← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Bardamu
Thread ID: 9762 | Posts: 3 | Started: 2003-09-13
2003-09-13 13:39 | User Profile
11-September-2003 -- Catholic World News Brief
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SAYS MONKS MUST END 1000-YEAR MALE-ONLY TRADITION
[url=http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=39058]http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=39058[/url]
Athens, Sep. 11 (LifesiteNews.com/CWN) - For a thousand years, the Greek Orthodox monks of Mount Athos have been praying in quiet and seclusion, unmolested by the outside world. But their peace may be coming to an end in the name of tolerance and non-discrimination. A plenary session of the European Parliament has passed a proposal/report demanding that the Greek government rescind the special protection the monks have enjoyed for a millennium.
Mount Athos (or "Hagion Oros," i.e. Holy Mountain) has constituted the heart of the Orthodox ascetic life for more than one thousand years. As such, it could be said that it also serves as the guardian of what is referred to as the Orthodox Art. In its thousand year tradition, no women have been allowed to visit the island. Now the tolerance and anti-discrimination movement centered in the European Parliament are set to forcibly impose their views on the monks.
"It's simply unbelievable," said Hilary White, spokesman for Campaign Life Catholic. "Is no-one ever to be left alone by these busybodies? As a Catholic woman, I can truly say that I have always been grateful that the monks of Athos have been there praising, worshipping, and interceding with God on my behalf and I have never felt the slightest desire to go there and disturb their peace. Who will liberate us from these tyrants of secularist tolerance when they have eliminated all traces of religious freedom from every corner of the world?"
The Greek Socialist members of the European Parliament refused to vote in favor of the proposal. Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Tassos Yiannitsis said such a demand "would be in direct confrontation with fundamental, 1,000-year-old traditions, our faith, and the monastic spirit of the Mountain."
2003-09-13 15:07 | User Profile
Nothing is sacred to these "people". I hope the monks are in a mood to put up armed resistance and defenders of the faith step foward. That looks like the only way we'll keep Mt. Athos sacred.
2003-09-13 20:57 | User Profile
These stupid EU f*cks! Lets just see them try to move against the monks, I'm sure thousands of Greeks will come out and march in support of the monks.