John Metaxas is a lawyer,
admitted to the bar in New York, and a
journalist with the award-winning news teams at WCBS Newsradio and
WCBS-TV. John publishes this blog as a source of information for
Hellenes
and philhellenes around the world. JOHN
METAXAS REPORTS
(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.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Ecumenical Patriarch organizes "Arctic Symposium"
From: The Christian Science Monitor
September 12,
2007
In
Greenland, an interfaith rally for climate change
Patriarch
Bartholomew is leading an interfaith shipboard symposium down the coast
of Greenland to improve cooperation between religious and political
leaders.
By
Colin Woodard | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Ilulissat,
Greenland
Standing
on the bow of a passenger ship before the fast-melting Ilulissat
glacier, religious leaders from around the world lowered their heads in
a silent prayer for the future of the planet.
Surrounded
by icebergs, Sunni, Shiite, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, and
Shinto leaders committed themselves last Friday to leave the planet "in
all its wisdom and beauty to the generations to come." They included
the Grand Rabbi of Paris, René-Samuel Sirat, Bishop Sofie
Petersen of Greenland, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, and
the Rev. Jim Ball, founder of the Evangelical Environmental Network.
They
are
in Greenland for a six-day tour on the invitation of the Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew, the senior-most figure in Orthodox Christianity,
widely known as the Green Patriarch for his efforts to mobilize
religious leaders to protect the environment.
Patriarch
Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul, Turkey, has traveled to many of
the world's environmental hotspots including the Black Sea, the Danube,
and the Amazon, usually as part of a series of shipboard symposiums
between religious, scientific, and political leaders.
John Metaxas reports:
Hundreds attend candlelight vigil for 9/11 victims
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Archdiocese starts Greek fire relief fund
CLICK IMAGE TO DONATE
From goarch.org:
Archdiocese Mobilizes
Appeal for the Birthplace of Democracy
9/6/2007
In
a continuing effort to maximize the assistance offered to the victims
of the fires in Greece, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
launched a major campaign to heighten the awareness of the general
public to the devastation caused by this calamity. On Wednesday, the
New York Times and USA TODAY, with a combined circulation of well over
7,000,000 newspapers, included a full-page ad sponsored by the
Archdiocese which contained an appeal from prominent Americans from
across the nation for assistance for the Church’s Greek Fire
Relief Fund. The ad depicted a dramatic picture of the Winged Statue of
Nike (Victory) which was threatened by the wildfires in Olympia, the
birth-place of the Olympics. The ad will also appear this weekend in
the Chicago Tribune and in the Los Angeles Times.
