Archbishop Damaskinos

Archbishop Damaskinos             ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΣ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΙΝΟΣ

  Born 1891                                      Died 1949

The archbishopric of Athens is the senior see in Greece and the seat of the leader of the Independent Orthodox Church of Greece. As head of the Church of Greece the holder of this see is called the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece.

 

In the Plaza of the First Cemetery beside the Church

Archbishop Damaskinos held this post twice, once briefly in 1938 and then from 1941 to 1949, a period covering the German occupation and the critical period after the Germans left. 

Two occasions stand out. The first was his courageous stand against the Nazis effort to transport  Athenian Jews to the death camps in 1943. The second was his role as regent for the absent Greek king in 1945-6 when it was still unclear whether the monarchy would be restored in the war torn country. 

His heroic stand against the Nazis speaks to the character of the man. His role as regent has sparked more historical debate, particularly because some have portrayed him (and by extension the Church) as a willing pawn of Churchill and the forces of the Greek right whose main aim at the time was the exclusion of leftist EAM/ELAS from any post war position of power in Greece.

 Time Magazine, Oct 1, 1945

His Life

He was born Dimitrios  Papandreou in Dorvitsa in the area of Naupaktos. An influential uncle helped him to study, first in Karditsa and then at the University of Athens where he received honors in Theology and Law. Like most young men of his age, he saw action during the Balkan wars of 1912-13, but then chose a career in the Church. He was ordained a deacon in 1917 and became the managing secretary of the Archdiocese of Athens. It was obvious from the get go that Dimitrios had superior talents.

Mediating on Athos and Metropolitan Bishop of Corinth

When he was ordained a priest in 1918, he gained the title “Archimandrite” (1) and was assigned to the Petraki and Pendeli monasteries. He was subsequently sent to Mount Athos to mediate an ongoing struggle among the Greek, Serbian, and Bulgarian monks. This was the first but not the last time his talents as a mediator would be called upon.
 

At the youngest possible age for the position, his name was proposed as Metropolitan Bishop of Corinth in 1922 by Greek war hero cum dictator Nikolaos Plastiras. (2) There was a small hitch because his birth date was 1891 and to be eligible he had to have been born a year earlier - in 1890. The Church duly sent a committee to Dorvitsa to ‘investigate´ and, as luck would have it, it was discovered ´that he had in fact’ been born a year earlier! This small example of Orthodox  ‘economia´ is one of the things that make Orthodoxy appealing!(3)

Damaskinos was Corinth’s religious leader when the terrible earthquake of 1928 occurred. The city was devastated. He decided to lead a committee going to various cities in America to solicit aide from the Greek American communities there. Again, his talents as a mediator were called upon, this time by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople. He asked Dimitrios to represent him in America as Patriarchal Exarch. Greeks in America were as politically divided as were Greeks in the home country after the national schism, the horrible events of World War One, the Smyrna debacle (which had precipitated the population exchanges of 1923), and the subsequent expulsion of the king. There were two entrenched camps –royalists and the republican minded Venizelists. Since both sides were Orthodox, the Church was in a difficult position. It didn’t help that, for historical reasons going back to Byzantine times when the Emperor and the Patriarch were considered two sides of the same coin, the Church had always tended to support the monarchy. This made the institution suspect to republican Venizelists. That he could mediate between these factions speaks volumes about his abilities.

Back in Greece, he was elected Archbishop of Athens and all Greece in 1938. But, as has happened so often, the state intervened. Ioannis Metaxas, the dictator at the time, did not trust him,  had him replaced  after a month with his own candidate, and had him confined to a Monastery.

 Things might have remained this way but ‘history’ intervened.

  
The Italians invaded Greece from Albania, Metaxas died, and then the Germans successfully invaded Greece from Bulgaria in 1941. Worse, mere days after the Germans entered Greece, the king and most of his government fled, first to Crete and then on to Egypt or England where they would sit out the war as the government in exile. It was more or less up to the leftist elements still in the country to provide the major man power for the resistance. True, a small group of right wing fighters remained as well, but it became increasingly clear to the British and to the Greek government in exile that as long as Germany reigned in Greece, the leftists under the banner of EAM/ELAS would provide the main resistance. (EAM or the National Liberation Front became the main resistance movement. ELAS or the Greek People’s Liberation Army, was EAM’s military wing)

Where was the Church in all this?  It was caught firmly in the middle. Because most of the clergy remained inside Greece during the occupation and because even the communists in EAM/ELAS, not to mention the many non-communists who joined their ranks, looked to the church for leadership. The influence of the Church in Greece during these terrible years was significant, especially so because the pre-war leadership of Greece was not present. (No one took the successive quisling governments seriously.) The Church’s influence grew rather than diminished during these years.
 

Damaskinos is Reinstated

When Metaxas’ choice for archbishop refused to swear in the new quisling government in 1941, Damaskinos was reinstated as Archbishop once more. The previous archbishop had feared being called a collaborator if he had any dealings with the puppet government. Damaskinos, however,  had a higher purpose which was expressed by his friend Konstantinos Tsatsos, -  that as a mediator  he could turn the office of the Archbishop "into the central agency of survival and resistance".

The Transportation of Athenian Jews

From the beginning, he fought bravely for the welfare of the Greek people under the occupation. Even with Germans present, he delivered a stirring patriotic oration to the crowd at the funeral of Costis Palamas in February of 1943, a speech that was a source of hope and strength to many during those dark days. Damaskinos again showed his true mettle in March 1943 when the Nazis set out to gather and then send Athenian Jews to the death camps as they had already been doing with such ruthless efficiency in Thessaloniki.(4)

 

The ‘Registration’ of Jews in Thessaloniki in 1942

 


The number of Jews in Athens had grown during this period because many Jews from Thessaloniki and other northern cities had fled south. Athens did not have a ghetto, so the Germans, with terrible logic, railroaded what Jewish leaders they could locate and ordered them to tally and corral the others, - insisting that all records be presented to them and Jews placed in special enclaves.

Athens’ Rabbi, Elias Barilai, immediately went to Archbishop Damaskinos seeking help and advice. First and foremost, Damaskinos counseled that any Jews who could must flee for their lives because the Church could only do so much. He suggested that the rabbi destroy all of the records of Jews in Athens and then he proceeded to do what he could do…

 Together with Athens’ police chief, Angelos Evert, he saved thousands of Greek Jews by providing more than 27,000 false identity papers (including baptism certificates.). He ordered monasteries and convents, local clergy, and Christian families to harbor Jewish fugitives. (More than 250 Jewish children were hidden by the clergy alone.)

The false Identity Card of Asir David on display at the Jewish Museum in Athens

 And he, with many other prominent citizens, composed and published an open letter to the quisling Prime Minister K. Logothetopoulos and to the German authorities.

In part it said:

The Greek Orthodox Church and the Academic World of Greek people protest against the persecution…. According to the terms of the armistice, all Greek citizens, without distinction of race or religion, were to be treated equally by the occupation Authorities….Our holy religion does not recognize superior or inferior qualities based on race or religion, as it is stated: There is neither Jew nor Greek … and thus condemns any attempt to discriminate or create racial or religious differences. Our common fate both in days of glory and in periods of national misfortune forged inseparable bonds between all Greek citizens, without exemption, irrespective of race...

This eloquent plea, made more eloquent (according to several historians) by the fact Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos had  a hand in its composition, would go down in history as one of the archbishop’s finest moments. It was a heroic stand, made more so because 28 leaders of organizations in Athens including lawyers, notaries, and doctors signed the document. (See footnote (5) for the entire list). It was a resounding repudiation of the Nazi dogma by people who knew they were putting themselves in harm’s way by signing it.

When the German in charge of transporting the Jews threatened to shoot him if he published the letter, Damaskinos responded:

According to the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church, our prelates are hanged, not shot. Please respect our traditions.(6)

Not all of the Jews were saved, but thousands were. Of the estimated 60 to 70,000 Greek Jews who perished during the Second World War, 10,000 were saved, many of those because of the steadfast resistance of men like Damaskinos.  

According to historians, he was the only prelate in Europe who published an open letter during the German occupation unequivocally denouncing the ´final solution’.

In 1971, Damaskinos, among other churchmen, would be posthumously named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.

The ‘Dekemvriana´ of December 1944 That Led to The Regency

In a good film, there would have been a satisfying ‘fade out’ and ending after his heroic stand against the Nazis. But history is never neat and there was one more important role for Archbishop Damaskinos to play. It involved the Greek king, George II. It is a complicated story:

A Little Background

In 1943, the British and the Greek government in exile were already turning their attention to what would happen in Greece when the Germans retreated. Of course, the government in exile and the king wanted to return as soon as possible. Damaskinos’ opinion was sought. He reported that the return of the king would be actively opposed. He was not alone in this assessment.  

When the Germans did retreat in 1944, the armed freedom fighters of EAM/ELAS controlled all of the countryside outside of Athens. They had stayed while others fled; they had suffered before the war under the Metaxas dictatorship, and they were demanding assurances of change and a chance to participate in any post war government.

On the other hand, the British and the Greek government in exile were convinced that EAM/ELAS were poised to take over the country and create a communist regime. Mistrust was the order of the day.

 In spite of this, Damaskinos’ opinions and stands were respected. During the occupation, he had been careful to avoid ever publically repudiating EAM/ELAS.

The EAM/ELAS leadership never did speak with one voice and certainly most of their members were not committed communist by any means. There was a brief period in 1944 when it even seemed possible that the returning ‘government in exile’ under Papandreou would reach a lasting power sharing compromise with EAM/ELAS.   But, unknown to the EAM/ELAS rank and file, staunch royalist Churchill had already placed his Greek chess piece in the post-war western camp. And Stalin had agreed.

Where the real power lay…

The Germans evacuated Athens on Dec 12, 1944.  A small contingent of British troops arrived six days later on the 18^th. The Greek government in exile returned as well, albeit without the king.

Talks with EAM/ELAS, and the government were ongoing regarding the composition of a post war Greek army. EAM/ELAS were still armed and so were the so called Security Battalions formed during the German occupation by the quisling government of George Rallis. These battalions had attracted pro-royalists and former supporters of the Metaxas regime and, since their formation, had supported the German occupation as well.  The ‘plan’ was that all sides would disarm and a ‘new’ Greek army would then emerge.

 But,

 The British and the government then insisted that EAM/ELAS disarm while allowing the Security Battalions to remain armed.  EAM/ELAS considered this a betrayal and organized a protest in Syntagma Square on December 3^rd 1944.  Many unarmed protestors were killed by the Greek police, who apparently panicked.  A series of horrible and bloody battles and reprisals continued over the next month leaving many dead on both sides (the so called Decemvriana). These events sowed even more mistrust and hatred.

The ‘Regency’ Solution

Churchill realized that bringing the king back under these conditions would precipitate a battle he might not be able to win. So, a royal presence in the form of a regent was proposed on December 10^th and  Archbishop Damaskinos’ name was put forward. Churchill’s reaction is interesting. He asked if he were a man of God or a scheming prelate more interested in temporal power than the life hereafter.  The answer was “scheming prelate” (in the opinion of the British aide who answered the question). Ironically, that ‘seat of the pants’ assessment suited Churchill down to the ground. He needed a man of Damaskinos’ stature as regent; that was all he cared about.

Churchill and Archbishop Damaskinos

Churchill then strong-armed a reluctant King George II into agreeing that a  regency was the only way forward.

 And so Archbishop Damaskinos became regent in January 1945. He even took on the role of Prime Minister briefly during this chaotic period.  His mediating abilities were absolutely necessary. He fulfilled his role as regent with dignity under difficult circumstances. The king returned after a plebliscite in September 1946 that many still believe was rigged and Damaskinos stepped down as regent.

Should Damaskinos Have Accepted the Regency?

The question has sometimes been raised as to whether the Church and the Archbishop were working hand in hand with right wing forces all along.  I doubt if the answer is that simple; so little in Greek history ever is.

Pantelymon Anastasakis gave the best answer when he described the clergy’s position during those turbulent years with these words:

The clergy fought for the preservation of Greek Sovereignty and culture as they understood these concepts. (7)

Ultimately, tensions were not resolved.  More civil war followed, communism was outlawed, and communists or suspected communists were exiled until a reconciliation of sorts was forged by Andreas Papandreou in the 1980s.

 Damaskinos remained Archbishop of Athens and all Greece until his death in 1949.

Today

An impressive three and one half meter bronze statue of Archbishop Damaskinos by sculptor Fanis Sakellariou was erected in 1991 in front of the Metropolitan Church of Athens. Holding his staff aloft, his hands raised in blessing, Damaskinos faces the cathedral’s entrance.

One admirer has called it “an Olympic statue of a Christian Jupiter”

The Grave

Archbishops’ graves can be found at the entrance in the Plaza

Footnotes

1.     This particular name is only given to those priests who have taken vows of celibacy.

2.     Nikolaos Plastiras was military ruler of Greece at the time of Damaskinos’ appointment. Of course the Synod would have elected him but it would  not be the first or last time that a Greek politician would have a hand in the election of churchmen!

3.      Put most simply, the term, "economia" is a deviation from the exactness of the usual rule. – for the greater good.

4.     See  Mark Mazower’s  Salonika City of Ghosts, pp 7-8

5.      The Impressive list of Signees:

President of the Academy of Athens, Rector of the University of Athens, Rector of the Polytechnical School of Athens, Rector of the High School of Economic Studies, President of the Medical Association of Attica, President of the Roll of Barristers of Attica, President of the Union of Notaries of Athens and Aegean, President of the Journalists Union, President of the Association of Greek Authors, President of the Culture Association, President of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce, President of the Athens Professional Chamber, President of the Greek Association of Chemists, President of the Athens Association of Pharmacists, President of the Dentists Association, President of the Athens Craftsman Chamber, President of the Piraeus Association of Pharmacists, President of the Greeks Actors, President of the Greek Association of Pharmacists, President of the Medical Association of Piraeus, President of the Athens Association of Commercants, President of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vice-President of the Greek Union of Theatrical and Musical Critics, President of the Medical Association of Callithea, Secretary General of the Panhellenic Association of Dentists, President of the Greek Industrialists Union, General Director of the Refugees Organization, General Director of Social Health Organization.

6.     This was an ironic reference to the hanging of the Patriarch in Constantinople at the beginning of the War of Independence.

7.     From the Church of Greece Under Axis Occupation by Pantelymon Anastasakis. P.231

Sources

1.    State, Nationalism, and the Jewish Communities of Modern Greece by Evdoxios Doxiadis

2. Red Acropolis, Black Terror: The Greek Civil War and the Origins of Soviet-American Rivalry, 1943-1949 by Andre Gerolymatos