Hellenic Orthodox Traditionalist
Church of America
Holy Metropolis of The Greek Orthodox
Old Calendar Church of America
Cathedral of Saint Markella
22-68 26th Street Astoria,
N.Y. 11105
Do not bomb Christians on Easter
FROM:
The office of His Eminence PAVLOS
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox
Old Calendar Church of North and South America
Member of the Holy Synod of the Old Calendar Church of Greece
Under the Presidency of His Beatitude Archbishop CHRYSOSTOMOS II Of Athens
and All Greece
TO:
Mr. William Jefferson Clinton
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
April 1st, 1999
Dear Mr. President,
I am for a third time writing
to you as a Christian, as an Orthodox Christian Hierarch, and as a native-born
Greek-American.
I will not repeat all the
things I expressed to you very recently in two previous letters. You are
well aware of the horror being perpetrated by NATO forces in the sovereign
state of Yugoslavia. I do not need to tell you how many men, woman, and
children, Christian and Muslim, "smart bombs" have killed in
the past seven days. I can only ask you, in the name of God, to use all
your power and all your authority to stop all NATO strikes against all
the peoples of Yugoslavia immediately.
Mr.
President, I must inform you that this Sunday is Palm Sunday for more than
300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians. Palm Sunday is when we
Orthodox Christians glorify the day when Jesus Christ will enter Jerusalem.
It is the day that begins His Passion and Suffering that leads up to His
Crucifixion and Resurrection. We Eastern Orthodox Christians know the week
that follows Palm Sunday as Great and Holy Week. During Great and Holy
Week we will participate in the Glorious Passion and Suffering of Jesus
Christ. On Pascha, the Sunday following Palm Sunday, we will participate
in His Glorious Three-Day Resurrection.
Mr.
Clinton, there is no holier time for Eastern Orthodox Christians than Great
and Holy Week. It is a time when we emerse ourselves, experience
for ourselves, and glorify through prayer, fasting, and hymns the Great
Miracle that is the Suffering, Death, Burial, and Resurrection of our Lord
God and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a most solemn and sacred time that the
Eastern Orthodox Church Calendar revolves around and prepares for all year.
It is in reality the meaning and essence of our short sojourn on this planet.
Mr. President, I am sure that
you know that the Serbs of Serbia, Montenegro, Vojvodina, Kosovo and Metohija
are Orthodox Christians. They have been Orthodox Christians for a thousand
years. Millions of Serbians have died throughout history rather than give
up their Faith. Many times in the past they have defended all of Christendom
in the face of death. I implore you, Mr. President,
do not make us party to the death of any more Serbians during this Holiest
of times.
I must tell you, Mr. Clinton,
I was deeply saddened when I heard reports that NATO
forces have written "Happy Easter" on some of the bombs dropped
over Yugoslavia. I hope these reports are untrue. If our intention
is to insult the entire Serbian, people and nation it was enough that the
day German airplanes in the NATO airstrikes dropped bombs on Serbia last
week was the anniversary of a great day in Serbian history. No German planes
had seen combat since World War Two until this recent NATO strike. In March
of 1941 the Serbs were pounded by the German Luftwaffe (airforce) because
they made the decision to fight against Hitler and join the Allies. On
the 58th anniversary of that great day the Luftwaffe again has dropped
bombs on the Serbs. I am sure you see the significance of that, Mr. Clinton,
just as I am sure you see the
significance in fighting a war gauged to humiliate and insult an entire
civilization.
Recently
during decisions made while planning for a military strike against Iraq
the decision, as announced by you to the American people, was made to cease
any military strikes during the period of Ramadan. Ramadan is a
holy time for all Muslims and as Iraq is populated by millions of Muslims
you did the proper thing, the good thing, in making that decision. I am
imploring you to do the right thing, the good thing, and call off NATO
strikes against the people of Serbia, Montenegro, Vojvodina, Kosovo, and
Metohija, during Orthodox Christian Great and Holy Week. Not to do so would
be extremely painful to not only Serbian Orthodox Christians but to Albanian,
Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Beylorussian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Arab, African,
and Asian Orthodox Christians as well. I know from personal experience,
having Albanians in my Cathedral here in New York, that the Albanian Orthodox
Christians are suffering as much as anyone in Yugoslavia is.
The Nineteenth century French
philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, was a keen observer of the American
Nation. It was he who saw the greatness that was (and still is) America
when he said, "America is great because she is good. When she ceases
to be good she will cease to be great."
Do what is good, Mr. President,
and keep America, keep us, a great nation.
I pray that the Glorious Resurrection
of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may enter your heart.
In Christ, I remain, the unworthy
monk,
Metropolitan Archbishop PAVLOS
Of the Greek Orthodox Old Calendar
Church of America
But Adolf Clinton
knows no God. At least no Christian one. NATO has bombed all through the
Holy Week.
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