Πιλοτική λειτουργία

Memorandum to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on issues of discrimination against women by the Church

To: His All-Holiness
The Ecumenical Patriarch,
Bartholomew
Istanbul, 24 February 2003

Your All-Holiness,

Aware of your invaluable spiritual and social role as the leader of the Orthodox Christian Church, and deeply appreciating your work which focuses on the unity of Orthodoxy, spiritual renewal, Christian reconciliation and coexistence, the protection of the environment, and the creation of a world of peace, justice, solidarity, and love, I would like, in my capacity as President of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament, to seek your support for the practical recognition of women’s rights in all areas, in accordance with the Christian message, “there is neither male nor female.”

Unfortunately, throughout the historical course of humanity, there has been the exclusion of women from public life and their confinement to the private sphere. The processes of recognizing the fundamental freedoms and democratic rights of women began only about a century ago, when they were allowed access to education, paid work, economic activities, science, and political life. The emergence of half of the human race from centuries of marginalization is considered, by sociologists, the greatest peaceful social revolution in the history of humanity. However, many issues of inequality and discrimination remain, with the worst of all being the ongoing violence and the increasing trafficking of women.

In Greece, we celebrated just last year the fifty years of political rights for Greek women. Certainly, the greatest victory women have achieved in the past 50 years is in education, where they have gained access to all levels of schooling, breaking a “tradition” of centuries of exclusion. The official statistics are impressive, as today, women make up 61.2% of university students across all universities (data from 2000). At the University of Athens, the percentage of female graduates is 72.7% of the total, at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki it is 58.6%, and at Panteion University it is 67.4%. The same trend is observed in all countries of the European Union. In the labor market, despite continuing discrimination, significant progress has also been made, with an increasing participation of women in all professional and scientific fields. In the judicial system in Greece, 75% of new entrants are women.

In light of these developments and the progress that has been achieved in the recognition of the social, economic, political, and individual rights of women, as well as the broader protection of human dignity, I would like to kindly ask you to view positively the request for the initiation of a sincere and reasoned public dialogue on issues that do not concern dogma or theology, but rather practices and decisions made under entirely different socio-economic and cultural conditions, which today constitute discrimination against half of humanity.

1/ Exclusion of Women from Mount Athos

The issue of lifting the exclusion of women from Mount Athos first gained public attention in May 2001, when a European Parliament report titled “Women and Fundamentalism” included the statement “women should not be excluded from any geographical area on the planet.” Personally, because I supported the view that this statement also applies to the ban on women entering Mount Athos, I faced strong criticism from ecclesiastical circles. The issue resurfaced in the European Parliament plenary with the overwhelming approval of the Swiebel report on human rights in the European Union, which explicitly calls for the lifting of the ban on women’s access to Mount Athos.

Personally, I believe that the decision to exclude women from a geographical area of 400 square kilometers, not only from the monasteries but from the entire region, a decision made about 1000 years ago, reflects the social realities and cultural norms of that time and has nothing to do with Christian faith and teaching. The unity of humanity and the non-discrimination based on gender is analyzed with remarkable depth by the theologian Ms. Evanthia Adamtziloglou in her book *”Uκ ένι Άρσεν και Θήλυ…”* (There is neither male nor female…).

Of course, the request for the lifting of the “Athonite ban” on women, that is, the non-discrimination of people based on gender, in no way means the desire to transform Mount Athos into a tourist resort or disrupt monastic life. It simply means the recognition of the right of women to access our cultural heritage, on certain days and times to be decided by the Mount Athos community. It also means that “traditions” which conflict with human rights and human dignity, or violate the principle of gender equality recognized by the Church, should be harmonized with modern reality.

2/ Women’s Priesthood.

The exclusion of women from priestly offices is also linked to the cultural reality of the past and the patriarchal structure of society. The Orthodox Church should open a dialogue regarding the inclusion of women in the priesthood, as has already been successfully implemented by other Christian churches. Women are certainly capable of becoming a very serious force for renewal and strengthening of church and spiritual life. The very active Member of the European Parliament, Ms. Ule Sandbeck, is also a priest in the Church of Denmark.

The exclusion of Orthodox women, even from church councils, and often from the right to chant, is an insult to all women and does not benefit the Church. On the contrary, it creates feelings of bitterness and disappointment in women who wish to contribute. During a visit by a group of women who serve the Church to the European Parliament, at my invitation, I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet highly esteemed women (theologians, writers, directors of institutions, publishers, etc.) who could offer much to the Orthodox Church from more responsible positions.

Your All-Holiness,

The aforementioned issues have been raised in writing and orally, since 1999, with the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church, Mr. Christodoulos. In addition to these two issues, there are others that have periodically concerned public opinion and for which the Orthodox Church should be open to dialogue, such as the cremation of the dead and the harmonization of the Christian religious holidays (Easter).

Your All-Holiness,

You who tirelessly work for dialogue between religions and the reconciliation of Catholics, Muslims, Jews, and Orthodox Christians, I hope that you will wish to contribute to the removal of prejudices and discrimination against women and to the assurance of equal treatment of both genders by the Church and society.

Please accept the expression of my warmest wishes for health, long life, and the fulfillment of your visions for the benefit of the Church and humanity.

With respect,

Anna Karamanou

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