his knowledge and servicesto various school boards here in theUnited States.

“Greek American educators wholabor and worry about the mainte-nance and propagation of the Greeklanguage and culture to theyounger generations need to be rec-ognized for their invaluable contri-bution,” Mr. Kokkinos concluded.

National Herald Names St. Demetrios Principal Its 2007 Teacher of the Year

By Demetris TsakasSpecial to the National Herald

NEW YORK – A large crowd of con-cert goers braved the wintry weath-er to watch fan favorites GrigorisManinakis and Viki Palma sing the“Greek blues” together with KostasPsarros’ Rebetiko Ensemble atFlushing Meadows’ Queens Theaterin the Park last Thursday, January24, 2008. Neither the musicians norMs. Jay House, the Artistic Directorof the Greek Performing Arts Festi-val, could hide their pleasure overthe impressive turnout.

This concert was the openingevent of the newly unveiled GreekPerforming Arts Festival, which isthe first such event to be organizedby a 100% non-Greek-related insti-tution. The Greek Cultural Centerand other Greek-American culturalassociations collaborated closelywith event organizers, and theStavros Niarchos Public BenefitFoundation and Atlantic Bank madegenerous contributions as sponsors.

The festival, which lasted fourdays, from January 24 to the 27, al-so included the concert “Modernos:Contemporary Greek-AmericanPerformance” featuring presenta-tions in modern dance and the spo-ken word, including works by theSilverspace Dance, Amanda Loulakiand Angela Kariotis. Saturdayevening’s show was entitled “NightBlooming Cereus,” a reading about

a young Greek-American manstruggling to find a place for himselfin a family that is still reeling fromthe loss of its matriarch. This showwas followed by a screening of inde-pendent Greek films, and the musi-cal presentation “On the Boat: ACabaret Tale of Maria Callas,” fea-turing special moments in the ca-reer of celebrated Greek opera divaMaria Callas, with unforgettablesongs by American, Italian, French,Greek and Spanish composers, pre-sented by soprano Alexandra Sk-endrou and film director Marisa

Stefatos. The festival came to anend on Sunday with a performanceby the “Kyklos Dance Troupe,”which traveled to New York fromThessaloniki to dazzle audienceswith a dynamic and athletic reper-toire of dances from different re-gions of Greece. New York’s own“Laographicos Omilos” also partici-pated in the performance and drewcrowd interest with their authenticGreek folk costumes.

The Festival’s Artistic DirectorJay (Jennifer Fotini) House, who isalso a Greek American, expressedher pleasure over the success of thisfresh new festival during her clos-ing address and in a statement toThe National Herald.

“I am very pleased with the in-terest the people have shown, thelarge turnout and the warm wel-come the audience offered the per-formers. The crowd enjoyed it, andthis is the greatest reward for all ofus who undertook this challengingproject,” Ms. House said, whilepointing out that each of the perfor-mances taking place during thefour-day festival had special sur-prises in store for their audiences.

Singer Grigoris Maninakis saidthat “we did not expect to see somany people in attendance, partlybecause this event was put togetherby a non-Greek organization, andpartly because it was not really ad-vertised in the Greek AmericanCommunity. The credit for this ideabelongs to the Queens Council onthe Arts, who approached KostasPsarros and asked him to organizethis concert. Everyone was left withvery favorable impressions, and theturnout proves that people are notonly interested in, but thirst forquality cultural events,” Mr. Mani-

nakis added.Co-singer Vicki Palma also

shared her sentiments over thewarm welcome she received fromthe crowd. “I hope that the peopleenjoyed the performance and thatwe will be putting on another con-cert soon. Mr. Psarros said “I wantto thank the people for attending

our concert and singing along withus, as well as the Queens Theater inthe Park and Jay House, who orga-nized this festival and entrusted mewith putting together this concert. Ihope other concerts like this takeplace, because these kind of culturalevents are necessary to help us en-joy and benefit from this great mu-

sical legacy.”Grigoris Maninakis and Vicki

Palma are the vocalists for RebetikoEnsemble, and are accompanied byChristos Psarros (bouzouki), KostasPsarros (bouzouki/baglama), GabeKontos (guitar), Glafkos Konteme-niotis (keyboards), and Bob Mal-oney (drums).

Flushing Meadows’ Queens Theater in the Park Hosts Greek Performing Arts Festival

COMMUNITY4 THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008

www.GreekKitchennyc.com

A family photo of Timoleon Kokkinos and his beloved wife, who recently passed away. Alongside the coupleare their two daughters, Kalliope and Eleni. Mr. Kokkinos places great value on the importance of family.

The National Herald named veteran Greek American educator Timoleon Kokkinos its Teacher of the Year. Mr.Kokkinos has devoted his life to educating his students. Next year, he will celebrate 50 years as a teacher. He isshown in this photo (far right) alongside 7th and 8th graders from St. Demetrios Greek Afternoon School.

Greeks and Americans alike eagerly filled the Queens Theater in the Park to watch the Rebetiko En-semble perform the Greek Blues. The concert kicked off the four day Greek Performing Arts Festival.

Bottom Photo: (l to r) A photo of the Rebetiko Ensemble’s musiciansGabe Kontos (guitar), Kostas Psarros (bouzouki/baglama),, ChristosPsarros (bouzouki), Vicki Palma (vocalist), Gregoris Maninakis (vo-calist), Glafkos Konteminiotis (keyboard), and Bob Maloney (drums).

Traditional Songs by New Singers

Children at Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, New York. entertain the audience withtraditional songs and dances during a show at the church on Tuesday, January 29, 2008. An award cele-brating Hellenic heritage was also given to two parishioners. Many dignitaries attended the event.

By Dick CaseThe Post Standard

Sophia and Peter Copanas saythey're good to go; it's time to retire.

“Everybody's sad,” Sophia is say-ing. “But I'm looking forward to it.”

She's talking about Thanos Im-ported Grocery at 330 N. Salina St.,a landmark of Syracuse since 1919.The Copanases will close the store atthe end of the month.

The original owner, and name-sake, was Christ Thanos, Sophia's fa-ther, who opened the C.A. ThanosImporting Co. at 323 N. Salina, atthe edge of the boisterous city mar-ket that used to sit between Salinaand Pearl streets. The area becameAshland Park, basically a city park-ing lot next to the Interstate 81ramp.

The market was a turn-of-the-century version of the modern Re-gional Market. Sophia Copanas saysthe “very busy area” included fishand meat markets, produce stores,bakeries and restaurants. Patrons of-ten walked home with live chickensunder their arms and Christ Thanoslearned to speak Italian.

There's a map of Italy on the wallat the front of the shop. In the small

office in the rear is a poster: “ThankGod I'm Greek.”

Christ immigrated to Syracusefrom Olympia, Greece. When he wasready to turn over the business, Pe-ter Copanas stepped in. He's been atthe store since 1947.

Before that, he says, “I marriedthe boss's daughter.” The couple hasbeen married 60 years and “he stillcalls her “Honey,”' according to JohnCupelo, one of the helpers atThanos. The others still at thecounter include Fred Ciannilli, themanager, and Joe Iamondo.

Sophia says she's mostly been a“stay-at-home-wife” all these years,occasionally working as a travelagent.

The first Thanos Imports was torndown when the interstate was con-structed through the city. It thenmoved to the building on PearlStreet now occupied by Freedom ofEspresso, a coffee shop. The last stopwas not far away, at Salina and Pearl,at one end of a long business block.

Peter Copanas, the son of Greekimmigrants, is from a family of con-fectioners. Before he moved toThanos, he worked in a family busi-ness, Queen Anne Ice Cream storeon South Avenue. One of the owners

was his uncle, Peter Vlassis. QueenAnne was sold to Blue Boy Foodsand closed in 1954.

Peter's parents had Regent CandyCo., next to the Regent Theater(now Syracuse Stage) on East Gene-see Street. One day in 1932, whenPeter was 13, a robber came into thestore and threatened his father,Nicholas.

Nick fought off the intruder andtook a severe blow to the head. Helater died of the effects of the con-cussion, leaving a widow and fivechildren.

Thanos hasn't changed much as itmoved around the neighborhood.The present location was the origi-nal William Grocery and Meat Fairand later Plony Plumbing.

Sophia shows me a picture of herfather's store. Like today's shop, ithad packaged meat hanging fromthe ceiling and shelves stocked withdomestic and imported goods to ap-peal to clients who liked to cook inthe “old style” of Greece, Italy andthe Middle East.

“The thing is,” Peter says with asmile, “the young people in the Ital-ian families don't eat like they usedto.”

The stock includes cans of olive

oil (“people used to bring in theirown bottles to be filled,” accordingto Sophia), plastic tubs of olives,provolone cheese (good for slicingand eating) and Romano cheese,which customers like to buy by theslice and grate themselves.

There are also spices, baklava,candy, pasta, fish egg spread, egg-plant in olive oil and cans and cansof Cora brand products. “Cold cutsand cheese, those are our best sell-ers,” Peter explains.

He says he'll keep the deli prod-ucts flowing until the last day ofbusiness, but has been selling itemsoff the shelves for several weeks,sometimes to fellow merchants.

“This is a skeleton of what weused to have,” Sophia says.

The place has the neat smell offood, which likely sank into the wallsyears ago. Want to sample thecheese? Here, try a slice. A juicy, fatolive? The customer leaves with ahealthy cut of the cheese roundwrapped in butcher paper and aplastic jar of olives, scooped fromthe tub.

The Copanases say the time isright to leave the street that's beenpart of their family life for decades.Peter will be 89 next month andthey're ready to travel and visit twoof their sons: George, a film editor inCalifornia, and Christopher, a re-

tired military man in Florida.John Copanas, the third son, lives

in Syracuse and sometimes helps outin the store. He's our city clerk.

Sophia and Peter say they've hadoffers to buy the business - includingone grand scheme that took in theentire block - but there's only one onthe table this week and it's tentative,for the stock and name only. Theyrent the store space.

“I want to thank all of my cus-tomers for their patronage,” Petersays. “Some of them have been com-ing in for years.”

The Post Standard published theabove on January 24.

FEATURETHE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 5

RESTAURANT REVIEW

By Nick MavrakisSpecial to The National Herald

Agnanti Restaurant19-06 Ditmars Blvd., AstoriaTel: 718-545-4554

Appetizers: $6 - $12Main Courses: $11 - $22

A fair walk west of the DitmarsBoulevard N train stop, close to theEast River and across Astoria Parklays Agananti Restaurant, the brain-child of owners Maria Lambrianidisand Spiro Sidorakis. Agnanti, mean-ing ‘overlook’ or ‘vantage point’ inGreek, specializes in Hellenic cui-sine from all regions of Greece, andincludes a notable addition to itsmenu in the form of the “Tastes ofConstantinople” section.

When asked about the ideas be-hind the restaurant, Ms. Lambriani-dis informed me that a good friendof hers, Stavros Tsouros, had givenher the inspiration; specifically, theaddition of the “Politiki” dishes onthe menu. As was shown in the fa-mous Greek film, “Politiki Kouzina”(A Touch of Spice), Politiki cuisine isso named after the ‘Poli’ (city) ofConstantinople, and the recipes thatGreeks had developed in the regionover 2,000 years. During the ‘Pros-fyges’ (refugees) era of the 1920s,Greek refugees returned to Greecethrough deportation and ex-changes; with them, they broughtthe Eastern-influenced cuisine ofConstantinople.

Agnanti has already made asplash with the Astoria community,and indeed, all of New York. ZagatSurvey has consistently given therestaurant a high rating, with thehighlight being a 27 (out of 30), andthe Daily News named Agnanti thebest restaurant in Queens –with itbeing the only Greek entry out of 11finalists. In addition, Agnanti hasbeen featured in the Eating Out,Time Out, and the New York Times.

I asked Ms. Lambrianidis aboutthe success of the six-year oldrestaurant, and she conveyed that itall came as something of a surpriseto her.

“We didn’t advertise or do anysort of promotion. People just start-ed coming, and I guess good word-of-mouth traveled fast,”

No doubt, word-of-mouth wassure to include the wonderfully cozynature of the restaurant; with awood-burning fireplace in the cor-ner of the room, gently lighting theredbrick interior. Classically-styled

taverna chairs are placed around thewooden tables, which are drapedwith white cloth and shielded with apanel of glass. Still black-and-whitephotographs of old Greek movieshang along the walls, as well as claypottery, and karagiozi puppets. Ablank projection screen that normal-ly shows scenes from movies like‘Politiki Kouzina’ was lifeless at thetime. “They haven’t sent me the pro-jection bulb, yet,” I was informed.

When weather permits, a patiosection with plaid, table-clothed ta-bles allows diners to enjoy the quiet,surrounding area of trees and resi-dences, where it’s very easy to forgetthat an urban metropolis is just astone’s throw away.

The wine list consists of somepopular Greek varieties, such asHatzimichalis, Boutaris, and Sk-ouras. Of course, it’s common to gofor the House wine or ‘hima’ –Carafe in this case – by the kilogram,when dining informally withfriends. Greek and domestic beersare also available.

Appetizers at Agnanti are defi-nitely a treat, as it’s not unheard offor groups to simply order a pletho-ra of them, and leave the maincourses for another day. Some of thepopular mainstays include the

tzatziki, taramosalata, melitzanos-alata, tyrokafteri, and the Santorinifava (mashed yellow split peas,topped with onions and herbs).These all go wonderfully with theassortment of fresh bread that’sbrought to your table at the begin-ning of the meal.

Some of the more unique appe-tizers include the tyrokeftedes Sif-nou: croquettes filled with cheeseand fresh herbs; or the tomatokeft-edes: croquettes made with freshtomatoes and herbs. Thekolokythokeftede croquettes I had –made of zucchini and cheese – wereelegantly light and fluffy, burstingwith flavor. “Some places overdo itwith the oil. We like to use just theright amount, so the dishes don’tend up too oily,” Ms. Lambrianidistold me. This was, in fact, the case,with the croquettes remaininggrease-free without being overlydry.

Another wonderful recipe wasthe Shrimps Kataifi: whole shrimptopped with the classic shredded filopastry, and dripped in a homemademustard and sauce. I asked aboutthe sauce, as it complimented theshrimp and crunchy kataifi deli-ciously. “Spiro makes it,” I was in-formed. I much suspect it’s a heavi-

ly-guarded secret, but there was adefinite tinge of honey involved. Re-gardless, the appetizer was excel-lent.

Other appetizers include thecalamari, stuffed with tomato, feta,and fresh basil; Kayianas: a tradi-tional Arcadian omelet-style dish,with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, andolive oil; and the Mushrooms Kalit-sounia, which is a mushroom andfresh herbs mixture, wrapped inhomemade dough, and fried in oliveoil.

The “Tastes of Constantinople”section offers many rare delights,not often found in other Greekrestaurants. The Pastroumali, forexample, take rich dough, and stuffsit with Kefalograviera cheese, toma-toes, and slivers of spiced, curedmeat. The Yogurtlu Kebab consistsof spiced, ground meat patties,served with a yogurt and tomatosauce on pita bread.

Main courses at Agnanti involvesome of traditional classics, such asa number of fish dishes, all cookedin the all-Greek way of being simplygrilled, and seasoned with a lightladolemono (olive oil and lemon)mixture. The salmon can, alterna-tively, come with the Spetsiotisasauce: a mixture of fresh tomatoes,onions, feta, and dill.

Biftekia (Greek-style ground beefpatties), paidakia (lamb chops),brizoles (steaks), and chicken sou-vlaki are also available. The Sout-zoukakia Smyrnika I had – which isthe authentic sausage-shaped meat-balls and tomato sauce recipe –were tender and flavorful, and cameserved with a choice of rice, fries, orlemon-potatoes. My companion’schicken fillet came perfectly grilledand lightly seasoned with lemon,olive oil, and oregano, with dicedtomatoes and onions on the side.

Dessert includes a homemadeHalva: semolina cake with orangesyrup; and Greek strained yogurtserved with fruit and syrup. Consid-er it a pleasant surprise if part ofdessert is ‘Kerasmeno’ (on thehouse).

Agnanti has a lot going for it:unique Greek food, comfortable sur-roundings, and an evolving popular-ity that locals have probablythought long overdue. In fact, Ag-nanti has been doing so well that theowners have opened a second site inBrooklyn. If you haven’t already, doyourself a favor and see what thefuss is about on this wonderfulGreek restaurant. You won’t be dis-appointed, I guarantee.

Delicious Tastes of Constantinople Found Across the Street from Astoria Park

Agnanti Restaurant serves cuisine from different regions of Greece, in-cluding Politiki Kouzina. The Tastes of Constantinople section of themenu offers recipes developed by Greeks in Asia Minor over 2,000 years.

ANNUNCIATION GREEKORTHODOX CHURCH302 West 91st Street, New York, NY 10024 - Tel.: (212) 724-2070

ANNOUNCEMENT

In our continuation of the Family As Church Series, we extend an invitationto all to attend the viewing of a documentary film, Autism: Another Way

of Communicating, on Sunday, February 10, 2008, at 1:30 PM.

The Director, Gary Keys, in this documentary, Autism: Another Way of

Communicating, takes us inside a special retreat whose art based pro-grams are designed to allow maximum freedom of interaction betweenparents and their autistic children. Come and join the journey of this docu-mentary with its highs and lows as we see the bridge of the two (2) worldsconnect - these autistic talented children and the rest of us.

Mr, Keys will then answer any questions. Refreshments will be served after the presentation.

See you on Sunday, February 10, 2008.

Time: 1:30PMPlace: Demas Hall

Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation302 West 91st Street @ West End AvenueNew York, NY 10024-1011(212) 724-2070 Phone(212) 724-2252 Faxgocoaevents@aol.com (e-mail events only)www.evangelismos.org (website)

Thanos Imported Grocery, Founded in 1919, Prepares to Close at End of Month

a b

Along with Greeks all over the world, the Laconian Progressive Association"Evrotas" - a national cell of Hellenism in America - mourns the great loss of the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos.

The void he leaves is irreplaceable. Christodoulos was one of the greatest,maybe the greatest, figure of the Orthodox Church and Hellenism in ourtimes. We had the outstanding pleasure to meet him in person and receive hisprayers and his blessings.

We loved him the way he loved us.

We hope that God will rest him in peace and send him among the righteous.

May his memory live forever.

May his work have a worthy successor for the sake of our Church and our nation.

To The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece

On behalf of the Laconian Progressive Association of the USA and Canada

Dimosthenis Vassiliou

President who currently is in Skala Lakonias

Laconian Progressive Association of the United States & Canada “Evrotas”, Inc.Λακωνικός Προοδευτικός Σύλλογος Αµερικής και Καναδά «Ευρώτας»

P.O. Box 859, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108 / Τel.: (646) 473-2275, (212) 502-4364

ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS6 THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008

Analysis By Theodore Kalmoukos Special to the National Herald

BOSTON – In the early dawn hoursof this past Monday, January 28,Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens& All Greece fell asleep in the Lord,departing for his final journey, andhas now gone to the “Land of the Liv-ing,” taking the respect, love and ad-miration of all the Orthodox Chris-tians all over the world as his travel-ing companion, especially theprayers of the Greek Orthodox faith-ful in Greece and in Greek communi-ties throughout the globe.

Christodoulos had been called, bymany who know persons and situa-tions in the Orthodox Church, “theecclesiastical leader of our times.”While remaining faithful to GreekOrthodox tradition, he did not con-sider the Greek Orthodox Churchand faith a thing of yesterday, butrather as a dynamic prospect of to-day and tomorrow. He knew verywell that a new world is being creat-ed and recreated today in Europe, inGreece itself, in the United States…everywhere.

Archbishop Christodoulos wasnot simply loyal to the overarchingframework of Orthodox Tradition,he also used it as a compass whichpointed toward the future. Beinghimself a prominent theologian, af-ter all, he fully understood that Tra-dition is the life of the Church in the

Holy Spirit, and because the pres-ence and flowing of the Holy Spirit isa pervasive constant in the Church,its Tradition should be somethingdynamic and evolving, and notsomething static, meaning some-thing reduced to the mere observa-tion of rituals and protocols.

Christodoulos was the prelate parexcellence for Greek Orthodoxyouth, due apparently to his ownyouthful mentality, which was clear-ly expressed as a strong desire todraw near to the ever-young JesusChrist in order for the lives of youthsto be renew. It’s true that Christodou-los was an “old boy” at heart. He hadthe physical and biological anatomyand physiognomy of a mature man,but the spirit and vibrant energy of ayoung boy.

Christodoulos was a greatChurchman because he dared tohave a vision, insight and dreams,not simply as a spinning tactician. Heturned his visions and dreams intoreality, sometimes ignoring evenstrong political obstacles like formerPrime Minister Costas Simitis’ fairy-tales of modernization and interna-tionalism.

Christodoulos was a truly forgiv-ing man. He never said a word aboutthe small-minded behavior of formerPresident of the Hellenic RepublicCostis Stephanopoulos, who de-clined to participate in Christodou-los’ enthronement, claiming he hadscheduled other commitments.

Christodoulos never said any-thing about the pusillanimity andhypocritical tactics of the “specialreasons” Archbishop Demetrios ofAmerica invoked in order to blockChristodoulos’ visit to the Greek Or-thodox community of the U.S., whileEcumenical Patriarch Bartholomewagreed behind the scenes. BothDemetrios and Bartholomew knewthat comparisons are unavoidable,and that Greek Americans wouldhave rushed to embrace Christodou-los because he was a man of love, hu-mility, genuine smiles and goodnessof heart.

The greatness of ArchbishopChristodoulos was also manifestedin the love he had for people and hisconsistent attitude and approach totreat all people equally, no matterwho they were. Christodoulos was aclear, strong voice for issues close tothe heart of his flock. He took theChurch of Greece out of its lingeringstate of isolationism.

Christodoulos had tremendouslove and respect for the Greek Amer-ican community. He proved it onemore time a little over a month ago,when the chose the National Herald,the community’s public forum andnewspaper of record, to give the onlyinterview he granted about hisarchiepiscopal ministry to any media

outlet anywhere, including Greece.“I know the magnitude of my situa-tion, but I do not despair. I hope inthe love of God. Let His will bedone,” he said, among other things.

Since last June, Greek Orthodoxfaithful everywhere were followingthe struggle of the ailing ArchbishopChristodoulos in a loving, respectfuland painful way.

He was, by general consensus,the most charismatic and able eccle-

siastical leader of our times. He wasloved in Greece and abroad becausehis humble, loving and joyous per-sonality offered gladness and warmfeelings to everyone whose life hetouched. His love and concern wasfelt first and foremost by the simplefaithful, the people of God who insti-tute the pleroma (fullness) of theChurch, the Body of Christ, to thepoint where many offered to donatetheir livers in order for Christodoulos

to live because, as they wrote to hisdoctors, “The Archbishop is neededfor our Church and country muchmore than we are.”

Archbishop Christodoulos, thedynamic prelate and helmsman ofthe Holy Church of Greece went uphis own Golgotha with incredible en-durance. He didn’t complain abouthis ailment, and his exceptionalstrength had surprised even hisphysicians.

The Archbishop was fully awareof the severity of his health condi-tion, as he said in his last interviewwith the National Herald. Orthodoxyand Hellenism will now miss hisphysical presence.

Christodoulos has proven to bethe greatest ecclesiastical personali-ty of contemporary Greece, as wellas global Orthodoxy. He was the con-science and conscious voice of GreekOrthodox Faith and Tradition, not

only in Greece itself, but also outsidethe Hellenic Republic’s boundaries.

God the Creator had bestowedChristodoulos with charisma and tal-ent; chief among them was his hu-manity. He knew how to honor hisfriends, even from his sickbed. It isnot an accident that he chose the Na-tional Herald during the high holydays of Christmas to bare his souland let the world see through itsgolden transparency.

The Herald is informed thatChristodoulos tasted the greatest bit-terness of his tenure as Archbishopof Athens on April 30, 2004 when his“friend” from the old days, PatriarchBartholomew, arrived to the point ofconvening the “Broader Synod” andplaced Christodoulos outside of theDiptychs of the Church. This meantthat he was cut off from all levels ofEucharistic and administrative com-munion with the Ecumenical Patriar-chate, the impasse being a uniqueEcclesiological statute of the Metrop-olises of the New Lands in Greece.

Shamefully our own ArchbishopDemetrios of America was part ofthat Synod, and he also signed thecondemnation against Christodou-los. It was a truly unfortunate deci-sion and action which markedBartholomew’s Patriarchy with itsmost unacceptable colors thus far.Now both Bartholomew andDemetrios are attending his funeral.What a hypocritical pity.

Christodoulos was magnani-

mous, however, and his heart wasbigger than those of Bartholomewand Demetrios. They may have hurthim and the Church of Greece, but ashe said in his recent interview, “NowI can prioritize the values of life moreeasily, and put aside the small things.I more easily forgive now, and ex-tend the hand of reconciliation andfriendship to those who caused bit-terness and pain to me in the past.”

These words are truly remark-able.

Archbishop Christodoulosmarked 2007 with the strength of hissoul, and all the years that Godgranted him as a good shepherd andteacher of the Church of Greecewhich truly made him a man of God,and of the people.

Archbishop Christodoulos: A Remarkable Ecclesiastical Leader of our Times

The late Archbishop of Athensand All Greece Christodoulos metwith many of the internationalcommunity’s most influentialleaders during his time as Prelateof the Greek church. Christodou-los met with Pope John Paul II inAthens, helping to ease some ofthe tension between the Greekand Catholic churches. The lateArchbishop also met with PLOchairman Yassar Arafat, RussianPresident Vladimir Putin and ofcourse, Greek Prime MinisterCostas Karamanlis. Top: Morethan 30,000 mourners paid theirfinal respects to ArchbishopChristodoulos who was lying instate in the Athens Cathedral forthree days.

TNH ARCHIVES

ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOSTHE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 7

ATHENS – As Greeks all over theworld mourn the passing of the ever-memorable head of the Church ofGreece Archbishop Christodoulos,his older brother, Ioannis Paraske-vaides, who is 13 years his senior,opened his heart to the public for thefirst time and talked to the Greekdaily newspaper “Eleftheros Typos,”about his late brother, one of themost popular, beloved and powerfulArchbishops of the modern era.

“He had a lot of determinationand he was a fighter,” remarked Mr.Paraskevaides, a retired high-levelofficial with the Greek Ministry ofEducation.

Mr. Paraskevaides looked back onhis brother’s formative years. Hepointed out that in addition to theArchbishop’s great faith and person-ality, the influence of his parentsVasiliki and Konstantinos played agreat role in shaping who he was.The late prelate’s brother describedtheir father as “a patriot; someonewho was pure, dynamic, and deter-mined.”

As Archbishop Christodoulos’brother explained, their father sur-vived two persecutions and the deci-mation of war. He first faced perse-cution in Adrianople at the hands ofthe Turks, and then again in Xanthi,when he was confronted with theBulgarian Axis forces invadingGreece. Both times he was lefthomeless and bankrupt. The Arch-bishop’s father was one of the few

Greeks who managed to survive im-prisonment in Turkish labor campsand the Amele Taburu heavy laborbattalions, which were an early formof Nazi and Soviet-style concentra-tion camps.

Mr. Paraskevaides spoke abouthis father’s hardships, and describedhow he returned to Xanthi at the endof World War II only to find that allhis property had been destroyed.Nevertheless, he started over andeven became Mayor of Xanthi from1946 to 1949. He subsequently relo-cated his family to Athens after hisretirement.

According to his elder brother,Archbishop Christodoulos and hisfather shared a special bond. Hesaid that their father recognizedthe Archbishop’s brilliance andchallenged him to prove it by suc-ceeding in his studies. He sent himto the prestigious Leonteion HighSchool despite their family’s mea-ger finances and absolutely insistedthat his younger son continually ex-cel in his studies. It was the onlyway for him to ensure that hewould keep his scholarship. “Chris-tos always managed…” Mr.Paraskevaides remembered, callinghis brother by the name he usedprior to taking holy orders.

“When he graduated the Leon-teion High School, he had alreadymade up his mind to study Theolo-gy, although he had not yet re-vealed to his father his deep desire

to become a clergyman,” Mr.Paraskevaides said. “Our father for-bade him to study Theology andurged him to go to Law School. ‘Alla theologian can do is teach in highschool, but the sky is the limit for aLaw School graduate, and he can

have any job he likes,’ he would sayto him. Christos followed his adviceonce again and entered Law Schoolthe same way he would graduatefrom there several years later – atthe top of his class.”

Mr. Paraskevaides spoke about

his brother’s life choices. “Althoughhe could have opted for a career inAcademia, as many of his universityprofessors advised, or embarked up-on a legal career, he chose to becomea priest, and so he went on to studyTheology afterwards. Our father ac-cepted his wishes, and even tookpride in this decision later in life. Helived to see him become Metropoli-tan of Volos before dying in 1975.The Archbishop’s mother Vasilikiwas a very sweet woman who hadcomplete confidence in her son’s de-cisions. So you see, the Archbishop’spersonality is a combination of hisnatural temperament, God’s grace,and the values and traditions thathis parents instilled in him.”

Meanwhile, many of the peoplein the Archbishop’s circle are begin-ning to share their personal accountsof their spiritual father as well. Thelatest edition of the Greek Sundaynewspaper “To Paron” published ex-cerpts from the final conversationsthe late Greek prelate had with closeassociates who stood by his sidethroughout his battle with cancer.One of them talked about the Arch-bishop’s state of mind as he preparedto depart from this world. “Therewere many times that I stood in si-lence unable to come to terms withthe harsh reality that makes no ex-ception for anyone of us. I tried toget him to accept the inevitable.Over the past week, we had frequenttheological discussions. In fact, he

recently asked me to read St. Paul’sEpistles to him. He truly enjoys themand it would delight his soul to listento them.”

The same associate recalled thathe would ask the Archbishop “how isyour state of mind? How is yourmorale? You are not losing yourstrength now, are you?” And the hewould answer ‘not at all. It’s just thatday by day I am feeling all the moreworse.’ Then I would look away sothat our eyes would not meet and Iwould not find myself in the precari-ous position of not knowing what tosay. From the corner of my eye I no-ticed him gazing at me as if he wasprobing to determine whether I waslooking at him with pity. He was al-ways proud and noble; a truly beau-tiful person…”

Even in sickness, the Archbishopfamous for his levity shared senti-mental moments of humor withthose around him. His associate re-calls “I would joke with him andsay ‘Your Beatitude, if the Lordsends you an invitation, we’re go-ing to send it back, right?’ He triedto laugh and he clasped my handwith all the strength he had left, asif he did not want leave this life justyet. And the whole time, wheneverI asked him about matters relatedto his medical condition, his symp-toms, or any pain he might havebeen experiencing, he would an-swer by simply saying ‘Glory be toGod.’”

Archbishop’s Brother Opens His Heart on Growing Up with Christodoulos

Archbishop Christodoulos and his brother Ioannis Paraskevaidesshare a family moment. Mr. Paraskevaides, a retired Ministry of Edu-cation official, was 13 years older than the late Archbishop.

Interior Minister ProkopisPavlopoulos announced four daysof national mourning, andChristodoulos was buried with fullstate honors. Flags flew at half-mast throughout Greece, includingon top of the ancient Acropolis andat the Hellenic Parliament building.

Mr. Karamanlis spoke of theArchbishop’s bravery during his pe-riod of sickness, describing him asan “enlightened” Church leader,and praising him as a “religiousleader who reinforced the role ofOrthodoxy in the world,” and forbringing the Church closer to thepeople.

Mr. Papoulias expressed sadnessat news of the Archbishop’s death,and lauded him for his “rich andmultifaceted contribution” to theChurch and Orthodox faith.

President George W. Bush sentcondolences Monday to the Greekpeople for the death of their coun-try’s charismatic Church leader.

Writing for himself and his wife,First Lady Laura Bush, the Presi-dent said the Archbishop wasknown as “an articulate voice of theOrthodox faith; for his engagementin inter-religious dialogue; and forhis promotion of social programs tohelp the vulnerable.”

Pope Benedict XVI sent atelegram this opast Wednesday,January 30, to Metropolitan Ser-apheim of Karystia (southern Evia)& Skyros, the temporary prelate ofthe Church of Greece’s Holy Synod,expressing his condolences for thedeath of “this distinguished pastor,”praising Christodoulos’ work to-wards Orthodox-Catholic rap-prochement.

Greek American leaders also ex-pressed their sympathies.

Archbishop Demetrios of Ameri-ca, who was released byChristodoulos from the Church ofGreece to serve the Church inAmerica, said Christodoulos was anoutstanding hierarch who made alasting impact on the Greek Ortho-dox world.

“The passing of the late Arch-bishop of Athens & All Greece,Christodoulos of blessed memory,saddens us deeply, for with his de-parture from this world, the Churchhas lost an exceptional and highlyesteemed hierarch, as well as a bril-liant champion of Orthodoxy andthe universal values of Hellenic cul-tural tradition,” he said.

Ike Gulas, supreme president ofthe American Hellenic EducationalProgressive Association, the coun-try’s leading association for Ameri-can citizens of Hellenic ancestryand Philhellenes, said AHEPA wasdeeply saddened at the news of theArchbishop’s passing and notedChristodoulos’ efforts to enhancedialogue with the Roman CatholicChurch.

“We are deeply saddened tolearn of the passing of His Beati-tude, who bravely battled liver can-cer. We were fortunate to havebeen granted many audiences withhim to discuss ways in which wecan work together to project andprotect Hellenism and Orthodoxyabroad. In 2001, Archbishop

Christodoulos received the lateJohn Paul II, the first Pope to visitGreece in 1,300 years. Again in2006, His Beatitude visited the Vat-ican to meet with Pope BenedictXVI, and signed a joint declarationcalling for inter-religious dialogue.Archbishop Christodoulos was agreat religious leader. May hismemory be eternal,” Mr. Gulassaid.

Gene Rossides, president andfounder of the American HellenicInstitute, expressed AHI’s deep sor-row over Christodoulos’ passing,noting the Archbishop’s efforts toconnect with Greece’s youth and at-tract young people back to theChurch.

“A Hierarch of high spiritual in-

tegrity, the Archbishop brought arenewed spirit and enthusiasm inreaching out to the people ofGreece to spread the teachings ofOrthodoxy.

Through his leadership, theChurch made a special effort to res-onate with the youth, and to applythe teachings of Orthodoxy to thecontemporary issues of the day.Archbishop Christodoulos’ contri-butions to Orthodoxy and toGreece will forever define his greatlegacy. May his memory be eter-nal,” Mr. Rossides said.

The late Archbishop Christodou-los was born Christos Paraske-vaides in the northeastern city ofXanthi in 1939, one of two sons of awholesale food importer and de-

voutly religious mother. He firststudied law, and then went ontostudy Theology, earning a doctor-ate with distinction. He spoke flu-ent Greek, English, French and Ital-ian, and was the author of manybooks. He is survived his brother(see related story).

He was elected primate of theChurch of Greece in 1998, succeed-ing the late Archbishop Seraphimafter 24 years of fruitful archpas-toral ministry as the Metropolitanof Demetriados (Volos). Hebreathed new life to the Church ofGreece, which represents 97 per-cent of Greece’s native-born popu-lation.

From the start, his leadershipwas markedly different. He thun-

dered onto the public stage, ap-pearing on television and radioshows, visiting schools and hospi-tals, alternately fascinating andshocking Greeks with his fieryspeeches.

“Clergymen are above kings,prime ministers and presidents,” heonce said.

Christodoulos helped createchurch websites and radio stations,and frequently issued encyclicalson many issues, even on how theOrthodox priests should conductthemselves in church and in public.

With his flowing black robe,thick graying beard and open man-ner, Christodoulos attracted thou-sands of young Greeks back to theChurch. And he joined historic talkswith the two popes in an effort toease a 10-century rift with the Ro-man Catholic Church.

When Christodoulos receivedthe Pope John Paul II in 2001, theyheld their historic meeting inAthens, despite vigorous protestsby zealots and para-ecclesialgroups. In following up with JohnPaul’s successor, Pope Benedict,Christodoulos joined Benedict incalling for enhanced interfaith dia-logue and stated his opposition toabortion and euthanasia.

But Christodoulos angered so-cial liberals by mixing Church withState, and he clashed bitterly withthe government over Greece’s par-ticipation in the secular EuropeanUnion. He called Muslim Turks“barbarians,” and said homosexu-als were “handicapped.”

Within months of his election,he had expounded onmany issues,from Greece’s economy to relationswith Turkey, leading some politi-cians to grumble about his appar-ent political ambitions.

In one of his most vociferouscampaigns, Christodoulos led a pe-tition drive against the introduc-tion of new state identity cardswhich would no longer list thebearer’s religion. The Church gath-ered some 3 million signatures,more than a quarter of the popula-tion.

“They are trying to take awayour society’s Christian and Ortho-dox identity, using various ground-less arguments, because they hateGod and want to marginalize theChurch,” Christodoulos had said,claiming he was fighting the “forcesof evil.” The campaign ultimatelyfailed, and Greeks’ identity cardsdropped the religion entry.

Bush, Pope Benedict Among Leaders to Send Condolences to Greek PeopleContinued from page 1

Greek President Karolos Papoulias, left, attends the funeral of Archbishop Christodoulos, as his wife May, foreground left, kisses a Bible on thecasket of Greek Church Orthodox Church leader, as Ada Papandreou, second from left in foreground, her husband George Papandreou, leaderof the main opposition Socialist party, center, Greek Communist Party leader Aleka Papariga, second from right, and Prime Minister CostasKaramanlis, right, at Athens Cathedral, Thursday, January 31, 2008.

AP/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU

“I loved Christodoulos. He lovedkids ands told us jokes. I'll keep go-ing to church,” an 11-year-old boysaid after the funeral.

Flags hung at half-staff acrossAthens and on the ancient Acropo-lis. For four days, tens of thousandsof Greeks have stood in line forhours to pay their respects toChristodoulos as he lay in state inthe Cathedral.

The archbishop headed Greece'spowerful church for a decade, rein-vigorating the vast institution. Heeased centuries of tension with theVatican but angered liberal criticswho viewed him as an attention-seeking reactionary who meddledin the affairs of state.

“What is important is that thechurch continues to attract youngpeople and continue their open dia-logue with other Orthodox Church.Any mistakes that were made wereonly human,” said Giorgos Filias

professor of Theology at AthensUniversity.

In 2001, Christodoulos receivedthe late John Paul II – the first popeto visit Greece in nearly 1,300 years– despite vigorous protests fromOrthodox zealots.

The archbishop followed up in2006 with a historic visit to the Vat-ican.

A vocal opponent of issues rang-ing from globalization to Turkey'sefforts to join the European Union,the archbishop was regularlynamed Greece's most popular pub-lic figure.

No candidates have been de-clared for Christodoulos' succes-sion. Contenders are widely expect-ed to include Metropolitan BishopsAnthimos of Thessaloniki and Hi-eronymos of Thebes, who both lostin 1998, when the church's HolySynod elected Christodoulos asleader.

Three other bishops have alsoreportedly expressed interest.

Black-robed church officials and a crowd of mourners follow the open casket of Greek church leader Archbishop Christodoulos in front of the1,800-year-ols Hadrian's Gate in Athens, Greece, on Thursday, January 31, 2008.

AP PHOTOS/DIMITRI MESSINIS

AP PHOTOS/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU

Christodoulos FuneralShuts Down AthensContinued from page 1

KARAMANLIS IN TURKEY8 THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008

of mutual distrust, Mr. Karamanlisarrived in Turkey on January 23 foran official three-day visit, the firstofficial visit by a Greek premier toTurkey in almost half a century. Thelast Greek prime minister to visitTurkey was Mr. Karamanlis’ lateuncle, Constantine Karamanlis, inMay 1959.

The visit, which began inAnkara, had been rescheduledthree times since 2004, when Mr.Karamanlis first came to power,and was widely considered signifi-cant for the very fact that it washappening, at all, rather than forany agreements it might have beenexpected to yield.

Longstanding strains in rela-tions between the countries, whichhave fought four wars since Greecewon independence from the Ot-toman Empire in the 1820’s; havebeen pushed to the brink of warthree times in the last four decades;and still debate the status of Cypruswere almost nowhere to be seen inAnkara last week.

Mr. Karamanlis stressed that thecentral goal of his ongoing effortswith Turkey was full normalization.

“Greek people have very goodfeelings toward Turkish people,” hesaid. “I believe they are looking fora new page in relations.”

Mr. Erdogan seemed to echo Mr.

Karamanlis’ sentiments. “I believe2008 will offer new opportunitiesfor our countries to improve bilat-eral relations. I’d like to see the pe-riod ahead of us as a window of op-portunity.”

Both leaders pledged to build ona spectacular thaw in their once-stormy bilateral ties, calling formore trade across their commonborder to further improve tradi-tionally uneasy relations.

Trade volume between Greeceand Turkey rose from $870 millionin 2000 to $2.7 billion in 2006, andreached $2.3 billion in the first ninemonths of 2007 alone, according toMr. Karamanlis.

“Cooperation in the economicfield opens the way for further rap-prochement between our twocountries, and eliminates damagecaused by friction and tension,” Mr.Karamanlis told a gathering ofGreek and Turkish businessmen inConstantinople (present-day Istan-bul) last Friday, January 25, duringthe final leg of his visit to Turkey.

Speaking through an inter-preter, Mr. Karamanlis said Greecewould support Turkey’s bid to hostthe prestigious International Expoin 2015 in Smyrna (present-dayIzmir) on Turkey’s Aegean shore.

“I am convinced that Greek busi-nessmen will be there in force,” headded, noting that a substantial in-crease has also been observed in

terms of investments, with Greekcapital invested in Turkey havingreached $5.5 billion.

Karamanlis referred specificallyto investments by Greek banks inTurkish banks, and described theinvestment initiative of Turkey’s Zi-raat Bank to operate branches inGreece as an interesting new devel-opment. He cited cooperation be-tween Greek and Turkish construc-tion firms in Jordan, and said simi-lar actions could follow in thetourism and renewable energysources sectors.

Economic and trade relationsand promotion of investments formthe groundwork for broader, mutu-ally beneficial cooperation, Mr.Karamanlis told the Greek-TurkishBusiness Forum, emphasizing thatthe expediency of such gatheringswas not limited to the purely eco-nomic level.

“I believe that our economic col-laborations pave the way forgreater rapprochement between usand highlight, in the most exposito-ry way, the lost gain that tensionand friction cost us. In that sense,they lay the groundwork for a con-stant deepening of our bilateral re-lations,” he said.

The Greek Premier also said asubstantial institutional frameworkhas already been formed betweenthe two countries, adding that helooked forward to its expansion in

all sectors of mutual interest toavoid ambiguity or uncertaintyover the legal structures regulatingbilateral economic relations.

Mr. Erdogan said both he andMr. Karamanlis were looking at thewider picture concerning healthierrelations between the two coun-tries: “The people of our two na-tions will benefit from the processthat we launched in order to ensurestability in the Mediterranean, inthe Balkans, and also in Europe,”he said, stressing that both coun-tries were striving for enhanced Eu-ropean security through the energysector.

This past November, both lead-ers inaugurated a pipeline to carrygas from Azerbaijan to Greecethrough Turkey, hailing it as a con-crete symbol of a new era in eco-nomic cooperation.

Traditional rivals, Greece andTurkey have significantly improvedrelations over the past decade afterracing to help each other recoverfrom devastating earthquakeswhich struck both countries in Au-gust and September of 2007.

The Greek Government sup-ports Turkey’s bid to join the Euro-pean Union, and Mr. Karamanlisstressed Turkey’s need to meet thebloc’s requirements in the long E.U.accession process ahead, but thetwo countries are at loggerheadsover the Ecumenical Patriarchate,

Cyprus, territorial disputes in theAegean and frequent Turkish viola-tions of Greek airspace.

EUROPEAN PASSPORTMr. Karamanlis underscored

that the Ecumenical Patriarchate’shistoric seat in Constantinople is agreat benefit to Turkey, and re-ferred to it as a major “Europeanpassport” and criterion.

Mr. Erdogan said that Turkey’sposition on the Patriarchate is wellknown, but said his country is tak-ing steps to alleviate the situation,though he did not specify how orwhat.

Turkey, a land which is now pre-dominantly Moslem (more than 98percent of its population observeand practice Islam at least nominal-ly), does not recognize the Ecu-menical Patriarch’s ecumenical sta-tus as spiritual leader of the world’s250 million Orthodox Christians,and maintains he is merely the ec-clesiastical leader of Istanbul’sdwindling Greek Orthodox com-munity of less than 3,000.

Many Turks also view the Patri-arch with suspicion, fearing thateasing restrictions will open thedoor for the Patriarchate to set up aVatican-like presence withinTurkey and undermine nationalunity, an echo of the Ottoman Em-pire’s collapse in the beginning ofthe 20th Century. The Turkish Gov-ernment does not make much ef-

fort to allay such concerns, arguingthat granting Christian minoritiesmore rights will exacerbate greatercivil unrest.

A dispute over a dilapidatedmonastery on the island of Halki –“Heybeliada” in Turkish – high-lights the tension between Turkey’sreligious minorities and its govern-ment, a key concern as the E.U.considers membership for theMoslem-majority nation.

Last November, Turkish forestministry officials knocked downpart of a building the Church saidwas a monastery on Halki, an is-land in the Sea of Marmara off Con-stantinople. They said renovationthere was illegal because it was tak-ing place on government property.

The building lies just a few milesaway from the Halki theologicalschool, forcibly shut down in 1971,which has been a major issue in theoften frosty relations betweenGreece and Turkey. Turkish author-ities have refused to allow the sem-inary to reopen, despite years oflobbying by the Orthodox Church,Greece, the E.U. and the UnitedStates.

The ruins of the building nearthe seminary are the subject of a le-gal battle between the Turkish Gov-ernment and the Patriarchate. Therow underscores the unease ofTurkey’s religious minorities.

Mr. Erdogan has said his govern-

Ankara and Athens Call for More Trade to Consolidate RapprochementContinued from page 1

1) Prime Ministers Costas Karamanlis and Recep Tayyip Erdogan dur-ing a Greek-Turkish business forum. 2) Erdogan welcomes Karaman-lis to Turkey. 3)Karamanlis follows a Turkish guard of honor carryingthe Greek Premier’s wreath this past 24 to the mausoleum of modernTurkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. 4) The visitor’s book at themausoleum with the message written by Karamanlis. 5) Erdogangreeting Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni and Karamanlis up-on their arrival to Turkey. 6) Karamanlis and a Turkish guard of hon-or lay a wreath on the mausoleum of Ataturk. Karamanlis was the firstGreek prime minister to visit Turkey in nearly 49 years last week.

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PHOTOS: ASSOCIATED PRESS

KARAMANLIS IN TURKEYTHE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 9

ment will not tolerate ethnic na-tionalism or discrimination, but hu-man rights groups claim ultrana-tionalists, often with the tacit ap-proval of state officials, bully any-one pushing for minority rights intosilence through court actions,threats and even violence.

Ecumenical PatriarchBartholomew used to pray once ayear at the building which wasknocked down by Turkish Govern-ment officials. Dositheos Anagnos-topoulos, a spokesman for the Pa-triarchate, said the plot of land iswhere the historic MakariosMonastery once stood.

“Earlier, our properties weretaken away without any court rul-ing,” Anagnostopoulos said. “Butthis is the first time a church is be-ing demolished.”

The Turks have also confiscatedmany Greek Orthodox-ownedproperties over the decades – fromindividual residents, as well asfrom the Church – hastening an al-ready rapid decline in the numberof Turkish citizens of Greek de-scent.

The row in the Sea of Marmarais the latest episode of a problemat-ic past between the Patriarchateand the Turkish state. The Churchhas long called for the reopening ofthe Halki theological school.

The official argument for theseminary’s closure is that a reli-gious institution without govern-ment oversight is not compatiblewith the secular institutions ofTurkey, a country where all Moslemclerics are trained and paid by the

government, and are handedscripts of Friday sermons by a stateagency.

Bartholomew says Ankara refus-es to open the seminary because itaims to prevent the Church fromraising new leaders. The Patriarchof Constantinople must be a Turk-ish citizen, which makes it im-mensely difficult for the dwindlingGreek community to produce anycandidates.

Mr. Karamanlis said reopeningthe school is something Turkeyshould “deal with sincerely” as itseeks E.U. membership.

Mr. Erdogan acknowledged thatthe school had operated until 1971,and said, “We are working on thisissue. We are evaluating it, andthen we shall decide.”

NO BACKING DOWNAt the Patriarchate the day be-

fore (January 24), Mr. Karamanlismet with the Patriarch; assuredBartholomew of Greece’s unwaver-ing commitment and support; andaffirmed that reopening the theo-logical school remains a top priori-ty for the Greek Government:

“In the struggle to defend thejust causes of the Ecumenical Patri-archate and the values that it standsfor; in the struggle that is takingplace with the weapons of logic andpersuasion, as well as of commoninterest, I assure you that we shallnot waver, and we shall not backdown. You can consider the activeand continuous support of theGreek state in this effort as a fore-gone conclusion. In this spirit, thereopening of the Halki School of

Theology is a top priority for us. Weshall work with determination andconsistency, together with all thosewho share our values in Greece,Turkey and all over the world to en-able you to continue the work thatyou are carrying out unimpeded,and which is desired by God for thefulfillment of the sacred mission ofthe Patriarchate,” Mr. Karamanlistold His All Holiness.

The Greek Premier was clearlymoved during his visit to the Patri-archate, an institution which hesaid constitutes the religious cradleof the Greek nation for 17 cen-turies.

He also praised the Patriarch forhis steadfast leadership, andstressed that the Ecumenical Patri-archate, under Bartholomew’s “in-spired guidance,” has assumed asubstantive role in the face of inter-national challenges.

“You have been the first interna-tional leader to embrace the mes-sage of saving the environment,and you have proclaimed its impor-tance. Your initiatives have metwith international acceptance, andthey highlight the modern-day roleof the Patriarchal throne in ab-solute agreement with your theo-logical mission. There is no doubtthat, through such initiatives, theuniversality of the institution is un-derscored in the strongest of ways,and its international presence isboosted,” Mr. Karamanlis said.

The Patriarch of Constantinopleis the voice of Eastern Christianityin the effort to defend human rightsand values of universal appeal, be-

ing the first among equals in theOrthodox Christian firmament, andthe Western Church has also beenmobilized in this effort, Mr. Kara-manlis pointed out, adding thatBartholomew remains the firm Eu-ropean voice in Turkey, despite var-ious adversities and disappoint-ments.

Bartholomew expressed his ap-preciation for Mr. Karamanlis’ visitto the Patriarchate, saying theGreek Premier’s visit to Turkey wasone of historic significance, sincenew hopes are being created to pro-mote friendly relations and cooper-ation between the two countries.

The Patriarch also said he wasglad the prime ministers of both na-tions are making stronger effortsfor even greater levels of rap-prochement, and for their closercooperation on the basis of ele-ments which unite them.

“We congratulate you whole-heartedly for this effort of yours,since the Ecumenical Patriarchatealways aims at building harmo-nious and peaceful relations be-tween those living in the samegeopolitical area, the peoples ofTurkey and Greece, and believesthat both can always live peacefullyand fraternally under the same sky,which we hope will never be over-shadowed by clouds of conflicts,”he said.

The Patriarchate strives for uni-ty and peaceful cooperation amongall Christians and people, regard-less of gender, race and religion,Bartholomew added. “Therefore,strengthening the role and the

work of the Patriarchate is in the in-terests of all, which is a source ofblessing for Turkey, as well as forthe whole world.”

A CHANGING WORLDThat same day, Mr. Karamanlis

also delivered an address at BilkentUniversity in Ankara, one ofTurkey’s leading research institu-tions. The world is changing at un-precedented speed, he said, bring-ing a plethora of new opportunitiesand challenges, but also threats,the most worrisome of which waspossibly the blatant abuse of politi-cal power.

“In this new world, Greeks andTurks, as neighbors, face commonchallenges – issues which geogra-phy and modern-day reality de-mand that we face jointly. This re-quires frankness, confidence andcommitment,” Mr. Karamanlis said,citing the E.U. as an example, par-ticularly the French and Germancourse after World War II.

Referring to Turkey’s Europeanprospects; reaffirming Greece’ssupport; and stressing that “the Eu-ropean family is defined by our col-lective desire for democracy and re-spect and full adoption of the fun-damental principles and values,which are human rights, like free-dom of speech and religion; minor-ity rights; peaceful resolution ofdifferences; denouncement of theuse, or threat of use of violence; re-spect for the territorial integrity ofstates; and devotion to internation-al law and international treaties,”the Greek premier said the primaryaim was “to give Turkey the oppor-

tunity to prove its volition and pre-paredness to adopt and fully applyEuropean principles and values theEuropean way.”

Problems in relations betweenthe two countries remain, he con-tinued, “problems that we can notunderestimate, but which are up tous to resolve.”

The time has come to resolve theCyprus problem, “to restore its in-dependence, sovereignty and uni-ty,” the Greek Premier said (earlierin the visit, the Turkish Premiersaid reunification talks should re-sume with greater urgency afterelections in the Republic of Cyprusthis coming February 8).

“We have a difficult past behindus, a past known to all of us. Histo-ry can not be rewritten. But thatwhich can be written from thispoint forward are the pages of thefuture. Inspired leadership is need-ed to draw lessons from the past,and to forge a brighter future. Wehave much to gain from movingforward together. But we have evenmore to lose by following the pathof tension and enmity. Now is thetime to turn words into action,” Mr.Karamanlis said.

“Peace requires the strength toendure it,” he added, citing a verseby Greek Nobel laureate OdysseasElytis from his celebrated poem,“Axion Esti.”

The above incorporates informa-tion from reports published bythe New York Times, AgenceFrance Presse, Associated Pressand Athens News Agency.

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1) Karamanlis addresses Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. 2) Bartholomew, Karamanlis, the Premier’s wife Natassa and Bakoyanni with children and teachers on January 25 during their visitto the Phanar’s Greek Orthodox school. 3) Karamanlis and the Patriarch. 4) Students warmly welcome Karamanlis upon his arrival to the Phanar. 5) Turkish soldiers hold the national flags of Greece and Turkey inAnkara on January 23, the first day of Karamanlis official 3-day visit to Turkey. 6) Karamanlis and the Greek delegation meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul at Cankaya Palace in Ankara on January 24.

PHOTOS: ASSOCIATED PRESS

OBITUARIES CLASSIFIEDS10 THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008

By George BerkinStar-Ledger

Edmondi Miliotis and her hus-band made many trips over thedecades to her native Cyprus, butthe month-long visit to the Mediter-ranean island last fall had a specialpoignancy.

Mrs. Miliotis' cancer was in re-mission, thanks to chemotherapy,and she was feeling better. The tripwasn't exactly a last hurrah, but itwas a chance to revisit family andold friends, her son said.

"They had a wonderful time,"said her son, Ares Miliotis of theMartinsville section of Bridgewater.

The owner of Travel-On in LittleFalls, Mrs. Miliotis operated thetravel agency in Passaic Countyfrom 1983 until just recently, whenher illness incapacitated her. Her in-terest in travel was personal as wellas professional, and she regularlyvisited far-flung haunts from Chinaand India to Egypt and Greece.

A longtime resident of Kinnelon,

Mrs. Miliotis battled ovarian cancerfor years, and died Sunday. She was73.

"She had such a joy of country,"her son said of her love for travel.

Born in Petra, Cyprus, EdmondiKamenos was one of seven childrenof wealthy parents. She completedthe American Academy, a college-level school on the island, and de-veloped a lifelong interest in histo-ry.

The future Mrs. Miliotis met herhusband, Peter Miliotis, when theywere introduced by family mem-bers on both sides. "It was almostlove at first sight," her son said.

The groom also was a native ofCyprus, but the wedding took placein the Oranges when the couple im-migrated to the United States. Theywere married in June 1961. Mrs.Miliotis was the only one in her im-mediate family to call Americahome.

The couple resided in Livingstonfor two decades before moving toKinnelon 22 years ago.

Two children were born into thefamily, Niki, and four years later,Ares. As youngsters, the children ac-companied their parents on tripsoverseas, Ares Miliotis recalled.

"It almost became a tradition inthe summer that we go to Cyprus,"he said.

Mrs. Miliotis' love of historymade trips a walking classroom.She had an encyclopedic knowl-edge of the Greek gods, the Egypt-ian pharaohs, the Roman rulers andthe Chinese emperors.

"She wanted us to know wherewe were going and gave us back-ground," Ares Miliotis said.

In recent decades, Mrs. Miliotisbuilt the Travel-On agency, puttingtogether tours and organizing indi-vidual trips for tourists and businessclients. At its peak, the office em-ployed up to six people and servedthousands of customers, her sonsaid.

About two years ago, Mrs. Milio-tis and her husband visited Beijingand Shanghai as part of a 10-day

tour.As usual, it was the people that

Mrs. Miliotis most enjoyed on thetrip. "She loved people," said herhusband, Peter, a retired accountingprofessor. "She took me in when wewere young and treated me like oneof her own," said Brian Edelman ofLivingston, a longtime familyfriend. "Everyone she touched knewshe was special. Full of life and nev-er afraid to show it."

In addition to her husband andson, Mrs. Miliotis is survived by herdaughter, Niki Donohue of Manhat-tan; four grandchildren, Alana andPeter Donohue and Matthew andMiranda Miliotis; a brother, An-dreas Kamenos, and a sister, NetiSparsis, both of Cyprus.

Funeral services were held atSaints Constantine & Helen GreekOrthodox Church, Orange, withburial at Saint Demetrios Greek Or-thodox Cemetery, Annapolis, Md.

The Star-Ledger published theabove on January 25.

Edmondi Miliotis, 78, Citizen of the World Battled Cancer

■ ANAS, MARYANAHEIM, Calif. – The Long BeachPress-Telegram reported that MarySarantopoulos Anas, 86, passedaway on Sunday, January 20, 2008after an extended illness at the Pa-cific Haven Health Care Center inGarden Grove, California. She issurvived by her children Nick (Nan-cy) Anas, William (Faye) Anas andCharlotte (William) DuFour; hergrandchildren Stephen George,Lauren, William (Laura), Amy, Nik-ki, Katie, Will and Jack; her sisterBessie Kermes; her brother PeterSarant; and several nieces,nephews and friends. She was bornin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, onMarch 16, 1922 to the lateTheodore and Areti (Koutsoumbi)Sarantopoulos. Mary was the wifeof the late George Nick Anas, whodied on March 28, 1989 and sisterof the late Lena Athanas and KeeaSpiros. She graduated from theUniversity of Pittsburgh with aBachelors degree in English. Afterher wedding Mary moved to Weir-ton, West Virginia in 1946, whe reshe raised her family and was anactive and well-known member ofthe community. Mary was a mem-ber of the All Saints Greek Ortho-dox Church in Weirton for overforty years and was a valuablemember of its Philoptochos Society.She was a lifetime member of theWilliams Country Club, past Presi-dent of the Weirton Medical CenterAuxiliary, long time volunteer ofChildren's Hospital of OrangeCounty, was an avid bridge player,perfecting duplicate as well as sin-gle bridge. She also enjoyed golf,was a passionate reader and movieaficionado. When Mary moved toLos Angeles in 1986 to be closer toher grown children, she joined St.John the Baptist Greek OrthodoxChurch of Anaheim. The funeralwas held on January 24 at St. Johnthe Baptist Greek Orthodox Churchin Anaheim. Memorial donations tothe CHOC Hospital, Orange, andSt. John the Baptist Greek Ortho-dox Church or the American Can-cer Society.

■ DIMA, VERONICAWORCESTER, Mass. – The Worces-ter Telegram & Gazette reportedthat Veronica Dima, wife of the lateCharles Dima, passed away on Fri-day, January 25, 2008. She is sur-vived by her daughters Elaine Ras-sias and Margaret Dima; her grand-children Darry C. Rassias, Diane Pe-terson and Dina Nicki Rassias; hersisters Elisabeth Nicola, Oriane No-lin and Virginia Foley. She was pre-deceased by her sister Beatrice Gor-don. Veronica Dima was the oldestof five children, all raised inWoonsocket, R.I. She had her ele-mentary school education inWoonsocket, and for her secondaryeducation went to Scoala Centrala,a boarding school in Bucharest, Ro-mania, where she graduated withhonors. She was a member of St.Spyridon Cathedral and its SeniorParishioners Society, the WorcesterChapter of the Daughters of Pene-lope, the Ladies Philoptochos Soci-ety, the Romanian Cultural and

Benevolent Society, Helenic ArtsSociety, the Worcester Women'sClub, the General Federation ofWomen's Clubs and a member ofthe Worcester Republican Club.Veronica Dima was an active volun-teer at Memorial and City Hospi-tals, the American Red Cross Chap-ter, and the biannual Grecian Festi-vals. The funeral was held on Janu-ary 29 at St. Spyridon Greek Ortho-dox Cathedral in Worcester. Burialwas at Hope Cemetery. Memorialdonations to Holy Trinity NursingHome (300 Barber Ave., Worcester,Ma. 01606.

■ MARINAKOS, CONSTANTINEMYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The SunNews reported that ConstantineJohn Marinakos, 78, passed awayon Sunday, January 27, 2008, at hishome in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He issurvived by his adored and belovedwife Maria James Marinakos; hischildren George, Alexandra,Sophia, Joanna and Phillip; hischildren Mia and Becka; his sister,Kosmia; his cousin Sophia; severalsons-in-law, daughters-in-law,nieces and nephews; and his grand-children. He was born in Thessa-loniki, Greece, son of John GeorgeMarinakos and Alexandra Philippi-dou Marinakos. An immigrant tothe United States on October 26,1959, he triumphed as a citizen, ahusband and a father. His recogni-tion as a citizen, awarded and hon-ored by the Veterans of ForeignWars, and as a lobbyist fighting forcauses beyond the U.S. bordershave left their mark on the many heleaves behind to example. His lega-cy will be his continuous search fortriumph: triumph as a citizen, tri-umph as an expatriot who refusedto forget or abandon, and triumphas a husband, a father, a role player.Thank you Constantine for every-thing. Thank you Dad. We love you.I love you. The funeral was held atSt. Katherine's Greek OrthodoxChurch in Falls Church, Virginia.Memorial donations to theAlzheimer's Association or to In-care Home Health and Hospice(4685 Hwy. 17 Bypass S., MyrtleBeach, SC 29575).

■ NICKOLA, THELMAFLINT, Mich. – The Flint Journal re-ported that Thelma J. Nickola, 79,passed away on Thursday, January24, 2008 at her daughter Tina's res-idence in Columbiaville. She is sur-vived by her husband George; herchildren Tina (Tom), Joseph (Jody)and Nicole (Bill); her grandchil-dren Morgan Salgat, Maria Salgat,Margee Nickola, Kylie Nickola, Jor-dan Nickola, Kristy Dingler and An-gela (John) Dyer; her great-grand-daughter Hailey Dyer; her sisterAnna Williams; her brother Gus(Athena) Chuleas; her sister-in-lawMaria Chuleas; and several nieces,nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, loving extended familyand many friends. She was prede-ceased by her sons Faris G. Nickolaand Michael G. Nickola; her sistersHelen Paraschos, Diane McMullen,Sophie Bieri, Mable Murphy, MaryGregory; and her brother George

Chuleas. She was born June 30,1928 in Flint the daughter ofWilliam and Phyllis (Georges)Chuleas. She married George Nick-ola on July 25, 1954 in Flint. Mrs.Nickola was a wonderful cook, andshe enjoyed bingo, reading, knit-ting, puzzles, casinos, traveling,people and she was a Detroit Tigersfan. She loved to sing and aspiredto be an Opera Singer, and she sangat many weddings over the years.She was a member of St. GeorgeAntiochian Orthodox Church, rantheir Bingo, and was a formermember of the Ladies Auxiliary.She was very proud of her Greekheritage and loved Greek music.Mrs. Nickola's family would like toextend a special thanks to GenesysHospice, especially Mary Johns.The funeral was held on January 26at St. George Antiochian OrthodoxChurch in Flint. Burial was atGracelawn Cemetery. Memorial do-nations to St. George AntiochianOrthodox Church.

■ REINWALD, EMMALIATOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo Bladereported that Emmalia L. EmmaliaL. Reinwald, 61, of Waldo, passedaway surrounded by family andfriends after a long battle with can-cer on Monday, January 21, 2008,at Heartland of Marion. She is sur-vived by her son Bill Reinwald; herson Craig (Shannon) Reinwald; hergranddaughters Avery and Kather-ine Reinwald; and her brotherJames (Patricia) Logos. She wasborn on July 11, 1946, in Marion,OH, to the late William and Stella(Bascos) Logos. Emmy dedicatedher life to her family and career of41 years as a nurse and director ofMed-Center Hospital and MarionArea Health Center in Marion. Anintimidating woman with a heart ofgold she touched the lives of many.She also had several close friends.All of whom held her hand andhelped her and her family through-out her illness. Emmy passes on alegacy of selflessness and caringthat will be padded on through thepeople who's lives she touched. Sheis survived by her devoted husbandof 40 years, Randy Reinwald,whom she married on September 9,1967. The funeral was held on Jan-uary 26 at the Boyd Funeral Home.Memorial donations can be madeto the Greek Orthodox Church ofMansfield or the American CancerSociety.

■ SOTOS, PETERHAMMOND, Ind. – The Times re-ported that Peter C. Sotos, formerlyof Hammond, IN, passed away onFriday, January 25, 2008. He is sur-vived by his son Christ Sotos; hisdaughter Helen (Peter) Trgovich;his grandchildren Cassandra Sotos,Peter Paul and Alaina Trgovich; hissisters Mary (George) Parkis, Dolly(William) Kallas and Kathy (Pete)Georgis; his sister-in-law Harriet(George) Korelis and Kalliope So-tos Dedelow; his former wife Car-ole Courtice and her daughtersCydney and Courtney; and severalnieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by his loving wife of 36

years Sophie Sotos in 1986; and hisloving brother Thomas Sotos. Peterwas a CEO of Vogue Cleaners Inc.,past president of the HammondDowntown Council, past directorof Munster Chamber of Commencea former member the HammondExchange Club, member of the ElksClub, member Order of AHEPA andPast District Governor of Indiana.He served over 28 years on theParish Council of St. DemetriosGreek Orthodox Church, Ham-mond, IN. Peter was a member ofthe Briar Ridge Country Club,member of St. Andrew Golf Club ofPunta Gorda where he served onthe board of directors and was pastpresident. He was a member ofIsles Yacht Club of Punta Gorda FLwhere he participated in the Show-time Players. The family would liketo thank Dr. M. Nicholas, TheHartsfield Village Assisted LivingStaff and Hospice of the CalumetArea for their wonderful care andassistance. The funeral was held onJanuary 28 at St. Demetrios GreekOrthodox Church in Hammond.Burial was at Elmwood Cemetery.Memorial donations to the Hospiceof the Calumet Area in his lovingmemory.

■ STEFANOU, ISMINENORFOLK, Va. - The Virginian-Pilot& The Ledger-Star reported that Is-mine Frida Stefanou passed awayJan. 25, 2008. Born in Chios,Greece, she was the widow of thelate Marcus Stefanou. She is sur-vived by her sons Christopher andJohn (Barbara); her grandchildrenLt. Col. Marcus Stefanou (Carrie)and Christina (Chris) Papakirk; hergreat-grandchildren Elise, Anna,Will, Luke, Alexander and Mario.She was a member of the Greek Or-thodox Church of the Annunciationand several affiliated societies, in-cluding Philoptohos, HellenicWomen's Club and Socratis Society.For many years, Ismine was fondlyremembered in church circles asthe maker of superb diples - an ex-quisite Greek sweet made withmuch effort and tender loving care.“The family wishes to express sin-cere appreciation to the staff ofLake Taylor Transitional Care Hos-pital for the loving care they pro-vided.” The funeral was held onJanuary 21 at Annunciation GreekOrthodox Cathedral in Norfolk.Burial was at Forest Lawn Ceme-tery. Memorial donations to the An-nunciation Greek Orthodox Cathe-dral.

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9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST or e-mailed to:

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DEATHS

By Anne McGraw Reeves Patriot-News

With a friendly smile and a play-ful prod, Paul Vathis would tell any-one -- governor, senator, mayor --where to go. And they would hap-pily oblige.

As a photographer for The Asso-ciated Press for a remarkable 56years, Vathis did more than takepictures. During his amazing ca-reer, he recorded history.

The Mechanicsburg residentdied in 2002 at 77, leaving behindan irreplaceable collection of pho-tographs. Two weeks ago, hisPulitzer Prize-winning photographof Presidents Kennedy and Eisen-hower walking together at CampDavid was added to an exhibit atthe National Portrait Gallery inWashington, D.C. He would haveliked that.

I worked with Vathis for almost

five years at the AP's state Capitolbureau. Even though he was thephotographer and I the reporter, Ilearned much from him about thebusiness of covering news.

Vathis never missed a shot, evenwhen competing with photogra-phers younger and quicker than hewas. And his subjects liked him. Ithink it was because he was aggres-sive but never obnoxious or threat-ening. It didn't matter whether youwere a U.S. senator or a LittleLeague World Series pitcher; hetreated you with respect.

I'm sure there were days whenVathis didn't love climbing thoseCapitol steps to go to work. I knowhis knees didn't. But he never com-plained. His energy and commit-ment to his craft were relentless.

During his long career, Vathisphotographed nearly every historicevent in central Pennsylvania: thenation's worst nuclear accident at

Three Mile Island, the Camp Hillprison riots, the suicide of formerstate treasurer R. Budd Dwyer.

Dwyer had been convicted oftaking a bribe and was going toprison. He called a news confer-ence, making sure Vathis would at-tend. The men had known eachother for years.

After a rambling speech, Dwyeropened an envelope, removed agun and put it in his mouth. Despitetheir relationship, Vathis kept tak-ing pictures as the horror unfolded.

Those images should have wonVathis his second Pulitzer. Instead,he was a runner-up. Word was thecontent was too graphic and vio-lent for the judges. They seem tamecompared to some of the imagessplashed across today's media out-lets.

Vathis' tenacity and strong workethic sprung from his upbringing asone of eight children of Greek im-

migrants in Northampton County.He served in the Marine Corps dur-ing World War II, working as a pho-tographer in the rear gunner's seatof American dive bombers. Thattraining would serve him well inthe political trenches.

I often wonder what Vathiswould think of the new generationof celebrity photographers, the pa-parazzi, who make news them-selves with their overly aggressivetactics.

I think he would be stunned athow far they go to get the shot.

Vathis never shied from takingthe picture he needed, but he al-ways acted professionally. Some-how, I can't imagine him throwinghis baseball cap on backward andscreaming at some movie star en-tering rehab. That wasn't his style.Instead, he used his charm, journal-istic instinct and skilled eye to getthe job done.

Paul Vathis, 77, Photographer Left Legacy of Respect

By Beth Quimby The Portland Press Herald

Sophia Batchelder, the babywho was featured in a story in thisweek's Maine Sunday Telegramabout a program for very ill and dy-ing children, died on Tuesday, Jan-uary 22 at her home in Wells.

Her parents, Christina andChris, said Sophia died as the fami-ly, including Sophia's sister, Alethia,5, held her.

Sophia, who turned 1 on Dec.27, died from complications of aneurological disorder that causedseizures and difficulty swallowingand breathing throughout her life.With the help of the Jason Programin Portland, Sophia lived at home,where she was set up on oxygenand a feeding machine.

The Batchelders said Sophia af-fected those around her eventhough she was unable to coo, laughor even smile. "Without making onereal word or noise, she affectedmore people than most adults will ina lifetime," Christina said.

The Jason Program, begun as avolunteer group in 2000, hasgrown into a full-time palliativecare team with a medical directorand an outpatient clinic in Portlandfor children with a range of medicalconditions. The program workswith as many as 100 families at atime, providing medical, emotionaland spiritual support.

Christina Batchelder said the Ja-son Program helped her family carefor, and now mourn, Sophia.

She said there is a reason thatSophia, who was not expected tolive more than two weeks, survivedfor more than a year and becamethe subject of an article about theJason Program. "Besides the factshe graced us with her beautiful lit-tle presence, it was important forher to get out the word about criti-cally ill children and the Jason Pro-gram," said her mother.

A wake was held on January 25at Bibber Memorial Chapel in Ken-nebunk. A funeral will be held at 10a.m. Saturday at St. Nicholas GreekOrthodox Church in Portsmouth,N.H.

More information about the Ja-son Program is available by calling773-2947, or online at www.jason-program.org.

The Portland Press Herald pub-lished the above on January 24.

Sophia Batchelder, 1, Held on for aYear Because “She had a Mission”

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GREECE THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 11

ATHENS (ANA) – Greek PrimeMinister Costas Karamanlis, Mi-crosoft Corp. founder and chair-man Bill Gates, and Economy andFinance Minister George Alogosk-oufis on Monday, January 28, 2008inaugurated the Microsoft Innova-tion Center in Athens.

Karamanlis noted that "a society

develops and progresses to the de-gree that it gives its members theopportunity, the tools and the liber-ty to open up new roads of progressthemselves, in accordance withtheir own dreams, abilities and am-bitions", and stressed that "thisprinciple of a people-centeredeconomy of knowledge and innova-

tion is embodied and served by BillGates, with his business, as well ashis multi-faceted humanistic activi-ty".

Karamanlis said that the build-ing housing the Center would serveas the operational hub of an impor-tant institutional cooperationaimed at strengthening innovation

in Greece through full exploitationof the abilities of new technology,and concerns the public sector,business both small and large, edu-cation and youth.

"The goal is, one the one handthe application of all the alreadyavailable software tools in theeconomy and society, and on the

other hand the development andproduction of new software appli-cations," Karamanlis said.

The aim, he continued, is to en-sure better services, boost competi-tiveness, and encourage the cre-ativity, talent and innovativethought of the Greeks, as well as toprovide the youth with a significantopportunity to try out their ideas intheir own country, without havingto move abroad, and to encouragenew entrepreneurship andstrengthen the branches of IT, com-munications -- the entrepreneur-ship that is linked with the internetand its applications -- as a percent-age of GDP.

Karamanlis explained that thecollaboration with Microsoft wasan organic part of the government'sstrategy for the digital age, "a strat-egy that is already producing posi-tive results, having made up muchof the lost ground of the past."

The growth rates alone of thebroadband penetration index wereproof of the country's new orienta-tion, he said, adding that in just ashort time, Greece had moved from"laggard" to a dynamic entry intothe group of pioneer countries withrespect to the use of new technolo-gy and, day by day, with determina-tion, was acquiring the infrastruc-ture to strengthen its role in theproduction of new applications aswell.

He said investment in informa-tion technology and communica-tions technology was a prerequisitefor the wider reform break from thepast that the country so needed.

It was a condition so that Greecemay play a leading role in the newglobalization of knowledge, as thenatural manager of the immenselegacy of Hellenism's historical andcultural heritage, but also as a hubof creation of new knowledge and

new invaluable tools for the pastand the common future of humani-ty.

TWO APPROACHES IN LIFE,POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY

Karamanlis explained that therewere two approaches in life, poli-tics and the economy: the first ap-proach was to remain at the stageof pinpointing the problems, of as-certaining the imperfections thathindered us from moving ahead, "itis the stage of conservatism andpettiness".

The second approach, he contin-ued, was that of moving beyondpinpointing and ascertaining, itwas a life stance that dares to tack-le the problems and which, insteadof waiting to see what the futurewould bring, dares to prepare thefuture, with targets and specific ac-tions.

"We need this second approach,and with initiatives such as this be-ing inaugurated today with Mi-crosoft's founder, Mr. Bill Gates,with initiatives for innovation andcreativity, we are laying the foun-dations so that this life stance willtake root and prevail, for the bene-fit of the country and our society,"Karamanlis concluded.

Alogoskoufis, in turn, said theCenter was part of the Greek state'scollaboration with Microsoft in theframework of the government'sdigital strategy.

He said the Center would func-tion as an "incubator" for new soft-ware applications which, if provedeffective, could be disseminatedthroughout the world.

Referring to the digital strategybeing followed by the governmentover the past four years, Alogosk-oufis stressed that knowledge andtechnology, as well as utilization ofthe human resources, was decisivefactors for a country's prosperity.

Greek PM Karamanlis, Bill Gates Inaugurate Microsoft Center in Athens

business ventures. Our nation’snew strategic position in this inter-national industry compels us topresent Greece as a tourist destina-tion that provides a variety of expe-riences, which vary from one an-other in differing degrees. Greecehas to be perceived as a vacationspot that caters to the needs ofevery visitor throughout the year.”

The Greek Tourism Minister alsoconcluded that, “Greece can be-come the place where tourists getto experience unique and genuinethings. This is our strategy forGreece’s new international image,and we are trying to present our na-tion as an internationallyrenowned tourist attraction.”

For Mr. Spiliotopoulos, it allboils down to the fact that “raisingthe quality of our tourism industrystands as our biggest challenge. Webelieve that this growth in qualitatycan develop into a decisive advan-tage for our tourist market. This isthe reason why upgrading the qual-ity of the services we provide inevery aspect is a key part of ourplan. We are going to seek out andsearch for newfound quality in theservices being offered at our touristsites, the types of guests we attract,our tourist consciousness, ourvirtues and capabilities, and theoverall philosophy behind our cus-

tomer service. Through strategicinvestments, we also seek to pro-mote and support the many differ-ent faces of the Greek tourist mar-ket. This will help us achieve twoprimary goals; diversifying ourtourist market and the expandingthe Greek tourist season to a fulltwelve month cycle.

Aside from the traditional touristattractions Greece is famous for, likesunny beaches, sailing and watersports, as well as cultural sites, weare making a name for ourselves inareas of tourism involving the Greekcountryside, hiking, health andwellness, conventions, luxury trips,weekend getaways (mainly inAthens and Thessaloniki), and spe-cialized holiday trips.

These nine sectors of tourismshare one thing in common, andthat is quality. Quality in terms ofthe hospitality services we provide,as well as the hotel and othertourist facilities we have available.This is the quality that we want tocharacterize our developing touristindustry in the years to come sothat we can ensure that the legacywe are synonymous with will be ap-parent in every aspect of our eco-nomic activity.

At the same time, we are aimingto promote our traditional cuisine,which is an important aspect of theGreek culture. We are also imple-menting many other policies that

are designed to strengthen ourcompetitiveness throughout the en-tire year.”

Mr. Spiliotopoulos spoke aboutthe role that the Greek AmericanCommunity can play in promotingGreek tourism, commenting that“undoubtedly, the Greek AmericanCommunity can play a vital role

through their contribution. One ofGreece’s primary goals is to havemore and more Greeks fromabroad coming back to visit theirhomeland each year – especiallythe younger generation. It is impor-tant for them to visit the land oftheir parents and forefathers, andto acquire personal experiences,

images and impressions fromGreece. I think that the most impor-tant thing of all in promoting ourcountry occurs when visitors sharetheir vacation experiences withtheir friends and family. Once peo-ple start talking about Greece andmore and more positive things be-gin to be heard, then the effortsthat all of us are making to help ourcountry reach the upper echelon ofglobal tourist destinations willstrengthened all the more. Thegroundwork is already in place toachieve this goal. Greece is a mod-ern and safe country, which harmo-niously combines thousands ofyears of history, culture and tradi-tion with a one-of-a-kind landscapeand top notch tourist facilities thatmeet the demands of a wide arrayof tourists. Greek tourism has de-veloped unique potential. We aremaking great strides to secure ourfuture, while at the same time ad-dressing issues and concerns thathave been occupying the Greektourist market for years. The resultis that Greece has turned into an in-creasingly more attractive prospectfor major investors worldwide. Thisis one of the aspects of our tourismpolicy that we want the GreekAmerican Community to be partic-ularly aware of.”

Greece’s new Tourism Ministerdid admit that he and his col-leagues in the Ministry are con-cerned over the unfavorable ex-change rate between the dollar andeuro. “The dollar-to-euro ex-change rate is going to affect thenumber of tourists who will visitGreece in the same way that it willimpact the other European coun-tries. In order to deal with econom-ic stagnation threatening the globaleconomy in general and prevent asharp decline in the number of U.S.tourists who will come to Greece –and particularly, the funds thatthese tourists will spend while inour country – we are moving aheadwith the diversification of theGreek tourist market.

In addition to boosting the actu-al number of tourists visitingGreece, we are also interested inraising the revenue they generatefor our economy during their stayhere. Therefore, we have to focuson the quality of the services we are

offering to ensure that visitors toGreece will want to return againand again.

The unfavorable economic cli-mate that is prevalent all over theworld right now has not altered ourdecisiveness, nor has it made usany less optimistic about the futureof tourism in Greece. The Greektourist market has tremendous po-tential. This is a big challenge,which creates great expectationsbut also comes with its share of re-sponsibilities.”

Mr. Spiliotopoulos has alreadyreceived favorable reviews on thework he has done since taking overthe Tourism Ministry in mid-Sep-tember. He has developed a reputa-tion for being “very well prepared”when it comes to tourism-relatedissues. TNH did manage to leavethe characteristically savvy GreekTourism chief at a bit of a loss whenhe was asked to reveal his favoritevacation spot in Greece. “I have toadmit that I have a hard time an-swering this question,” he said witha smile. Mr. Spiliotopoulos ex-plained that “this is because Greeceis a country with extraordinarycompetitive advantages. Itstremendous cultural treasures andnatural beauty make it one of themost gorgeous countries in theworld. Greece is a land with manyunique natural and cultural touristattractions. So, as you can see, itwould be difficult for me to men-tion my favorite vacation spots sim-ply because there are just too many.However, if I had to pick just one, Iwould choose the beautiful and his-toric town of Dimitsana – for purelysentimental reasons. As you mayalready know, my family comesfrom Dimitsana [located in theCentral Peloponnese], and I havemany close ties to this area.

Aside from my own personalreasons, however, I believe thatDimitsana is one of the many spe-cial places that exist in our country.It is a picture of a modern regionwith a bright future ahead of it. Atthe same time, however, it alsomanages to display its inestimablenatural and cultural riches, which itartfully intertwines within theframework of its economic andtourism development,” Mr.Spiliotopoulos concluded.

Spiliotopoulos: CommunityCan Help Increase Tourism

ATHENS (AP) – Ismael Blancoscored his 12th goal of the seasonSunday to lead AEK Athens pastLevadiakos 3-0 in the Greek FirstDivision soccer league.

Veteran midfielder Rivaldo hadgiven AEK the lead and Fritz Emer-an made it 2-0 with a second-halfown-goal.

AEK leads the league with 42points from 18 games, one ahead ofOlympiakos, which beat visitingAris 1-0, and two ahead of Panathi-naikos, which beat host PAOK 1-0.

AEK enjoyed early possessionand came close to scoring the firstgoal in the sixth minute whenNikos Lymberopoulos' shot fromthe six-yard box sailed over SrdanBlazic's crossbar.

A powerful shot by Blancoforced Blazic to punch the ballaway before Rivaldo put AEKahead with a shot from the edge ofthe box off a perfect cross fromLymberopoulos in the 44th.

In the dying seconds of the firsthalf, Dimitris Diamandis was sentoff with a second yellow card, mak-ing AEK's task easier for the rest ofthe game.

Emeran deflected a cross byGustavo Manduca into his own netin the 53rd, two minutes beforeBlanco scored.

With only one serious attempt inthe first half, when Darko Kovace-vic's thumping header went overthe bar, Olympiakos besieged theAris area the rest of the game.

Predrag Djordjevic scored thelone goal from the penalty spot inthe 78th.

Earlier, Aris came close to scor-ing when Sergio Koke dribbled pastthree players, but Vassilis Toros-

sidis stopped him with an out-stretched leg in front of an opengoal.

Also on Sunday, it was: Iraklis 0,Asteras 0; Panionios 2, Apollon 1;and Larissa 2, Atromitos 0.

AEK Maintains Lead After 3-0 Lead in Super League

Greek Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos visits the Greek Tourist Office in Paris alongside GTO President Athanasios Economou (l.) and GTO Sec-retary General Iraklis Valvis (r.). Mr. Spiliotopoulos believes the Greek American community can help increase tourism from the U.S. to Greece.

Predrag Djordjevic scored the lone goal from the penalty spot in the 78th minute to give Olympiakos a 1-0 win over Aris Thessaloniki to stay one point behind AEK in the Super League.

SPORTS

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, left, speaks with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates at the premier's office in Athens on Monday,Jan.uary 28, 2008. Gates visited Athens for the opening of the Microsoft Innovation Center in the Greek capital. Gates and Greek EconomyMinister Giorgos Alogoskoufis signed an agreement in 2006 for the creation of an “Innovative Microsoft Center.”

Continued from page 1

EDITORIALS LETTERS12 THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008

Greek Americans Have Been onBoth Sides of the Spy Game

To The Editor:Only recently have I had the op-

portunity to read your December 1,2007 issue of the National Heraldand your “Hero or Traitor?” editori-al concerning the compelling activ-ities of Mr. Steve Lalas, former CIAemployee.

In the editorial, you state, “…Wehave countless Greek Americanswho have served in the CIA and inother U.S. Government positions oftrust without ever having been ac-cused or convicted of betrayingthat trust –until Lalas”.

Perhaps you have overlooked anearlier story of a Chicago GreekAmerican, Mr. William Kampiles,who recruited into the CIA while

attending college and who alsocommitted a similar act of espi-onage in 1977. In the event you areinterested in sharing this story andits particulars with your readers,you can refer to the enclosed mate-rial downloaded from the internet.

Additionally, if memory servesme correctly, I recall another storyof a Greek American who also com-mitted comparable incidents of in-ternational spying and betrayal oftrust while employed with the CIAand who was temporarily impris-oned in a federal facility in Chicagoprior to his trial.

Those types of stories bring tomind an incident that took place atthe end of the Korean War duringthe prisoner of war exchange inwhich one soldier, a Greek Ameri-can from the Midwest, refused

repatriation during the exchange toboth the U.S. Military and home.He decided to remain in Korea andlater was transferred to the People’sRepublic of China where I believehe continues to live with his wife.

Such out of the mainstream sto-ries of Greek Americans seem in-triguing, plentiful, and newswor-thy, but from dome reason GreekAmericans know little about themand the Greek American pressand/or writers generally appear re-luctant to bring them to light.

Thank you for bringing the Lalasstory to my/our attention, and thusmaking the significant endeavors,accomplishments, or misdeeds ofGreek Americans part of the histor-ical consciousness of this country.

Angelo Dallas Glenview, Ill.

What more could anyone give?We knew it was a question of time – just a few months, really – after his

only hope for survival, a liver transplant at the University of Miami/Jack-son Memorial Medical Center this past October had to be aborted becausedoctors discovered during the actual operation that the cancer had spreadinto his abdominal cavity.

Yes, we knew it. And yes, we expected it. Even last week, we reportedhow badly his health had deteriorated, just a couple of days before hecrossed the bridge to the next life.

Even so, the news of his death was still shocking to us.It is very difficult to accept that Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens &

All Greece has died. Upon hearing the news, the body goes cold – the mindresists processing information and goes numb.

Do tall trees and soaring eagles – those people who have done so muchwhen much remains to be done – do they or should they die? Is that bigbright smile, so wide that it defined his whole face, lost to us forever?

How does a flock go on without his guidance and fatherly care? Andhow does one discipline his mind to find words worthy enough to saygoodbye to a leader one had the distinct privilege to know?

We met many years ago, many years before his election to thearchiepiscopal throne of the Church of Greece.

Christodoulos set himself apart with his smile; his sense of humor; hisabundant optimism; and his radiant personality.

He was a gifted person – multi-talented and well educated. This wasreadily understood from his kindness, his eloquence, his writing, his greatoratorical skill, the quality of his work and the energy he brought to it eachand every day. He spoke several languages fluently. You knew that this wasa man of reason and tremendous cognitive ability.

And that’s how he remained, even after his election as Archbishop ofGreece – the same smile, the same level of kindness and the same humbleattitude. He didn’t change, even when he was viciously attacked for be-coming “dangerously popular.”

He could not comprehend the motivations behind the attacks, but it’scertain they did not, nor could not, change him to their satisfaction.

His feet stood firmly planted on the ground. He faithfully followed thestar of his lofty mission. He had measured his strengths, and found that hewas not lacking.

He saw in his mission the deep meaning of another way of life. He de-voted himself to the service of Orthodoxy and country.

He would not allow anyone to influence him, or to derail him from pur-suing and executing his sacred obligations.

Christodoulos knew that, at times, a man who serves the public in orderto protect the interests of the people must make compromises, even whenhe knows he is right; even when, by doing so, the public might not fullyunderstand why.

But comprising did not mean he was abandoning the rights of his flock.He knew that, by raising an issue and fighting for it, he was educating boththe people and the authorities. The confrontation he had with EcumenicalPatriarch Bartholomew over the so-called New Lands, provinces of Greecewhich were liberated after 1912, was one such issue. The fight with theprevious Greek Government under Costas Simitis to preserve religious dis-tinction on national identity cards was another.

Moreover, it’s not all that often for two great leaders to live around thesame time; that along with other talents they possess, they also feel a deepsense of duty and mission. Our own Archbishop Iakovos was such a leader.Christodoulos was another.

It is these kinds of leaders who carry the burdens and responsibilities –even the future to some extent – of their people on their shoulders. It isthese leaders who inevitably become identified with a people and a na-tion.

It is these kinds of leaders who elevate and lend real authority and re-spect to their office and positions. It is these kinds of leaders who feel asense of heavy responsibility for their words and actions. And it is theseleaders who the people instinctively follow because they perceive thatthese leaders are their true spokesmen and representatives.

Christodoulos devoted his whole life to Church and country; not in atheoretical or theatrical sense; not as a matter of poetic pose; not as afriendly discussion in comfortable surroundings; but as a daily struggle forthe betterment of society.

He had great patience and understanding for people’s shortcomings.He was easy to forgive. Like Iakovos, he would not demean himself and hisoffice or his dignity.

He taught by his understanding. He taught by his forgiveness. The resthe left to God.

He had a natural ability to detect the potential and inclination for ser-vice in other people. It was if as if he was searching for comrades in-armsin the struggle for a better Church for a better society. And when he foundthem, he would demonstrate his gladness with his expansive smile –through his discussions with, and the sacrifices he would make for, them.

A child of refugees, Christodoulos loved our community. It was as if hehad spent his whole life with us. And he might have become our Archbish-op, if not for the fact that the hierarchical throne of Athens had becomeavailable before our own Archbishop at that time, Spyridon, was uncere-moniously ousted.

Christodoulos knew that it was worth serving our community; that itwas worth fighting for its survival; that it is a dynamic entity both ecclesi-astically and ethnically.

He had many friends among us. He carefully observed everything. Buthe was very disappointed when our Church authorities denied him per-mission – at least twice – to participate in our annual Greek IndependenceDay Parades in New York and elsewhere.

He was also very disappointed when the same authorities refused to lethim participate as a clergyman during the funeral of the late ArchbishopIakovos.

Who can forget the image of the great hierarch being placed in the cor-ner during the service in the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity inNew York, not even allowed to say a liturgical prayer for his old friend?

Why? Again, because of the fear that he would become too popular.Until the time came for him to offer his eulogy for Iakovos, when every-

one in the Cathedral that evening was amazed by his eloquence and thesubstance of his delivery.

Christodoulos was disappointed, but he was not one to hold grudges.And his greatest moment came when he bore the Cross of his formida-

ble illness. It was then that he showed his true self; it was then that he ful-ly synchronized his words and teachings with his own actions. It was thenthat he proved his unremitting faith in God.

The courage with which he faced his illness the last few months of hislife was his finest hour. He accepted his fate willingly, and peacefully re-signed himself to the departure from this life we all must one day face.And through his brave acceptance of God’s holy will, he silenced his criticsand even earned their grudging admiration.

Today, thousands of people all over the world feel better because ofChristodoulos. They take strength and draw closer to the Church and Godbecause of his example.

The phrase he would utter time and again, “God’s will be done,” is be-coming a banner which invigorates the human soul, offers hope and saveslives. And it will keep him alive in our memories and in our souls. That’sthe rich legacy he has passed onto us.

What more can anyone expect from a leader than what Christodoulosso freely gave?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PRESS CLIPPINGS

By Charlotte AllenWall Street Journal

Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Pa-triarch of Constantinople, can beregarded as the “pope,” or at leastthe symbol of unity, of OrthodoxChristianity. The denomination's300 million or so adherents make itthe second-largest body of Chris-tians in the world, after RomanCatholicism. The 67-year-oldBartholomew also represents oneof Christianity's most ancientbranches as the latest in a line of270 archbishops of his city -- mod-ern Istanbul -- that traces itself backto the apostle St. Andrew, brotherof St. Peter, in a part of the worldwhere the Christian faith has exist-ed since New Testament times.

In December 2006,Bartholomew, patriarch since1991, was thrust under the world-wide media spotlight when he cele-brated the Orthodox Divine Liturgywith Pope Benedict XVI. The twomet in the tiny Church of St.George in the equally tiny patriar-chal compound in Istanbul, all thatremains of an Eastern Christian civ-ilization on the Bosporus so glisten-ing and powerful that for morethan 1,500 years Constantinoplecalled itself the “new Rome.”

Now Bartholomew has a forth-coming book, in English, “Encoun-tering the Mystery: Perennial Val-ues of the Orthodox Church” (Ran-dom House). It purports to be aprimer to Orthodoxy, with shortchapters on ritual, theology, iconsand so forth. What it really is, per-haps inadvertently, is a tellingglimpse into the mindset of achurch that, venerable and spiritu-ally appealing though it may be, isin a state of crisis. And the book re-veals the jarringly secular-sound-ing ideological positions its leaderseemingly feels compelled to takein order to cultivate the sympathyof a Western European political or-der that is at best indifferent toChristianity.

The Orthodox community, root-ed mostly in Russia and Eastern Eu-rope, is in “apparently irreversibledemographic decline,” as religious

historian Philip Jenkins wrote in2006, thanks to falling birthrates,cultural secularization, turf battlesbetween the various ethnically fo-cused Orthodox churches, and pastcommunist ravages. The historicChristian communities in the Is-lamic-dominated world -- some Or-thodox -- have fared even worse,their numbers reduced as membersfrantically immigrate to the Westunder pressure from terrorism, per-secution and religious discrimina-tion. The historic fate of Christiani-ty in Islamic-majority lands hasbeen cultural annihilation, whethergradual over the centuries or, as inrecent decades, swift.

Nowhere does the plight ofChristians look so pitiful as inTurkey, nominally secular but 99%Muslim. At the turn of the 20th cen-tury, some 500,000 OrthodoxChristians, mostly ethnic Greeks,lived in Constantinople, where theyconstituted half the city's residents,and millions more resided else-where in what is now Turkey. To-day, Bartholomew has only about4,000 mostly elderly fellow believ-ers (2,000 in Istanbul) left inTurkey's 71 million-plus popula-tion. The quasi-militaristic regimeof Kemal Ataturk that supplantedthe Ottoman Empire during the1920s forcibly Westernized thecountry's institutions but also madeIslam an essential component ofthe Turkish national identity that itrelentlessly promoted.

“Kemalist ideology regardedChristianity as Greek and thus for-eign,” says Greek Orthodox writerJoshua Trevi•o. The result was aseries of official and unofficial eth-nic cleansings, population trans-fers, massacres and pogroms inTurkey, such as the wholesale de-struction of Orthodox churches in1955. The murders of a Catholicpriest in 2006 and of an ArmenianChristian journalist and three evan-gelicals, two of whom were Turkishconverts, in 2007, together withthreats and assaults against otherChristian clergy by ultra-national-ists and Islamic militants, indicatethat such anti-Christian animus isfar from dead. Furthermore, the

current government refuses to al-low the reopening of Turkey's soleGreek Orthodox seminary, closed in1971, which means that there havebeen no replacements for Turkey'saging Orthodox priests and -- sinceTurkish law requires the patriarchto be a Turkish citizen -- no likelyreplacement for Bartholomew him-self, whose death may well meanthe extinction of his 2,000-year-oldsee.

Nonetheless, Bartholomew de-votes the bulk of his book to any-thing but the mortal threat to hisown religion in his own country.High on his list of favorite topics,most with only a tangential rela-tionship to Orthodoxy, is the envi-ronment. He has won the nickname“the Green Patriarch” for thedecade or so he has preached theecological gospel, largely to liberalsecular audiences in the West. “En-countering the Mystery” is in largepart a collection of eco-friendlyplatitudes about global warming(“At stake is not just our ability tolive in a sustainable way but ourvery survival”) and globalization,adorned with a bit of theologicalwindow-dressing, that today's sec-ular progressives love to read.

Regarding globalization,Bartholomew cannot decidewhether global capitalism is bad(“there are losers as well as win-ners”) or good (“We must learn,therefore, both to think and to actin a global manner”). Plus, we must“transcend all racial competitionand national rivalry,” “promote apeaceful resolution of disagree-ments about how to live in thisworld,” and yadda, yadda, yadda.Islam comes into play in the bookonly in terms of another bromide: acall for “interfaith dialogue.”

On first reading, this exercise infiddling while the new Rome burnsseems pathetic, presenting a pic-ture of a church leader so intimi-dated by his country's Islamic ma-jority that he cannot speak up forhis dwindling flock even as itsmembers are murdered at hisdoorstep. Bartholomew's book pre-sents an eerie mirror image of theconcerns of aging, culturally ex-

hausted, post-Christian WesternEurope, happy to blather on at con-ferences about carbon emissionsand diversity but unwilling to con-front its own demographic crisis inthe face of youthful, rapidly grow-ing and culturally antagonisticMuslim populations. The suicide ofthe West meets the homicide of theEast.

On the other hand,Bartholomew's “green” crusadeacross Western Europe may actual-ly represent a shrewd last-ditch ef-fort to secure a visible profile andpowerful protectors for his belea-guered church. The patriarch hasbeen an incessant lobbyist forTurkey's admission to the EuropeanUnion, and his hope has been thatthe EU will condition Turkey's entryon greater religious freedoms forall faiths.

“The EU are secularists, says theRev. Alexander Karloutsos, an ad-ministrator for the Greek OrthodoxArchdiocese of America, based inNew York. “They won't do anythingout of religious reasons, but theywill do it out of secular reasons ifthey can be persuaded that what'sbest for Europe is to have a Muslimstate that's pro-Western in values,such as freedom of religion.” Thebureaucrats of Brussels may carelittle about Christianity, but theycare deeply about global warmingand multiculturalism, and on thoseissues Bartholomew has carved outcommon ground.

Orthodox Christianity is notdead yet. Its famous monastery onMount Athos in Greece has enjoyednew growth recently, and in Ameri-ca some Orthodox churches aredrawing converts attracted by theglorious liturgy and ancient tradi-tions. It is unfortunate that Ortho-doxy's spiritual leader feels com-pelled to position the Orthodoxwith a Western Europe that is, infact, spiritually dead.

Ms. Allen is the author of “TheHuman Christ: The Search for theHistorical Jesus.”

The Wall Street Journal pub-lished the above on January 25.

Bartholomew I: The Unorthodox Patriarch of Constantinople

COMMENTARY

By Christopher TripoulasSpecial to the National Herald

Last week, a three-day sympo-sium on Byzantine Music Educationtook place at the City University ofNew York’s Graduate Center, focus-ing on how to build a Byzantinechoir. On the evening before the sem-inar, world-renowned chanter/musi-cologist Lycourgos Angelopoulos andthe Greek Byzantine Choir per-formed at New York’s MetropolitanMuseum of Art, undoubtedly one ofthe world’s premier museums.

For almost one week, one of themost recognizable and traditional as-pects of Greece’s cultural legacy wason display center-stage in perhapsthe world’s most cosmopolitan city.When the largest art museum in theWestern Hemisphere and the largesturban university in the United Statesboth decide to publicize and promotean issue simultaneously, it’s a bigdeal. These institutions attract the at-tention of people from all over thecity, even the nation…and maybe,just maybe, some of the decision-makers in the Greek American Com-munity too.

In its press release, the Met men-tions that the Angelopoulos concertis presented in cooperation with theAxion Estin Foundation. It is worthy– pardon the pun – to offer the indi-viduals comprising this organizationa round of applause. In one well or-chestrated week’s time, they willhave managed to do more to pro-mote Greek Culture than many othermuch larger, more illustrious andbetter funded organizations! This ispretty remarkable when consideringthat this not-for-profit organizationis still in its infancy, having only beenfounded in November 2005. Duringthat time, it has organized two majorconferences, in addition to a weeklyradio program that is currently in itsfourth year.

One-fourth of the foundation’strustees and officers hold doctoraldegrees. This is not noteworthy sim-ply because these individuals possessa high level of education. It is impor-tant because it allows bridges to bebuilt between this living, breathingexpression of Greek art and theworld of academia. Let’s not forgetthat Byzantine chant represents apiece of the Hellenic legacy that cap-tivates the interest of people world-wide, while holding it own in mod-ern Greek society up until today. Peo-ple can come into direct contact withthis centuries-old art form, as op-posed to just reading about it in his-tory books.

This past week, we witnessed cul-tural diplomacy in the making. Odd-ly enough, the architects behind thisskillful diplomatic display did notcome from some powerful nationalfederation, well-financed govern-ment institution, or even from withinthe “official” Church hierarchy. Thisray of hope came from a group ofbright young people who love theirheritage and use their education andcultivation to share their cultural in-heritance with others.

Looking at the online list of spon-sors, there are even two non-Greek,non-Christian entities who have con-tributed to this cause; namely, theCUNY Graduate Center Departmentof Ethnomusicology and the NewYork State Council on the Arts. If youvisit AEF’s website, you’ll see a hand-ful of recognizable names (countableon one hand) from the Greek Ameri-can Community, one major ethnicGreek association, a handful of busi-nesses, and two public benefit foun-dations.

With the exception of the Nation-al Forum of Greek Orthodox ChurchMusicians, there appears to be littlesign of any direct contribution fromArchdiocesan coffers, and even lessfrom any Greek Orthodox parishes.

All and all, one clergyman is listed onthe foundation’s website. And yet,somehow, this relatively young andinexperienced organization is doingmore to advance Byzantine musicthan most “heavy hitters” in theGreek American Community com-bined.

There are other organizations andchanters out there who are interest-ed in helping this musical treasuregrow and spread not only within theGreek American Community, but inAmerican society at large. The com-plaint from many of these well-meaning individuals is lack of fund-ing and lack of interest from the pow-ers that be.

As the old saying goes “it ain’tover until the fat lady sings,” but formany of our churches, she’s not justsinging, she’s bellowing. This historicmusical genre, which contains manyof the original scales of AncientGreek music and serves as the basisfor Greek folk music is being over-looked. We’re graduating priests thatdon’t know how to chant, much lesscare to learn. We’ve replaced thechanter’s robe and traditional Byzan-tine melodies with technicolordreamcoat satin robes, sashes andpipe organs. In some places, churchsounds more like the seventh-inningstretch at a baseball game or a dinnerparty at Castle Dracula. Even thepriests who do care are afraid to doanything to change things becausethey don’t want to insult the wife ofthe Parish Council President whosings in the choir and thinks she’s thesecond coming of Maria Callas.

Isn’t it paradox that the largestGreek Orthodox Community in theUnited States or many Orthodoxcathedrals throughout the countrywon’t even perform one Sundayliturgy with the traditional Byzantinehymns (the ones that the world fa-mous Metropolitan Museum of Artand the City University of New York

find so interesting)? When was thelast time any comparable institutionwanted to present an exhibition onGreek European choir music? Theanswer is probably never, becausesuch a thing doesn’t exist. It’s likemixing beer and wine. Each elementhas its own unique history, but justbecause you put them together, does-n’t mean the concoction will work.

Despite growing internationalrecognition, it seems like the art ofByzantine chanting will continuefalling on deaf ears in some places.For those that realize its importance,one step in the right direction is tostart bringing children to thechanter’s stand, and not only insidethe altar. At some point, most kidsoutgrow being altar boys, but theynever outgrow being chanters. Thisis also a marvelous way to improvechildren’s knowledge of Greek andexpose them to some of the finest lit-erary and musical masterpieces inworld history.

For the moment, the funds and re-al support do not seem to be comingfrom the Church administration. It’sup to foundations like Axion Estin,individual parish efforts, and the tire-less labors of Byzantine musicolo-gists to preserve and promote thishistorical treasure. The good news isthat these individuals seem to havegained the ear of major American in-stitutions. Maybe as interest fromuniversities, art institutions, and con-servatories grows, more and moredecision makers in the Greek Ameri-can Community will start to listentoo.

Christopher Tripoulas is an Ad-junct Professor of Speech and In-terpersonal Communication at St.John’s University. He holds gradu-ate degrees concentrating inSpeech, Communications and Sec-ond Language Acquisition. In addi-tion, he specializes in translations,

Byzantine Chant: Music to a Growing Number of Americans’ Ears

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VIEWPOINTSTHE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 13

Eight years after Kosovo was de-tached from Serbia following theNATO intervention the Albanianscontinued, directly and indirectly,to purge the Serb population of thisunfortunate province. For reasonsthat will be outlined below theAmericans, during the same period,manoeuvred behind the scenes tosecure Kosovo’s independence.The Europeans, after abandoningtheir security responsibilities to theUS, stood on the sidelines observ-ing the slow demise of Serbia andthe possible de-stabilization of theBalkans, while another generationof Serbs become re-infected withthe strain of extreme nationalism.

For the Americans, the expan-sion in the Balkans offers severalopportunities to find an alternativesupply of petroleum (indeed the oiland gas deposits of the Caspian Seaare more than sufficient to over-come the US dependency on theGulf States) as well as projectingUS military power in the Near Eastand in the soft underbelly of Russia.However, from the perspective ofMoscow, the American presence inthe Balkans coupled with US inter-vention in Georgia has recreatedthe Russian fear of strategic encir-clement. These were driven homeearly on after the collapse of the So-viet Union when the US propped uppro-American governments inGeorgia despite the historic linksbetween that country and Russia.In fact the Russians have frequentlyaccuse the Americans of usingbases in Georgia to train Chech-nyan Islamic terrorists.

All this changed after the elec-tion of Vladimir Putin as presidentof the Russian Republic in 2004.Over the next three years, the gov-ernment of Vladimir Putin has notonly reconstituted Russia’s wealthand internal security but Russia hasre-emerged as a great power quick-ly elevating to super power statusonce again. Towards this end,Putin has skilfully exploited Rus-sia’s petroleum assets, pan-EasternOrthodoxy and Balkan susceptibili-ties to checkmate the US expansionin Southeastern Europe and in Cen-tral Asia. On 15 June 2006 Putintook a major in ending US influ-ence in Central Asia with the estab-lishment of the Shanghai Coopera-tion Organization (SOC), which in-cludes Russia, China, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbek-istan. Subsequently the new alliesheld joint military exercises east ofthe Ural Mountains that havebrought the Russians and Chineseeven closer and they now sharecommon security interests both inCentral Asia and internationally.

Almost a decade following theaftermath of NATO’s war againstSerbia, Russian petroleum and gashas become the mainstay of theEU’s energy supplies. In 2007 fortypercent of the EU’s gas and oilneeds depend on Russia or territo-ries controlled by the Russians. TheRussians have finalized the last de-tails with respect to the construc-tion of the Burgas-Alexandroupolispipeline with Greece and are plan-ning to implement the so-calledSouth Stream project, a web ofpipelines that will carry oil and gasunder the Black Sea from the min-eral rich Caspian region to Bulgaria

and then across Greeceto Italy. To completethis project, the Rus-sians have establisheda monopoly over Bul-garia’s energy market,plan to takeover Ser-bia’s state-owned pe-troleum industry andare in the process ofestablishing close tieswith Greece.

In effect, Putin hasbeen able to expandRussia’s influence inthe Balkans by sup-porting the Serb posi-tion on Kosovo, theGreek position on Cyprus andstrongly hinting of endorsingAthens’ policy with respect to theMacedonian name problem. Al-though the planned pipelines wereinitially to run under the Black Seato Turkey and then to Europe, Putinhas decided to leave Ankara out ofthe lucrative energy scheme. Con-sequently by omitting Turkey fromRussia’s future energy plans, Putinis free to commit to issues critical tothe Greeks. The omission of theTurks is another means of limitingfurther US influence in the Balkansand the Near East and by extensionin Central Asia.

Another reason why Greece andnot Turkey is that the Russian

Balkan alliance isbased on Serbia, Bul-garia and Greece allthree share an historicrelationship with Rus-sia and are predomi-nantly Eastern Ortho-dox states. Putin, fromthe beginning of hispresidency, paid closeattention to mattersdealing with the East-ern Orthodox church-es. He made it a pointto visit Mount Athos inhis first trip to Greecein 2005 and engi-neered the re-unifica-

tion of the Russia Orthodox Churchwith its breakaway counterpart,the Russian Orthodox ChurchAbroad (based in the New York) on17 May 2007. The two churcheshad separated in 1917, when thehead of the Russian OrthodoxChurch, Patriarch Sergei, declaredhis support for the communists.

Effectively, Putin’s policies areshifting Serbia, Greece and Bulgar-ia away from the US to Moscowand in the process demarcating theBalkans into Russian and Americanspheres. But in this contest the USis left with less reliable allies suchas Bosnia, Kosovo and FYROMwhich by virtue of their militaryand economic frailties will cost the

Americans considerably more tomaintain their viability. None ofthe three countries is a member ofthe EU and as long as the Russianscontinue to cultivate the Greeksand to control the Bulgarians theycan keep these small republics outof NATO and the EU. Meanwhile aslong as the Russians keep the Euro-peans dependent on their suppliesof oil and petroleum the EU in thenear future will act less as an Amer-ican buffer against Russia than aRussian barrier against the US. Inthis context the Balkans has onceagain become an integral elementin imperial designs and imperialcompetition. For the Greeks this iswin-win situation.

Ever since the end of the SecondWorld War the US, in order to pur-sue its own security and strategicconcerns, has supported Turkeymore often than Greece. Becauseof Geography, and quite frankly themore effective Turkish lobby inWashington, American policy al-ways placed Turkey as critical to USinterests in the Near and MiddleEast.

Greece was important as a tripwire during the Cold War to alertNATO of a Soviet invasion - after-wards the Atlantic alliance wouldhold the Red Army in Turkey. Fol-lowing the collapse of the SovietUnion, American analysts, backedby the Turkish lobby, argued thatTurkey was even more important tothe US because of the Middle Eastand Central Asia.

Events conspired to underscorethis point during the first PersianGulf War. With a great deal of fan-fare, amply displayed on CNN,Ankara declared its support of theUS war effort against Iraq. Almostsimultaneously CNN was showingpictures of weeping Greek mothersand wives seeing off Greece’s smalland non-combat contingent to jointhe allies in the Gulf. Unfortunate-ly, CNN did not show how muchblack market oil and other strategicsupplies were reaching SaddamHussein through the porous Turk-ish-Iraq border nor did the US newsnetwork pay any attention to thehundreds of Greek ships supplyingthe US and its allies in the Gulf de-spite the fact that these vesselscould not be insured because theregion was declared a war zone.

Perhaps this short-sightednesswill become apparent to Washing-ton as the closer links with Russiagive Greece greater strategic depthand flexibility. Kostas Karamanliswill the be first Greek leader sinceEleftherios Venizelos to weanGreece away from the stifling gripof a Great Power ally (first GreatBritain and later the US) and posi-tion Greece as major player in theBalkans and in the EasternMediterranean. This should notmean the end of the alliance withthe US but represent a new begin-ning in which Greece can actuallybe a bridge between the West andRussia.

Dr. Gerolymatos is chair ofHellenic Studies at Simon FraserUniversity in Vancouver, BritishColumbia and the author of "RedAcropolis, Black Terror: TheGreek Civil War and the Originsof Soviet-American Rivalry."

The US-Russian Competition in the Balkans and Greece

It was bound to happen. Sincethe collapse of the Soviet Union, in-fluential groups in the UnitedStates have pursued policies, espe-cially in Europe, designed to takeadvantage of the fact that the U.S.was the only superpower. In thelast six years, the drive intensifiedwith the expansion of NATO intoEastern Europe, the plan to installan anti-missile defense technologyin Poland and the Czech Republic,the NATO intervention in Bosniaand the air strikes on Serbia, andthe support of Kosovo indepen-dence.

The major countries in the Euro-pean Union, with Germany underChancellor Angela Merkel up front,sided with the United States be-cause they realized that their secu-rity depends on EU-US coopera-tion.

Things were going well for aslong Russia was in a mess. ButRussian President Vladimir Putingradually improved internal condi-tions and, being tremendouslyhelped by Russia’s assets in oil andgas, began to reassert Russian in-terests. At the same time, the Amer-icans overplayed their hand to thepoint of alienating the publics incertain countries. Such alienationunder democratic rules may lead tochanges in government andchanges in policies, and it oftendoes.

The recent electoral upset inPoland is a case in point. Thestrongly pro-American (and strong-ly anti-Russian) government ofJaroslav Kaczynski was defeated.The new prime minister, DonaldTusk immediately announced thatthe US base for anti-missile defensewas on hold and that his govern-ment planned to have the Polishtroops in Iraq brought back homeby the end of the year. Further-more, Tusk made the Czech Repub-lic one of his first visits as PrimeMinister. He stated that he went toPrague “to coordinate our steps inthe course of negotiations” con-

cerning the US basesplanned for Polandand the Czech Repub-lic. With the lack of en-thusiasm shown by theDemocratic party inthe U.S. to the installa-tion of the bases, thePoles hope that theproject may be shelvedafter the Americanelection if the Democ-rats win.

In the second roundof the Serbian presi-dential election sched-uled for February 3,the nationalist candi-date Tomislav Nicolic,who came on top in the first round,is expected to win. His victory willbe a rejection of the pro-Americanpolicies of the incumbent BorisTadic. A major reason for a poten-tial Nicolic victory is, of course, theAmerican support for the indepen-dence of Kosovo. This area hasbeen a part of Serbia since 1913when, following the Balkan Warsand the ejection of the OttomanEmpire from the Balkans, Kosovobecame part of Serbia. Over theyears, settlers from neighboring Al-bania drifted into Kosovo, gradual-ly changing the demographic com-position of the province. Today,90% of the inhabitants of Kosovoare Albanians. If the US and theEuropeans had pressured Serbia togrant the Albanian Kosovars a de-gree of autonomy, the Serbs, mostlikely, would have gone along. Butthe Albanian Kosovars, encouragedin this by the Americans, insistedon full independence.

Legally, under International Lawand under the Charter of the Unit-ed Nations, no one has the right toviolate the territorial integrity of acountry by detaching a section ofthe country. Of course, taking awayfrom Serbia its province of Kosovois not only a legal violation. It alsosets a very bad and dangerousprecedent because in many other

countries sizeable mi-norities may be tempt-ed to agitate for inde-pendence. (TheBasques in Spain, theKurds in Turkey, theTurk-Cypriots inCyprus, the Muslims inWestern Thrace toname a few). Why theAmericans are so in-terested in creatinganother Muslim clientstate in the Balkans;most likely becausethey contemplate thepossibility of establish-ing military basesthere in the future.

Only a few days ago, Kosovo’s“Prime Minister” Hashin Thaci stat-ed, after talks with the EU topdiplomat Javier Solana, that theKosovo independence “is a matterof days.” He added that the Kosovoauthorities will coordinate their ac-tions “with the European Unionand the United States.” Certainmember-countries of the EuropeanUnion -- such as Greece, Romania,Cyprus, or Spain – have voiced ob-jections to Kosovo’s independence.Russia, of course, is against it. Butwith American and European back-ing, it is very likely that the Alban-ian Kosovars will proclaim inde-pendence. With a nationalist in Bel-grade, if Nicolic is elected, Kosovomay become a region of conflictagain.

Russia does not rattle her sabersyet. She has a more potent weapon-- her supplies of gas and oil to Eu-rope. The European countries needthose supplies badly. Severalpipelines from Russia and CentralAsia carry oil and gas to Europeanhomes and industries. A few daysago, 17-18 January, President Putinvisited Bulgaria to observe the130th anniversary of the country’sliberation from Ottoman rule. Atthe end of the day, Putin an-nounced. “We reached agreementon a number of important projects;

this would not have been possible ifwe were not trusted partners,” Hisvisit finalized the contracts on theconstruction of two power plants inBelene, the Bourgas-Alexan-droupolis pipeline (which bringsGreece also into the loop) and theSouth Stream natural gas pipeline,putting into place the final stages ofthe network of pipelines that bringoil and gas to Europe.

In another development, theRussian Gazprom, the giant suppli-er, signed a $400 million agree-ment with the state-owned Petrole-um Industry of Serbia that controlsSerbia’s refining and distributionfacilities. The agreement would al-low Gazprom to build a pipelineacross Serbia, making it a key linkto the South Stream pipeline

In spite of these developments,Americans and Europeans continueto talk about NATO expansion. Thisexpansion may be part of the agen-da of the alliance’s summit inBucharest in April. Leading candi-dates for acceptance are Croatia,Albania, and “Macedonia.” Albaniaand “Macedonia” are not yet devel-oped enough to become membersbut they may be accepted nonethe-less as a way to deal with any con-flicts provoked by the indepen-dence of Kosovo.

Needless to say that any seriousconsideration to bring into NATOUkraine or Georgia will enrage theRussians and destabilize the deli-cate balance in Europe. The nextPresident of the United States willfind a full plate when he takes of-fice a year from now.

Dr. Kousoulas is ProfessorEmeritus of Political Science atHoward University inWashington, DC. He is the authorof several books, notably "TheLife and Times of Constantine theGreat (1999)," and numerousscholarly articles.The author will welcome com-ments on his e-mail:dkous@comcast.net

Action and Reaction: The United States and Russia

Talk about bad tim-ing. Greek Prime Minis-ter Costas Karamanliswas the first in his posi-tion in nearly half acentury to have theguts to make an officialvisit to Turkey to try toopen a door and re-solve seemingly irres-olute differences withthat country, and hewas book-ended by badnews that almost kepthim out of the head-lines.

“I have come toTurkey so that we canlook more positive in the future,”Karamanlis said. His counterpart,Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdo-gan, close enough to the Greekprime minister to have invited him tohis daughter’s wedding in Turkey,said, “‘We are prepared to leave theproblems of the past behind us,”which, based on past promises fromTurkey, means you’d have a betterchance betting on Osama bin Ladento surrender than expect Turkey togive up anything.

The prime ministers were left tomouth platitudes, and because noone in either country expected any-thing to really happen, the mediapraised its symbolism. “Even if noth-ing can be achieved ... the fact thatsuch a trip has taken place will be ofgreat importance,” commentatorYusuf Kanli wrote in the Turkish Dai-ly News. Karamanlis’ noble gestureruns in the family: The last Greekprime minister to officially visitTurkey was his uncle, Konstantinos,in 1959. The big breakthrough wasgoing there and starting the processto what Karamanlis hoped would bethe full normalization of Greek-Turk-ish relations.

But he couldn’t get past the newsback home. When Karamanlis head-ed to Turkey to start going about se-rious business, Greeks were mesmer-ized on TV and in the newspapers bythe continuing sad melodramaticsoap opera of the “Sex, Lives andDVD” scandal that riveted them withits sordid saga of sex, blackmail andthree failed suicide attempts by itsprotagonists and threatened to bringdown the New Democracy govern-ment. And as he finished his trip,Greece lost the head of the OrthodoxChurch, Archbishop Christodoulos,who died at 69 after suffering can-cer. It almost made the Turkey tripan after-thought.

Karamanlis paid proper tribute tothe Archbishop, calling him “‘an en-lightened hierarch whose pastoralwork brought the church near the so-ciety and contemporary problems.”The prelate was a worldly man inpolitics though who stepped into thesecular world and confronteddemons wherever he saw them, es-pecially those he believed the enemyof Greece. The prime minister woulddo well to heed his words that whendealing with the Turks you had to re-member they were barbarians.

Greece supports Turkey’s effortsto join the European Union, but Arch-bishop Christodoulos didn’t. “Theyare trying to take away our society’sChristian and Orthodox identity, us-ing various groundless arguments,because they hate God and want tomarginalise the Church,” he said. Itcould be forgiven perhaps as vitriolbased on fear of Turkey, unless you’veseen the movie “‘Midnight Express.”

While the prime minister’s tripwas an immediate success just be-cause he went, and it downplayedexpectations it was anything otherthan a gigantic photo opportunity,there were no answers to questionslike:

-Whether Turkey will ever give upthe northern part of Cyprus – an EUcountry – it has occupied since 1974.Nicosia remains the last divided cap-ital in Europe, and has its last wall

-Why Turkish fighter jets violateGreek air space nearly every day andengage in dangerous dog fights thathave already killed one Greek pilot

-Why Turkey won’t reopen theGreek Orthodox seminary of Heybe-liada in Istanbul that was closed in1972, whose reopening Karamanlissaid would be a simple gesture that“could even be a passport to Eu-rope.”‘

-Why Muslims in Greece, espe-cially the territory bordering Turkey,are given rights that the Greek Or-thodox in Turkey are not, typical ofMuslim countries who won’t tolerateChristianity but want Europeancountries to allow mosques andschools that teach terrorism

That’s just for starters. Thirty-sev-en meetings over who might haverights to any possible oil in the conti-nental shelf in waters extendingfrom the Aegean Sea, which sepa-rates the countries, to the Mediter-ranean around Cyprus, have pro-

duced nothing. Ifthere’s oil or energythere, do you expectTurkey to cede therights to Greece? Thatis what Americans call adeal-buster, no matterhow much pretty talkyou make over dinnerin Ankara or Athens.

Some pretty reason-able and pragmaticpeople think much wasgained, however.Costas Infantis, an asso-ciate professor at theUniversity of Athensspecializing in interna-

tional politics and Greek foreign pol-icy, said, “Symbolically, it was defi-nitely very important. It gives a clearsignal to everybody both abroad andin Greece there is a definite resolu-tion culture in this prime minister.He wanted to send a message thathis position is very strongly in favorin full normalization.

Since no one really knows whatKaramanlis and Erdogan talkedabout in private, what may eventual-ly result is uncertain, but Infantis,who was a Fulbright Scholar at Har-vard University’s John F. KennedySchool and got his Ph.D in Transat-lantic Relations at the University ofBradford in England, said “My guesswould be that he at least tried to sortof discuss issues of substance be-tween the two countries.

“He definitely expressed his will-ingness to move forward in intensify-ing the process that already exists inarriving at results sooner than later. Ithink he wanted very much to visitTurkey to make a strong point, bothin Turkey and internally domestical-ly, and he did it against many reser-vations, not only from other politicalparties but his own political party.There was definitely pressure not todo it because there is no progress inTurkish relations … and he did itagainst criticism from PASOK whichwas surprising,” he said, because PA-SOK leader George Papandreou hadbeen to Turkey when he was foreignminister. In Greek politics, however,there is no loyal opposition, only op-position, even if the other party haddone what you are now doing.

If there are any agreements forth-coming, they will be business andnot political. Turkey and Greecewant to use trade and energy as thetool to overcome centuries of hatredand hostility and believe capitalismcan overcome everything, so Greekand Turkish ministers also hosted abusiness forum in Istanbul.

“Cooperation in the economicfield opens the way for further rap-prochement between our two coun-tries and eliminates damage causedby friction and tension,” Karamanlistold a gathering of Turkish andGreek businessmen on the final dayof a three-day visit to Turkey, wherethere are 35 Greek companies, espe-cially banks, are operating, whereGreece has invested 5.5 billion Euroand trade volume between the coun-tries has reached five billion Euro.There’s talk too of rehabilitatinghighways between Istanbul to Thes-saloniki, so there’s some giddinessafloat.

There’d better not be too much. IfKaramanlis had dared utter a darkword about Kemal Ataturk, the firstpresident of Turkey whose picturesand statues adorn almost every cor-ner in the country, he could havebeen charged with “insulting Turk-ishness,” a crime that has seen acad-emics silenced, Nobel Prize winnersprosecuted and daring journalistsand Christians killed. Ataturk andGreek PM Eleftherios Venizelos oncemet and tried to build a bridge, andKaramanlis perhaps saw this meet-ing as a similar summit and meetingof the minds to let go the past.

But when’re you’re dealing withTurkey you have to remember that itis still a predominantly Asian, Mus-lim country with a history of geno-cides it has denied, misogyny, jailingpeople for insults to its heritage, cen-turies of atrocities, an appalling lackof human rights and controlled bymilitary despots who are immunefrom prosecution – apparently evenfor ordering murder.

So Karamanlis should not forgetAtaturk’s words when the father ofthe Turks pushed Greece out of theirown lands in Asia Minor. “Armies,your first goal is the Mediterranean.Forward!”

Mr. Dabilis was the New Englandeditor for United Press Interna-tional in Boston, and a staff writerand assistant metropolitan editorat the Boston Globe for 17 yearsbefore relocating to Greece. Hiscolumn is published weekly in theNational Herald. Readers interest-ed in contacting him can send e-mails to andydablis@gmail.com.

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Talking to the Turks is aTender Trap

LETTER FROM ATHENS

by ANDY

DABILIS

Special to The National Herald

by DR. ANDRE

GEROLYMATOS

Special to The National Herald

by DR. D.G.

KOUSOULAS

Special to The National Herald

Vladimir Putin (above) has been a central figure in helping Russiacounter U.S. influence in the Balkans and Greece. Closer links withRussia have given Greece “greater strategic depth and flexibility.”

AP PHOTO/ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO

14 THE NATIONAL HERALD, FEBRUARY 2, 2008

Archbishop Christodoulos

1939-2008