Santa Cruz GREEK community keeps food, traditions alive

Anastasia Karastamatis, who is known as Presbytera at the Prophet Elias GREEK Orthodox Church in Santa Cruz, sits on one of the church's pews on ...

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The Turkish Kristallnacht

Sixty years after its pogroms against ethnic Greeks, Turkey grapples with its ugly history.

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Greek Orthodox priest celebrates inaugural orthros, Divine ...

Rev. Anthony Savas celebrated his inaugural orthros and Divine Liturgy with the Greek Orthodox Mission Parish of Utah, Sunday at a rented space in the St ...

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AP Nation / World

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A Buddhist temple founder wants to incorporate the religion and culture into the Greek system at San Diego State University.

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Pope calls on every European parish to host one migrant family each

Pope Francis called on Sunday on every European parish and religious community to take in one migrant family each in a gesture of solidarity he said would start in the tiny Vatican state where he lives. "I appeal to the parishes, the religious communities, the monasteries and sanctuaries of all Europe to ... take in one family of refugees," he said after his Sunday address in the Vatican. The pope's call goes out to tens of thousands of Catholic parishes in Europe as the number of refugees arriving over land through the Balkans and across the Mediterranean to Italy and Greece hits record levels.

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Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate conducts mass with 140 bishops from around world

Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Bartholomew has performed a mass marking the beginning of the church’s calendar with the participation of some 140 metropolitan bishops and archbishops from around the world.

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In Islamic State war, like others, heritage always a target

CAIRO (AP) — A nearly 2,000-year-old temple in the Syrian city of Palmyra this week was the latest victim in the Islamic State group's campaign of destruction of historic sites across the territory it controls in Iraq and Syria. The group has destroyed ancient buildings and artifacts, as well as shrines to Shiite and Sunni Muslim saints — looting some sites for profit — all in the name of purging what it considers symbols of idolatry to create a society dedicated solely to its extreme and violent interpretation of Islam. The IS campaign has horrified many around the world with a scope of destruction that hasn't been seen for decades. Still, it isn't unprecedented. Throughout the centuries, invaders, religious fanatics and colonizers have targeted works of art, houses of worship and other pieces of heritage. The goal is often to uproot, eliminate, replace or impose control over the culture and heritage of their opponents. Nearly every ethnic or religious conflict across history has seen at least some cultural destruction, along with genocides like the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews. Below is a look at some examples: WAHHABISM The Islamic State group's rabid ideology against shrines and historical sites is rooted in Wahhabism, the ultraconservative Sunni Muslim interpretation preached by Sheikh Mohammed Abdul-Wahhab, who lived in the 1700s in what is now Saudi Arabia. Allied with the powerful Saud family, Abdul-Wahhab's followers destroyed anything they saw as promoting idolatry or polytheism, including shrines of Shiite and Sufi saints, and the destruction of a major Shiite shrine at Karbala in what is now Iraq. Today, the alliance with Wahhabism remains one of the foundations of rule by the Al Saud royal family. PROTESTANT REFORMATION During the Reformation in 16th century Europe, Protestant preachers railed in sermons against Catholic statues of saints and other religious relics as forms of idolatry. Mobs of Protestants attacked hundreds of Catholic churches, particularly in France, Germany and the Netherlands, destroying statues and images — and in England under King Henry VIII, churches were stripped of their relics and riches. The result erased from Europe's cultural landscape untold numbers of works of art. SPAIN During the Muslim invasion of Spain in the 8th century, churches were often destroyed or turned into mosques. Conversely, when Christians took back the peninsula in the centuries-long Reconquista, completed in the 15th century, they destroyed mosques or turned them into churches. Also, after King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella ordered the expulsion of Jews from the peninsula in 1492, synagogues were turned into churches. SECOND JEWISH TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM Roman armies destroyed the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. after a revolt against Roman rule. The temple, built 500 years earlier to replace the first temple destroyed by the Babylonians, was the heart of Judaism. The first temple had held the Ark of the Covenant, which vanished after the Babylonian conquest. All that remains of the second temple is its Western Wall, which is today the holiest site in Judaism, located at the base of Jerusalem's Temple Mount. THE AZTECS' TEMPLO MAYOR Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, in 1521, bringing to an end the empire that ruled over much of what is now Mexico. To root out the local religion, Cortes ordered temples destroyed, including the Templo Mayor, the giant step pyramid at the center of Aztec spiritual culture — and site of their human sacrifices. The temple was leveled, and a Catholic church built on its remains. Parts of the temple were uncovered in the 1970s during the digging of a metro in Mexico City. BENIN From the 15th to 17th centuries, Benin — in modern-day Nigeria — was one of the grandest capitals in Africa. In the late 19th century, negotiations with the British trying to dominate the area and its trade turned bloody, with Benin's troops killing a British expeditionary force. In retaliation, British troops captured the city and burned it to the ground, destroying its palaces and religious sites. They also carted off some 2,500 works of art, including bronze and ivory sculptures and plaques and the palace's carved wooden gate. BEIJING'S OLD SUMMER PALACE During the Second Opium War, waged by Britain and France against China to force it to open up markets and legalize the opium trade, British troops in 1860 destroyed the sprawling Old Summer Palace in retaliation after the Chinese tortured and executed members of a British diplomatic mission. Built some 100 years earlier, the palace was a sprawling complex of palaces, pavilions and gardens filled with works of art. After orders came from Britain's High Commissioner in China, Lord Elgin — notorious for his looting of marbles from Greece's Parthenon — it took 3,500 troops three days to burn down and tear apart the palace. BABRI MOSQUE Hindu extremists tore down the 16th-century Babri Mosque in northern India in 1992, sparking riots across the country that left at least 2,000 people dead. Hindu groups claim the mosque was built after a temple dedicated to the Hindu god King Rama was destroyed by Muslim invaders, though that claim is disputed by some historians. Still, it's undisputed that over the centuries, Muslim invaders of South Asia did destroy Hindu holy sites. For example, the Somnath Temple in western India was destroyed multiple times by Muslim rulers, the first time in the 11th century. MODERN-DAY ISLAMIC MILITANTS For decades in the 20th century, Islamic militant groups in the Middle East, including al-Qaida, put little emphasis on destroying shrines or historical sites. But al-Qaida's ally the Taliban brought back the tactic in dramatic fashion in 2001 when they blew up the two towering 1,500-year-old statues of Buddha carved into a mountain in the Afghan region of Bamiyan, stunning the world. Since then, the tactic has gained prominence among Islamic extremists as a way to tout their claim to "purify" society and create their vision of an Islamic state. Sunni hard-liners have increasingly attacked shrines across the Middle East. In the West African nation of Mali, Islamic radicals in 2012 overran Timbuktu, the historic city of Islamic culture. The militants destroyed 14 of the city's 16 tombs of prominent figures and thinkers and also targeted the library of camel-skin-bound manuscripts dating back to the 13th century that included ancient learning in astronomy, law, history and philosophy. They set fire to the institute where many of the manuscripts were stored, destroying an estimated 4,000 — though the majority were successfully spirited out of the city by the library's custodians. Join the conversation about this story »

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Pop Artist. Provocateur. Catholic. Who was Andy Warhol?

Most readers may be surprised to learn that the gay icon – Andy Warhol - who made an immense impact on 20th century graphic arts - was throughout his entire life a devout Greek (or Byzantine) Catholic. We believe the article below will be of considerable interest to any fan of modern art, particularly our large Greek Catholic readership.   Note: We recommend you consider this article your culture “Must Read” of the day. Editor 

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Panepirotic Federation Condemns Church Destruction in Albania

NEW YORK – The Albanian government’s destruction on August 26 of a Greek Orthodox Church in the Chimara region provoked a condemnation from the Panepirotic Federation of America and demands for a new sites and funds for the rebilding of the Chuech “The razing of St. Athanasius Church echoes the brutal actions of the Stalinist […] The post Panepirotic Federation Condemns Church Destruction in Albania appeared first on The National Herald.

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Greekfest set for Sept. 25-27 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church

St. George Greek Orthodox Church's popular celebration of Greek food, music, faith and culture will take place Sept. 25-27 at the church, 4070 ...

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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in McCandless to offer 'Taste of Greece'

Starting to feel at home at Babcock Boulevard and Cumberland Road in McCandless, the folks at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church will host their ...

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Mike Tolbert feeling good, says he looks like 'a chiseled, Greek god'

Looking like a chiseled, Greek god right now. I feel great man. Ready to ride.” Tolbert has been knocking it out of the park with his one-liners, but he ...

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Albania Razes Church, Greece Complains

Greece complained to the European Commission and Council of Europe over the demolition of an Orthodox church in the village of Dhermi, Albania. The post Albania Razes Church, Greece Complains appeared first on The National Herald.

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Albanian Church Demolition Angers Greece

… Church and neighbouring Greece, which supports the … nationalists against the Greek-supported Orthodox Church. … Greek nationalists during recent years. Home to a significant Greek minority, some Greek … country, Albania,” a Greek Foreign Ministry spokesperson …

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'Wish Trees' Attract Visitors in Saint Voukolos Greek Orthodox Church

Sait Voukolos The olive and myrtle tree saplings that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and İzmir mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu planted on February 6 at the ...

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Greek festival proceeds will help Springs church secure larger location

After 17 years, the annual Greek Festival at the Archangel Micheal Greek Orthodox Church on Paseo Road can no longer be contained by the ...

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Constantinople’s Greeks Want Turkish “Patriarchs” out of Orthodox Cemetery

CONSTANTINOPLE – The Greek Orthodox community in Constantinople wants to remove the graves of Papa Efhtim and his sons, Papas Efthim II and III, from its historic cemetery in Constantinopole, the Hurriyet Daily News reported. Efhtim declared himself the pope of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate, which he founded in 1921 (other accounts date the founding […] The post Constantinople’s Greeks Want Turkish “Patriarchs” out of Orthodox Cemetery appeared first on The National Herald.

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Greek Catholic chaplain tends to soldiers' spiritual needs at front line positions

Andriy Zelinskiy, Greek Catholic chaplain: "My prayer books, the things I need to celebrate the liturgy. And here's my weapon. You know – Ukrainian ...

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Proceeds of Greek Festival go Toward Greek Church

All of the proceeds from the festival go right back to the Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Church, and this year the church is celebrating 50 years in the ...

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John Stamos Turns 52, Is This What A Greek God Looks Like?

John Stamos celebrated his 52 birthday this week by sharing a half-dressed photo of himself, proving that 52 looks great on him! The actor, Oikos ...

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