Australia: The Archdiocese against senators who voted Yes to abortion

Last Sunday, the absence of two senators from the celebration and wreath laying ceremony organized by the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, on the occasion of celebration of the anniversary of March 25 and of 200 years since Liberation of Greece.

The reason for Ms. Irini Pnevmatikos, senator of the Labour Party, and the Ms. Konstantina Bonarou, senator for the SA Best party, who claim that for the first time since entering the state parliament, they were not officially invited to the event celebrating the 25th.

According to them, Their non-invitation is due to the position they took in Parliament and the views they expressed on the controversial issue of abortion.

In exclusive statements to «New World,», The two ladies of the Greek community claimed that the Holy Archdiocese deliberately did not send them an official invitation because they voted in favor of the bill to legalize abortion, which was ultimately passed by the state legislature of New York., This upset the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and Archbishop Makarios, as the two senators mentioned.

«Let me be clear. I did not attend the celebration because I did not receive an invitation from the organizers, and that hurt me deeply,» said Ms. Bonarou, who expressed her disappointment that an event such as the celebration of the independence of her ancestors' homeland had turned into a political confrontation.

«It is a tragic irony that, of all the events, I was not invited to the one that has its roots in the land of my ancestors, the Peloponnese,» said Ms. Bonarou, visibly annoyed. Bonarou, who explained that she is fully aware that she does not need a special invitation to practice her religious duties and that she does so not because she is invited but because she is a deeply religious and proud Greek Orthodox Christian.

«No one can take away my right to my faith, even now that I am in politics. At the same time, however, as an active politician in the South African Parliament, I do not demand special treatment from my colleagues, regardless of their political beliefs, but I do demand to be treated equally – especially when my colleagues were invited to the event, despite the fact that, like me, they had voted in favor of the bill.

«Everyone is free to do as they wish, but I ask our assistant bishop and anyone in the Holy Archdiocese who was responsible for organizing this event to answer us why this distinction was made between me and Mrs. Pnevmatikos.».

Ms. Pnevmatiko, in turn, described the incident as «whether appropriate or inappropriate and unacceptable,», saying that perhaps this act functioned in some way as a form of punishment for the views that the two women expressed in the state parliament.

«We received letters from Archbishop Makarios who rebuked us for our stance on the issue and suggested that we repent for the views we expressed regarding the legalization of abortion. which was ultimately passed by the South Australian Parliament,» revealed Ms. Pnevmatikou, who argued that It is every citizen's right to have their own opinions, and it is our duty to respect our neighbors.

«Under no circumstances, however, is there room in the state legislature for «ecclesiastical legislation'.

«The struggle for our country's independence led to the creation of a modern Greek state. Despite the 400 years of Ottoman slavery that preceded it, history is a living example of what our Greek ancestors achieved by being united and having a common goal and identity during the struggle, regardless of political, religious, and cultural beliefs.

«It is important not to focus on what divides us but on what unites us, which is why it would be wise not to return to a system that prevailed in Greek society during the 400 years when Greece was under the Ottoman Empire.

THE ARCHBISHOP'S RESPONSE

In communication between Neos Kosmos and the assistant bishop of Sinope, Mr. Silouanos, he confirmed that the reason the two women were not officially invited had to do with their positions on the specific issue, but added that No one prevented the two women from attending if they wished to do so.

«It is true that the two ladies did not receive an official invitation from the Holy Archdiocese, but at the same time it is well known that The celebration is an open event for Hellenism, to which everyone is welcome., And, of course, Ms. Pnevmatikos and Ms. Bonaros were welcome to attend if they wished. The reason they were not invited does indeed have to do with the fact that the two senators had a specific opinion on abortion, with which the church and Orthodoxy disagree,» Mr. Silouanos said in exclusive statements to «Neos Kosmos.».

At the same time, State Premier Stephen Marshall and politicians from various parties who also supported the legalization of abortion received an official invitation from the Holy Archdiocese. to attend the ceremony and lay a wreath at the War Memorial in the city center.

«The state prime minister is hosting us here as the head of state, even though he is not an Orthodox Christian, so we do not expect him to share our views,» explained Assistant Bishop Silouanos.

Ms. Pnevmatikos and Ms. Bonarou chose not to attend Sunday's celebrations and laid a wreath on their own on the morning of the national holiday in the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Adelaide, Mr. Georgios Psichas.

The absence of the two ladies did not go unnoticed by the local media in South Australia, which covered the issue in a related report.