ENVIRONMENT-RELIGION: Greek Soap Opera on High Seas Amazes Greens

By Pratap Chatterjee Reprint | | Print |

Pratap Chatterjee

ATHENS, Oct 1 1995 (IPS) - Take a large helping of Greek politics, a healthy dose of religion, assorted stories about dying dolphins and seals, mix them up on an island near the Mediterranean, and you have the plot for the voyage of the cruise ship Preveli.

The Greek Orthodox Church hired the Preveli to take 150 environmental and religious thinkers to the Greek island of Patmos to compare John’s book of ‘Revelation’ in the Christian New Testament with the crisis facing the planet’s oceans and seas.

But Greek and Turkish politics interfered with the proceedings.

The discussions came to an abrupt end Sep. 25 on Patmos sea when Dimitra Papandreou, the new wife of the 77-year old ailing Greek prime minister Andreas Papandreou made a dramatic entry.

Papendreou, who had organised a rival conference aboard the cruise ship Marina, has been criticised in the Greek press for using an army helicopter and state marching bands to help her win support for her campaign to become a member of parliament.

The 37-year old former air hostess and erstwhile mistress to the prime minister entered the meeting flanked by five Greek cabinet ministers, including her step-son, the minister of religion and education.

“We bless these joyous fruits of this symposium, which by God’s grace has come to a close,” Bartholomew, the patriarch of the Greek orthodox church, said suddenly ending the talks.

Metropolitan John, the bishop of the Greek city of Pergamon, read a series of conclusions and explained that the church had decided to continue its environmental work in order to cease being “marginalised.”

The participants were visibly stunned.

“We have been hijacked. Nobody has shown us these conclusions,” said one environmentalist, who preferred not to be named.

“This is simply vulgar. It’s a scandal,” said another.

Seated next to the two religious leaders was George Myrko, the president of the Association of Greek Banks, which paid out 100 million drachma (393,000 dollars) to sponsor the meeting. Myrko immediately announced that he would pay for the creation of an international environmental centre on Patmos.

The discussions were allowed to proceed after the ministers departed. Metropolitan John apologised for the incident the following day, claiming that there had been a terrible mix-up.

People were hardly convinced.

“It seems that the church has already planned what it wants to do. We were brought along as wallpaper to make the church look more legitimate,” said one upset participant.

The week-long trip, which ended Sep. 27, marked the 1900th anniversary of the writing of ‘Revelation’ on Patmos. Written by John, believed to be a disciple of Jesus, the book warns readers of a coming apocalypse.

No expense was spared to bring speakers from countries as far flung as Western Samoa in the south Pacific and Jamaica in the Caribbean.

If nothing else, the trip demonstrated that the church is taken seriously at the very top of Greek government.

Andreas Papendreou, other members of his cabinet, and a number of members of parliament, attended a series of religious ceremonies conducted by Bartholomew.

But in neighbouring Turkey, where Bartholomew lives at the traditional headquarters of the Orthodox Church, support was less obvious.

The dislike of the church dates back to the early part of the millennium when the region as well as the church was ruled by the Byzantine emperors from the ancient city of Constantinople.

Turkish warriors sacked Constantinople in 1453, bringing the empire to an end. Today, the ruins of this city lie scattered throughout the modern-day Istanbul.

Turkish Islamic fundamentalists denounced a day-long visit of the Preveli, and local religious leaders cancelled plans to join the tour. Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, who resigned the day before the ship arrived, also cancelled a meeting with the patriarch at the last moment.

Rahmi Koc, Turkey’s wealthiest businessman and the only public figure who did join the trip, caused a stir when he threw a banquet for the patriarch. The main entertainment took the form of a band that was accompanied by two scantily-dressed dancing women.

But environmental and religious thinkers on board the Preveli were not completely disappointed with the trip.

The church, which claims some 150 million followers world-wide, “was receptive to our presentations on regional environmental crises,” said one observer.

Scientists on board told the religious leaders that environmental catastrophe was already a reality in the Mediterranean.

As recently as 1990, some 600 dead or dying striped dolphins were washed ashore on Greek and Turkish beaches, the victims of a virus that scientists believe may have been linked to water pollution.

Other species remain at risk.

“Less than five monk seals remain in the Black sea since the dynamiting of their only breeding ground in Bulgaria 10 years ago,” said Lawrence Mee, a marine biologist from Istanbul. “In the Mediterranean, there are only 300 left.”

The straits of Bosphorus, which form part of the link between the Black sea and the Mediterranean, have been severely polluted by the 60 plus international vessels that pass through daily with oil, chemicals, and nuclear waste.

These waters are bordered by countries with large numbers of followers of the Orthodox Church. Environmentalists seek to educate them with the help of the church.

Orthodox Church followers all recognise Bartholomew as their spiritual leader — “the all holiness, the ecumenical patriarch”.

Expressing strong support for the patriarch was U.S. under- secretary for global affairs Tim Wirth who was on the week-long trip.

Wirth told participants that his government hoped to work with the Orthodox Church to solve environmental problems in the region.