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Orthodox Observer November 1996

Archbishop, Political Leaders Condemn Bombing

NEW YORK — Archbishop Spyridon and many political and religious leaders swiftly condemned the Sept. 30 grenade attack on the Ecumenical Patriarchate and urged Turkish government leaders to bring the perpetrators to swift and sure justice.

His Eminence called upon President Clinton and political and religious leaders in the United States Christian, Jewish and Muslim to condemn those claiming responsibility for the attack and to act to protect the Patriarchate from continuing harassment.

Following his plea, the following government officials and national and international organizations also issued statements of condemnation after the bombing, including the State Department, U.S. Sens. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Olympia Snowe of Maine, U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Lee Hamilton, Eliot L. Engel and Ben Gilman of New York, Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, John Porter of Illinois, Nancy Pelosi of California, Michael Bilirakis and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the World Council of Churches, AHEPA, World Council of Hellenes Abroad, and the Hellenic American National Council.

A statement issued by Nicholas Burns, spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, says, "Our mission in Turkey has confirmed the report of a grenade attack against the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox faith in Istanbul. The grenade was thrown into the Patriarchate's garden. According to the best available information, no-one was injured in the attack although there was some damage from the explosion.

We understand that a claim of responsibility has been made in the name of the Great Eastern Islamic Raiders Front. We strongly condemn this act of violence. We are in contact with the Turkish government and the Patriarchate regarding an investigation of this matter."

Sen. Robert Dole also issued a statement, saying that he supports religious freedom for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. "The integrity of the Patriarchate must be ensured, the Halki School of Theology must be reopened and the perpetrators of terrorist attacks against the Patriarchate must be apprehended and brought to justice," he said.

Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, in a message to Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, pointed out that the Patriarchate's continued presence in Istanbul was "guaranteed by international agreements.

"We assure you, as we have done with your predecessors, our full cooperation in assuring the full respect due to the Patriarchate and its protection in the future from any further act of intolerance and aggression," Raiser wrote.

He also expressed his deep concern to Patriarch Bartholomew over the bomb attack.

The hand grenade was tossed into the compound of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul causing damage to the newly restored patriarchal Cathedral of St. George. The Islamic Great East Raiders Front, a group fighting to install a strict Islamic regime, claimed responsibility for the incident in a telephone call to an Istanbul daily newspaper, Hurriyet.

Residents of the neighborhood of Balat, where the Patriarchate is located, reported that they heard gun shots at the time of the attack, the newspaper said.

The Islamic Great East Raiders Front has claimed responsibility for several bombings in the past, most of them targeting Istanbul restaurants, hotels and nightclubs.

In 1994, the same organization placed a bomb in a section of Patriarch Bartholomew's residence and had threatened to kill him. @

Text of His Eminence's statement

"I wish to express the outrage and shock of the Orthodox Christian community of the United States, and that of all Americans of good will, in condemning the grenade attack on the Ecumenical Patriarchate which took place in Istanbul on September 30, 1996.

"We thank God that His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his staff were unharmed. However, we are gravely concerned that serious damage was done to the newly restored Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George.

"This senseless and shameful attack violates both the sanctity and safety of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and is an affront to universally accepted principles of religious freedom and human rights. For surely, an attack on the Cathedral of Saint George, is an attack on all houses of worship, everywhere. It is particularly disturbing to Orthodox Christians in America that their spiritual center should be continually subject to conditions that prevent it from functioning freely.

"On behalf of the clergy and laity of our Church, I call upon the Turkish national government and all other relevant authorities to take immediate and serious measures to ensure the protection of the Patriarchate. Furthermore, I ask that all necessary actions be taken to bring the perpetrators who have claimed responsibility for this attack the Islamic Great East Raiders Front to swift and sure justice. I also intend to discuss the current situation with other American religious leaders Christian, Jewish and Muslim in order to prevent future threats and attacks on holy sites and places of worship.

"Finally, I would urge the faithful both here and abroad to exercise Christian patience and restraint in dealing with this awful event, mindful that only through love and understanding, on all sides, can such reprehensible acts be ultimately overcome."

[ Orthodox Observer - Vol. 61, No. 1120, November 1996 - pp. 1, 2, 23 ]