PRESS RELEASE
Athens, July 9th, 2009
φωτεινη δαρρα αγια ειρηνη
Chris Spirou, President of the “Free Agia Sophia Council of America”and the “Free Agia Sophia Council of Europe” today condemned the decision of the Government of Turkey to authorize a popular music concert inside the Orthodox Christian Church of AGIA IRENE in Istanbul, Turkey.
At a packed news conference in Athens, Greece, President Spirou issued the following statement:
Statement by the Honorable Chris Spirou, President of the Free Agia Sophia Council of America and the Free Agia Sophia Council of Europe
“On June 13th, 2009, the Government of Turkey, under the banner “The City – Cultural Capital of Europe 2010,” held a popular musical concert inside one of the holiest Christian sites, the historic Christian Church of AGIA IRENE in Istanbul.
On behalf of the “Free Agia Sophia Council of America” and the “Free Agia Sophia Council of Europe,” which I represent and on behalf of all people who believe in and respect religious rights, equality and human rights, I wish to express my indignation with the decision of the Government of Turkey to showcase its new cultural image by continuing to violate the Holy Christian Church of AGIA IRENE.
AGIA IRENE, the Holy Church of Christianity for over 1500 years, has been converted recently by 21st century “intellectuals” into a concert hall, a fashion exhibition site and now into the Beacon of Turkey’s modern cultural image.
The use of AGIA IRENE for purposes other than those which it was consecrated, prayer and liturgy, at a time when prayer and liturgy are forbidden within the Church, represents an anachronistic Ottoman behavior in its worse manifestation.
Authorizing popular (not religious) musical concerts inside an Orthodox Christian Church and in fact a historic Church, such as AGIA IRENE, offends not only the Orthodox Christians of the world, but all people who believe that the 21st century cannot be ushered in with 15th century barbaric behavior disguised as a celebration of cultural heritage.
The Turkish Government’s obsession to violate and humiliate the Orthodox Christian Faith, ridiculing the Holy Church of AGIA IRENE by holding a popular musical concert inside it, but also by forcing the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church to be present, reminds us of Ottoman Turkish tactics which have been used for 557 years.
If the Turkish Government continues to believe that it has the right to violate Agia Sophia, the Mother Church of all Christian Churches, that it has the right to violate other Holy sites under its occupation by conducting musical concerts and fashion shows inside them, and in offending the Christian faith in its entirety, then its new cultural image has been warped.
Would the Turkish Government ever dare to conduct a popular musical concert inside a Roman Catholic Church under its control and invite the Pope to attend?
Would the Turkish Government ever dare to conduct a popular musical concert inside a Mosque and oblige the Grand Imam of Turkey to attend?
Would the Turkish Government ever dare to conduct a popular musical concert inside a Synagogue under its control and force the chief Rabbi of Turkey to be present?
What century are we living in? What kind of civilized behavior does the violation of a Holy Church express? Through this sacrilege, what kind of example do we give the children of Europe and the world of our cultural identity in the 21st century?
I call on the government of Turkey to stop its attempts to force Ottoman values which are contrary to the values of Europe and to stop using occupation hostages to promote its new, peculiar, cultural rebirth.
The Turkish Government must understand once and for all that the basis of Western and in fact European culture is the respect of human rights. Violating and humiliating religions, religious symbols and church leaders offends fundamental human rights and is alien to the values, to the principles and to the culture of Europe.
“The City” (Istanbul), and for that matter any city in a country which violates human rights and forbids free religious expression, cannot under any circumstances be the declared “The City-cultural capital of Europe 2010”.
You should be reminded that in 1998 the Ottoman Turks sentenced the current Prime Minister of Turkey Tayip Erdogan to 10 months in jail for his religious beliefs when he served as Mayor of the City of Istanbul (today’s designated “The City Cultural Capital of Europe 2010”
Moreover in 2008, by a margin of one vote, Prime Minister Erdogan escaped losing his position as Prime Minister of Turkey. Turkey’s Constitutional Court, by a 6 to 5 vote refused to remove Mr. Erdogan from the office of Prime Minister. The only crime that Prime Minister Erdogan once again was accused of committing is defending his Islamic religious beliefs.
A few days go I returned from the United States where the Free Agia Sophia Council of America is based. I wish to inform you that our Council voted unanimously to go to Istanbul and to conduct Holy Liturgy and International Prayer in the Holy Church of Agia Sophia in 2010.
In the fall, we will inform the Turkish Government and the general public of the specific occasion and date we will conduct the Liturgy and International Prayer in Agia Sophia.
We are certain that our decision will be welcomed and supported by the officials of the Government of Turkey.
Government officials who see fit to authorize popular musical concerts inside Holy Churches should have no problem accepting and actively participating in a religious activity such as Liturgy and Prayer held in the Mother Church of Christianity, Agia Sophia.
What better cultural and human rights activity can justify the declaration of Istanbul as the Cultural Capital of Europe 2010 if not for the singing inside Agia Sophia of the Prayer “Free at last, Oh Lord, I’m Free at last!”
President Chris Spirou on the violation of the Holy Church of AGIA IRENE in Istanbul and the musical concert inside the Holy Church.