Communion denied to 4yo 'sinner'
From: By Heather Low Choy
October 21, 2005
AN unholy row within Tasmania's Greek Orthodox faith has erupted again after a four-year-old girl was barred from communion.
The girl's grandparents say the state's only Greek Orthodox priest turned the little girl away because there was a "canona" on her.
A canona is a religious punishment barring someone who has committed a terrible sin from the Greek Orthodox church.
The canona ruling is the latest shot in a religious feud that has split the church in Tasmania.
Grandparents Sofia and Anania Tsinoglou say the canona on little Sophia is linked to her parents' decision not to follow Father Timothy Evangelinidis when he left Hobart's Church of St George in March.
Father Timothy quit the church, which is owned by Hobart's Greek community, to set up a new parish.
"Father Timothy put a canona on all the Greeks in Hobart who did not follow him to the new parish he made," Mrs Tsinoglou said.
"Even if you put a canona on the grown-ups, don't put one on the children for goodness sake."
Father Evangelinidis cited "disrespect" and "maltreatment" from the Greek community's executive committee as his reasons for moving his parish out of the Church of St George.
But community leaders say Fr Evangelinidis, Tasmania's only Greek Orthodox priest, left to try to push the Greek community into handing over the church to the archdiocese.
Community leaders have since imported a defrocked priest from Adelaide to lead the Church of St George.
Mrs Tsinoglou, 63, of Launceston, said Fr Evangelinidis' refusal to give Sophia communion upset her so much she thought she was going to have a stroke.
"Sophia was visiting from Hobart and I took her to Fr Timothy's monthly Saturday service at the Holy Virgin Mary Church," Mrs Tsinoglou said.
"Fr Timothy's canona on Hobart Greeks has nothing to do with us here in Launceston so I was shocked by what happened."
Mrs Tsinoglou said when Sophia reached the head of the communion Fr Timothy said 'Not you' and took her from the line.
When Sophia lined up again, the same thing happened, she said.
"I was very angry, of course. It was a very nasty thing to do to a four-year-old child," Mrs Tsinoglou said.
"How can we explain to the child why the priest doesn't give her communion? Later she asked 'Why doesn't Jesus love me any more?'
"I want Fr Timothy to apologise to my grand-daughter and explain to her why she cannot have communion."
Sophia's mother Georgina Tsinoglou, 32, said she and her husband had not followed Fr Evangelinidis because she had worshipped at St George all her life.
"We made our choice as adults but Sophia is innocent to the situation. How can the church place a canona on a little girl? We want answers," she said.
Fr Evangelinidis, reading from a prepared statement, confirmed he had refused to give Sophia communion.
"The little girl in the queue and her immediate family are not part of my church or any other canonical orthodox church," he said.
"I cannot give communion under normal circumstances to others be they Protestants or Jehovah's Witnesses or other groups.
"She should take the sacrament in her own church."
Fr Evangelinidis said he had no authority to force the sacraments of his church "upon minors whose parents have not made their intentions in this matter clear".
Hobart Greek community spokesman Chris Diamantis said the community regarded the canona on Sophia as disgraceful behaviour.
from
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16986822-421,00.html
From: By Heather Low Choy
October 21, 2005
AN unholy row within Tasmania's Greek Orthodox faith has erupted again after a four-year-old girl was barred from communion.
The girl's grandparents say the state's only Greek Orthodox priest turned the little girl away because there was a "canona" on her.
A canona is a religious punishment barring someone who has committed a terrible sin from the Greek Orthodox church.
The canona ruling is the latest shot in a religious feud that has split the church in Tasmania.
Grandparents Sofia and Anania Tsinoglou say the canona on little Sophia is linked to her parents' decision not to follow Father Timothy Evangelinidis when he left Hobart's Church of St George in March.
Father Timothy quit the church, which is owned by Hobart's Greek community, to set up a new parish.
"Father Timothy put a canona on all the Greeks in Hobart who did not follow him to the new parish he made," Mrs Tsinoglou said.
"Even if you put a canona on the grown-ups, don't put one on the children for goodness sake."
Father Evangelinidis cited "disrespect" and "maltreatment" from the Greek community's executive committee as his reasons for moving his parish out of the Church of St George.
But community leaders say Fr Evangelinidis, Tasmania's only Greek Orthodox priest, left to try to push the Greek community into handing over the church to the archdiocese.
Community leaders have since imported a defrocked priest from Adelaide to lead the Church of St George.
Mrs Tsinoglou, 63, of Launceston, said Fr Evangelinidis' refusal to give Sophia communion upset her so much she thought she was going to have a stroke.
"Sophia was visiting from Hobart and I took her to Fr Timothy's monthly Saturday service at the Holy Virgin Mary Church," Mrs Tsinoglou said.
"Fr Timothy's canona on Hobart Greeks has nothing to do with us here in Launceston so I was shocked by what happened."
Mrs Tsinoglou said when Sophia reached the head of the communion Fr Timothy said 'Not you' and took her from the line.
When Sophia lined up again, the same thing happened, she said.
"I was very angry, of course. It was a very nasty thing to do to a four-year-old child," Mrs Tsinoglou said.
"How can we explain to the child why the priest doesn't give her communion? Later she asked 'Why doesn't Jesus love me any more?'
"I want Fr Timothy to apologise to my grand-daughter and explain to her why she cannot have communion."
Sophia's mother Georgina Tsinoglou, 32, said she and her husband had not followed Fr Evangelinidis because she had worshipped at St George all her life.
"We made our choice as adults but Sophia is innocent to the situation. How can the church place a canona on a little girl? We want answers," she said.
Fr Evangelinidis, reading from a prepared statement, confirmed he had refused to give Sophia communion.
"The little girl in the queue and her immediate family are not part of my church or any other canonical orthodox church," he said.
"I cannot give communion under normal circumstances to others be they Protestants or Jehovah's Witnesses or other groups.
"She should take the sacrament in her own church."
Fr Evangelinidis said he had no authority to force the sacraments of his church "upon minors whose parents have not made their intentions in this matter clear".
Hobart Greek community spokesman Chris Diamantis said the community regarded the canona on Sophia as disgraceful behaviour.
from
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16986822-421,00.html
