The First Anniversary of the Tragic War in the Middle East (October 7, 2023)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

As we all remember, on October 7th 2023 Hamas gunmen entered the Jewish Kibbutz and the cities of southern Israel and spread death, abuse and rape at a Festival where young people danced for peace! That day 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 were kidnapped.

From that day, a horrible war began in the Middle East between Israelis, Hamas and Hezbollah of Lebanon; other countries, such as Iran and Yemen, also got involved in it. In a central newspaper article on October 7, 2024, one year after the start of the war, the results of this horrible war were written.

"Since this day last year (October 7, 2023) 1.9 million Palestinians, 1 million Lebanese and 60 thousand Israelis have been displaced. Hamas has launched 12,000 rockets at Israel and Hezbollah 8,000. Iran 500 missiles and drones. Israel has already spent 67 billion dollars on the conflict and the economy of Gaza has shrunk by 86%" (TA NEA, p. 2, Monday 10/7/2024).

Elder Hieronymos of Aegina and the Good Turkish Judge

Elder Hieronymos was from Cappadocia and was a renowned spiritual father from his monastery in Aegina. He reposed in 1966.

Shortly before World War I, a Turk visited Fr. Hieronymos' humble hermitage. The Turk told the Elder that his master, a Judge, had sent him to invite the Elder to his house.

The Elder became a little worried. He was not accustomed to receiving invitations to "social receptions" and his mind began to suspect that he might experience some evil or temptation. However, he prayed to God and followed the Turkish servant.

On their arrival at the Judge's large home, the Judge himself welcomed him – with much warmth, as a matter of fact. They sat on a large divan and the judge began the conversation:

Muslim Turks Who Venerate Saint Panteleimon

By Nikos Chiladakis

Kuzguncuk is a suburb of Istanbul on the Asian side, which before 1956 had a number of Romaioi residents.

The most impressive event of the area was the great festival of Saint Panteleimon that took place every summer on July 26, the day before the Saint's feast day. The amazing thing about this festival was that thousands of Turks came to honor and venerate the Saint. But even today this temple gathers many Turkish Muslim pilgrims, usually with some health problems who ask the Saint for the grace of healing.

According to an impressive survey by the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet with the title, "Hangi kiliseye hangi umutla gidiyolar", that is, "To Which Church Do They Go With Some Hope", a place of pilgrimage for the Turks is the Church of Saint Panteleimon in Kuzguncuk.

Date Set for the Reopening of the Chora Church as a Mosque

The Monastery of Chora, known today in Turkish as Kariye Camii, was an 11th century Orthodox Christian monastery in Constantinople that was converted by the Ottomans into a mosque in the 16th century. It operated as a museum since 1958, though after the decision of the Turkish Supreme Court in 2019 and a presidential decree on August 21, 2020, it was reconverted into a mosque as was nearby Hagia Sophia before it, despite Istanbul having already 3,113 mosques. However, soon after this decree was issued, the reconverted mosque closed in order to make preparations for its regular use as a house of worship for Muslims, with an undetermined date for its reopening. While the restoration process was continuing, Kariye Camii was kept open to visitors as a museum.

What Was Paidomazoma (Devshirme) and Who Were the Janissaries?

 

By Marios Novakopoulos, Internationalist

Paidomazoma, or the mass kidnapping of children. This word resonates to this day as one of the most painful memories of the Turkish occupation, which both as a human tragedy and as a tool of biological oppression haunts the conscience of the Greeks.

Paidomazoma, Devshirme in Turkish, is the compulsory recruitment of the children of the Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire, to staff the army and administration of the sultan. The most famous body that absorbed the victims of paidomazoma was the famous Janissary guard.

The system of paidomazoma was introduced around 1430 by Sultan Murat I, but individual conscriptions had started since the time of Sultan Bayezid in 1395. But why did the Ottomans implement such a policy? The answer lies in the deepest needs of Sultanate politics.