Cathedral of Boston Invites Public to Panel Discussion by
Experts on "The Halki Theological School: Past, Present,
and Future"on 31 March 2011

Dear Stewards and Friends,

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join the Stewards of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England for a panel discussion on:

The Theological School of Halki: Past, Present & Future

Thursday, March 31, 2011 at 7:00PM

The Cathedral Center 162 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445

The Event is of No Charge & Open to the Public

All are Welcomed – Refreshments will be Served!
Brief Background:

The Theological School of Halki, founded in the nineteenth century, (October 1, 1844) on the grounds of the Patriarchal Monastery of the Holy Trinity, located on the island of Halki, the second largest among the Prince Islands in the sea of Marmara, and a few miles from the shores of Constantinople, has occupied the site for over 1,000 years.

Halki was the main theological school of the Ecumenical Patriarchate until its closing. In 1971, it fell subject to actions by the Turkish government seeking to cease its activities. The closing of the school constitutes a breach of the Treaty of Lausanne - Article 24 of the Turkish Constitution and Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights - all of which guarantee religious freedom.

On Thursday evening, March 31st, an esteemed Panel, composed of the following members, will share with us their perspectives on its history, its legal implications, an economist’s view points, obstacles to its reopening and lastly the U.S. position and responsibility.



Panelists:

Mr. Christos Papoutsy: Historian, Author, Businessman and Philanthropist. A business graduate of Southern New Hampshire University, has studied post-graduate courses at Harvard University in law and psychology. He has lectured on business and business ethics at universities and institutions, including Oxford and the American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Athens. His latest book release: Ecumenical Patriarchate of Orthodox Christianity Under Siege: The Holy Theological School of Halki. Copies of the book will be available at the purchase price of $20.00. 40% of the proceeds will be donated to the Cathedral. An accomplished Santouri player, he is the conductor of the Hellenic and Near Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Papoutsy is an Archon in the Order of St. Andrew of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Attorney George Rockas: A graduate of Cornell University where he received his J.D. and M.B.A. A Managing Partner with of the Boston office of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman and Dicker LLP, is a practicing attorney in civil litigation for 26 years. A member of the Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of the Patriarchate, he served as the Conference chairman for the Religious Freedom Conference in Brussels in November, 2010.

Mr. Nick Larigakis: A graduate of political science from the College of New Jersey has studied as well at the American University in Washington, D.C. He is currently the president and chief operating officer of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), a non-profit Greek American public policy center in Washington, D.C. He works with the United States Congress on U.S.-Greece-Cyprus relations and serves as President of the Greek American Political Action Committee. For his work, Mr. Larigakis has received numerous awards and recognitions. He is an Archon in the Order of St. Andrew.

Professor Michalis Psalidopoulos: Holder of the Constantine Karamanlis Chair of Hellenic and Southeastern Studies of the Fletcher School of Diplomacy, Tufts University and a Professor of History of Economic Thought at the Department of Economics, University of Athens. A Fulbright Fellow at Duke University, a Stanley J. Seeger Fellow at Princeton University and a Visiting Research Professor at Kings College in London. An author and editor of numerous books and articles, he has been awarded the prize for the best economic treatise by the Academy of Athens.
Event Chair Cathedral Dean Parish Council President

Honorable Bruce Tarr (Tamvakologos): A graduate of Suffolk Law School was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1990 and in the Senate in 1994. A member of several key State Senate Committees, including: Senate Committee on Ways & Means; Children & Families; Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Higher Education; Public Health; Public Safety and Homeland Security; Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. A powerful advocate for the reopening of Halki, he was instrumental in raising awareness among his colleagues and co-authored a joint letter in 2007 to President Bush, asking for U.S. consideration and action on the matter.

We look forward seeing you at this historic and informative event. For more information regarding this event and other upcoming Cathedral activities, please check our website and facebook pages at: www.facebook.com/bostoncathedral http://www.bostoncathedral.org
Always grateful to your support,

Debora Babalas, Event Chair
V. Rev. Dr. Cleopas Strongylis, Cathedral Dean
Demetris Photopoulos, Ph.D., Parish Council President
For a full-size image of flyer, go to
http://www.helleniccomserve.com/pdf/
papoutsyhalkiflyerthirdboscath.pdf

(Posting date 17 March 2011)

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