Posted on 12/21/2006 12:30:12 PM PST by Bokababe
American Hellenic Institute Regarding the Mistreatment of American Citizens by Turkish Officials During the Meeting of Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew
WASHINGTON, DC--On December 18, 2006, AHI Executive Nick Larigakis sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regarding the mistreatment of American citizens by Turkish officials during the meeting of Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in late November. Mr. Larigakis was in Istanbul as part of the Archon pilgrimage on the occasion of the historic visit between Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew. The text of the letter follows:
December 18, 2006
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State 2201 C Street, N.W. Department of State Washington, D.C. 20520
Re: Mistreatment of American citizens by Turkish officials
Dear Madame Secretary:
I write to make you aware of the recent mistreatment, that I had the opportunity to witness first hand, of approximately 150 Americans at the hands of Turkish officials. The occasion was the late-November pilgrimage to Istanbul by American Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and their families and friends to witness the historic meeting of Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The mistreatment consisted of harassment and unnecessary delays in allowing us to enter and exit the scheduled ceremonies and liturgies conducted in honor of the Pope's visit.
The mistreatment began on the evening of November 29, 2006, when we attended the welcome ceremony and Doxology of Peace in the Pope's honor at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint George. The organizers of our group had arranged for our buses to drop us off almost three hours early to clear security and take early places inside for what was expected to be a very full cathedral. Because it was only a short walk from the bus drop-off point to the cathedral entrance, and because we expected to be inside quickly and then for several hours during the liturgy, we were advised to dispense with overcoats.
What we did not expect was that it would take the Turkish security officials nearly half an hour just to set up their security check-point and another hour and a half to clear us through. These delays took place in the dark while our group, many of which were elderly, stood outside in bitter cold wind and rain sprinkles. Our organizers had provided us with special security badges, which the Turkish officials refused to recognize because they bore the word "Ecumenical" in reference to the Patriarchate. They demanded instead that we surrender our passports in return for Turkish security badges. Ironically, once inside the cathedral we found it to be not as crowded as we expected. We later learned this was because Turkish officials had prevented the local Orthodox faithful from attending the services being held in their own church.
On leaving the Doxology, the harassment continued. Retrieving our passports involved surrendering our Turkish security badges, a nearly hour-long process again conducted outside in the cold. We were then informed that, for security reasons, we would have to walk about two miles to the buses that would take us to the dinner we hosted for U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson. These were the very same buses that earlier had dropped us off en masse a few steps from the cathedral. Needless to say, this was a difficult walk in the weather conditions then prevailing, especially for those of our group who were using canes and crutches. Furthermore, we had no escort through the local streets and there was no police presence for the last mile or so. At times we were jeered. The situation was tense, and we felt that an ugly incident could easily have developed.
Upon arriving at the dinner, I alerted both Ambassador Wilson and Consul General Deborah Jones to what had happened. I pressed Ms. Jones to take action so that such intimidation tactics would not be repeated the following morning when our group would return to the cathedral to attend the Divine Liturgy.
But repeated they were. Once again the Turkish officials refused to accept our security badges and insisted that we surrender our U.S. passports in exchange for Turkish security badges. This time we entered the cathedral quickly, but the harassment occurred when we exited the cathedral. It developed that the Turkish officials had not linked the collection of our passports to the numbers on the Turkish security badges. Thus, there was no orderly way to return our passports. The officials merely shucked the passports back to our tour guides, who were left to sort them out by calling names through the crowd in another lengthy ordeal.
I later learned that no similar security procedures were in place at Istanbul's Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, where the Pope conducted mass on December 1. I was told that persons simply showed their invitations and were admitted.
During our visit I heard accounts of other instances of official harassment. I was told disturbing accounts of officials trying to censor the press and shut down the Patriarchate press office, which some of the U.S. Archons were assisting. And I do not believe it was merely a coincidence that on numerous occasions during our week's stay in Istanbul the CNN and BBC stations at our hotel headquarters (the Ritz Carlton Istanbul) were blacked out.
During this pilgrimage I had the opportunity to hear speeches made by our US. Ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson and Consul General, Deborah Jones.
During our visit to the illegally closed Patriarchal Theological School of Halki, Ms. Jones made some fine comments regarding the U.S. support for the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Halki School. She said: " ... the Patriarchate is deeply rooted in the city of Istanbul ... we [the U.S.] make it a point to tell the Turks regarding their commitment to religious freedom ... we discuss [with the Turks] our support for the reopening of the seminary ... our ultimate goal is for the Church to survive and [for the Turks] to have respect for all other human rights ... we have stressed [to Turkish officials] in our regular dialogue the need for tolerance and respect of equality for citizens under the law"
On the occasion of the Archon farewell banquet in honor of His All Holiness Bartholomew on December 1, 2006, Ambassador Wilson did make some fine comments regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He stated, " ... the continuing presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is critical to Turkey's past ... we [the U.S.] strongly support the re-opening of the Halki Seminary (he received a standing ovation for this comment) ... return of Church properties...support the title of 'Ecumenical' ... "
The comments made above are welcome and appreciated; however, they will continue to resound in hollow echoes if our government does not ratchet up the pressure on the government of Turkey to fulfill these obligations under its treaties responsibility and international law.
Madame Secretary, I bring these events to your attention as evidence that Turkey's historic pattern of official antipathy toward ethnic Greeks extends even to American citizens. What the American Archons experienced merely mirrors the official provocations that Turkey's ethnic Greeks have dealt with for generations.
It is in the best interest of the United States to prevent further incidents regarding the Ecumenical Patriarch. This is a serious matter that needs to be addressed immediately before an escalation of future attempts are made whereby this crisis can lead to major political unrest. Clearly it is in the best interests of the United States to see that this does not happen.
Turkey should be proud to have this historical religious institution on its soil and to allow it to flourish. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I is a Turkish citizen who served in the Turkish Uniform Services. The Ecumenical Patriarch lives a pious life of honesty and humility. He performs his work diligently and conducts beautiful customs and traditions.
I cannot stress enough the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarch and his role as spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians in the overall goals of the United States to establish peaceful relations with and among the many important nations of the world that have substantial Orthodox Christian populations.
Our experience in Istanbul confirms why the U.S. must apply greater pressure on Turkey to reform its official practices and bring them into line with democratic and civilized norms. Until this happens the U.S. should withhold active support for Turkey's entry into the EU and should insist that Turkey:
live up to its obligations under the Treaty of Lausanne, which include allowing the free exercise of religion by Turkey's ethnic Greek minority; acknowledge His All Holiness Bartholomew I as the 270th Ecumenical Patriarch and spiritual leader of the world's 250 million Orthodox Christians (including over five million in the U.S.) and accord him and the Patriarchate all due protections; call for the immediate reopening of the Halki Patriarchal School of Theology (closed since 1971); and permit people to work at the Patriarchate without being a Turkish citizen. The U.S. is not without tools for applying the necessary pressure. The most potent one is the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C.A. § 6441, 6445) ("IRFA"). We urge the President to designate Turkey as a country of particular concern under IRFA for severely violating religious freedom and to impose appropriate sanctions. Failing to do so makes the U.S. complicit in Turkey's insidious efforts to extinguish its Orthodox Greek minority and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is a mathematical certainty if events continue to proceed unimpeded. As we have seen, such efforts collaterally affect U.S. citizens.
The United States is a major supporter of Turkey's entry into the European Union. A core principal of the EU and the founding of our own country is Religious Freedom. In Turkey this simply does not exist. All of us who attended this historic pilgrimage a few weeks ago can attest to that first hand.
Respectfully yours,
Nick Larigakis Executive Director
cc: Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Daniel Fried Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Matthew Bryza Director of Southern European Affairs Douglas Silliman U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson U.S. Consul General to Istanbul Deborah Jones Turkey Desk Officer Paul Malik
The speech the convicted American smuggler made to the judge in his last court appearance in the movie Midnight Express summed it up best.
I know Nick; he's a good guy who works very hard for the well being of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
I lived in Turkey for 18 months and this story does not surprise me a bit.
I have a hundred stupid Turk stories.
I'd like to hear at least one of them!
I would never assume things will go smoothly. In fact I generally assume quite the opposite and plan accordingly. If I was in Turkey, I would have expected the worse at every turn and prepared. Three hours early isn't a whole lot when one thinks about the gravity of this event and the challenges of being in a foreign country filled and ruled with Muslims and another set of rules and languages.
However. This still doesn't mean they should have tolerated ANY of the treatment and most especially with elderly folks (this is abusive and life threatening--the cold, the extended walking).
HELLO! These people are not our friends and Christ was persecuted on the cross. Christians fail to remember this persecution all the time. It is even stated in the bible that we will be persecuted. What is the surprise? I see it as a badge of honor. If I would have died in those streets it would have been for my Savior. They will always try to eliminate us at every possible turn. Time to WAKE UP!
They should be grateful they returned with their heads. What were they thinking, going to the middle east in the middle of the war on terror ?
They should be grateful they returned with their heads. What were they thinking, going to the middle east in the middle of the war on terror ?
I remember the case that was filmed as "Midnight Express," about an American who, while not an innocent victim, didn't deserve what he got.
I am a bit confused though why they did not expect a certain amount of this, but if one hasn't dealt with these people before, I am sure there is no way of knowing.
Personally, I would have expected foul play and even some life threatening incidences prior to going, but I still would have gone.
In the interests of harmony and regional stability Sec. Rice will do exactly squat!
What do you think she should do?
Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?
The same think our State Department did when the Turks denied us the northern route into Iraq.....squat.
LOL!
Let's face it, in America, we are used to the idea that whether or not you decide to go to church on Sunday, is a matter of "whether or not you are in the mood", rather than someone actually preventing you from doing so or punishing you for making the effort. Sure, most of us hear about people getting killed for their Christian Faith elsewhere in the world, but we never think that it could be us or that anyone would treat us that way. "Damn it, we're Americans and our government stands behind us". "Beep", wrong answer. Fact is that our government doesn't give a rat's behind about us anymore, other than keeping us passive while they play their "game pieces" on a map of the world -- and Turkey is their "Park Place" on that game board, so none of us are allowed to touch Turkey. Turkey is to be treated with "reverence".
Your reminder re "Christians should expect to get persecuted, as our Lord Jesus Christ was persecuted" is a worthwile one -- especially to those who grew up on the kind of psycho-evangelism that promised you "big money and a new car, if only you accepted Jesus into you heart right now!"
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