NEW YORK (GOARCH) – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sent a letter to Archbishop Demetrios on Feb.1, 2011, responding to His Eminence’s letter expressing concerns about the “disturbing and painful” event which happened on Christmas Day 2010 in the small church of Saint Synesios in the town of Rizokarpaso in the northern Turkish occupied territory of Cyprus.
Clinton receiving an award in 2009 from Abp. Demetrios
Following is the text of both letters, first that of Secretary Clinton’s response and following is His Eminence’s letter:
February 1, 2011
Your Eminence:
Thank you for your letter regarding the incident on Christmas day in Rizokarpaso. I appreciate your reaching out to me and, as always, value your insights.
As you know, protecting and promoting religious freedom worldwide is a priority of this Administration, and we take incidents such as the one at Saint Synesios very seriously. This incident is especially unfortunate given the need for all sides to foster a positive and conciliatory bicommunal atmosphere in Cyprus in the context of the ongoing efforts to reunify the island. Our embassies in Nicosia and Ankara have conveyed our deep concern to the appropriate parties, and my Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Philip Gordon, discussed the issue with President Christofias and Mr. Eroglu during his recent visit to Cyprus. We have strongly conveyed our position that all efforts should be made to ensure this does not happen again. Our embassy in Nicosia will remain in contact with religious leaders on the island and with the Greek and Turkish Cypriots regarding this and other questions of religious freedom.
Thank you again for raising your concerns with me. I also want to thank you for your kind wishes to me and my family, and extend to you and the Church my best wishes for the coming year.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Archbishop Demetrios’ Letter:
December 30, 2010
Dear Madame Secretary:
As we approach the dawn of the new year, I express to you and your colleagues at the State Department my best wishes for a year filled with health, happiness and peace in the world, and the continuation of your creative work as Secretary of State.
With this letter I would like to bring to your esteemed attention a painful and disturbing incident which happened on Christmas Day in the small church of Saint Synesios in the town of Rizokarpaso in the northern Turkish occupied territory of Cyprus. A Greek Orthodox priest who resides in the area was forced by the “police officers” of the illegal Turkish Cypriot regime to stop the Christmas Divine Liturgy that was in progress. They also forced the faithful out of the Church, ordered the priest to divest of his liturgical vestments and locked the Church. Thus, on one of the most holy days of Christianity, the day of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, when billions of Christians celebrate freely worldwide, these handful of people were forcibly denied the expression of their faith.
Clearly the religious freedom and human rights of the people in the Saint Synesios Church were violated! And this was done in direct opposition to long established agreements of the Third Vienna Agreement of August 1975, of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As always, Madame Secretary, we gratefully count on your effective action, so that international laws on religious freedom and human rights are not violated, and similar incidents do not occur again in Cyprus or in any other part of the world.
May the message of love which we were privileged to celebrate freely on Christmas day permeate all the days of the new year bringing understanding, love, and mutual respect among the peoples. May I also add my best wishes to you and your beloved family for a prosperous and happy new year.
Sincerely and with high esteem,
+DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment