email:vema@bigpond.net.au

NOVEMBER 2005 Tel. (02) 9559 7022 Fax: (02) 9559 7033

THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN

VEMAThe oldestcirculating

Greeknewspaper

outsideGreece

PAGES 8/26-9/27

In this issue... Our Primate’s View

‘Audacity’ and ‘hypocrisy’

PAGE 19/37

GIANNA ANGELOPOULOS:

‘Games paid off

for Greece’

PAGE 16/34

PAGE 18/36

TRAVEL:

Mountains and beaches

in southwestern Crete

WINDOWS TO ORTHODOXY:

Neo-Chalcedonism

and the Fifth

Ecumenical Council:A Supplement to the Christological

Teaching of Chalcedon

PAGE 5/23

Holy Land’soldest church

uncoveredWorkers at an archeological dig next toan Israeli prison close to the site of theBiblical Armageddon have uncovered theremains of a church believed to be amongthe earliest ever found.

The remains were found two weeks ago,while excavations were being carried outprior to issuing building permits for a newwing of the Megiddo prison, in northernIsrael, which houses security prisoners.

The site is close to Tel Megiddo, believedto be the Armageddon of the New Testa-ment book of Revelation.

Found on the floor of the structure was aninscription written in Greek dedicating themonument (photo) to the “Lord JesusChrist”. The mosaic floor also featured dec-orations of fish, the symbol of early Chris-tianity.

Ruins of an altar were found in the centreof the building. Israel Archeological Associ-ation excavation supervisor Jotham Tefersaid the content, wording and style of theinscriptions date the structure to the 3rd-4thcenturies AD.“This is a unique building, which is impor-

tant for an initial understanding of

Christianity as a well-known and officialreligion,” he was quoted as saying.

Christian rituals were prohibited in theRoman Empire prior to the year 313 AD,and Christians were forced to pray in secretin catacombs or private homes.

The earliest churches, dating from about

330 AD, are the Holy Sepulchre inJerusalem, the Nativity in Bethlehem andAlonei Mamre near Hebron. But they con-tain only scant remains of the original struc-tures, which were built by EmperorConstantine I.

FULL STORY PAGE 18/36

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UNESCO honours

Zorba the Greek

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NOVEMBER 2005The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA2/20

ARCHAEOLOGISTS ENTER KING TUT'S TOMBNovember 26, 1922

In Egypt's Valley of the Kings, Britisharchaeologists Howard Carter and LordCarnarvon become the first souls to enterKing Tutankhamen's tomb in more than3,000 years. Tutankhamen's sealed burialchambers were miraculously intact, andinside was a collection of several thousandpriceless objects, including a gold coffincontaining the mummy of the teenageking.

FIRST HUMAN HEART TRANSPLANT

December 3, 1967

On December 3, 1967, 53 year-old LewisWashkansky receives the first human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospi-tal in Cape Town, South Africa.

MARCONI SENDS FIRST ATLANTICWIRELESS TRANSMISSION

December 12, 1901

Italian physicist and radio pioneer Gug-lielmo Marconi succeeds in sending thefirst radio transmission across the AtlanticOcean, disproving detractors who told himthat the curvature of the earth would limittransmission to 200 miles or less. The mes-sage- simply the Morse-code signal for theletter "s"- traveled more than 2,000 milesfrom Poldhu in Cornwall, England, to

Newfoundland, Canada.

PEARL HARBOR BOMBEDDecember 7, 1941

At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanesedive bomber bearing the red symbolof the Rising Sun of Japan on itswings appears out of the cloudsabove the island of Oahu. A swarm of360 Japanese warplanes followed,descending on the U.S. naval base atPearl Harbor in a ferocious assault.The surprise attack struck a criticalblow against the U.S. Pacific fleetand drew the United States irrevoca-bly into World War II.

Bequest heralds a Greek revivalThe late Bill Ritchie devoted his life to the study of ancientGreek. As the University of Sydney chair of Greek for morethan 25 years, he has rarely seen away from his desk under theclocktower, and shared his love of the language with thousandsof students.

Following his death in July 2004, a $5 million bequest to theUniversity has provided the means to inspire future generations ofstudents. The gift will be used to protect and promote the study ofGreek, and will enable the recreation of a new permanent positionat the University, to be names the Ritchie Chair of Greek.

Professor Ritchie was the last holder of the chair of Greek at theUniversity - after his retirement in 1991 it merged with Latin tobecome ths chair of classics.

The bequest is also expected to fundscholarships, a post-doctor-al fellowship and various research projects.

An ambitious research project already under way in the Classicand Ancient History department of the ARC-funded study ofdrama by Professors Peter Wilson and Eric Csapo.

“Bill’s scholarly expertise was in the field of Greek drama - hespecialiased in Greek tragedy - so there is a nice continuity there”,said Professor Wilson, one of Professor Ritchie’s former studentand the current chair of the department.

Wilson and Csapo are using the evidence of inscriptions, artefactsand vases as well as classical texts to understand the role of dramain the ancient world. Their work so far has suggested, from archae-logical evidence, that Athenian drama spread much more widely inthe ancient world than previously thought.Professor Wiulson said Bill Ritchie would have been pleased withthe current state of Greek at the University. Classics and ancienthistory are now united in a single department, and both are attract-ing the interest of students.“Ancient history and classical studies are extremely popular, andstudent numbers are healthy in courses such as beginners Greek”,he said. “This bequest ensures that the wonderful heritage ofClassical Greece lives on at Sydney”.

Source: The University of Sydney News, 19 August 2005

Archbishop’s Speech from the Year 12 Doxology

at St Spyridon ChurchReverend Clergy, Committee Members, Thestaff of the College, parents, supporters andabove all beloved boys and girls belovedchildren in the Lord.

It gives all of us great satisfaction and a feel-ing of gratitude to God and to you as well forcoming to this great moment of your endeav-ours. The subjects that you have been taughtin this College are not irrelevant to the willof God. This is why you are in a Churchschool. You do not necessarily need to beChristian. It is enough if you respect theAlmighty, the invisible, whatever one maycall Him. You are entitled to participate inthese studies because we Christians andJews and a lot of other monotheistic reli-gions, know how to respect God the Almightyeven if in different ways. Of course, themajority of you as is natural, are GreekOrthodox and we are happy to know this, notbecause we want to separate the Orthodoxfrom other denominations and other reli-gions but because we know that theOrthodox have the highest responsibility toserve the non Orthodox and non Christiansmore than their own sisters and brothers incommon faith, in order to convince them thatGod incarnate whom we adore is present ineveryone, in every human being regardless ifthey know it or not. The main thing for us isthat we know who they are, we know howmuch we have to do for them for the sake ofthe common Lord.

Today, once more, we have come together;the entire College, the staff, the Head ofCollege, the teachers, the Board ofGovernors, the clergy, and my humble per-son as your spiritual Father. I come first inresponsibility for spiritual questions and forall those who care for you, in order to prayespecially for one class, for Year 12. A yearwhich is in my heart, specifically signified bythe tragic event that we miss one. Petroulais present today in the person of her mother.Maria is with us and Maria is also the VirginMary who cares more than Maria aboutPetroula. How quickly time has gone sinceyou were in Year 10, when we experiencedthat pain.

Now you have completed your studies, youare preparing for the HSC examination, youare preparing for your continuation in life indifferent walks of life. Only God knows what

God keeps in His providence for each one ofyou boys and girls. I am sure that yourteachers, your parents, your relatives, allthose who care for you have tried to do theirbest for you; but still there remains a greatdeal for you to do to make the best out of thequalities that God has given you.

You have heard in the Epistle of St Paul to theCorinthians, how he tries to describe thecontradictory nature of the Apostle. He isnot ashamed, the greatest and the mostdeveloped, the most intelligent and the mostspiritual of the Apostles I would say, to statethat we have become a question mark tohuman beings and the angels, with all thecontradictions that we have in our lives. Onthe one hand we are wise in Christ, on theother hand we are foolish for this world.Secular values are different from spiritualvalues and this becomes tragic for theApostles. And the Apostles were not only the12, not only the 70, not only the 500.Apostles are all those who have received

and followed the mission. Ôhey havereceived some gifts with the obligation tospread these gifts to all of us. In anothercontext, the divine text states “ÌáèçôåýóáôåðÜíôá ôá Ýèíç. Go and make disciplesamong all nations”. This is the point allnations. We are proud in Australia to live ina society which we always call with pridemulticultural. All possible cultures, all pos-sible religions, moral, social and ideologicalvalues but with one common denominator,one quality - respect for the human person.Not because we think “everything God madeis for us; let us do whatever we like with theentire universe!” This would be hubris, arro-gance and blasphemy. And we do not needthe Greens to teach us how to respect natureand the universe. The sacredness of natureis the first obligation.

If we all respect the human person werespect God. If we respect our neighbour werespect ourselves. If we respect our fellowhuman beings and ourselves we do His will.We do not need to be afraid of the contradic-tions in our lives. I am sure you are matureenough after receiving your certificate to seehow you can utilise in the best possible wayboth knowledge and virtue. Because knowl-edge without virtue cannot bear any fruits.The fear of God and the love of humanbeings. These two simple points will be lead-

ing you throughout your whole lives. Weshall pray not only today, officially, but in thenext weeks and months until you havealready reached some concrete stage of yourendeavours in the future. And we shall com-memorate you and follow you in all the activ-ities which you will undertake. I do not needto remind you once again that your Parishand Church, your College, your teachersand friends will be ready to advise and col-laborate with you, to rejoice in your success-es.

Only one thing I will ask: let us know when-ever you have a problem, whenever you havea question, whenever you need to share somethings or thoughts. Come back and speakwith us, regardless of what it is and we shallagain be happy to be of assistance and torejoice as I said in your achievements.

I do not need to say more, I am not able tosay more, actually we should only pray atthis moment.God bless you and have full success in allthat you undertake so that we can be proudof you, so that we can be happy to know thatyou are enriching Australia and throughAustralia, you are enriching our presentworld. Amen

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/21

I had a fascinating conversation with an oldacquaintance the other day; fascinating, notso much because of what was said, butbecause we were both genuinely interestedin finding out what the other had to say. Wewere discussing marriage, or more particu-larly, the dissolution of his.

Our paths hadn’t crossed for several yearsand the last time we did meet, I felt he wasvery angry. I shrugged it off, but realise nowthat at that time he had only just decided toseparate from his wife and to move out ofthe family home, and was suffering the fullonslaught of disapproval from those whoknew both him and his wife. It is only now,several years later, he feels safe discussingthe issue with anyone. It is only now that herfriends are once again speaking to him, andhis friends are speaking to her. Probably, thishas come about because these friends haveobserved that both he and his former wifeare actually getting along together, quitenicely.

As a professional health worker, he wasoften required to advise people. Trained toact confidently (to inspire confidence), hismanner of conversation has now changedrather noticeably. His own marriage break-

up, and the added burden placed on him, hisformer wife and their children by others, hastempered his reactions to people’s problemsand opinions when it comes to relationships.

Unfortunately, it seems, many of us growup with very narrow models as to how mar-riages should be lived. As children, webecome aware that it is possible for couplesto care deeply for each other and for theirchildren, and yet be unsuited for co-habita-tion. The reasons, or at least the reasons thatmay be obvious, as to why a couple may bemaking each other miserable must varygreatly, but there doesn’t appear to be arange of quality solutions.

One married couple I’ve always foundinteresting lived peacefully and faithfully,yet separately, in the same house, as thoughfinancially independent brother-and-sister.They had married just before the outbreak ofWorld War Two, and the husband had suf-fered four years as a Prisoner of War inChangi. Over time, it became clear to themboth that even though they had appeared tosurvive the War, as a couple, they hadn’t.Some who met them judged their marriage afailure.

However, they felt most comfortableamongst other former POW’s and their fam-ilies, who were more understanding, and lesscritical.

We’re fortunate in that it’s not possible tostep into another’s shoes, to try and seethings through their eyes. The experiencewould be too painful. We can, though, beopen to the fact that there are differences, notonly between people, but in how they liveout their life and fulfil their responsibilities.

Talking Pointby Ann Coward

EditorialA multi-speed Europe

Judging from the talk coming from various corners of theEuropean edifice, it appears that the European Union is head-ed toward a collection of groupings centering on Brussels. Asan idea, the European Union is theoretically alive. But politi-cally it could be breaking up - at least for a period.

On the eve of an informal summit in Hampton Court, nearLondon, French President Jacques Chirac published an articlein the Financial Times last week outlining his vision forEurope. The article ends with an exhortation for eurozonemembers to "deepen political, economic and social integra-tion". Chirac calls such a model of integration one of "pioneer-ing groups". In other words, don't let the eurosceptics (Britain)prevent the federalists (France) from experimenting with newforms of shared sovereignty.

Such 'pioneering' groups already exist. The eurozone, forinstance, comprises only 12 out of 25 EU members. A majornew grouping of 20 members with common rules for corpo-rate taxation could emerge in a few years. The EUCommission will table a paper in a few months, aiming tomake it law before its term expires in 2009.

There are similar experiments for a European army (Franceand Germany created Eurocorps, and in 1999 the EU15 agreedto create a rapid reaction force that complimented Nato).

The French seem particularly keen to pioneer an inner coreof integration with the Germans. Interior Minister NicolasSarkozy, tipped to become president in 2007, recently floatedthe idea of clubbing together with five other large EU mem-bers to dominate European decision-making.

Groupings increasingly seem the trend of the next few years,because centralised decision-making on the big issues at EUsummits is breaking down. Luxembourg's presidency crashedin flames last June when leaders failed to approve a budget forthe 2007-14 period, or to craft a unified response to the rejec-tion of the EU constitution by French and Dutch voters.

The reason is that the EU now has 25 members with very dif-ferently tuned economies. Two profoundly different philoso-phies are emerging on how to build the 'social economy'.

Britain leads the camp that favours Europe's coming to termswith the fact of globalisation by making Europe more compet-itive. That, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said, means less

money spent protecting industries like farming and more spenton research and technology, and re-training of people maderedundant in uncompetitive industries.

France leads the camp that favours fighting globalisationrather than meeting it on its terms. Europe should use its massto protect jobs from corporations that threaten to relocate andits subsidy system to protect industries such as farming andtextiles from ravenous overseas competition, says Chirac.

Blair says 'change or die', Chirac says 'protect your way oflife'. There can be no reconciliation between the two mindsets.

Both leaders will ultimately be unable to sway Europeans,however. Blair is compromised by the fact that he sided withUS President George W Bush (photo) over the war in Iraq.That war was fundamentally unpopular in Europe. By backingit and inviting a breakaway minority of EU members to do thesame, Blair reinforced Britain's image as a Trojan horse for theUS in Europe.

But Blair has built on Conservative policies to reinvigoratehis country's economy, reduce joblessness and reform welfareservices, particularly health and education.

The economy is Chirac's Achilles' Heel, in contrast. Frenchpolitical culture is staunchly statist - much more so even thanthe Greek. (For instance, the French government's currentplans to sell less than 15 percent of Electricite de France, thefirst ever selloff, is being met with a hysterical overreaction ofunion threats and political opposition).

Over the past few years Europe has seen French civil ser-vants strike to avoid losing the right to early retirement, andfarmers and fishermen repeatedly demonstrate against cheap-er imported goods. As a result, unemployment is high, ataround 10 percent. Few in Europe would consider Frenchrevulsion at anything non-French a basis for a continentalsocial and economic model. The two opposed economic philosophies are now clashing in

Brussels. Earlier this month France convened EU foreign min-isters to restrict the negotiating freedom of TradeCommissioner Peter Mandelson. He is preparing a proposalfor deep cuts in farm subsidies in hopes of salvaging a treatyunder the auspices of the World Trade Organisation. The treatywould bring European goods into closer competition withgoods from India and Brazil, and would see correspondingcuts in US farm subsidies. It is likely to be hotly contested atthe next EU summit in December.

One cannot easily recalibrate the balance between opportu-nity and security, and it is clear that one is necessarily at theexpense of the other. Quarrelling over Europe's social and eco-nomic model is likely to go on for some years, therefore, butno-one should expect it to be solved by the leaders of Europealone. Ultimately, the people of Europe will have to tell theirleaders what to do, and that process of speaking and listeningis likely to result in years of timid government and electoralsurprises.

ATHENS NEWS

There’s always more…

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

Central Youth Committee presents:

TÇÇâtÄ V{Ü|áàÅtá WtÇvx

Where: Fanari on The Bay – 12 Merriman St, Kyle Bay When: Sat 3rd December

Time: 6pm till 12.00 midnite, Dinner served @7.30pn Dress: Semi-formal

Cost: $45.00 (includes: 3 course meal, DJ, lucky door prizes)

All tickets RSVP: 01st December

Contacts for Tickets:KOGARAH Angela – 0409 588 185

BELMORE Maria – 0410 584 334

KINGFORD Effie – 0418 607 737

ST EUPHEMIA Peter- 0416 356 562

ST MARYS Dimitri - 0415 879 558

GLADESVILLE Olga - 0408 287 088

BLACKTOWN Jacqui - 0421 030 505

MASCOTGeorgia - 0404 291 084

SUTHERLAND Vicki - 0418 244 036

NOVEMBER 2005The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA4/22

Greek Businesses Rewarded

Do you know someone who deserves a prizefor the way they run their business or the suc-cess they have had in their corporate career?

If you do, why not nominate them for theHACCI Business Excellence Awards 2005?

The Hellenic Australian Chamber ofCommerce and Industry (HACCI) rewards theHellenic business community with the launchof its Business Excellence Awards 2005.Nominations are called from Victorian-basedGreek businesses and Professionals. We arealso seeking nominations for Young Achieversunder the age of 30 and Community Service.Award winners receive prizes, certificates andtrophies. Nominations are to be received byNovember 20th and winners will beannounced at the HACCI Annual Gala Ball,November 25th, 2005. Nomination forms canbe downloaded from http://www.hacci.com.au

For more information contact HACCI on -03 95105255 or email info@hacci.com.au

Annual Ball

The Hellenic Australian Chamber ofCommerce and Industry Annual Gala Ball isback again this year promising to be thebiggest and best so far.

Grab some friends and come along to enjoythe atmosphere at this year’s HACCI Ball. The

HACCI Annual Gala Ball has been runningnow for 19 years. Each year it attracts morethan 300 attendees and is a key event withinthe Greek-Australian business community.The Business Excellence Awards are alsoannounced at this event. HACCI is a non prof-it organization that functions with the dedica-tion of the volunteers that commit their timeand energy to organize events for the Hellenicbusiness community. Your contribution allowsHACCI to continue to provide the services thatyou have come to expect. Come Help cheer onthe 2005 Hellenic Business Excellence Awardwinners, to be announced on the night. Aboveall, enjoy mingling with hundreds of otherlike-minded people as you dance well into thenight.When? Friday 25th November 2005 Where? Hilton on the ParkWhat time? 7.30pm till lateDress? FormalCost? $120 per person

To reserve your tickets email info@-hacci.com.au or Call Hazel on 03 95105255 orTasos Renessis 0414 582 471

Look forward to seeing you there.

Competitive Spirit: Digital

Strategy 2006-2013

From ELKE – Hellenic Centre for Investment

In today's "Information Era," technology is akey driver in creating new business models,new social infrastructures, and new paradigmsof scientific development. Greece's quest tovastly improve and upgrade the nation's com-petitiveness is directly linked to its embrace ofdigital technologies. With the goal of advanc-ing technological development, the govern-ment has announced plans to perform a "digi-tal leap" in productivity and the quality of lifeby establishing IT and communications as thebasic strategic orientation of the country's dig-ital strategy for 2006-2013.

The Digital Strategy program of the govern-ment reinforces the current InformationSociety plan and is compatible with the new

European policy for the Information Society2010 and the EU "Jobs and Growth" planestablished during the first half of 2005.

With two major strategic goals - to improveproductivity and to improve the quality ofdaily life in a practical way - the new plan willfollow four steps to map Greece's digitalcourse:Step 1: Diagnosis-Identification of the originof problems that make the development of ITand communications technologies difficultStep 2: Analysis of International policies relat-ed to the Information Society and new tech-nologies and the identification of good exam-ples and failures in other countries. Step 3: Study of international and Europeandevelopments in the field of InformationSociety (new EU policy, i2010, WSIS devel-opments) Step 4: Shaping of the basic orientations of thedigital strategy for the period up to 2013, tak-ing into consideration the particularities ofGreek economy and society

One of the central objectives of the new pro-gram is to reinforce the use of ICT by busi-nesses, with the aim of improving productivi-ty. In addition, the public sector is to beupgraded in ICT skills to ensure transparency

and to facilitate all aspects of the country'scommercial network. The government hopesthat its strategy will contribute to entrepreneur-ship, especially in technology field, and willpromote new technologies.

e-GovernmentAs business broadly adopts ICT in its day-to-

day functioning, so too will citizens benefitfrom a wide variety of electronic services,increasing efficiency and reducing bureaucra-cy.

Although human capital is central to the mo-dernization process, the wide use of broadbandis fundamental to the implementation of thenew digital strategy. Participants in the newDigital Strategy program will contribute a vari-ety of perspectives so that the greatest benefitmay be achieved.

The main participants are an InformationTechnology Committee; some of the nation'sbiggest business institutions from ICT, bank-ing, retail, and wholesale; the Federation ofHellenic Information Technology and Com-munication Enterprises, and the Greek Fede-ration of Business; the observatory for theInformation Society, and executives of theSpecial Secretariat for the Information Society.

Understanding Anger

“I can’t believe that someone has just stolen my car! I am soangry, if only I get a hold of them, I don’t know what I willdo!” screams Theodore at the top of his voice as he throws avase across the room.

The above dialogue displays an expression of aggressive orunmanaged anger. It seems that Theodore over time has learntthis as a way of expressing himself when he feels violated, asin this situation where his car has been stolen.

What is anger?Anger is classified as one of the most basic human emotions,

along with happiness, sadness or fear. Anger can range frommild frustration to intense rage, depending on the situation andthe individual. The way an individual expresses and/orresponds to their anger differs. Some people respond by ver-balising their anger, for example yelling, criticising or throw-ing things. Others withdraw socially and isolate themselves. Apart from the psychological impact, anger can also impact

individuals physically, in that heart rate and blood pressure canincrease and stress hormones are released in the body.

In extreme situations, anger may lead to violence or aggres-sion against another person, generally resulting in physicalassault and/or domestic violence. In these situations, thealleged abuser holds momentary physical power and controland leaves the victim in a powerless predicament.

When is anger a problem?Anger is a problem when it adversely impacts on day to day

life, for example when:� it is not expressed, which may lead to inappropriate out-bursts at a later time or depression related symptoms;� it is displaced, in that it is directed at someone otherthan the true object of the anger;� it is expressed violently either, verbally, physically orpsychologically;� people close to the angry person are frightened by theiranger;� drugs or alcohol are used to manage anger; and� it becomes the source of personal or work relationships.

Expressing angerRecent research has identified that venting anger aggressivelycan be destructive towards self and others. On the other handnot expressing anger at all is also not helpful. It is important to appropriately express angry feelings in a con-trolled way, by identifying the thoughts that trigger anger andreplacing these with thoughts that lead to a calm response. Asyour body generally reacts to anger, it is important to identifybodily reactions, such as increase in heart rate and muscle ten-sion.

How can you manage anger?Helpful ways to manage anger and take responsibility for per-sonal action include:� recognising the first signs of what it is that is makingyou angry;

� understand what it is that is making you angry;� writing down your angry thoughts;� taking time out from the angry situation;� relaxation techniques – deep breathing, visualisation andprogressively tensing and relaxing parts of your body;� distraction techniques – refocusing your thoughts awayfrom the angry situation; � cognitive techniques, such as stopping thoughts; and� assertiveness skills – where anger is expressed in arespectful way, communicating your needs without puttingother people down.

Where to get help? When anger starts to adversely impact on interpersonal rela-tionships and/or self, it is important to seek professional help.Psychologists can help you with managing your anger and fur-ther exploring the source. Call your local GP, psychologist orthe Australian Psychological Society (APS) Referral Serviceon 1800 333 497 for more information.

Please note: that there may be some medical and/or physiolog-ical reasons for aggressive outbursts, for example a braintumour. It is therefore important to consult with your GeneralPractitioner for further medical investigations.

References: APS Website: Managing your anger.

Mina Candalepas is a Registered Psychologist. She is the sole director of aClinical Private Practice in the Campsie Professional Medical Practice,Sydney NSW. Her particular speciality is in trauma and chronic pain manage-ment and she also provides psychological therapy for depression, anxiety,work-place issues and/or injuries, relationship issues, self esteem and grief. Therapy is conducted in either English or Greek. All services are by appoint-ment ONLY and strictly confidential. Her contact details are Tel (02) 95917714, Mob 0410 493 806.

Mental HealthBy Mina Candalepas*Psychologist MAPSReg NSW PS0057198

HACCI

Business Bulletin

The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 5/23

Our Primate’s View

Judging by the ‘actions’, andespecially by the ‘machinations’ (!) inthe global socio-political scene of con-temporary times, one must admit thatnever in recent years has ‘cynicism’‘triumphed’ so blatantly in the form ofan institutionalized ‘new order’ ofthings. Nor has outrageous ‘absurdity’,used as a so-called ‘diplomatic nicety’in the service of ‘political expediency’,fared any worse.

For this reason, precisely, themost dominant stigma of public life inindividual nations and especially in theillustrious international organizations(such as the United Nations, theSecurity Council, the InternationalMonetary Fund, UNESCO etc) couldbe encapsulated in two simple words:‘audacity’ and ‘hypocrisy’.

Before documenting this asser-tion with just a few of the blaring,undeniable crimes that remain as dataand which have been denounced frommany quarters long ago, (leaving aside,for the time being, what the politicalanalysts present as implicit or assump-tive in the immediate developments!),we should focus for a while on the twowords we have chosen, in order to char-acterize the stigma and to stigmatizethe character of modern-day global-ized shamelessness.

Initially, the words ‘audacity’and ‘hypocrisy’ resonate almost pain-lessly because ‘human’ behaviour hasnever been unknown to us (in contrastwith that of the animals which we cock-ily refer to in Greek as ‘a-loga’ - ‘word-less’, forgetful that they at least neverbehave hypocritically or audaciously,even in moments when they are killingeach other out of blind instinct or whenthey are naturally trying to survive).

If we ponder, however, on theinward content declared by the words‘audacity’ and ‘hypocrisy’, we shouldproclaim that they do not express ‘twosides of one coin’ but are found in acontinuous mutual dependency. Thismutual dependency is characterized byan almost automatic and inconspicuousdynamism which might, most of thetime, remain simply at the level ofinsignificant ‘impropriety’, yet accord-ing to the circumstances can also cli-max into a cold-blooded crimes. Forthis reason we justifiably call them‘atrocities’.

In other words, ‘audacity’ and‘hypocrisy’ function in every sense as‘directly proportionate’ quantities.Which means that, in order to act hyp-ocritically, belittling the intelligence ofothers, one must also exude an equiva-lent audacity. And to exude that degreeof audacity to the point of believingthat one can outsmart everyone else,one must have the same confidence in

his or her hypocritical abilities.This fateful and simple ‘equal-

ization’, unfortunately, is confirmedalmost daily in the most disappointingmanner when dealing with all the majorsocio-political problems of the modernworld (Ecology, Economy, Arma-ments, Terrorism, Health, Educa-tion, Human Rights, InternationalTreaties for fundamental geo-politicalbalances etc).

There is no need to invokeexamples from all these problematicareas of the current geo-political reality.Suffice only to note the more than 30-year continuing tragedy in Cyprus, inorder to comprehend how quicklyInternational Agreements and Protocolsare changed and trodden on under theflagrant pressures and the strategicplanning of globalized Capital.

The unpredictable ‘breaches’

and ‘reversals’ in relation to the desiredrectification of such a blaring anomaly,have in the last three years gained sucha disturbing frequency that one can nolonger predict how many more tribula-tions might soon develop in the broaderregion as a result of this abeyance.

The cynical amoralism of themodern-day ‘political chessboard’ hasunfortunately led to a complete bank-ruptcy of that once proud UnitedNations organization known for its sen-sitivities towards human rights andother related moral principles. As aresult, from acting as the ‘trustee’ ofinternational balance and peace amongpeoples, it is now in danger of evolvinginto an abominable ‘monstrosity’ whichwhilst continually ‘improvising’, doesnot hesitate to endorse the most ludi-crous proposals for the so-called reso-lution of anomalous situations.

How else could one interpretthe pressing ‘timelines’ and the entirelycontradictory measures - as opposed tothe verified decisions of the UN - of theGeneral Secretary Kofi Annan in rela-tion to Cyprus? Who could possiblyignore the fact that every new versionof the so-called ‘Annan Plan’, insteadof improving the conditions of negotia-tion between the parties involved, fur-ther complicates the issues to the detri-ment of the weakest?

With the unfortunately hypo-critical support for Turkey (alwaysunder military control) by the govern-ment of Mr Bush and by his known‘satellites’ in the European Union, not

only is the issue of Cyprus in danger ofnever finding an acceptable solution ofcompromise, but the neighbouring andallied nations of Greece and Turkey arealso at risk of never being privileged tolive under conditions of productiveneighbourliness. Because, it is certainlynot possible, on the one hand, forGreece and Cyprus to be unreservedlysupporting the European prospects ofTurkey, and on the other hand forTurkey to be engaging continually inmore provocative statements andactions which are in direct contradic-tion to the ‘friendship’ between Mr T.Erdogan and Mr C. Karamanlis whowas ‘best man’ at the wedding of theformer’s daughter!

However, in order to be ‘downto earth’ and ‘realistic’, we are obligedto accept that, since we are not hon-ourable and just amongst ourselves in

fundamental moral interests whichshould unite us (we wrongly underval-ue these issues by referring to them asnational!), then how is it possible toexpect others, and especially our adver-saries, to respect them and to recognizethem internationally?

If one observes, even at thismoment, the ‘audacity’ and‘hypocrisy’ with which the rival partiesin both Greece and Turkey are attempt-ing to absolve their responsibilitiesand to shift the blame in relation towell-known recent events -which liter-ally ‘torpedoed’ the martyric struggle ofthe Cypriot people - it is impossible notto be gravely melancholic.

And if, in this unholy ‘race’whose sole purpose is the conquest andpreservation of power, the irresponsi-ble ‘politicians’ of a people are able toreceive suitable coverage from entirelycallous and corrupt media ‘moguls’,then every intelligent person can under-stand what crucial times we are facing.

Nonetheless, these crucialtimes are not dangerous just for Cyprus,Greece, Turkey and the Balkans. Theyare also dangerous for the so-calledunited Europe and for the so-called all-powerful United States of America, aswell as for the whole of the human racewhich is exposed to the chaos of ourown bulimia.

The recipe for all of us, there-fore, is very simple and clear-cut. Less‘audacity’ and less ‘hypocrisy’. Onlythen might God have pity on us.

By ArchbishopStylianos

of Australia ‘AUDACITY’

AND ‘HYPOCRISY’

NOVEMBER 2005

NOVEMBER 2005The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA6/24

The Estia Foundation of Australia is a non-pro t organisation, headed by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, which provides respite and permanent care for young people with intellectual and physical disabilities. One of the primary aims of the organisation is to in-crease awareness of the plight of the disabled, and to decrease common misconceptions regarding disability. For this reason, the Estia Foundation will be producing a series of articles discussing a different disability and syndrome each issue. We hope these will serve to enlighten and entertain readers.

Estia Foundation of Australia

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA

Caring for People with Special Needs

Six years ago, my best friend took me home to meet her family. Her older broth-er, David, absolutely charmed me, and is now one of the people I value and care most about in this world. He is sensitive, energetic, and has a terri c sense of hu-mor and love of music. David also has

Cornelia DeLange Syndrome.

One in ten thousand babies born will enter this world with Cornelia DeLange Syndrome (CDLS). The vast majority of these people will live well into adulthood, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about the Syndrome amongst society. Like David, those with CDLS are charismatic individu-als, who have unlimited potential for growth and development, provided there needs are recognised, understood and addressed. This article attempts to very brie y ‘shed some light’ on a Syndrome, that society knows very little about.

What is CDLS?

CDLS is a congenital syndrome, meaning it is present at birth. It results in developmental delays and varying degrees of physical and intellectual impairment.

Why is it called CDLS?

In 1933, a female Dutch pediatrician, by the name of Dr Cornelia DeLange, described two children she had come across who dis-played similar medical problems, and who

looked remarkably alike. The symptoms and features she described are now widely known as those of the syndrome that bears her name.

Alternatively, the Syndrome is less widely referred to as ‘Brachmann- DeLange Syn-drome. This is because Dr W. Brachmann less-famously described a patient also dis-playing the conditions and symptoms of what we now know as CDLS.

What are the causes of CDLS?

While there are several research programs underway, it is not yet possible to de ni-tively state what the exact causes of CDLS are. It has been suggested that an atypical and arbitrary mutation in a gene may be re-sponsible. It is important to note that that this mutation is almost never passed onto the next genera-tion, because individuals with CDLS very rarely pro-create.

How is CDLS recognised in an individual?

Individuals with CDLS strongly resemble one another, and display similar symptoms

and characteristics. These include:

��Low birth weight- around 5 pounds on average��Delayed growth and stature ��Small head size ��Thin eyebrows that meet at the midline��Long eyelashes��Small, upturned nose��Thin, down-turned lips��Excessive body hair ��Small hands and feet��Language delay ��Lack of sensitivity to pain ��Limb abnormalities ��Dental problems, which include:

o Small jaw development o Poor oral hygieneo Crowded teeth o Small teetho Periodontal diseaseo Erosion of teeth due to re ux

What are the behavioral characteristics of a person with CDLS?

Firstly, it is important to establish that each person with CDLS develops at his or her own pace. However, there is a de nite slow-er than average rate of development for peo-ple with CDLS.

The most signi cant areas of delay tend to be speech and communication. This can have a snowball effect on other areas of be-havior. For example, if a person with CDLS cannot express his/her symptoms, they may often exhibit changes in behavior that re ect any pain they may be suffering- for example, irritability or self-injurious behavior.

It is signi cant, however, that those with CDLS are often very capable of understand-ing the world around them- their ability to produce language is more than often inferior to their ability to comprehend it.

Because of their inability to express them-selves at times, those with CDLS tend to be quiet individuals, who rely largely on eye contact to demonstrate that they understand

what is being said to them.

How is CDLS diagnosed and detected?

As has been outlined, there is no de nitive answer regarding the cause of CDLS. Like-wise, there is also no de nitive biochemical or chromosomal marker for the diagnosis of the syndrome. This means that there are no speci c tests for diagnosis, and detection before birth. Subsequently, diagnosis relies primarily on clinical observation. Similarly, a thorough medical evaluation is undertaken that involves a physical examination, an analysis of familial history, laboratory tests, X-rays, and chromosome analysis.

What are the related medical problems?

While CDLS itself is not necessarily re-sponsible for serious illness, or in very rare cases, death, amongst individuals with the syndrome, there are a number of medical problems which do arise because of the syn-drome. These include:

� Heart abnormalities- 1 in 10 people With CDLS suffer from small holes in the heart, which close with age. However, 3 in 100 people with CDLS will have open heart surgery. � Gastro esophageal Re ux- this occurs because the oesophagus is not built to withstand acid owing from the mouth to the stomach. This process causes severe pain and scarring. ��Deafness��Seizures��Cleft palate��Bowel abnormailities��Feeding dif culties

Cornelia DeLange Syndrome (CDLS)

Who Do We Help and How

The Estia Foundation was established in 1994 with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia. Estia is a non government organisation (NGO).

Estia helps to provide respite services for ALL Australians of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds who have an intellectual or physical disability.

If you know of anyone who needs respite care, you may tell them about Estia. After you have their permission, you may make a referral on their behalf.

All you need to do is contact the Estia Foundation Head Of ce to make a referral

and enquire about further information.

A small fee is applicable for respite services

Phone: (02) 9816 1859 or

(02) 9817 8094

Our friend, David (who has CDLS), enjoying Christ-mas festivities.

I think my child has CDLS. What can I do?

The rst thing any parent should do if they suspect CDLS in their child is to contact and arrange for an evaluation by a genetics specialist. This will ensue that an accurate diagnosis is made, and will provide a basis

for further action.

After diagnosis, it will be helpful to contact the CDLS Foundation in Australia. This will allow for counselling, and refferals for fur-ther advice. Contact:

Jenny Rollo, OAM Family Referrals NSW/ ACT Co-ordinator

jennyrollo@bidpond.com

What does the future look like for a per-

son with CDLS?

As was stated earlier, most people with CDLS will live well into adulthood. This highlights the importance of ensuring that those with CDLS have a high quality of life. To this extent, infant stimulation programs, and developmental and therapeutic inter-ventions are strongly recommended. It has been shown that this sort of early interven-tion plays a signi cant role in the level of development achieved amongst individuals

with CDLS.

Similarly, it is important for those caring for

someone with CDLS to establish, early on,

the best communication tool for interaction.

All individuals do communicate to a varying

degree; however the extent of this communi-

cation is greatly in uenced by factors, such

as, early intervention programs and speech

therapy.

Reference List:

www.cdlsaus.org.au

www.cdlsusa.org

www.cdls.org.uk

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation (2001),

‘Facing the Challenges: A guide to Cornelia de Lange

Syndrome’, CDLS Foundation, Avon.

Permanent Living

2005 has been a signi cant year for the Estia Foundation. In its rst full year of fruition, we have worked hard to maintain an excellent standard of care in our group home (permanent living), which caters to four young adults. Through extensive fundraising, we were also able to provide high quality furnishings for the group home, and a six-seater commuter vehicle for the bene t our residents. In 2003, Estia was given a most generous donation of $500,000 from the Kominatos Family - Mr Denis Kominatos (now deceased), Mrs Zoe Kominatos and their two sons, Paul and Gerasimos. This greatly assisted us in the realisation of our goal to establish a permanent group home, by largely contributing towards the purchase of a house. Speci cally, their signi cant contribution of $500,000 went towards the overall purchase cost of $633,000.In honour of the Kominatos family’s generous contribution, Estia’s management named this new Group Home, “Lixouri”. This is the name of Mr Kominatos’ village on the island of Kefalonia - Greece. Our Four young residents- Helen, Mark, Michael and Chris- were all regular visitors to our respite centres and over the past 7 years of Estia’s operation were able to socialise together at various outings, in-house art and craft work, and various other functions. This served to ease the transition process from Respite Care to Permanent Living. They absolutely love their new home, and their new housemates. The four residents have their own Individual Personal Plan’s (IPP’s). The IPP caters to each individual’s needs, and ensures they are attended to. These needs include, amongst others:

�� work placement�� individual recreational activities �� personal shopping�� grooming�� medical and dental appointments

Residents are also encouraged to participate in everyday house chores to enhance their individual skills. The above activities, and others, are facilitated and encouraged lovingly by our highly trained staff.Parents of our residents may visit as often as necessary, bearing in mind the privacy and the rights of the other residents. Management encourages parents to phone ahead to ensure that the timing of the visit is acceptable to all. Other family members may visit by appointment. At times, residents may choose to go to their paternal/maternal homes for a "stay over".At this point in time, our four residents are absolutely ourishing in their new environment. They are enjoying living as independent adults, and contributing positively to the community in which they reside. However, there still exists a great need in society for more Permenant Living accomodation. There are many adults living with a disability in our community who have ageing parents, and who are in need of the opportunity to live independantly. To this extent, we at Estia are currently working tirelessly to raise funds in order to establish more group homes in the very near future.

Compiled by: Irini TsiouharasLay out by: V. Revd Angelo Ali erakis

The Kominatos Family visits “Lixouri” House- the dream the helped make a reality.

His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos with the Komina-tos Family, of ciating the donation of $500, 000.

His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, President of the Estia Foundation with the residents in Lixouri House

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 7/25

Facts & Stats

Thirty years ago, the Racial Discrimi-nation Act came into effect as one of thefinal acts of the Whitlam Labor govern-ment, which was sacked less than a fort-night later.

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock paidtribute to the pioneering law, the first of anumber of pieces of national anti-discrim-ination legislation.

Mr Ruddock said over the past 30 yearsparliament had passed legislation coveringdiscrimination on the grounds of gender,disability and most recently age.

"These measures reflect the Australiantraditions of tolerance and respect fordiversity, which are important toAustralia's standing as one of the world'smost successful multicultural societies,"he said.

"We still have a way to go. Racism andall other forms of discrimination can onlybe completely eliminated through educa-tion and the promotion of human rights inthe community."

To mark 30 years of the Racial Discri-mination Act, the Human Rights andEqual Opportunity Commission (HRE-OC) launched the Voices of Australia proj-ect, a collection of real-life accounts whereAustralians of many different backgrounddescribe good and bad experiences.Welcoming Mr Ruddock and other guests

to Ngunnawal Aboriginal land, elder RuthBell described her own experiences ofracism and said a good start to overcomingthat would be for Australia to elect anAboriginal prime minister.

She said there needed to be moreAborigines in politics.

"I didn't have the education to be a politi-cian but I wish to God I could be becausethey need telling about how Aboriginalpeople feel, not how they look or how theyare told to be," she said.

Acting race discrimination commission-er Tom Calma said 30 years on the RacialDiscrimination Act continued to give sig-nificant protection to many who wouldotherwise be unable to enjoy the samerights as others because of their racial orethnic background.

"But laws alone are not enough to eradi-cate racism in our society," he said.

"We also need to understand one anoth-er and learn from each others' experiences

so we can enjoy the great benefits of ourcultural diversity," he said.

"One way of doing this is to share and lis-ten to each others stories and ask our-selves, what does it feel like to be in some-body else's shoes."

HREOC president John von Doussa saidthe Racial Discrimination Act was ground-breaking legislation.

"Before that act was passed, statutesagainst racial discrimination were almostnon-existent in this country," he said.

"Today, anti-discrimination legislation istaken for granted as a necessary part of ourlegal system and the structure of the RacialDiscrimination Act has been replicated inother areas of systemic discrimination."

AAP

Race Discrimination Act celebrates 30 years Digitised mobile mammography

system an Aust first

Coins in fountains

to go to govt coffers

Ever wondered what happens to coins thrown intofountains at Parliament House?

It turns out they've been going into government cof-fers.

Staff from the parliamentary services departmentclear out the various fountains each month and theAustralian coins - about $200 a year - are depositedinto general revenue, department secretary HilaryPenfold told a Senate estimates committee hearing.Foreign coins collected from the fountains have beengathering dust in a departmental office.

Labor senator John Faulkner was astounded themoney did not go to charity. Ms Penfold said the diffi-culty was in working out which charity to give themoney to.

"I can understand why you think people might throwit in there in a charitable frame of mind, but I'm not surehow we could work out which charity to donate it to,"she said.

She added that the amount of money collected was sosmall charities would end up with only 25 cents each.Senator Faulkner said any money was better than noth-ing for charities.

"I accept it wouldn't be millions of dollars but it mightbe money that some charity would be very grateful forreceiving," he said. "I suspect some of the visitors whodo this don't actually think that this money is going intoyour back pocket effectively as head of the departmentof parliamentary services into consolidated revenue.

"I suspect they think, `oh well, we'll put a 50-cent ora dollar or two-dollar coin in there', and perhaps - if it'spossible to imagine there's a more worthy organisationthan the department of parliamentary services - thatthey might be the beneficiaries of it.

"I'm suggesting that you might consider that it wouldbe appropriate to donate those monies to charity."

Senate president Paul Calvert said the governmentactively tried to discourage people from throwing coinsinto the fountains, with signs up asking them not to.He conceded there could be better uses for the money

than being given to the department. "I'll have a talk to the Speaker (of the House of

Representatives) and perhaps we may seek to havethose monies given to a charity," Senator Calvert said.Ms Penfold later told the committee that the foreigncoins would be donated to the Qantas and UNICEFChange for Good program.

AAP

Australia's first fully digitised field mammographysystem has been unveiled in Tasmania, cutting days offthe process of screening women for breast cancer inregional and rural areas.

Deputy Premier David Llewellyn, who launched the$700,000 system in Hobart today, said the faster, morestreamlined system would lead to earlier diagnosis forwomen in remote areas.

"It is like replacing a horse and buggy with the win-ning Bathurst V8 supercar," he said.

The system comprises two main parts: a digital X-raymachine, which will operate on BreastScreen's mobilescreening bus; and a Picture Archiving Communica-tion System (PACS) used for reading the films.

Mr Llewellyn said the new system eliminated thenecessity for mammograms to be processed beforebeing sent to radiologists.

"The new digital system will eliminate the middlestep in the process, allowing the images to be burntonto a DVD to go directly to Hobart for evaluation," hesaid.

This allowed 10,000 women - or an additional 3,000- to be screened each year, he said.

"Waiting for the results of a mammogram can be avery worrying and emotional time for women, so anysystem that speeds up the process and leads to quickerdiagnosis is a very welcome one," Mr Llewellyn said.

AAP

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock

The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA8/26

Windows to OrthodoxyNeo-Chalcedonism and the Fifth Ecumenical Council:

A Supplement to the Christological Teaching of ChalcedonIn the fifth century a large group

within the Christian Church rejected theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451 [i.e. the 4th

Ecumenical Council], which had insisted onthe one person of Christ in two natures, perfectGod and perfect man. Resulting from this,there arose within the Church a theologicalmovement, which came to be known as theNeo-Chalcedonian school of Christologywhose mandate it was to attempt the reconcil-iation of those who were opposed toChalcedon (the anti-Chalcedoninans) so as tobring them back to the Church. The represen-tatives of this theological movement wouldoffer a way of interpreting the 4th EcumenicalCouncil, with its explicit insistence that theperson [or hypostasis] of Jesus Christ wasnone other than that of God the Logos, the sec-ond Person of the Holy Trinity.1 Accordingly,the Fifth Ecumenical Council convoked byJustinian and held in Constantinople in 553came to supplement the teaching of Chalcedonby explaining in clearer terms how the twonatures of Christ had united in the eternaldivine Person of the Son of God.2 Followingon from this it could be said that the 5thEcumenical Council was essentially convenedto endorse, amongst others, the Christologiesof both Leontius of Byzantium and Leontiusof Jerusalem.

It did this by clearly distinguishingbetween the terms ‘person’ or ‘hypostasis’ and‘nature’ or ‘essence’ since the anti-Chalcedo-nians, had identified ‘nature’with ‘person’andtherefore believed that the Council of

Chalcedon had introduced the former heresyof Nestorius who had argued that there weretwo prosopa [persons] in Jesus Christ – thedivine Logos of God and the man born of theVirgin Mary. It is for this reason that Neo-Chalcedonism argued that the human natureattributed to Christ did not introduce anotherhuman person alongside the divine Logos ofGod. As stated above, the Council of 553essentially ratified the Christologies ofLeontius of Byzantium and Jerusalem3 whospoke both of a personal unity, and a naturaldistinction in Christ. Indeed they would cointhe term en-hypostaton [which etymologicallyspeaking, means ‘in’ ‘one person’] so as tostate that the two natures of Christ [divine andhuman] had been united in the person of thedivine Word of God.

Leontius of ByzantiumDistinction between Person/Hypostasis andNature/Essence

Leontius of Byzantium was born inConstantinople in 500AD and, it is said that atthe age of twenty went to Palestine to becomea monk at the monastery of Old Lavra.Without doubt Leontius was one of the great-est theologians in the field of Christology, whowas able to offer a precise understanding ofcertain technical terms which had been used atChalcedon to articulate that Council’s under-standing of the person and nature of Christ.Leontius transferred Trinitarian terminology4

to the field of Christology and highlighted thatthe terms ‘physis’ (nature), ‘ousia’ (essence)

and ‘eidos’ (species) expressed what was iden-tical or common in Christ whereas the terms‘hypostasis’ (hypostasis), ‘prosopon’ (person)and ‘atomon’ (individual) referred to the par-ticular. And so, ‘hypostasis’ implied the realexistence of a being or an independent exis-tence which existed in and of itself (ôï êáè’åáõôüí åßíáé), that is it was distinct. For thisreason one can see why the terms hypostasisand prosopon [person] came to be identifiedsince a person was an particular existence.

Nature, on the other hand could onlyexist and be revealed by a person since it wasnot self-existent. The term ‘nature’ answeredthe question ‘what’ something is whereashypostasis denoted a ‘somebody’ or answeredthe question ‘who’. That is to say, one couldnot speak of an abstract nature without refer-ence to the person which revealed it. Manycenturies later, St Gregory Palamas wouldstate explicitly that our personal God does notcome from essence/nature but that essence isderived from our personal God in this wayaffirming that the fundamental foundation ofexistence is not nature but person – that is tosay that nature cannot exist without aperson/hypostasis.5 In stressing that naturecould not exist in and of itself (i.e. as an ‘inde-pendent existence), Leontius explained thatnature was an-hypostaton [i.e. there can be nonature without being made real in a person].The Monophysites misconstrued this using itto their own advantage when they tried to con-clude from this that, since nature cannot existapart from personhood, then the human natureof Christ could not exist without a correspon-ding human hypostasis. Obviously this missedthe point entirely as to the Church’s under-standing of an-hypostaton. As we shall see, tocounter this, the term en-hypostaton wascoined so as to underscore that the humannature of Christ did not exist in itself but with-in the incarnate person [or hypostasis] of theWord of God.

The Individual Human Nature of ChristThe next point developed by

Leontius was that the human nature of Christwas an individual one. This naturally raiseddifficulties with the anti-Chalcedonians in thatthey could be led to conclude that this amount-ed to saying that Christ’s human nature includ-ed with it its own individual person. In reply-ing to this, Leontius argued that by ‘individualhuman nature’ was implied the unique or dis-tinct way that the divine Logos of God gave

existence to the common set of propertiesbelonging to human nature in a general way.That is to say, just like all human persons sharea common set of properties (eg reason,thought, will, judgement, imagination, intu-ition memory etc) which distinguish themfrom other existent realities) – that is, they pos-sess a common human essence or nature – yetthey make these common properties real intheir own unique, distinct and unrepeatableway, so too, it can be said that Christ gave exis-tence to [or hypostasised] these human quali-ties in His own unique way and could there-fore be said to possess an individual humannature. Or to put it yet another way, just likethe common human nature of all persons,when revealed by a distinct person, exists in aunique and particular way, so too was thehuman nature of Christ revealed in its own‘individual’ way without this implying twopersons.

In order to illustrate this more clear-ly Leontius made use of the example of a‘glowing sword’. According to Leontius a‘glowing sword’ is said to be one self-existentreality [i.e. one hypostasis, to use his terminol-ogy] since when iron is heated to very hightemperatures it begins to become red hot sothat one can no longer distinguish between thefire and the sword. So, just like a glowingsword is made up of an element of fire and thesword itself, so too, in the case of the incarnateLogos, the two natures [the divine and thehuman] were united in one hypostasis. Instressing that Christ had assumed an individualhuman nature, the Eastern Orthodox tradition,in no way implied that the Logos took onanother prosopon (as this would be no differ-ent to Nestorianism), but simply asserted thatwhen a nature partakes in an hypostasis, it isrevealed in a distinct and unique way and cantherefore be said to be individual. In so doing,Leontius was able to affirm the human natureof Christ was complete but in so far as it didnot exist in separation from the divine it couldnot be said to exist in a different hypostasisfrom that of the incarnate Word of God. Thatis to say, for Leontius the divine person ofLogos could not be thought of apart from Hishuman nature. Indeed for Leontius the personof Christ was realized through the concurrence(óõíäñïìÞ) of the two natures in the onehypostasis.6

Leontius of JerusalemLike his namesake, Leontius of

Jerusalem was most concerned to defend the

NOVEMBER 2005

The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 9/27

Windows to OrthodoxyCont. from previous page

particularity of Christ’s human nature. Onlyvery little is known of his life. Patristic schol-ars today claim this Leontius to be the author of two theological treatises entitled ‘Againstthe Nestorians’ and ‘Against the Monophy-sites’.7 Like Leontius of Byzantium, he de-fined the term ‘hypostasis’ as ‘subsisting[existing] by itself’8 but went further in usingterms such as apo-stasis (distance)9 , dia-stasis(separation)10 to define the notion of person-hood. In this way he was able to assert thateven though the human nature of Christ wasan ‘individual’ one this in no way implied thatit also had an hypostasis different from that ofthe Logos since the human nature of Christwas never separated from the Word of God.We can see again that the fullness of Christ’shuman nature was never questioned, yet unlikeNestorius, Leontius asserted that it never exist-ed in a separate human person because thiswould undervalue and ultimately destroy itsunity with the Logos.

In referring to the person inChristology, Leontius of Jerusalem spoke of a‘composite hypostasis’ [óýíèåôïò or äéöõÞòõðüóôáóéò]. By this was simply meant thatChrist was ‘composed’ not of two persons butof two natures. Therefore Christ could be saidto be a composite hypostasis in terms of hisnatures. It was the two natures of Christ whichwere united in the person of the Word of God(Ýíùóéò êáè’ õðüóôáóéí) resulting in acomposite hypostasis and not as theMonophysites believed in a composite nature.Indeed, after the incarnation, the second per-son of the Holy Trinity was no longer simplebut composite.11 And so with the introductionof the concept of ‘composite hypostasis’,Leontius was able to affirm both the divinityand humanity of Christ whilst still insistingthat the divine Son and Word of God was theunique personal subject of both these naturesin his person. Barthrellos noted that on thelevel of ‘nature’one could discern, in line withChalcedon a profound level of symmetry in sofar as the person of Christ was seen to be madeup of the “Logos and his human nature”.12

However, when speaking on the level of ‘per-son’, which Leontius unmistakably identifiedwith God the Logos, there was a radical asym-metry in so far as the divine Logos was the“unique… and unaltered person inChristology, who now ha[d] a human natureunited to him”.13

EnhypostatonIn order to affirm both the existence

of two natures existing in the person of thedivine Word of God, both Leontioi introducedthe concept of ‘en-hypostasia’ into theirChristology and it is for this that they are pri-marily remembered. By the Christologicalterm ‘enhypostaton’, was simply meant, that,after the incarnation there were two natureswhich existed in the one hypostasis [or person]of the Logos. Both Leontioi wanted to groundthe two natures of Christ in the one hypostasisand therefore to point out that in the onehypostasis of God the Logos there were unitedthe two natures. This implied that after theIncarnation, the person or hypostasis of thedivine Son of God possessed two natures – thedivine and the human. That is to say, both thedivine and human natures were said to exist inthe one hypostasis of the Word of God. Or toput it yet another way, in the one hypostasis ofGod the Logos were united two natures. Fromthis they were able to say that the humannature of Christ did not exist as a separatehypostasis of an independent human subjectbut only in the hypostasis of the Word. Theintroduction of this term firmly grounded theirChristology to the definition of Chalcedon andfor this reason, the term ‘en-hypostaton’became a technicus terminus for Christologyin the Christian Church.

Concluding RemarksIt is becoming clear that the Christo-

logical developments, which took place in thefirst common Christian millennium had to bearticulated in such a way so as not to swallowup Christ’s humanity in His divinity, but at thesame time not to separate His natures to suchan extent that would inevitably lead to theircomplete division. As if walking on a ‘tight-

rope’, the theologians of the fifth and sixthcenturies were able to highlight wonderfullythe personal unity in Christ without undermin-ing the natural distinction. Not only did theyhave to insist on the full divinity of Christ butalso His full humanity. And so at the 3rd

Ecumenical Council (431) in Ephesus, we sawthe emphasis on Christ’s divinity, whilst at the4th Ecumenical Council (451) in ChalcedonChrist’s full humanity was reaffirmed. The 5th

Ecumenical Council was convoked so as toaffirm that the Christolo-gical doctrine of theCouncil of Chalcedon (one person – twonatures) was in fact compatible with theChristology of St Cyril of Alexandria in itsattempt to emphasize both the natural distinc-tion in Christ yet at the same time the person-al unity. Its hope was that it could facilitate aunion with all those who had not acceptedChalcedon. For this reason it accepted Cyril’sformula ‘one incarnate nature of God theLogos’ so long as it was understood in light ofthe Council of 451.

Furthermore, the condemnation, bythe fifth Ecumenical Council of the person andworks of Theodore of Mopsuestia, the anti-Cyrillian writings of Theodoret of Cyrus andthe letter of Ibas, bishop of Edessa to thePersian bishop of Maris confirmed once andfor all that Chalcedon was not Nestorian [i.e.the erroneous assertion that in Christ there aretwo natures and two persons] as the Monophy-sites [those who asserted that there was onenature in Christ after His incarnation] hadcome to believe. And so, in thoroughly explai-ning Cyrillian Christology, the Leontioi wereable to show that Ephesus and Chalcedon werenot mutually opposed to each other. In thisway their theology served to clarify that aduality of natures need not necessarily imply aduality on the level of persons since, with theiruse of the term ‘enhypostasia’ they were ableto find words to formulate the mystery of thetwo natures in Christ united in the one person.In this way they were able to affirm, onceagain the unity of subject in Christ.

Yet as history has shown, Christolo-gy was to experience several more develop-ments, having to emphasize, as we shall see,the reality of two energies or wills in Christ -both a divine and human one, as championedespecially by St Maximus the Confessor. Andfinally in the eighth century, in response to theiconoclastic controversy (those who did notwant icons in Churches) the Church would

have to respond affirming the possibility ofdepicting or circumscribing Christ with iconssince He had been heard, seen and touched (cf1Jn 1:1). These latter controversies will belooked at in the following issues of VEMA.

Philip KariatlisAcademic Secretary and Associate LecturerSt Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological

College

1 This is not to say that Neo-Chalcedonism offered a newinterpretation on the Fourth Ecumenical Council (451AD)which was convened in Chalcedon but that it affirmed theteaching of this council in response to the needs of the timemaking explicit certain truths which could led to erroneousconclusions if not interpreted correctly. Nor is this meant toimply that the Neo-Chalcedonian movement came to inter-pret the 4th Council in light of St Cyril since the DogmaticStatement of this council was essentially Cyrillian in itsarticulation. 2 The Fifth Ecumenical Council condemned ‘ThreeChapters’: namely the person and works of Theodoret ofMopsuestia, the anti-Cyrillian writings of Theodoret ofCyrus and the letter of Ibas to Maris. It also saw the con-demnation of Origen3 In the past there has been considerable debate as towhether there was in reality one person or two. Today theconsensus view is that there were indeed two different writ-ers; yet their theologies were essentially the same (thisview was favourably presented first by Marcel Richard inhis article ‘Léonce de Jérusalem et Léonce de Byzance’,Mélanges de science religieuse 1(1944): 35-88. At thispoint it must be mentioned that I am not in agreement withMeyendorff who claimed that these fathers of the Churchwere Origenistic (John Meyendorff, Christ in EasternChristian Thought (Crestwood, NY: SVS Press, 1987), 61-68. 4 Remember that whereas in God it was said that therewere three divine persons and yet one nature, in the case ofChrist the mystery of this unity in diversity lay in that therewas one person in two natures. 5 St Gregory Palamas expressed this very clearly: “God,when He was speaking with Moses, did not say, “I am theessence”, but “I am who I am” (Ex 3:14). It is not there-fore He-who-is who comes from the essence, but it is theessence which comes from He-who-is” (Triads, 3.2.12). 6 Contra Nestorianos and Eutychianos, 1293B. Cited inDemetrios Bathrellos, The Byzantine Christ (Oxford:Oxford University Press, 2005), 44. Elsewhere Leontiusstated that the human nature was constitutive of the personof Christ (óõìðëçñùôéêÜ ôïõ ðñïóþðïõ ôçò êáôÜ×ñéóôüí õðïóôÜóåùí). (Contra Nestorianus andEutychianos, 1289A). 7 These works can be found in Patrologia Graeca: ContraNestorianos, PG 86. 1399-7681 & Capita Triginta contraMonophysitas, PG 86. 1769-1901. 8 Adversus Nestorianus 1529D9 Ibid. 10 Ibid, 1568B.11 Adversus Nestorianus, 1585B. 12 Demetrios Bathrellos, The Byzantine Christ, 48. Ofcourse one must keep in mind that even on the level of‘nature’ the notion of symmetry cannot be taken too farbecause, ultimately one cannot speak of an alleged even-ness between the divine nature of Christ with that of Hishuman.

Questions & Answers

What does communion

do for you?

Communion does several thingsfor us. Ιt unites us with God. Jesussaid, “He who eats flesh and drinksblood abides in me and in him”

(John 6:56). Holy communion assures us ofeternal life. Jesus said, “I am the living breadwhich came down from heaven; if anyoneeats of this bread, he will live forever” (John6:51). Communion also is a source of stren-gth for life and for raising the quality of ourlives. Jesus said, “The bread which I shallgive for the life of the world is my flesh”...and... “he who eats me will live because ofme” (John 6:51b, 6:58). Communion gives usforgiveness of minor sins. Jesus, said, “This ismy blood of the covenant which is poured outfor many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mat-hew 26:28). Also, communion, when recei-ved properly, draws us together into the peo-ple of God, His church. It means we all beco-me one with God, and one with each other.“Because there is one bread, we who are ma-ny are one body, for we all partake of onebread” (1Corinthians 10:17). When this hap-pens we become separate from the forces and

powers of evil in this world. That is why St.Paul says,”You cannot drink the cup of theLord and the cup of demons. You cannot par-take of the table of the Lord and the table ofdemons” (1 Corinthians 10:21).

QA

******

From the Orthodox Church: 455 Questionsand Answers,

by Stanley S. Harakas, published by Light andLife.

If you have any questions about theOrthodox faith which you would likeanswered in the VEMA, send them to

Vema -Q.&A.,

P.O.Box M59 Marrickville

South,

NSW 2204

or e-mail them to:

vema@bigpond.net.au

NOVEMBER 2005

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NOVEMBER 2005The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA10/28

‘Towards a Just Society – Issues in Law and Medicine’International Conference of Medical and Legal Practioners on Mykonos

September 25-30, 2005

The opening ceremony was held at a magi-cal setting at the Mykonos GrandAmphitheatre. We were honoured by thepresence of the Australian Ambassador toGreece, Mr Paul Tighe while Greek-Australian piano and guitar vocalists per-formed traditional sweetly melodic Greekfolk songs during a magnificent sunset.Sadly less than 15 percent of the 200 dele-gates were able to understand the Greeklyrics. Many delegates were AustralianJudges, QC’s, teachers, lawyers and doc-tors, all were Hellenophiles.

On Mykonos, I felt a certain sense of sadnessat a seeming lack of pride in the physical envi-rons; rubbish on the roadside; cat infestationand the incessant smoking of locals every-where. There was a compelling sense that thelocal’s real need was the tourist dollar, whichwould dry up with winter approaching.Businesses were gearing up to shut down.Perhaps the next era will bring forth more cre-ative industries and certain independence fromtourism.

In terms of professional knowledge, I wasleft with an enhanced sense of our duty as pro-fessionals to help create a more just society bylimiting our own greed.

George Triantopoulos presented a most inter-esting set of figures demonstrating how thenumber of lawsuits was directly affected bythe various changes in state laws following thenear collapse of our Medical Defence Unionsdue to rising claims and untenable insurance

premiums for doctors.We are now left poised to become world lead-

ers in creating a reasonable balance so thatthose in genuine need of compensation areable to be cared for with funds previouslywasted in chasing less legitimate claims.

There was also interesting debate about themedia-driven Schiavo case. It became clear

that our legal colleagues needed to be able tosupport the doctor-patient relationship by help-ing define the true “next of kin” (carer). Thecase need never have been a “right to life”argument or a judgment about doctors’ rightswith respect to how to treat patients. Moreappropriately the legal issue ought to havebeen about who was the real next of kin - anestranged husband after many years of caringtoo much?

The doctor’s duty is clear - to touch many, toheal some and to comfort all.God has given us this ability and our legal col-leagues must recognise the need to pave anunhindered and clearer pathway for our med-ical fraternity.

There were other interesting lessons for mepersonally - what a magnificently blessedcountry the land of our origins is - with unsur-passably stunning geography, and the multi-tude of lovingly cared for churches - often built

simply as family memorial shrines. It soon becomes apparent that the Church in

Greece is the way of life. Standing at theAcropolis one witnesses a sweeping evergreenpatch which provides a stunning contrast to theterracotta tiles and ancient rock outcrops. Therich green patch is provided by the cypresspine trees that adorn the resting place of thoseremembered and whose souls are upwardbound. Close to Syntagma, on a small steetcorner of Mitropoleos St at daybreak, incensefills the street and heralds businessmen to atiny chapel which helps light up their pathwayfor the day – they take 2 minutes, light a can-dle and venerate. The land of our heritage hasan eternal feel and the transient lives of ourGreek people have our Church in their hearts.

It was a privileged surprise also to find anIndonesian Orthodox priest, Timothy Umbar-wibowo at St Theropon Church in Zographos,Athens. Evlogia tou theou, he says withupward-bound hands when he is asked how hecame to be there. He is currently completinghis Masters at Athens University and will soonreturn to our troubled neighbourhood to be an“Apostle for the true faith”. He will be one of8 Orthodox priests in Indonesia – their task ismassive.

The Greek-Australian professional oftoday needs encouragement to attend suchfuture conferences. Not only is there oppor-tunity to broaden our professional horizons,it is an opportunity to maintain some of ourpriceless Greek heritage in our currenthomeland for the benefit of future genera-tions.

We need a broad-based organising commit-tee which is be able to attract company spon-sorships in order to help make such confer-ences affordable to younger Greek Australianprofessionals. The organisation this yearseemed to rest on the shoulders of one lady,Eugenia Mitriakas, with the support of herhusband David, and consultant Mr KostasStathoulis.

Dr Christina Christopher-Katelaris, Sydney

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Calls for greener buildings Homes in Athens

consume 80 percentmore energy thanthose in Copenha-gen because of poordesign and construc-tion, according to astudy by the Unive-rsity of Athens unvei-led recently at an en-vironmental confer-ence.“With just a tidying

up of buildings, thecountry’s consump-tion of energy coulddrop by 30 percent,”said associate profes-sor at Athens Unive-rsity Manthos Santa-mouris. He addedthat some 2 millionbuildings in Greecewere contributing to the increased use ofenergy.

The study found that public buildings are

the worst offenderswhen it comes toenergy conservation.Acco-rding to theresults, state-ownedbuildings use 20 per-cent more fuel thando private homes toheat up the same area.A report released by

Greenpeace in Julyfound that publicbuildings in Greecewasted more than 100million euros a yearin excessive energybills due to poor insu-lation.

Experts called forthe government to setup a national programto encourage newhouses to be more

eco-friendly and suggested that tax breakscould be introduced for people who buythem.

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 11/29

Feature

By Doug Conway, Senior Correspondent

Terrorism has arrived in the heartlands ofAustralia. No longer is it a disturbing but distantpossibility. It is here, fermenting in the minds ofhomegrown citizens in the suburbs ofAustralia’s two biggest cities, and who knowshow many others?

Not only in their minds, either - it has led todirect action aimed at spilling Australian bloodon Australian soil for the first time. These chill-ing thoughts are at the nub of the case against18 suspects arrested amid unprecedentedscenes this week in Australia’s biggest everanti-terrorist operation.They have left the population alarmed as well

as alert, relieved that an almighty atrocity mighthave been thwarted but more fearful than everthat another, as yet unplanned perhaps, willoccur sometime somewhere and change thiscountry forever.

The big bang hasn’t happened yet, but the bigbang theorists, which include many well-informed specialists, regard it as ever moreinevitable.

Terrorism has been marching inexorablytowards the Australian homeland for years.Australians died in the September 11, 2001,attacks on the US.

They died in huge numbers - 88 - in Bali in2002, and again in 2005. As Australianswatched news footage of bombings in othercities like Madrid and London, and at their ownembassy in Jakarta, they wondered when suchshocking scenes might be visited on one of theirown cities.

Sooner rather than later, according to authori-ties who said this week’s raids on dozens ofhomes by more than 500 NSW, Victorian andfederal police, as well as ASIO agents, had pre-vented what they called an “imminent” and“catastrophic” attack.

Police seized chemicals - enough to make 15bombs, they said unofficially - as well as mask-ing tape, pipes, butane gas cylinders, computersand travel documents.

The raids presented Australians with imagesthey are used to seeing elsewhere, but not intheir own country. There was a shoot-out in aSydney suburban street after a suspect alleged-ly opened fire on police. The suspect, latercharged at a bedside court, was shot in the neckand a policeman was shot in the hand.Newspapers ran photographs of the incidenttaken by a nearby resident.They showed a policewoman training a gun on

a man lying on a footpath, as other police wear-ing bulletproof vests swarmed in. A roboticdevice was used to examine a backpack foundlying nearby, which proved to contain anothergun. Newspaper readers also saw infra-red pic-tures taken from a police helicopter which usedheat-seeking cameras to track one suspect hid-ing in bushes in the middle of the night.

In Melbourne, a television cameraman wasbeaten up by five attackers as he filmed outsidea court.

In Sydney, more than 100 police ringedCentral local court for an appearance whichproved to be a non-appearance - those chargedelected to stay in the police cells while the briefinitial formalities took place.

The eight men arrested in Sydney werecharged with conspiring to manufacture explo-sives in preparation for a terrorist attack, whichcarries a maximum sentence of 25 years to lifeimprisonment. (A ninth arrested two days later,a 25-year-old Victorian, was expected to beextradited to Melbourne).

Australian-born Omar Baladjam, 28, a fatherof two, was also charged at Liverpool hospitalwith numerous other crimes, including twocounts of shooting with intent to murder.

The nine men arrested in Melbourne werecharged with belonging to a terrorist organisa-tion. Their alleged spiritual leader, Algerian-born cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 45, was alsocharged with directing the activities of a terror-ist organisation, which carries a maximum 25-year jail term.They included Abdulla Merhi, 20, who police

alleged was eager to become Australia’s firstsuicide bomber. Merhi smiled and gave thethumbs up to supporters as he was led awayafter appearing in court. One name that stoodout was that of Shane Gregory Kent, 28, aCaucasian with reddish hair who becameknown as Yasin after converting to Islam andmarrying his Turkish-born wife.

Of the 18 arrested in all, most came fromSydney’s south-west suburbs and Melbourne’snorth-west. Twelve are aged in their 20s. Manyneighbours said they came from “normal

Australian families”.Some were born in Australia, some are mar-

ried with families, one has a wife who isexpecting their first child.Their occupations are the sort common to vir-

tually any suburb in the land - plumber, butch-er, panel beater, electrician, painter, travelagent.Kent once sang in a rock and roll band, accord-

ing to newspaper reports; Baladjam was a bit-part actor in TV series Wildside and Home AndAway.

Prosecutors alleged the Melbourne nine haddiscussed bomb-making, possessed unautho-rised firearms and taken part in military train-ing.Magistrate Reg Marron described as extreme-

ly alarming the group’s “expressed intentions inrelation to martyrdom and their idea that killinginnocent women and children is justified”. Allwere moved under heavy police guard to max-imum security prisons.

The Sydney eight were split up betweenGoulburn, south of the city, and Lithgow, westover the Blue Mountains, and the Melbournenine were taken to Barwon in western Victoria,where they will remain in solitary confinementuntil their next court date on January 31.

Lawyers acting for the men questionedwhether they could receive a fair trial in theheated atmosphere generated by their arrests.Melbourne lawyer Rob Stary said the presump-tion of innocence had “effectively beenremoved against these men”.

In Sydney, Adam Houda, 31, who has repre-sented others facing terrorist charges includingZekky Mallah, Bilal Khazal and formerGuantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib,launched a tirade from the steps of Centralcourt.“These matters are scandalous political prose-

cutions that shame this nation. The politiciansthat are engaging in point-scoring should nowkeep out of it. There is no evidence in thesecases that terrorism was being contemplated byany particular person at any particular time orany particular place”, he said.

His phrasing brought to mind the Howardgovernment’s recent decision to rush throughparliament legislation which changed one word- “a” instead of “the” - intended to free police tomake arrests without having knowledge of aspecific terrorist threat.

The government, accused by cynics of usingthe terror threat to divert attention from its con-troversial industrial relations agenda, said theraids had entirely vindicated its position.

Prime Minister John Howard also tried to re-assure Muslims that the tough new laws werenot directed at them, though this was disputedby leading Sydney cleric Sheikh Taj el-Din alHilaly.

Australian Federation of Islamic Councilspresident Ameer Ali, meanwhile, called onMuslim clerics to tone down inflammatory lan-gauge, saying: “This is a country that believesin pluralism; it’s a multicultural society.

“Your religion does not preach intolerance,and I ask them not to hijack the religion.”

Within two days of the raids, terrorist attackson luxury hotels in Jordan had claimed 57 lives,and Azahari Husin, the bespectacled,Australian-educated Malaysian who had beenon the run for three years after plotting the orig-inal Bali bombings, blew himself up when cor-nered by police in central Java.

But for every Azahari eliminated, for everyterrorist cell uncovered, how many will taketheir place?

That’s the question Australians are asking asthey contemplate the mad new world they arenow very much a part of.

AAP

The Greek Orthodox Parish of Stt Therapon welcomes YOU

and your family and friends….

To our inaugural DINNER DANCE

Where : Kuringai Town Hall, Pacific Highway, Pymble. (The planned site for our prospective liturgies) – top of hill, 300M north of Pymble station on left.

When: Saturday 3rd December Time: 7pm-midnight

Entry Passes : Family ticket $100 (2adults and 2 children) Adults $40 Students $20 Under 5 year olds - free

Seafood Dinner (nistisimo) Free drinks

Silent Auction

Rallis Greek Dance Group Performance.

EVERYONE WELCOME!

All proceeds will go to the purchase of vestments necessary for the first liturgy.

RSVP 25th November 2005 (tables of 8)

The Committee of St Therapon Parish Hornsby ,Kuringai and the Hills

Phone: 9988 0731 Fax: 9988 0732 www.sttherapon.orgP.O Box 2224, Hornsby Westfield, 1635.

Australia’s homegrown holy war

NOVEMBER 2005The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA12/30

Health

In the first part of this article I will discussthe recently announced changes to theimmunisation schedule. In the second partof the article I will discuss immunisationgenerally, including a brief synopsis of thenature of diseases we immunise for, and thebenefits of immunisation.

Immunisation updateThe Australian Government makes the fund-

ing decisions for the Australian VaccinationSchedule as recommended by the NationalHealth and Medical Research Council ofAustralia (NHMRC).

On 1st November,2005 the Australian Child-hood Immunisation Schedule was changed.There are two important changes to the sched-ule:

1. Children will now receive injectable inac-tivated polio vaccine instead of oral polio vac-cine.2. The commencement of the national Va-

ricella (Chicken Pox) Vaccination Program-me. In this programme, children born on orafter 1st May, 2004 will receive chicken poxvaccine free when they turn eighteen monthsof age. While the decisions are made at anational level, there are variations in how thevaccines are delivered in each state.

In this article I will deal with how the vac-cines are delivered in NSW.The new vaccines in NSW are:

Infanrix-hexaAustralia’s first six-in-one vaccine will be pro-vided free to all children at2, 4 and 6 monthsof age.Infanrix-hexa protects against diphtheria,tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, Haemo-philus influenza type B(Hib) and polio-myelitis.Infanrix IPV - This is given to all children at4 years of age. Infanrix IPV protects againstdiphtheria, teta-nus, whooping cough andpoliomyelitis.Hiberix- Hiberix is the monovalent Hib vac-cine to be used as the booster in the NSWschedule and should be administered just afterthe 12 month birthday. It replaces Pedvax HIBvaccine which has previously been used inNSW.Varilrix - Varilrix is the varicella(chicken pox)vaccine to be used in NSW and will be admin-istered to babies born on or after 1st May, 2004at 18 months of age.Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) - IPV isincluded in the combination vaccine (Infanrix-hexa and Infanrix IPV). It replaces the oralPolio (Sabin) vaccine which is no longer avail-able after 1st November, 2005, and is given asan injection at 2,4 and 6 months as part of theInfanrix-hexa vaccine and at 4 years as part ofthe Infanrix IPV.

WHAT IS IMMUNISATION?Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective

way of protecting children against harmful dis-ease, before they come into contact with themin the community.

Immunisation means to receive a vaccineand for the body to mount an immuneresponse to the vaccine. That is, when a personis injected with or swallows a vaccine, theirbody responds in the same it would followingnatural exposure to the disease, but withoutgetting the disease. Therefore, if the person

comes in contact with the disease in the future,the body is prepared and able to respond to thatdisease quickly enough to prevent the persongetting sick.

WHAT IS A VACCINE?The dictionary definition of a vaccine is a sus-

pension of dead, attenuated, or otherwise mod-ified micro organisms for inoculation to pro-duce immunity to a disease by stimulating theproduction of antibodies.

Vaccines vary in their make up. Some vac-cines contain a small amount of the viruswhich is weakened. Some vaccines contain asmall amount of killed bacteria and some asmall amount of modified toxin which is pro-duced by the bacteria. The vaccines have otheradditives. Some contain small amounts ofpreservatives or antibiotics to preserve the vac-cine and some contain an aluminium saltwhich helps enhance the immune response.

The terms vaccination and immunisation areoften confused. Vaccination is the term usedfor giving the vaccine and immunisation is theprocess for mounting the immune response.

HOW LONG DO IMMUNISATIONSTAKE TO WORK?

Immunisation does not immediately protectthe person from the disease. The normal im-mune response may take several weeks aftervaccination and so it may be several weeksbefore protection occurs.

To build long-lasting protection, a childneeds to be given a course of the vaccine andthe time of subsequent doses is different fordifferent vaccines. A child who has not com-pleted the course for a particular vaccine is notfully protected and the course can varydepending on the age at which the child starts.

DOES IMMUNISATION ALWAYSWORK?Even when a course has been completed,

immunisation may not give complete protec-tion. Measls,Mumps,Rubella,Tetanus,Polioand Haemophilus influenzae Hib vaccinesprotect more than 95% of children who havecompleted the course.

However, if the vaccine doesn’t give com-plete protection, it will certainly reduce theseverity of the disease. Three doses of theWhooping Cough or Pertussis Vaccine willprotect about 85% of children who have beenimmunised. The remaining 15% of childrenwho are immunised, if they do contract the dis-ease, should receive a less severe dose of thedisease.The effect of immunisation is not always life-

long and so for some vaccines a booster doseis required.

DISEASES WE IMMUNISE AGAINSTThe diseases we immunise against are :

DIPHTHERIADiphtheria is caused by bacteria which are

found in the mouth, throat and nose of aninfected person. Diphtheria can cause a mem-brane to grow inside the throat which can leadto difficulty swallowing and shortness ofbreath. A toxin can be produced by the bacte-ria which can cause paralysis and heart failure.About 7% of people who contract diphtheriacan die from it. Fortunately, because of suc-cessful immunisation programmes, diphtheriais now rarely seen.TETANUS

Tetanus is an often fatal disease cause by abacteria which releases a toxin which attacksthe nervous system causing muscle spasm usu-ally first felt in the neck and jaw muscles caus-ing ‘lockjaw’. It can cause breathing difficul-ties, convulsions and cardiac arrhythmias.Tetanus is present in soil and manure andenters the body from a wound in the skinwhich may be the size of a pin prick. Tetanusis rare in children today because of immunisa-

tion, but it still occurs in previously unimmu-nised adults.WHOOPING COUGH / PERTUSSISWhooping Cough also known as Pertussis is

a highly contagious bacterial disease. It isspread by coughing or sneezing. Pertussisattacks the airways and causes breathing diffi-culties. The child has severe coughing spasmsand will gasp for breath between spasms. Thisgasping causes the characteristic ‘whooping’sound. Complications of Whooping Coughcan include convulsions, pneumonia, inflam-mation of the brain and permanent brain andlung damage.POLIOPolio is a severe viral infection of the nervous

system. It causes paralysis of parts of the body.Since the introduction of polio vaccines, thereas been a dramatic reduction in polio infection.There has not been a case of polio reported inAustralia since 1986.HEPATITIS BThis is a serious disease cause by a virus that

affects the liver. The Hepatitis B virus is trans-mitted in infected body fluids including blood,saliva and semen. Babies whose mothers haveHepatitis B are at high risk of being infected atbirth. When a person gets the disease, theymay only have mild symptoms or no symp-toms at all, but many will go on to carry thevirus for many years. Twenty five percent ofthe people who carry this virus will go on todevelop cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer inlater life.MEASLES

Measles is a serious, highly contagious viralillness which causes fever, rash, runny nose,cough and conjunctivitis. Complications ofmeasles include pneumonia and encephalitis.A very serious but rare illness called SubacuteSclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) can occurin children several years after measles infec-tion. SSPE is a disease which rapidly destroysthe brain and always results in death.MUMPSThis is viral disease which causes inflamma-

tion of the salivary glands. It can cause menin-gitis and encephalitis. Mumps can cause per-manent deafness and in adolescent and adultmales it can cause infertility.RUBELLA

Rubella , also known as German Measles, isa mild disease of childhood. It is highly conta-gious. Congenital rubella infection is a seriousproblem. This is where infection during thefirst twenty weeks of pregnancy can result inserious defects in the newborn including deaf-ness, blindness, congenital heart disease andmental retardation.HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE TYPE B(Hib)

This is a bacterial infection which can causelife-threatening illnesses in children under fiveyears of age. In addition to causing pneumoniaand joint infection, Haemophilus InfluenzaeType B can cause swelling in the throat of theepiglottis (epiglottitis) which can obstructbreathing and can also cause meningitis. Inchildren, both these conditions can developquickly and if not treated, will cause death.MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASEThis is a serious disease cause by the bacteriameningococcus. It is spread by droplet infec-tion. There is a vaccine for the C strain of thedisease. Meningococcal disease is an uncom-mon but potentially life threatening infectionthat causes meningitis and septicaemia.

Cont. page 17/35

HEALTH NEWS

WITH DR. THEO PENKLIS *

CHILDHOOD IMMUNISATION AND THE NEW

IMMUNISATION SCHEDULENSW IMMUNISATION SCHEDULE

Age Disease Vaccine

Birth(maternity units)

Hepatitis B H-B-Vax II

2 months

Diphtheria,tetanus,pertussis Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) Polio

Pneumococcal

Infanrix-hexa

Prevenar

4 months

Diphtheria,tetanus,pertussis Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) Polio

Pneumococcal

Infanrix-hexa

Prevenar

6 months

Diphtheria,tetanus,pertussis Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) Polio

Pneumococcal

Infanrix-hexa

Prevenar

12 months

Measles, mumps and rubella Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) Meningococcal CPneumococcal

PriorixHiberix MeningitecPrevenar(*medical at risk children)

18 months** Varicella(chicken pox) Varilrix

4 years

Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussisPolio Measles, mumps and rubella Pneumococcal

Infanrix-IPV

PriorixPneumovax 23(*medical at risk children)

12 years*** Hepatitis B Varicella(chicken pox)

H-B-Vax IIVarilrix

15 years*** Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis Boostrix

50 years and over(Aboriginal Australians only) Influenza

PneumococcalInfluenza Pneumovax 23

65 years and over Influenza Pneumococcal

Influenza Pneumovax 23

*refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook 8th edition pages 227 and 229 **children born on/after 1st May, 2004 ***school-based vaccination programme

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 13/31

NOVEMBER 2005The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA14/32

ALCOHOL ABUSE

AND ITS EFFECTS

Too often we see the headlines “TEENAGEDRINKING”, “ALCOHOL – THE MODERNDAY DRUG”…. etc. We often hear about that outof control party that the local kids were involved inand the mess and trouble that resulted. What aboutthat raging party that happened for the last 40th

birthday? All these events have one thing in com-mon - alcohol abuse. Many are simply bingedrinkers and restrict their drinking to such events.Others have been caught up in the excuse “…alcohol is good for your heart”. So let’s look at theeffects of alcohol.

Alcoholism has been defined by the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) as “...alcohol con-sumption by an individual that exceeds the limitsaccepted by the culture or injures health or socialrelationships.” The health, social and economicconsequences of alcoholism are alarming. Currentestimates indicate that over eighteen million peo-ple in the United States (which is roughly 10% ofthe adult population) are alcoholics, and inAustralia around 20% of our population has beendefined as ‘problem drinkers’with about 5% being‘severely dependent drinkers’. The total number ofpeople affected, either directly or indirectly, ismuch greater when one considers its disruptiveeffects on family life, automobile accidents, crime,decreased productivity and mental and physicaldisease. As you can see, the problem is welldefined and quite widespread making alcoholismone of the most serious health problems facing thephysician today.

Alcoholism is recognized as a disease. The crav-ing that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be asstrong as the need for food or water. An alcoholicwill continue to drink despite serious family,health, or legal problems. Like many other dis-eases, it is chronic (meaning that it lasts a lifetime).It usually follows a predictable pattern and it hassymptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism isinfluenced by a person’s genes and by theirlifestyle. Note that there are varying degrees ofalcoholism or alcohol abuse.

Research shows that the risk for developing alco-holism does indeed run in families. The gene a per-son inherits partially explains this pattern, butlifestyle is also a major factor. Currently,researchers are working to discover the actualgenes that put people at risk for alcoholism. Somebiochemical studies show that the levels ofenzymes required to detoxify alcohol are lower inpeople prone to alcoholism. Remember that manyfactors may increase your risk including yourfriends, the amount of stress in your life and howreadily available alcohol is. However, risk is NOTdestiny. A child of an alcoholic parent will notautomatically be an alcoholic too. Other peopledevelop alcoholism even though no-one in theirfamily had a drinking problem. Knowing you areat risk is important though, because then you cantake steps to protect yourself from developingproblems with alcohol. Although the actual causeof alcoholism remains rather obscure, rememberthat it represents a multifactorial condition withgenetic, physiological, psychological and socialfactors all contributing and being important.

ALCOHOLAND WHAT IT REALLY DOESTO YOUR BODY

The consequences of alcohol are many and var-ied. The effects on the body include:

Skin – Hormonal imbalance in the liver ofdrinkers can cause broken capillaries, resulting inwhat people often call ‘drinker’s nose’. However,not everyone with a red nose is a drinker – there areother medical reasons that can cause this. As alco-holism leads to liver damage (discussed below), itcan lead to some changes in the skin like itchiness.It can also lead to other skin conditions like acnerosacea.

Mouth – A heavy drinking session often resultsin a dry mouth, bad breath and gum problems.Alcohol can increase your risk of oral disease,especially if the drinks are particularly high insugar, for example beer, wine or alcoholic sodas. Ithas also been found that heavy drinkers are alsomost likely to be smokers and so comes the asso-ciation between drinking, smoking and an increaserisk of oral cancer.Body odour – About 10% of the alcohol you con-sume leaves the body via the breath, urine or skin.Alcohol excreted like this will give you that char-acteristic smell of having had a lot to drink.Bones – It has been found that women who drinka lot, especially those who have related liver dam-age, are prime candidates for osteoporosis andfragile bones. Gout is also associated with alco-holism. This is a type of arthritis that affects alljoints especially those of the toes, ankles andknees.Obesity – Alcoholic drinks contain a lot of calorieswithout other nutritional benefits and as a resultweight gain is common. Vitamin deficiencies andless muscle mass are also common amongstdrinkers. Heart – Alcohol can cause palpitations and hyper-tension in the short term. It is the most commoncause of high blood pressure in men, although itdoes affect women too. In the long term, excessivedrinking may lead to damage to the muscle of theheart which can be fatal.Brain – Too much alcohol can interfere with yourjudgments and responses. It also results in dimin-ished levels of vitamin B1 which can lead to braindamage.Liver – Alcohol is primarily processed by the liver.Excessive consumption can cause fatty liver, withswelling and discomfort on the upper rightabdomen. This can lead to cirrhosis of the liverwhere the organ’s function is compromised.Complications can include bleeding into the gut,weight loss, diminished appetite and energy,swelling of the legs and abdomen, jaundice, bruis-ing, liver failure and cancer.

OTHER CONSEQUENCES OFALCOHOLISM

� There is increased mortality (death rate).� There is a big economic toll on the society.� There are many adverse health effects, like � Abstinence and withdrawal syndromes� Acne rosacea� Angina� Brain degeneration� Decreased protein synthesis� Decreased serum testosterone levels� Oesophagitis, gastritis, ulcer� Fetal alcohol syndrome� Heart disease� Hypertension� Hypoglycemia� Increased cancer of the mouth, pharynx, la-rynx and oesophagus.� Increased serum and liver triglyceride levels� Intoxication� Fatty liver degeneration and cirrhosis� Metabolic damage to every cell� Muscle wasting� Nutritional diseases� Osteoporosis� Pancreatitis� Psoriasis� Psychiatric disorders

SCARY STATISTICSThe drug of choice for Australian teenagers is

alcohol, with those as young as 13 regularly get-ting drunk and binge drinking. Illegal drugs aregetting the headlines but alcohol is the most useddrug amongst teenagers and is responsible formore problems amongst teenagers than any othersubstance. Commu-nity complacency about thedangers of alcohol has seen it become the biggestdrug problem facing our youth in Australia today.According to the Australian Institute of Health andWelfare, about 40% of teenagers drink alcoholoccasionally, 30% drink alcohol more than once aweek and 5-6% drink amounts that could be dam-aging. Research undertaken has also found an epi-demic of binge drinking. The study found that35% of males aged 14 – 19 consume between 11and 30 alcoholic drinks in one session, while 22%of females drink 9 – 30 drinks. Among youngadults aged 20 – 24, 54% of men and 19% ofwomen were binge drinkers. This heavy drinkingwill increase the death rate from alcohol relateddiseases.

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

The alcohol guidelines recommended by theNational Health and Medical Research Counciltell us that women should have no more than twostandard drinks a day on average, with no morethan four standard drinks on any one day and oneor two alcohol free days every week. For men, therecommendations are no more than four standarddrinks a day on average with no more than six onany one day and one or two alcohol free days aweek.

Therapeutic considerations:Alcoholism is treatable. In order to benefit from

treatment, it is essential for the drinker to realizethat a problem exists, and to seek the kind of treat-ment that fits his or her particular needs. Just asevery alcoholic is different, each person respondsdifferently to the various kinds of treatment avail-able. Some experience withdrawal symptoms soseriously that they need to be hospitalized. Forsome psychotherapy might be useful; for others, itmay be medications or self-help programmes. Butin every case, good dietary advice with recom-mended nutritional supplements as well as herbalmedicines can assist with successful recovery.

The therapeutic goal from a naturopathic view-point involves supporting the alcoholic with betternutrition and specific herbal remedies to help cor-rect any alcohol related health problem, like liverdamage.Nutritional deficiencies in alcoholics can occur in

two ways. Firstly, alcoholics have inadequate dietcausing primary nutritional deficiencies; secondly,large amount of alcohol itself causes additionalnutritional deficiencies.

Dietary advice:� Many of these people have nutritional deficien-cies like deficiencies of magnesium, zinc, B groupof vitamins, folic acid, vitamin E and vitamin C.These nutrients decrease cravings for alcohol as

well as help liver to detoxify alcohol efficiently. � Alcohol consumption often results in hypogly-caemia- a drop in blood sugar levels, which againcan increase the craving for simple sugars includ-ing alcohol.� It is important to have a good healthy diet,which includes enough proteins, complex carbo-hydrates, beans and legumes. These foods help tostabilize blood sugar levels.� Good diet and nutritional supplements alsohelp to reduce the symptoms of hang-over, thewithdrawal symptoms as well as some of the psy-chiatric symptoms.

Some other measures to decrease effects ofalcohol:1. DO NOT DRINK TOO MUCH. Avoid all alco-holic drinks as much as possible.2. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER, as alcoholcauses loss of water through excess urine produc-tion.3. Fenugreek tea, dandelion tea also helps incleansing the liver.4. Herbal medicine, Milk thistle (Silybum mari-anum) helps to protect the liver and decrease theliver damage. Milk thistle has been shown to beeffective in the treatment of alcohol-related liverdisease. It helps to improve their immune functionas well as extends their life span.5. Other food/herbs that are helpful are – garlic,skullcap, chilies, Evening primrose oil, cabbage,and vegetable juices.

Counseling: An experienced psychologist can help by

employing various methods of psychotherapy.

Lifestyle changes:a. Get plenty of rest, especially in early weeks ofrecovery, to allow your body to cleanse and repairitself.b. Avoid people, things and places that are associ-ated with drinking. Taking up a new hobby,becoming involved in sports, and exercising pro-mote self-esteem and provide a productive outletfor energy.c. As much as possible, avoid stress. Cultivatepatience; this will be needed for the long, slowroad to recovery.d. Do not take any drug except for those prescribedby your physician. Mixing alcohol with otherdrugs such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, painkillers and antihistamines can be very dangerous,even fatal.

More information:� ProviCare, Toll Free No: 1800 010 575 (TheProviCare Foundation is a mission of The GreekOrthodox Archdiocese of Australia.�Australian alcohol guidelines: www.alcohol-guides.gov.au� Alcohol treatment service at Royal PrinceAlfred Hospital, NSW: (02) 9515 6311� Alcohol and Drug information 24-hour se-rvice: NSW: (02) 9361 8000

CLINICAL INSIGHTS INTO HEALTH AND NATURAL SOLUTIONS

BY CHRISTINA SCALONE*BHSc, Dip. Bot. Med, Dip.Hom, Dip. Nut

List of foods for important nutrients:

Magnesium Millet, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, muesli, almonds, cashews, legumes

Zinc Oysters, shellfish and fish, red meat, popcorn, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, walnuts, almonds, muesli, dhal, wheat germ,tomato sauce and paste

Folic acid Green leafy vegetables, enriched cereals, lentils and other legumesB group of vitamins Fortified cereals and flours, rice bran, wheat germ, Brewer’s yeast,

oat-bran, liver, red meat, fish, poultry, pork, fortified cereals and milks, peanuts, legumes, eggs, dairy

Vitamin C Guava, red capsicum, brussel sprouts, citrus juice concentrate, papayas, kiwi fruit, blackcurrants, mango, cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, lychees, oranges, sprouts

Vitamin E Wheat germ and wheat germ oil, soybean oil, almonds, sunflowerseeds, walnuts, cashews, avocado, brown rice

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 15/33GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA

ST ANDREW’S GREEK ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

ENQUIRIES AND APPLICATIONS WELCOME

St Andrew’s was established in 1986 by the Greek OrthodoxArchdiocese of Australia in order to provide tertiary leveleducation and training of Christian Orthodox clergy, theolo-gians, lay teachers and ministers in order to meet the cate-chetical and pastoral needs of the Orthodox Church inAustralia. It is also intended to be a centre of ecumenicalscholarship and learning.

StAndrew’s is fully accredited through the Sydney College ofDivinity, a federation of Christian theological educationproviders. All the awards and degrees of the Sydney Collegeof Divinity are approved by the NSW Department ofEducation and Training.

St Andrew’s offers the following accredited awards:

BACHELOR OF THEOLOGY and HONOURSThe BTh degree is a primary qualification in theology and isthe basis for further study at postgraduate level. It is a com-prehensive three-year course combining both theological andpractical studies.

At present, the BTh serves as the principle means of trainingmen for ordination or active ministry within the Church andas such admission to this program is limited to persons aspir-ing to this end. Such persons are also expected to complete afourth year of study in either the Master of Arts in PastoralMinistry program (see below) or the BTh Honours programas part of their overall education and training.

Discreet units within the BTh may be available to externalnon-award students and auditors upon consultation with theRegistrar.

MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGICAL STUDIESThis is a graduate level program intended for both men andwomen who wish to prepare themselves for church serviceoutside the ordained ministry in such fields as religious edu-cation, or who would benefit professionally from a formalqualification in theological studies. It is also appropriate forthose seeking personal enrichment. Men or women who holda three-year tertiary qualification in a non-theological disci-pline can formally enrol into this program.

The MATS program requires the completion of 12 units.However, students may exit with a Graduate Diploma of Artsin Theological Studies (8 units) or a Graduate Certificate inTheological Studies (4 units).

Units within the MATS are available to external non-awardstudents and auditors. Auditors may receive a CollegeTestamur after satisfactorily participating in four foundation-al units.

Units are offered by one-week intensives during summer andwinter school holidays as well as by regular weekly lecturesduring each semester. The schedule of intensives for 2006 isas follows: Introducing Theology (9-13 January) Introductionto Biblical Hermeneutics (16-20 January) Exploring thePatristic Mind II (3-7 July) History of the Orthodox ChurchesSince 1453 (10-14 July).

MASTER OF ARTS IN PASTORAL MINISTRYThe MAPM is a specialised program of graduate level studyin preparation for ordination or active ministry within theChurch, especially in the area of pastoral care for the aged. Itsprogram of study is broad enough to serve both candidates forthe priesthood as well as men and women seeking a formalqualification in pastoral care, although the sequence of

assigned units will be distinct for each category of student.Applicants who possess a previous three-year degree or itsequivalent are eligible for admission. There are several entryand exit points for students, and each is appropriate to theneeds, interests, prior study and academic abilities of the stu-dent. The program of studies is also open to those who havecompleted an undergraduate degree in theology but with aweak or minimal pastoral component.

BASIC CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE)IN AGED CAREThis unique 30-week/400-hour course offers male and femaletrainees the opportunity to learn from their own pastoral inter-actions with residents in an aged care setting (St Basil’sHomes, Lakemba NSW), using the action-reflection methodof supervised pastoral training under the guidance andinstruction of CPE accredited mentors. It is offered throughthe Rozelle Centre for Clinical Pastoral Education and com-prises shorter CPE courses situated at Canterbury Hospitaland the Royal Rehabilitation Centre, Ryde.

MASTER OF THEOLOGYThe MTh is a degree by coursework. Eligible students mayundertake this award after the completion of the BTh. At pre-sent, St Andrew’s only offers units within the specialisationarea of Theology.

St Andrew's is located at 242 Cleveland Street, Redfern NSW.Persons interested in obtaining more information about anyof the programs outlined above are invited to contact theRegistrar via email at registrar@sagotc.edu.au or by phoneon (02) 9319 6145 during office hours. The College's websiteis located as www.sagotc.edu.au.

College Library His Eminence delivering a lecture during the summer intensive course, January 2005.

NOVEMBER 2005The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA16/34

Travel

By Thomas Kaerst

If you have problems choosing between a holiday in themountains or on the beach in Europe, you can easily haveboth by visiting southwestern of Crete.

After a day of hiking in the narrow gorges and mountainsthere is still enough time to go for a swim in the evening, withthis part of the Greek island still offering rugged natural land-scapes in contrast to the more popular tourist destinations in thenorth.

Autumn, starting in October, is a good time to visit the islandwith the days comfortably warm in contrast to the cooler tem-peratures in most European countries at this time of the year.

A good place to visit is the region between Agia Galini andPaleochora.

One of the most beautiful Cretan beaches can be found inPreveli. Palm trees, oleander and tamarisks line a crystal-clearriver that winds itself through a gorge into the sea. Fine sandcan be found all around.

It has however not always been this peaceful in Preveli.In the 1970s, scores of backpackers descended on “palm

beach” with many of the permanent campers ruining the coun-tryside by chopping down trees for their campfires and shelters.

Ten years ago the authorities reacted by banning camping inthe area and now, especially out of season, it is an idyllic placeof solitude.In many of the remote areas, white-chalked chapels can befound on mountain tops or in the gorges. The small churchesare also a welcome relief for many a hiker seeking a cool placeto rest during the midday heat.

The monastery of Preveli is more sumptuous and a few kilo-metres away from the beach. Golden icons decorate the churchwith the smell of incense all around.Preveli is not just a typical monastery.

During the Turkish occupation it provided shelter to resistancefighters and later also to the rebels fighting the Germans duringWorld War II.

Evidence of the Nazi occupation between 1941 and 1945 canbe found in many places of the island. Thousands of Cretanslost their lives.

But that’s a long time ago and many years have also passedsince only a handful of backpackers found their way to thesouth coast.

The Samaria gorge, the longest in Europe, on some days hasthousands of visitors.

The starting point is the Omalos plateau on the edge of the

White Mountains. From there a path leads into the gorge, wherecliff walls rise up to 600m on both sides. Most hikers accom-plish the walk in between six and seven hours.

Not all the day tourists, coming mainly from the north, havethe necessary fitness and stamina and many give up after a fewkilometres, bathed in sweat and cursing their sandals whileretreating to the fishing village of Agia Roumeli.

DPA

Mountains and beaches in southwestern Crete

Owners of property in Greece,

Have you filed your E9 Forms

to protect your Property?

Agia Galini.

The Greek Government has passed a direc-tive stating that all individuals who are prop-erty owners in Greece must declare theirproperty by filing an E9 form with the Greektax office by certain deadlines. The deadlinehas now been extended until the 30th ofNovember 2005.

The E9 form can be submitted as follows:1.To the Tax Department by the property

owner or his/her representative who shouldbe a resident of Greece and a holder of anAFM.(Personal Tax File Number).

2.To the Greek Consulate.Those of you who do not have an AFM will

need to also submit an M1 and M7 to obtainan AFM which will be effective until the endof 2005.

If you have submitted the E9 directly to theTax Department in Greece, without a repre-sentative and wish to declare an address inGreece you should submit the forms in theTax Department in the same district as theLand.

If you do not wish to declare an address inGreece but have an address abroad, youshould send the form to the Tax Departmentfor Greeks abroad located in Athens.

If you are living abroad and rents havebeen collected and there is clear title and youhave a Greek TAX identification Numberthe process is as follows:

a. Copies of any documents of ownership.b. Tax Identification Number

If you live abroad but have not acceptedyour inheritance and do not possess A GreekTax identification number you would need aPower of Attorney to obtain a GreekIdentification number for the owner and theprocess is as follows:

a. Copies of any documents of ownershipb. A limited Power of Attorneyc. Copies of a passport or driver’s license.

It is very important that all property own-ers in Greece ensure that they file the E9form within the deadline given by the GreekGovernment otherwise they could risk loos-ing the property to other individuals thatcarry out fraud and other scams to obtain theproperty in their names by deception.

Furthermore by carrying out the above pro-cedures this will enable you to deal withyour land in the future that is to sell to trans-fer to lease etc.

So act now and do not delay if you want toprotect your property in Greece to ensurethat your children and the beneficiaries toyour estate obtain clear title from you toenjoy in the future.

For further assistance in the completion ofthe E9 please do not hesitate to contact MsChristine Manolakos, Solicitor of CMLawyers Level 1, 207-209 Marrickville RoadMarrickville NSW 2204 PH:9568- 6266.

Food Safety Week 7-12 November, 2005

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 17/35

Food & Wine

This month The Vema’s food and winewriter, Imogen Coward is taking a short breakfrom writing the feature food article as shespends time fulfilling responsibilities in her‘other life’ as a musician and performer. Forthis reason The Vema brings you the followingmedia release with some handy and timely tipson food safety and hygiene as we head intoholiday season. It is reproduced with the per-mission of the Food Safety InformationCouncil.

Don’t let food poisoning spoil your overseas trip

The Chair of the Food Safety InformationCouncil, Professor Tom McMeekin, warnedthe over 4 million Australians who travel over-seas each year not to take a risk of getting foodpoisoning. ‘Your chance of getting food poi-soning greatly increases when you travel over-seas. Especially if you are going to countrieswhere hygiene is not as effective as inAustralia. When travelling we also getexposed to other bacteria that we may not beused to.

‘The best advice is to be meticulous withhand washing. Always wash your hands withsoap and running water and dry thoroughlybefore eating. Remember that bacteria can becarried to the mouth on hands so avoid puttingfingers and thumbs anywhere near yourmouth. ‘You may wish to take the extra pre-caution of using disposable wipes or alcohol-

based gels for your hands if clean water is notavailable. ‘You also need to be very careful about what

you eat and drink. You cannot avoid risk alto-gether, but you can at least avoid the obvioussources of trouble.

Remember your drinking water may not besafe. Instead you can buy bottled water or softdrink as long as the seal is not broken. Or youcan boil your water, use a water purifier orchemically disinfect the water. ‘Avoid ice inyour drinks as freezing doesn’t kill bacteria(nor does alcohol kill all the germs). ‘The secret for safer food is: if you can’t peel

it or cook it then don’t eat it. Look for food thatis freshly served and steaming hot - as cookingkills food poisoning bugs.

You can also eat fruit if it is whole and youpeel it yourself. ‘If you follow these simpletips you will greatly reduce your risk of foodpoisoning when travelling overseas and youare likely to have a much more enjoyable trip,’Professor McMeekin concluded.

The Food Safety Information Council is anot-for-profit group of Australian Governmentand state government agencies, the food indus-try, consumer groups and professional associ-ations. The Council’s job is to educate consumers in

safe food handling. You can find more information about food

safety on the council’s website www.foodsafe-ty.asn.au

Campari

This brilliant red Italian aperitif containsmany flavourings, the most prominent ofwhich is the bitter Seville orange. Anacquired taste for some, Campari is an aperi-tif of uncompromising bitterness. It can bedrunk neat but is traditionally served withsoda water and a twist of lemon peel. To cutdown on the bitterness, it can also be servedwith iced lemonade, or with orange juice.

Midori

Literally meaning ‘green’ in Japanese, Midoriis a sweet melon flavoured liqueur. Neat, it isoverpoweringly sickly and cloying. Mixed totaste with iced lemonade, though, it is a veryrefreshing drink, a sweet aperitif for a hotsummer’s evening. In small quantities,Midori also has a natural affinity for orangejuice, tropical fruit flavours and can addanother dimension to fruit punch.

Wine ReviewBy Imogen Coward

Childhood immunisationand the new immunisation

Cont. from page 12/30

PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASEThis is a serious disease cause by the bacte-

ria pneumococcus. It can cause diseases suchas ear infections (otitis media) or more seriousdisease such a s pneumonia, septicaemia andmeningitis.

VARICELLA / CHICKEN POXThis is a mild but highly contagious viral dis-

ease. The virus responsible for Chicken Pox isknown as Varicella Zoster. Chicken Pox usual-ly causes a mild illness in children with com-plete recovery. More serious complications ofChicken Pox include encephalitis and pneu-monia.

COMMON SIDE EFFECTS OF IMMU-NISATION

Many children may experience minor sideeffects after immunisation. These side effectsmay include low grade fever, being unsettled,grizzly, generally unhappy, soreness or rednessor swelling at the injection site. Measles,Mumps, Rubella vaccination may cause ahead cold , runny nose, faint rash, fever or jointpains and swelling of the facial glands.

These symptoms may be concerning andcause the child discomfort, but the minoradverse effects of these immunisations by faroutweigh the risks of the disease.

Generally speaking, if these symptoms dooccur, it is important to give the child extra flu-ids to drink, not to overdress the child, and togive paracetamol to lower the fever.

Other side effects may occur and if you areconcerned you should discuss these with yourdoctor at the time of immunisation.

WHAT YOUR DOCTOR NEEDS TOKNOW BEFORE YOUR CHILD IS

IMMUNISEDThe doctor needs to know if your child is

unwell or has had a severe reaction to a previ-ous vaccine, or has severe allergies.

If your child has had a live vaccine within theprevious month (such as Tuberculosis, MMR,oral poliomyelitis or yellow fever vaccine) oran injection of immunoglobulin or a transfu-sion with whole blood, the vaccination mayneed to be delayed.

The doctor should be advised if the child hasa disease which lowers immunity or is havingtreatment which lowers immunity such assteroid medicine such as cortisone or pred-nisone, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Certainmedical conditions affecting the brain or spinalcord may mean the immunisation may begiven a different way.

THE BENEFITS OF IMMUNISATIONImmunisation does not only provide a safe

and effective way of giving protection againstdisease. It also provides the advantage that ifenough people in the community are immu-nised, the infection can no longer spread fromperson to person and the disease dies out alto-gether.

This is how Small Pox was eradicated fromthe world and why Polio has disappeared frommany countries including Australia. Australiaat the present time is in the process of certify-ing that it is free of polio as part of a globalcampaign to eradicate Polio. It is however stillimportant to have children immunised againstPolio.

Immunisation is there to protect your child.Talk to your doctor today about the benefits ofimmunisation.

*The information given in this article is of a generalnature and readers should seek advice from their ownmedical practitioner before embarking on any treatment.

Christmas DrinksIt’s almost that time of year again. The shops are filling with tinsel and Christmas par-ties are high on the agenda. If you’re hosting a party why not give the aperitifs aChristmas-y feel with a red and green theme.

Aussies recycling more

but not enoughAustralians may be using more toilet paper

made from recycled material than a decadeago, but are still one of the biggest producersof waste in the world.

A survey on the nation's recycling rates byenvironmental group Planet Ark, releasedtoday, reveals Australians are recycling morethan ever before. But it reveals that Australiansare throwing away 3.3 million tonnes of fooda year - a quarter of the country's food supplies- because they buy too much.

Planet Ark commissioned Roy MorganResearch to ask 500 Australian adults abouttheir recycling habits.

Newspaper recycling is up from 52.7 percent a decade ago to 74.5 per cent today, withAustralians recycling almost two billion news-papers a year. More than two billion alumini-um cans are also recycled every year - 600million more than 10 years ago.

Planet Ark founder Jon Dee said Australianswere also performing well when it came to toi-let paper.

"We've come a long way with recycling inthe past decade," Mr Dee says in a statement.

"Back in 1995, toilet tissue made from recy-cled paper was poor quality and didn't workwell for consumers.

"Today, 8,000 tonnes of office paper waste isturned into ... toilet tissue every year and the

softness and strength of recycled toilet tissuehas improved considerably."

However, the biggest manufacturer had toimport recycled paper from overseas.

Mr Dee said the picture was not so prettywhen it came to waste.

Each Australian was responsible for generat-ing 2.25 kg of waste every day, making thenation one of the biggest per capita producersof waste in the world, he said.

Mr Dee said this resulted from Australiansthrowing away 3.3 million tonnes of foodannually - a quarter of the country's food sup-plies - because they bought too much.

Only 11 per cent of office paper is beingrecycled, meaning almost nine out of every 10sheets are being thrown away.

Mr Dee also said Australia was failing whenit came to mobile phones, glass and printercartridges - 18 million cartridges were beingthrown into landfills every year.

"Forty-eight per cent of Australians told RoyMorgan Research they are confused aboutwhat can and can't be recycled," Mr Dee said.

"As a result, rubbish like drinking glassesand plastic bags are wrongly being put into ourrecycling bins, causing real problems for recy-cling companies."

He said now wass the time to make a differ-ence.

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 18/36

St. Nektarios of Aegina The divine Nektarios of

Aegina, is one of the mostwidely known of GreekOrthodox Saints. He wasborn on October 1st, 1846 inSilyvria, in Asia Minor(now occupied by Turkey).At Holy Baptism he wasgiven the name Anastasios.His parents were simplepious Christians. Theybrought him up in a mannerpleasing to God, and didwhat their very limitedmeans allowed for his for-mal education. Having com-pleted elementary school inhis hometown, he left for thegreat city of Constantinopleat the age of 14. There, hefound employment as ashop assistant and was able to earn a meager living. As well as regu-larly attending the Divine Liturgy, he also read the Holy Scripturesand Writings of the Orthodox Elders of the Church on a daily basis.In 1866, at the age of 20, Anastasios went to the island of Chios,where he was appointed a teacher. After 7 years, he entered into thelocal monastery, under the care of the venerable elder Pachomios.After 3 years as a novice Athanasios was tonsured a Monk and giventhe name Lazarus. St. Nektarios of Aegina

A year later, he was ordained a Deacon and received the nameNektarios. Elder Pachomios, and a wealthy local benefactor con-vinced the young monk to complete his high school studies in Athens.From there Deacon Nektarios went to Alexandria, where he wascared for by the Patriarch of Alexandria, Sophronios. The Patriarchinsisted that Nektarios complete his Theological studies, and so in1885 he graduated from the School of Theology in Athens. ThePatriarch of Alexandria ordained Deacon Nektarios to the Priesthoodin 1886. His great service to the Church, prolific writings and teach-ings, energy and zeal led Fr Nektarios to be ordained as theMetropolitan of Pentapolis in Egypt.

As a Metropolitan he was greatly admired and loved by his flockfor his virtue and purity of life. But this great admiration by the peo-ple aroused the envy of certain high officials, who plotted and suc-ceeded in having the Blessed Metropolitan removed from office in1890 - without a trial or any explanation whatsoever. He returned toGreece to become a monk and Preacher, to the great edification of thepeople. There the Blessed Metropolitan continued to write his nowfamous books.

In 1904, our Saint founded a monastery for women in Aegina, theHoly Trinity Convent. Under his guidance the Convent flourished. In1908, the Blessed Nektarios, at the age of 62, retired from the RizariosEcclesiastical School and withdrew to Holy Trinity Convent inAegina. There, for the rest of his life as a true monk and ascetic. Heserved as a confessor and spiritual guide to the nuns and even priestsfrom as far as Athens and Piraeus. His Holy and pious life shone forthlike a guiding light to all near him. Many would come to him for heal-ing. Saint Nektarios was a great wonder-worker even while alive.

On September 20, 1920 one of the nuns took him to the local hos-pital, in spite of his protest. He was convulsing in pain from a long-standing ailment. He was admitted, and placed into a ward reservedfor the poor and unwanted. There he stayed for two months amongthe sick and dying. At 10:30 in the evening of November 8th,although in the midst of terrible pains, in peace and at prayer he gaveup his spirit unto God at the age of 74.

As soon as the Saint gave up his Spirit, a nurse came to prepare himfor transfer to Aegina for burial. As the nurse removed the Saintssweater, she inadvertently placed it on the next bed, on which a para-lytic lay. And O, strange wonder!, the paralytic immediately began toregain his strength and arose from his bed healthy, and glorifyingGod.

Some time after his repose, strangely a beautiful fragrance was emit-ted by his Holy body, filling the room. Many came to venerate hisHoly relics prior to his burial. With amazement, people noted a fra-grant fluid that drenched his hair and beard. Even after 5 months,when the nuns of the convent opened the Saints grave to build a mar-ble tomb, they found the Saint intact in every respect and emitted awonderful and heavenly fragrance. Similarly three years later, theHoly Relics were still whole and radiating the same heavenly fra-grance.

The Orthodox Church proclaimed him as a Saint on April 20, 1961.His Blessed memory is celebrated by the Church on November 9th.

Archeologists uncover

‘Holy Land’s oldest church’Prisoners excavating a site near the biblicalArmageddon have uncovered what archaeologists saidmay be the Holy Land's oldest church.

Told to dig in an area where the Prisons' Authority wantsto build new wards for 1,200 Palestinian security prisoners,the Israeli criminals uncovered mosaics that experts saidwas the floor of a church from the third century, decadesbefore Constantine legalised Christianity across theByzantine Empire.

"What's clear today is that it's the oldest archaeologicalremains of a church in Israel, maybe even in the entireregion, whether in the entire world, it's still too early to say,"said Yotam Tepper, the excavation's head archaeologist.

Israeli officials were giddy at the news, with PrimeMinister Ariel Sharon calling the church "an amazingstory."Vatican officials also hailed the find."A discovery of this kind will make Israel more interest-

ing to all Christians, for the Church all over the world," saidArchbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's envoy to Jerusalem."If it's true that the church and the beautiful mosaics arefrom the third century, it would be one of the most ancientchurches in the Middle East."Two mosaics inside the church - one covered with fish, an

ancient Christian symbol that predates the cross - tell thestory of a Roman officer and a woman named Aketous whodonated money to build the church in the memory "of thegod, Jesus Christ."Pottery remnants from the third-century, the style of Greek

writing used in the inscriptions, ancient geometric patternsin the mosaics and the depiction of fish rather than the crossindicate that the church was no longer used by the fourthcentury, Tepper said.The church's location, not far from the spot where the New

Testament says the final battle between good and evil willtake place, also made sense because a bishop was active inthe area at the time, said Tepper, who works with the IsraelAntiquities Authority.

The inscription, which specifies that Aketous donated atable to the church, indicates the house of worship predat-ed the Byzantine era, when Christians began using altars inplace of tables in their rituals, Tepper said. Remnants of atable were uncovered between the two mosaics.The building - most of which was destroyed - also was not

built in the Basilica-style that was standard under theByzantines, he added.Stephen Pfann, a biblical scholar and professor at the Holy

Land University, said the second and third centuries weretransitional periods where people sought to define their reli-gious beliefs and modes of worship. Iconography andinscriptions found in Nazareth and Caperneum - placeswhere Jesus lived - show that people went there to worship,

but most did so secretly."This was a time of persecution and in this way it is quite

surprising that there would be such a blatant expression ofChrist in a mosaic, but it may be the very reason why thechurch was destroyed," Pfann said.

About 50 prisoners were brought into the high-securityMegiddo Prison to excavate the area before constructionbegan. Ramil Razilo and Meimon Biton - the two criminalswho first uncovered the mosaics - used yellow sponges andbuckets of water to wipe dirt off their findings.

Initially thinking he was just removing useless rubblefrom the area, Razilo was shocked when the edge of theelaborate mosaic appeared at the tip of his shovel, puttinghim in the media limelight just a month before completinga two-year sentence for traffic violations.

"We worked for months to find the parts," Razilo said."First we found the first part, the corner, but we didn'tunderstand what was spoken of, but we continued to lookand slowly we found this whole beautiful thing."Israel would like to make the site - currently covered by a

white makeshift tent - into a tourist attraction, but won't beable to do so without uprooting either the mosaic or theprison.

The Prisons' Authority and the Antiquities Authority areconsidering their options, and the dig will continue asarchaeologists try to uncover the rest of the building and itssurroundings, including what they believe could be a bap-tismal site, Teppler said.

Joe Zias, an anthropologist and former curator with theAntiquities Authority, questioned the dating of the find.There is no evidence of churches before the fourth century,he said. The building may have been in use earlier, but mostlikely not for Christian religious purposes, he said.

"They're going to be hard, hard-pressed to prove it...because the evidence argues otherwise," Zias said.

AP

UNESCO honours Zorba the Greek composerUNESCO has awarded its InternationalMusic Prize 2005 to the composer of Zorba theGreek.

Mikis Theodorakis has received the award forhis contributions to understanding between cul-tures and the advancement of peace.

The 80-year-old was chosen among 40 nomi-nees for the prize .. initiated in 1975 and includ-ing a medal and a cash award of just over fourthousand dollars.A lifelong activist, Theodorakis enlisted as a 17-

year-old in the resistance against the Germanoccupation of Crete.

He was later persecuted and jailed by a series ofconservative governments, and later fell foul ofGreece's military rulers in the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1996, he used his fame to defuse tensionsbetween Greece and Turkey, when the neigh-bours nearly went to war over an uninhabitedislet in the Aegean Sea.

AAP RTV

NOVEMBER 2005 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 19/37

For the fourth consecutive year, the ParishYouth Committee of Sts Raphael, Nicholas& Irene, Athelstone, in co-operation withthe Main Committee and Ladies’ Philopto-chos, played host in bringing the Orthodoxyouth together in the Youth Soccer Festival.

Funds raised from this competition will gotowards the needs of the growing Parish.

The day proved, as every year, to be a day offun for the whole family and an opportunityfor recognition of individual talent on the soc-cer field.

Fun was plentiful for the kids with rides andsweets, as well as a visit by the CaramelloKoala handing out chocolates.

This year’s competition saw a record numberof teams in the senior male division, with ajunior competition taking place as well.People gathered on the day were blessed withthe presence of his Grace Bishop Nikandros ofDoryleon, who visited on the day, taking theopportunity to spend some time with the manyvolunteers and to congratulate the players ontheir participation.

Congratulations goes out to St George,

Thebarton, who for the first time won theSenior men’s division final; as well as StDimitrios, Salisbury, wining the junior final forthe second time in a row!

Ms Lindsay Simmons, the Labor candidatefor Morialta, took some time out of her busyschedule to attend on the day and deliver anencouraging speech to all the players and sup-porters of the day.

Congratulations to all our sponsors, donors,as well as all the players, volunteers and spec-tators. Without these people the competitionwould not be possible and their continuoussupport is greatly appreciated by the parish.

All involved thanked Parish Priest and spiri-tual Father, Rev Nicholas Pavlou, for his sup-port and guidance in making the day a success.

Matthew Rologas, Adelaide.

2005 Youth Soccer Festival

a big success

TOP RIGHT: St George, Thebarton, posing fora photo after their grand final win in the senior

men’s division.RIGHT: Fr Nicholas Pavlou, assisted by MsLindsay Simmons, present the medals to the

players.

‘Games paid off for Greece’

More than a year after the AthensOlympics, the games’ chief organiser saysGreece is still reaping benefits from hostingthe event despite its huge cost.

“I do believe the games paid off for Greeceand Athens,” Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskala-ki said in an interview with the AssociatedPress. “There have been so many changes forthe better.”

Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, who is widelycredited with rescuing the games from nearcollapse, said Athens is still enjoying themodern transit system, new airport, boostedsecurity systems, and updated telecommuni-cations put in place for the Olympics.

She also said employment has continued togo up, partly because of a significant jump intourism since the Olympics. She said Greecehas seen a 15 percent jump in tourism, andAthens a 20 percent rise, this year. Americans,she added, are making up a high percentage ofthe increase.

“This is a testament to the effectiveness ofour exposure during the games,” she said.

Angelopoulos-Daskalaki was in Boston togive a speech at Harvard University’s John F.Kennedy School of Government.

Angelopoulos-Daskalaki spearheaded thesuccessful bid in 1997 to bring the Olympicsback to their birthplace, only to be swept asideby Greece’s former Socialist government. She was urged to return in 2000, when theIOC said Athens was in danger of losing thegames due to massive construction and organ-isational delays. She acknowledged that there were still some

issues that may affect Greece’s post-Olympiclegacy. She said the enormous costs of thegames have caused the people of Greece topay “more now than they should have had topay for the pride, growth and respect that aretheir Olympic legacy.”

She said it’s important that the venues builtfor the games are used. Many have remainedempty since the games or not realised theirpotential, she said.

“We conceived these venues as mixed use,”she said. “As governments and private busi-

nesses look more closely at the original plans,and better understand their potential uses,most of them will become valuable, self-sus-taining resources for the region.”

Greece had initially planned to spend about$5.5 billion on the Olympics but the price tag

soared because of the construction delays andterrorism concerns. A government official hasestimated that the Olympics bill will end upclose to $16 billion (13 billion euros). Finalnumbers have not been released.

ATHENS NEWS

Athens Olympics chief Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki speaks to the Associated Press

SPORTSThe Greek Australian VEMA

Weightlifting needs new era

The sport of weightlifting begins the troublesome task ofburying its dope-tainted past and taking a confident leapinto a new era at the Centennial World Championshipswhich got under way in the Qatari capital.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF),launched in 1905, has struggled to cope with the menace ofdrugs, with cases of doping surfacing at virtually everyrecent major event, calling into question the very integrityof the sport.

The latest World Championships, in which about 70 coun-tries are taking part, will be also held under the cloud ofTurkey’s preliminary suspension, robbing the event of oneof weightlifting’s most colorful characters, at the same timedriving home a strong anti-doping message.

“Little dynamo” Halil Mutlu, the three-time Olympic andfive-time world champion, has been listed as an “official”in the invitees’ list after testing positive for higher-than-nor-mal levels of testosterone at the European Championshipsin Sofia in April.

It’s another matter, however, that even the TurkishWeightlifting Federation (TWF) has been placed under sus-pension until the World Championships for a series ofbreaches in the course of unannounced out-of-competitioncontrols.

Mutlu, however, insisted he never took any banned sub-stance after his positive test caused large-scale indignationin Turkey, where he is treated like a sporting god.

“I swear that I never used such a substance in my life,” a

tearful Mutlu said after his positive test was announced inMay. “I’m not stupid... I know that in every tournament Iwill undergo a doping test because I always come first. I amvery upset. Although this happened beyond my control, Iapologize.”

Mutlu’s, and Turkey’s case as a whole, will be discussedat the IWF’s executive meeting in Doha during the courseof the World Championships and, depending on the hear-

ing, further sanctions could be imposed on the championand the country where the sport enjoys passionate support.Mutlu could face a two-year ban if it is proved his hightestosterone levels were the result of a deliberate plan toboost his performances, and IWF President Tamas Ajan hasdriven home a strong message that doping will not be toler-ated in the sport.“Let me make it clear that the IWF doesn’t respect anyone

who takes performance-enhancing drugs, even if he is agreat champion,” Ajan said. “It’s particularly distressing forme that Mutlu won’t be a part of the Centennial WorldChampionships because I was the one who presented himhis gold medal at the Athens Olympics. But we have to fol-low rules which are pretty clear,” he added.

Mutlu, meaning “happy” in Turkish, was born HubenHubenov in Bulgaria, before defecting to Turkey and adopt-ing a new name.Winning titles and setting records became a habit with the

1.5m superstar ever since he arrived in Turkey as a 16-year-old and, despite intermittent periods of inaction due toinjuries, Mutlu has conjured up title after title, once famous-ly saying, “Gold is something you can never have enoughof.”

Mutlu’s absence as a competitor would bring hope to ahost of aspirants, mostly from Eastern European nationsand China.The latter hope to dominate the competition, especially in

the lighter weight categories.

Undone by dope-tainted past, sport hopes for fresh start at Centennial World Championships in Qatar

Polish hopes for Euro 2012 wane

Poland’s Football Association appears to have conceded defeat in its bidto co-host the Euro 2012 championships with Ukraine after a UEFAreport listed failings on stadiums, hotels and transport.The European game’s governing body is due to whittle the five biddersfor the European Championships - Greece, Italy, Turkey and Croatia-Hungary are the others - down to a short list of three.In its report on the first stage of bidding, UEFA said both Poland andUkraine were unlikely to meet its requirements for hotel accommodationand training facilities for teams.

Greek teams wrecked in Europe

A mid the rubble of a disastrous run for Greek teamsin European football, one comment from Olympiakoscoach Trond Sollied stood out.

After watching his team put to the sword by OlympiqueLyonnais at the Karaiskakis, he was asked about thisweekend's domestic top of the table clash with leadersXanthi.

"We need to build up for the game with a positive mood.It is important to be positive." Then as an afterthought:"But the level of competition between the ChampionsLeague and the Greek League is a little bit different."

A little bit different? As the understatement of the year,it has to be among the top contenders for 2005 but it wasalso as if Sollied had clambered over the parapet andwaved the white flag, as if he had finally woken up to thereality of taking over a Greek club.

Never mind the blandishments and the promises, therealities are an entirely different situation. As a coach, he has had to put up with a roster of playersthat for the most part he has not chosen, internal strife withone of his "stars", a league whose very credibility is atstake and a system that, while talking a good game, isdesigned to protect the fiefdom of three or four clubs whilekeeping the others well under the thumb.

A fair reflection perhaps of Greek society at large, onemight argue.

Taking a narrow view, this is good for the likes of

Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. They can battle it out toadd yet another Greek title to their ever-growing list. But,taking the wider view, the overall feebleness of the Greekleague can only hold these clubs back from being genuine,consistent competitors on the European stage.

Hence, the idea which has come out of Xanthi to set upa Greek premiership is one of the most positive things toemerge for a while, especially if it ensures parachute pay-ments for clubs that are relegated and a collective televi-sion deal that ensures a degree of equality in income.

As in every country, there will always be teams that arericher than others but at least if there is a more equitableshare of the pot for the less wealthy, then it will stabiliseclubs, allow medium and long-term planning and in thelong run improve the overall standard of the professionalgame in Greece.

A tougher league can only be a good thing for whichev-er clubs go on to play in Europe.

For the moment, Sollied must concentrate on the domes-tic league as the chances of Olympiakos finishing third intheir Champions League group are slender at best. If hecan collect the Greek championship then he may have thechance to rebuild a side that reflects his own vision nextsummer. That is, of course, if he is not dumped in themeantime.

"I cannot say what will happen in the future," he said. For the moment, Sollied has to prepare his players men-

tally for Sunday's (November 6) home game against

Xanthi whose appearance at the top of the table has donemuch to stimulate interest in the league in the last fewweeks.

This will be a benchmark for us to see, however, whetherthey are genuine title challengers. Expect their Brazilianstriker Luciano to rise to the occasion, playing against oneof his former clubs.

A draw would give AEK Athens, home to bottom clubKallithea, and Panathinaikos, away at OFI Crete, thechance to close the gap yet further. Indeed, in the event ofa stalemate in Piraeus, then AEK could take over at the topif they win well at the Olympic Stadium.

Like Sollied, Alberto Malesani is going to have to pickup his Panathinaikos team after their 5-0 drubbing byBarcelona.

Surprisingly, given the hiding they received,Panathinaikos still has a chance of reaching the knockoutstages of the Champions League as they are locked along-side Udinese and Werder Bremen on four points.

If they can reverse the 3-0 defeat they suffered in Italyand then pick up a point against Bremen, then they maywell get through in second place.

For that to happen, and if they are to beat OFI at theweekend, one can only hope that the search party has nowsuccessfully located the defence that went missing inSpain.

ATHENS NEWS

Humiliating defeats of Olympiakos and Panathinaikos in the Champions League

raise concerns over the status of Greek professional football and what has tobe done

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