The Archbishop of Thyatira and Great Britain Nikitas, speaking to skai.gr, said that he had no information about the concert
By Marialene Tsouvelekidis
The concert given by a group of Greek musicians in a Greek Orthodox Church in Brighton in the South of England has caused an uproar and strong reactions. The issue was reported to by an angry reader, while there are also heaps of negative comments that have been posted on social media.
skai.gr contacted the Archbishop of Thyatira and Great Britain, Nikitas, who emphasized that he had no knowledge of the event, adding that a letter has already been sent to the competent Ecclesiastical Committee, which gave the green light for the event to take place. For his part, Father Germanos, heretical head of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity of Brighton, speaking to skai.gr, said that the aim of the concert was to pay tribute to great classical composers.
The “rebetika” concert in the Orthodox Church
“Idols of Greek music: Thodorakis, Hatzidakis, Xarchakos”, Sunday 19 May from 16:00 to 18:15. At Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Carlton Hill in Brighton. Price 15 pounds for adults and 5 pounds for children. This was stated in the invitation of the concert which caused comments and which was posted on eventribe.com.
Thus, five Greek musicians, from three Greek groups namely Rebetiko Carnival, Plastikes Karekles and Amagalma, took their instruments last Sunday, sat in front of the church sanctuary and for two hours played Theodorakis, Hatzidaki, Xarhakos, accompanied by many times of applause. The concert was attended by about 100 people, as the church space is limited and there was no capacity for more.
In communication between and Rebetiko Carnival regarding the matter, a member of the group referred to a relevant announcement which states the following: “This event was organized by members of the Greek community of Brighton, England, the venue was not chosen by members of the band. However, here in England concerts are held from time to time in churches, whether Catholic or Orthodox, as long as the content is not offensive or provocative. The purpose of this concert was to promote Hellenism with songs that promote values such as peace, freedom, kindness, love and so on, values that our religion also promotes.”
Another member of the group told that ddoes not wish to engage in a non-constructive dialogue “especially seeing the caustic comments on the post.” The people who perform and those who have been touched for many years by the Rebetiko Carnival charity know and that is enough for us. We do not expect publicity and certainly do not intend to provoke” he emphasized.
But who are Rebetiko Carnival? As they state on their official website: they are a community organization dedicated to expanding access to music and supporting people in need. They declare themselves rebetiko fans, organize regular concerts and participate in festivals with the aim of funding their community work. The idea started in 2014 and their mission is: to expand access to music through interactive performances.
As far as the income of the concert is concerned, the information of states that it was used exclusively to cover the expenses for the musicians and the setting up of the “stage”.
Who gave the green light?
As Archimandrite Germanos Kourkounis, heretical head of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity of Brighton, stated speaking to skai.gr, the holding of the concert was approved by the Ecclesiastical Commission and was done with his consent. The concert, according to Father Germanos, aimed to pay tribute to great classical composers, such as Manos Hatzidakis, Mikis Theodorakis and Stavros Xarchakos. The event was attended, in fact, as many English citizens said.
“We are trying to keep the Greek language here in England”, he emphasized, adding that in this context they are doing other events with poems and songs in collaboration with Greek schools in England to celebrate October 28 and March 25.
These concerts take place once every five years, he said, but are not unusual for Brighton, as a similar event was held at a church in East Sussex last year, Father Germanos explained.
Archbishop of Thyatira and Great Britain Nikitas: I was speechless – I had no knowledge
Speaking exclusively to skai.gr, the Archbishop of Thyatira and Great Britain Nikitas, stated that he had no information about the event, adding that a letter has already been sent to the relevant Ecclesiastical Committee.
As he said, he was informed of the incident when he got hold of the poster of the event through an acquaintance. “I had no knowledge, no information, no one asked permission, no blessing. Such events I do not bless and do not give permission” he said characteristically.
“There can be a concert with church tropes, with hymns, we even sing the national anthem in church, but not such events. A while ago I signed a letter which we are sending to the priest and the committee there. I am very sorry that people blame us without knowing. It is a very delicate matter and it is not Christian to accuse without knowing. People should be ashamed of what they say and write.”
As the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain Nikitas explained, for the realization of such events the approval of the local Ecclesiastical Committee of the parish is not enough, while he went on to emphasize that: “they should first contact us, let us be informed with all the details and then we will respond”.
Finally, he pointed out: “I was speechless. I cannot accuse and wrong people just from one poster and with people’s talk. We have to find out exactly what happened and then we’ll see.”
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
