President Kufuor breaks silence on awards

President J.A. Kufuor

President Kufuor broke his silence on the much talked about national honours on Saturday when he said he did not create the new highest honour, the "Grand Order of the Star and Eagle of Ghana" for himself but for the institution of the presidency.

He said the occupant of the highest office of the land is entitled to be honoured if he serves the nation well adding he had to start it for others to follow.

The President said this when the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa of the Greek Orthodox Church led a delegation to bestow the Grand medal of St Mark on him.

The honour, equivalent to a knighthood is the highest of the church and usually bestowed on the leader or Presidents who have distinguished themselves in service to their countries.

There have been mixed public reactions since the government came out with a list of 241 people considered to have contributed in diverse ways to the growth and development of the country to be honoured and the creation of the new highest national honours for Presidents.

While a section accuses the President of honouring himself others think the creation of the honours is for the good of the country.

President Kufuor said the creation of the new honour is to give due respect to the office of the President which he has come to know and appreciate.

He said the decision was in agreement with the national Constitution which created the honours but expressed regret that some people were making too much fuss about it especially about the number of people involved.

He said the list of people to be honoured came out after painstaking investigations about the nominees.

The President said he has 1I0t been capricious but he was doing it for others to emulate it.

"As for the President being given honours he is entitled to it and I have to start it for others to follow," he said.

The president said it was unfortunate that there was much talk about the construction of the Presidential Complex which is a property of the state and not for himself.

He thanked the Greek Orthodox Church for the honour which he said is for all Ghanaians.

The leader of the delegation, His Beatitudes Theodoras said the church decided to honour the President because of his contribution to Africa when he was the chairman of the African Union.

He said Ghana under President Kufuor had become a respectable and shining example in Africa, adding "we are happy to see you do many important things for Ghana and Africa."

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Head Of Greek Orthodox Church Visits Ghana

By ISD
Sat, 28 Jun 2008
General News

Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, at the start of one-week patriarchal visit to Ghana, has described Africa as the continent of the future and Ghana, luminous example for the continent.

He however entreated the clergy, politicians and the press to work harder to transform the vast resources of the Continent to propel it to higher levels of development.

Beatitude Theodoros, who is also the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church, is to preside over the week-long activities marking the silver jubilee celebration of the Church in Ghana.

Among the activities planned for the celebration are a welcome doxology for his Beatitude at the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Accra, courtesy call on President John Agyekum Kufuor, a silver jubilee durbar at Larteh in the Eastern Region, and consecration of some chapels of the church at Tema and Larteh.

Beatitude Theodoros told a press conference in Accra that he had a particular attachment to Africa where he did a 10-year pastoral service before his assumption to the papacy of the church. His Beatitude had worked in Cameroun, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and Angola. He said his visit to Ghana was a dream to West Africa that had come, adding, 'It is my duty as ambassador to be here.'

Beatitude Theodoros entreated the world community to pursue the true teachings of Jesus Christ, to promote love, unity and understanding among mankind.

While emphasising the economic, social and political well-being of the individual and state, Beatitude Theodoros, reiterated his call to the church to take care of the spiritual needs of the people to check the growing moral and economic decline in the world community. He said the state must also show respect to the church.

The Beatitude was accompanied at the conference by high profile personalities of the church in Ghana and other West African countries.

Among them were: Father Kwame Joseph Larbi, Director of the Ghana Diocesan Mission Programme of the church, the Spiritual Leader in Ghana, Bishop Damaskinos, the Greek Ambassador to Ghana, as well as prominent Greek business persons in Ghana.

Born out of the old African Universal Orthodox Catholic Church, the current 5,000-member Church was received into canonical Orthodoxy under the Patriarchate in 1982. The Church now has 35 communities in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern and Central Regions under the care of 25 active priests.

In addition to honouring its spiritual mandate, the Church said it had, with the support of its partners in Europe and America, built and supported the building of schools in a number of communities in Ghana.

It says it runs the St. Peters Business College at Larteh, and in the area of health delivery had organised or hosted medical teams to provide free medical care and supplies to a number of communities.

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Head of Orthodox Church commends Ghana

Casmel Ibrahim , 27/06/2008

The Supreme Head of the Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Theodoros II has praised Ghana, describing it as a "luminary example of good governance and prospect in Africa" adding that it is a "continent of the future".

Clad in his official black robe and a huge medallion around his neck, the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria said this a news conference in Accra.

The Supreme Head expressed profound delight on his maiden visit to Ghana as part of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ghana.

According to him, the aim of establishing the Orthodox Church 2000 years ago is not only to seek spiritual welfare, but also to provide equal importance to political, social and humanitarian advancement to the world.

His Beatitude Theodoros II commended the local heads of the Orthodox Church in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria for the tremendous work done to bring meaning and an appreciable level of integrity to the Orthodox Church.

His visit to Ghana is part of his duty as Ambassador and will preside over all activities which entail a courtesy call on President J.A. Kufuor at the Castle, Osu, the inauguration of a classroom block and separate encounters with the Chiefs and people of Tema Newtown and Larteh Akuapem.

Orthodox heads from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana explaining the Orthodox faith, said their understanding of prophecy was not predicting the future, but challenging it, adding that the perception of some religious institutions and persons on prosperity is a total aberration of the real dictates of the gospel.

"Our understanding of prosperity is the upliftment and transformation of new life. The Orthodox Church has been called to present the light of the world not to follow the light," they said.

"Non pursuance of this gives room for leaders to say what they want to say and for Christians to hear only what they want hear," they added.

The Orthodox Church in Ghana was born out of the old African Universal Orthodox Catholic Church in 1982. It has thirty-five communities in Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Eastern and Volta regions under the pastoral care of 23 Ghanaian orthodox priests.

His Beatitude Theodoros II is the direct successor of the holy apostle and the Evangelist Mark, who established the church in Alexandria 64years after the death of Jesus Christ.

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Patriarch of Africa arrives in Ghana today

By Bismark Bebli - Ghanaian Chronicle
Tue, 24 Jun 2008
General News

THE POPE and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, His Beatitude Theodoros II, will arrive in Ghana today, to pay an official patriarchal visit to the country, and President John Agyekum Kufuor.

The visit is in connection with the two-year celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the reception of the Orthodox Church in Ghana, into canonical orthodoxy in the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Alexandria, and all Africa in 1982.

A statement, issued by the Orthodox Diocese of Ghana, said the Pope and Patriarch will be presiding over the weeklong activities, marking the climax of the Silver Jubilee celebration.

Highlights of these will include a welcome doxology for him tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral, Accra.

This would be followed by a courtesy call on President Kufuor, at the seat of government, the Castle, Osu, on Thursday, June 26.

A three-day anniversary gathering, of the Orthodox Church in Ghana, would also be organised at Larteh, in the Eastern Region, on Friday.

A consecration of the St. Nicholas Chapel at Tema, follows after that, while a consecration of the special anniversary monument, with the dedication of the new church to the memory of the Holy Apostles Peter, and Paul and St. Nectarious of Aegena, at Larteh, on Sunday June, 29.

The activities would be climaxed, with a silver jubilee durbar, at Larteh on Sunday 29, following the Divine Liturgy.

His Beatitude Theodoros, born in 1954 in Crete, and a graduate of the Rizarious Ecclesiastical School of Athens, holds a degree from the Theological Faculty of Aristotelian, University of Thessaloniki.

He is the direct successor of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, who established the Church in Alexandria in 64AD, and of such great church leaders and defenders of the faith, as saints Ahanasius the Great and Cyril.

Currently, he occupies a significant position in the Council of Orthodox hierarchy, as the second in honour, after the Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop of Constantinople.

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Alexandria Patriarch arrives in Russia

Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodoros II was welcomed here on Saturday by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexiy II at the Russian capital's airport, in the presence of representatives of Greece and Egypt.

Immediately afterwards, the two Church leaders headed to the Monastery of St. Daniel, where they held talks in the presence of large delegations from both sides.

The official visit to Moscow by the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Africa is his first since his election three years ago.

The two religious leaders had the opportunity to hold talks on Orthodox ecclesiastical issues on Saturday evening, as well as to issue pleas for world peace.

In welcoming the Patriarch of the ancient Alexandrian Church, the Patriarch of Moscow referred to the bonds of friendship and fraternal love with which the two Churches have been linked for centuries.

On his part, Theodoros thanked the Church of Russia for its support of the African Orthodox Church's missionary work.

Caption: Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodoros II (R) with Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexiy II in Moscow on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007. ANA-MPA / STR

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Boeing Sued Over Death of Patriarch of Greek Orthodox Church

Donald Nolan and James Crouse of the Chicago-based Nolan Law Group filed a lawsuit yesterday (Case No. 2007 L 9514 Cook County, IL) against The Boeing Company and others for the wrongful deaths of passengers of a Greek Army helicopter that crashed into the Aegean Sea on September 11, 2004, killing all aboard including Petros VII, Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.

(PRWEB) September 13, 2007 -- Donald Nolan and James Crouse of the Chicago-based Nolan Law Group filed a lawsuit yesterday (Case No. 2007 L 9514 Cook County, IL) against The Boeing Company and others for the wrongful deaths of passengers of a Greek Army helicopter that crashed into the Aegean Sea on September 11, 2004, killing all aboard including Petros VII, Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa.

On September 11, 2004, the Greek Army was transporting the Patriarch and other Greek Orthodox dignitaries aboard the Boeing CH-47SD "Super Chinook" to Mt. Athos, considered one of the holiest sites in Orthodox Christianity, in order to attend the ordination of a bishop. While nearing Mt. Athos, the helicopter went out of control and crashed into the sea, fatally injuring all twelve passengers and five crew members.

"The investigation into the cause of this crash has revealed evidence of mechanical failures and attempts by the crew to isolate a hydraulic problem," said Donald Nolan. "It certainly seems that this crew kept working to the end and did everything possible to prevent this tragedy, but the problem was too great to overcome."

Defendants named in the suit are The Boeing Company, Honeywell International, Inc., and Goodrich Pump & Engine Control Systems, Inc. The lawsuit charges that the crash was caused by mechanical failure involving the helicopter's engine control and hydraulic systems. In addition to the family of the Patriarch, Nolan Law Group represents the families of Archdeacon Nectarios of Madagascar; Chrysostomos Archbishop and Metropolitan of Carthage; and the Patriarch's brother, Georgis Papapetrou.

According to the New York Times, Petros VII, Patriarch of Alexandria, "was considered second in rank [in Greek Orthodoxy only to the ecumenical patriarch in Istanbul…and spoke passionately about the need for mutual respect and understanding between Orthodoxy and Islam."

The Greek military stated that visibility was good at the time of the crash and the helicopter had been in service in Greece for approximately one and a half years prior to the accident. The lawsuit alleges product liability and negligence against manufacturers of the helicopter and individual parts.

For more information, please contact Tom Ellis, (312) 630-4000.

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