Conversion of a High Priest into a Christian WorkerGolden, M. (Meletios)
Religion
Conversion of a High Priest into a Christian Worker
Golden, M. (Meletios)
Golden, M. (Meletios)
Procopios, in the opinion of his own friends, was the last man in the
Greek priesthood, qualified to occupy the Metropolitan Throne of Athens,
and totally lost his will power when he became Metropolite by Royal
favor. There was an organized clique around the Metropolitan mansion,
but the controlling power should be located within the walls of the
Royal Palace. Procopios was only an instrument transmitting orders. And
if I was allowed to publish all that Procopios himself told me, in
Salamis, it would make the Greek people sit up and take notice, but in
my vows as confessor I have to carry the confession of the fallen
Metropolite Procopios with me to my grave, unless the need arises to
serve the best interests of my beloved country. It was his last
confession upon the earth. He died and went there, where, at the great
Judgment Day, he, surely will give account for all his deeds done in the
body.
For the first time in the ecclesiastical history of the Greek Kingdom, a
Metropolite abdicated from his throne, rejected by his closest friends,
helpless under the anathema of the people, above whom he was called to
be the spiritual leader, his life imperilled by the injured public
sentiment, Procopios, left a real wreck cast by the shore, as a warning
sign of those dangers to which every public man is exposed, when
corrupted by higher favours and neglects his duties to the people who
entrusted him with responsibilities of national importance.
This incident, which I hope will never occur again, and many other minor
opportunities, in which I had a part to play, during that fateful Queen
Olga's attempt to adulterate the beautiful and pure Attic Greek
language, gave me the exceptional privilege to study all the works of
the political machinery in Greece. I have seen the drama enacted behind
the scenes. It is a dreadful drama that could break the neck of the
strongest long-suffering. The awful drama that is enacted in Greece at
the expenses of the people is a long, very long story; perhaps it has
its beginning with the reign of King George and Queen Olga, I will not
say, but the people of Greece, the poorest people of Europe, are
contented and well pleased that they have a King who is a great
diplomat, and he is one of the richest Kings in Europe, and their Queen,
Olga, they believe (the ignorant do) that she is a saintly woman (as all
the Russian saints are), and this ignorant Greek people, they simply
feel glad to leave their homes and their children and go into war, like
sheep into the butcher's shop, sacrifice their lives, thus destroying
their homes and the hopes of their loved ones, every time King George
calls them to arms to fight against the Turks. And King George has
always a great patriotic cause to fight the Turks. And the Greeks could
not appreciate more highly a privilege than to fight and die for the
deliverance of their brethren in Crete and for the salvation of the
unfortunate Christians in Macedonia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account