“Religious tourism is limited to Greeks abroad as well as those foreigners (Orthodox or not) who show a relative interest. They are pilgrims and they also encourage the foreigners who are interested. The focal points of interest especially for the foreigners is Agio Oros (the Holy Mountain) and Meteora. Additionally, the Greeks visit the religious monuments of their special place of origin like Monasteries, shrines etc”, underlined in an interview to “In-On” magazine the Metropolitan of Proikonnisos Joseph Harkiolakis (secular name: Emmanuel Ant. Harkiolakis).
QUESTION: Tell us about the role of the Greeks abroad in the development of the historical religious tourism in Greece
ANSWER: The Greeks abroad contribute a great deal to the development of tourism in general by projecting emphatically either deliberately or by chance all the elements of our country that raise a special interest for the countries where Greeks live (sun, sea, islands, mountains, sports, history, antiquities, byzantine monuments, Fine Arts, dances, traditional food, etc). More particularly, regarding religious tourism it is limited to Greeks abroad themselves as well as to those foreigners (Orthodox or not) who show a relative interest. The Greeks come to the pilgrimage sites themselves and encourage the foreigners who show interest in them. The highlights especially for the foreigners are Agio Oros (the Holy Mountain) and Meteora. Additionally, the Greeks visit the religious monuments of their home place of origin like Monasteries, shrines etc.”
QUESTION: Tell us about the significance of the old flag of Grete: what it depicts and what the Cretans of today should know now that the celebration of the 100 years of the Union with Greece is held.
ANSWER: The so called “old flag of Crete” is a distorted Greek flag that was used in Crete during the “Autonomy” years from 1898 till 1913, at a time when Crete used to be a protectorate of the Great Powers of that era (Russia, France, England and Italy) under the suzerainty of the Sultan called “Cretan State”. It is about the well-known Greek flag of the mainland, in which, however, one of the four squares (the upper left) was red instead of blue with a white star in the middle. This pattern shows Ottoman suzerainty (even high dominance) upon Crete. It was a flag that the Cretans hated from the first time and never accepted. For the Greek people the Flag was only one, unique and irreplaceable:
the blue and white flag of all Greeks. This sudden (!) appearance of this monstrosity flag that the foreigners had imposed on Crete, therefore, more than a hundred years later, is actually very suspicious and undoubtedly serves dark pursuits (let’s remember Kosovo, which is the matrix of the Serbian people; what really happened to it and where it stands now!). Our suspicions are reinforced by its presentation two years ago on a TV commercial held by a well-known international mobile phone company, which after strong reactions, rushed to withheld it. If all the above is combined with some insidious whispers related to a “Referendum” (!!!) whether Crete should continue to be part of the Greek government or whether its people prefer to see the island “Independent” (!!!), then the whole thing becomes blatantly dangerous! I am really sorry that there are naïve people (or probably traitors?), who insist on sticking this “flag” on their cars so as to supposedly cry out their Cretan pride. Every true patriot must be cautious and react wisely. Crete is Greece as the Acropolis and the Parthenon are as well. Nothing less, nothing more! Crete has no nostalgia for foreign suzerainty nor to be extracted from the national body to which finally managed to incorporate a century ago after so much torment, such anguish efforts and so much blood.
QUESTION: Tell us about what the Patriarchate did in 2013 a year that has been characterized as a year of religious freedom
ANSWER: 2013 has indeed been declared by the Patriarchate as a “YEAR OF HUMAN SOLIDARITY”. As you know the Patriarchate neither has any secular authority and power nor financial recourses. It is a purely spiritual foundation and its power is only spiritual and moral. Thus, its main weapon is the power of spiritual words based on the eternal evangelical truth and the orthodox ethos. And these words are always convincing because they correspond to the history of our Church and the Patriarchate itself, a history that has not always been cruciform, humble and sacrificial for the sake of Man, but also full of light and hope of the Resurrection. Our Ecumenical Patriarch, therefore, as a medium who expresses the voice of the whole body of the Holy Church of Christ (Synod, clergy and faithful people), addresses appeals at times regarding the major problems that afflict humanity. His voice reaches even the great fora namely the United Nations Organization, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe etc., as well as inter-church, interdenominational and inter-religious meetings and dialogue everywhere. Of course the issue of religious freedom is always top priority for the Patriarch, which is vital not only for the survival of the Patriarchate itself but also for other Churches as well (in the Middle East etc). The continuous agonizing appeals of our first Ecumenical Patriarch, His Holiness Mr. Bartholomew who conveys interfaith conferences for this reason along with official declarations as well as the relative steps and the actions of the first in charge Orthodox Church are widely-known.
Curriculum Vitae
His Eminence Metropolitan of Proikonnisos Joseph Harkiolakis (secular name: Emmanuel Ant. Harkiolakis) was born in 1955, in Sitia in Lassithi-Crete.
He has attended the School of Catechists of the Apostolic Diakonia of the Church of Greece in Athens 1973-1974. He graduated from the School of Theology in the University of Athens in 1978, with honors and also holds a PhD from the University of Flinders, Adelaide, South Australia, since 2002. His thesis was: “Religious and Folk Tradition in Photis Kontoglou”.
He worked as a teacher of Ancient and Modern Greek as well as in a course of Liturgy in the School of Theology of Apostle Andrew in Sydney, Australia, 1987, 1988 and 1989 (three academic years).
Also, he was consecrated Bishop of Arianzos on 3-12-1989 in Sydney, Australia. Moreover, he served as an auxiliary Bishop of the South and North Australia (1989-2000) and Melbourne – Victoria and Tasmania (2001-2003).
He was elected as Metropolitan of New Zealand on 21st July, 2003. He resigned in August, 2005.
Since September 2005 he lives in Piraeus.
He was elected Metropolitan of Proikonnisos and Exarches of all Propontis on 24th June, 2008.
He is also a member of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (2009-2010).