Greek Orthodox leader blasts 'evil' ploy to bring Turkey into EU

[troy]

ATHENS - The head of the Orthodox Church in Greece, Archbishop Christodoulos, on Monday criticised as "evil" European Union member countries' support for Turkey's membership of the bloc.
EU members in favour of Turkey's accession were "trying to forestall an evil by creating an even greater evil," Christodoulos told a luncheon attended by Greek European Parliament deputies in Athens.

Leaderships supporting Turkey's membership were motivated by "geo-strategic views and foreign interests" alien to European mentality, he added.

Greece itself is a vocal supporter of Turkey's EU accession, despite decades of mistrust and continued rivalry over parts of the eastern Aegean Sea.

The archbishop said that by bringing Turkey into the bloc, the European Union risked severing itself from its core values, which he identified as "Christian faith, classical education and the rule of law".

"We have strayed far from the spirit of the EU's founding fathers, and it is not at all self-evident that the political leadership is still following a course truly heading to European unity," he added.

Fond of commenting on lay affairs, the archbishop frequently makes headlines in Greece with his views on politics, society, and relations with other states.

In a previous outburst during a priest's consecration ceremony in December, he argued that Greek society risked "going to Israel, or into the hands of the devil" because of its apathy in the face of "evil forces" threatening to "dechristianise" the staunchly Orthodox country.

The archbishop also stirred up a storm of criticism five years ago, when he said he had discerned "divine wrath" behind the September 11 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States.


02/27/2006 15:27 GMT

[Anastasios]

Seems to be short sighted.  An EU Turkey would be subject to human rights laws and free movement; Greeks would eventually be allowed to move back to their ancestral homeland, Halki could be reopened, etc.  Does the Archbishop think that Orthodox and Greeks are getting anyway under the current system?

Anastasios

[TomS]

Seems to be short sighted.  An EU Turkey would be subject to human rights laws and free movement; Greeks would eventually be allowed to move back to their ancestral homeland, Halki could be reopened, etc.  Does the Archbishop think that Orthodox and Greeks are getting anyway under the current system?

Anastasios

Total BS! Turkey will do what it wants and thumb its nose at the EU. And the EU will take it up the *** cause it is too afraid to impose its will on non-christian nations. Can't appear to be racist or culturally insensitive against the bastard Muslims!

[troy]

Hopefully the Archbishop will clarify in the next few days or so. He doesn't seem to offer too much justification here.

[GiC]

Hopefully the Archbishop will clarify in the next few days or so. He doesn't seem to offer too much justification here.

Not very likely...His Beatitude has long been an opponent of Turkey joining the EU.

[Fr. George]

Total BS! Turkey will do what it wants and thumb its nose at the EU. And the EU will take it up the *** cause it is too afraid to impose its will on non-christian nations. Can't appear to be racist or culturally insensitive against the bastard Muslims!  

Oh, and the EU economies are going to take it hard, with the influx of immigrants over the open borders; add to it that they will continue the current trend of creating Islamic blocs in the EU nations (there go the embassies!)

[Νεκτάριος]

The EU should just cut its losses and dump Greece.

[observer]

..The EU should just cut its losses and dump Greece....  May be not a bad idea!  Greece could join with Russia and form an Orthodox trade union.

[Fr. George]

So they'd call it the O-Bloc?  If the other two majority Orthodox nations joined, would the 4 together be known as the depressed O-Bloc?  

[Anastasios]

Tom,

That's not the way the EU works.  If they did not impose their human rights laws evenly, then the other countries would loose inspiration to follow EU law.  And if that happened, it would bring down the whole system.

Cleveland,

As if Turks are really Muslim now! LOL  Ok yes there are still fanatical Muslims but they are by far a minority compared to Arab nations.

Anastasios

[Fr. George]

It wouldn't just be Turkish moslems; the borders of Turkey with Syria and Iraq and others are like sieves: I don't think they could keep tanks out, let alone floods of people looking to get into the economically-better western European nations.

As far as Turkish moslems: From what I've heard, it is a difficult task right now for the government to keep themselves secular - there is constant pressure from the powerful Islamist groups to turn into a theocracy.  I think there's a good number of the people who are practicing moslems in Turkey (I mean, you can hear the muzans everywhere in The City, according to a couple of my buddies who were there last summer), but don't want to change the secular government.

[Elisha]

Tom,

That's not the way the EU works.  If they did not impose their human rights laws evenly, then the other countries would loose inspiration to follow EU law.  And if that happened, it would bring down the whole system.

Anastasios

It may not be how the EU works, but I'll believe everything TomS said until I actually see these wonderful reforms in Turkey happen.  I don't trust them one bit.

[Νεκτάριος]

May be not a bad idea!  Greece could join with Russia and form an Orthodox trade union.

Yeah it would be nice.  All the "Orthodox" nations could band together and whine to eachother about how oppressed they are by the West (yet at the same time how wonderful their own ethnicity is).... so maybe the rest of us could just ignore them.  Wonderful idea indeed.  

[Fr. George]

[quote author=Νεκτάριος link=topic=8317.msg109461#msg109461 date=1141147139]
All the "Orthodox" nations could band together and whine to eachother about how oppressed they are by the West [/quote]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you...

[TomS]

Tom,

That's not the way the EU works.  If they did not impose their human rights laws evenly, then the other countries would loose inspiration to follow EU law.  And if that happened, it would bring down the whole system.

Anastasios - I agree that is not the way it is supposed to work. But if you look at the way the EU has handled Turkey so far .... Just look at the way Ankara has refused to recognize the vote on Cyprus.

[GiC]

[quote author=Νεκτάριος link=topic=8317.msg109461#msg109461 date=1141147139]
Yeah it would be nice.  All the "Orthodox" nations could band together and whine to eachother about how oppressed they are by the West (yet at the same time how wonderful their own ethnicity is).... so maybe the rest of us could just ignore them.  Wonderful idea indeed. ÂÂ
[/quote]

yes, yes, yes, BUT we would also have nuclear weapons...it's amazing what you can get done if you drop one or two of those

[serb1389]

The russians have been itching to let go of a couple of those bad boys  

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