“Our Father in Heaven…” replaced by a poem in Greek schools
May 11, 2009 by Guest Author
Source: Enet.gr
We requested a review from Stella Protonotariou, Headteacher to November 2007 of the 132 Athens Elementary School where an experiment took place of replacing the Morning Prayer by a poem written by Yiannis Ritsos.“Many pupils of other non Orthodox faiths attend today’s Greek modern schools which are now multicultural.
According to the presidential Decree 200/98 the pupils who enter the school prior to the Morning Prayer are obliged to attend the assembly area with their Year Group even if they do not pray, respecting their peers who are praying.
Often this is not adhered to as the children when in school at the time of the prayer they want to be part of the team and participate in the first collective activity of the school day.
The children do not wish to feel excluded, odd looking and talked about.
Many a time Muslim pupils took to the microphone and recited “Our Father in Heaven…”
“Why should I not say myself a prayer? Am I not like all the other children? “asked once a pupil of Year 3 and at another time a pupil of Year 5, a Catholic girl, told her teacher that she felt that the other pupils stared at her strangely and made comments on the way she does the sign of the cross.
Parents of children of the non orthodox faith have often requested for their children to participate in the Morning Prayer but without making the sign of the cross.
They themselves were aware that their children were participating anyway.
If discussions were taking place at home the children would react strongly.
Some of the parents opposed as they felt that we as teachers had no respect for their religious beliefs.
It is therefore necessary to find a way such as not to deprive our children from participating in the morning prayer and of course in any other school activity.
I consider their exclusion from the prayer to be an error as well as a violation of their right and is in conflict with the Convention Rights of children a subject taught in school and an official part of the Curriculum.
132nd School after a lot of thought and discussion replaced ” Our Father in Haven….” With the following poem-prayer ”The Morning Star” by Yiannis Ritsos:
“Oh Dear God, we are well
Make, oh Dear god, that the children have a
Creek of milk, Plenty of Stars, Plenty of Songs
Make oh Dear God all to be well”
The lyrics have been chosen as not to be in conflict with the “original elements of orthodoxy” as required by law , do not offend any other faith, they are simple to understand and make allowances for the other faiths children to pray.
However the local parish objected.
When the Headmistress of the specific school asked them for a common solution, they refused to discuss.
Cont ..: Mrs Protonotariou failed the selection process and her replacement reinstated the “Our Father in Heaven..”.
In the uproar that followed(E has always taken an interest with several reports of “IOU” Mr A Lykourentzos Deputy Minister of Education intervened stating along other comments in NET that he is in the position that he is in, in order to protect ” The Laws of the country” and the ” Greek tradition”.
The Defending Council for Children requested further explanation but they received no reply.
This is what 3 of our commentators in the experiment of 132nd School say:
H Frangopoulos: “The free mixing of different religious beliefs and the comparison of those leads to one distancing himself from Any Religion.
Especially when we are talking about Yiannis Ritsos who was a Marxist and he had no Belief in any religion.”
A Kariotoglou: “It was wonderful to see what they did and bravo to those who took the initiative”.
K Bey: “It was so good….as for the result of this experiment, it can only happen in Greece where there is darkness and intolerance”.
On the light of the position of Mr. Kariotoglou we asked him to pass on the relevant questions to Archbishop Ieronymos. However we received no response.
I think the 132nd School in Athens was in fine tune with the change of the times .
Obviously some people do not like ” change” and the result was the abortion of this really noble move.
It is a shame that some ” stuck in the mud” people put a halt to progress and I think this happens a lot in Greece…………
I hope more schools if not all schools will learn from this experiment ,adopt the idea and overcome the obstacles imposed by ” Some”…………..
And to add on to this I really believe that because of the attitude of the
” Stuck in the Mud Brigade” there is not an official Mosque in Athens or a Muslim Cemetery and Greece is so much behind in tolerance of other faiths.
Satisfied by what they found form their parents and grandparents and not inerested in learning and accepting.
Sorry but I had to say it.
In fact , No I am not sorry.
Regards
Xenia
Well I was in christian school back home. I remember they used to say in the the morrning that “the best thing to do is start the day is by praying to God” so every one of us used to either read Fatha if muslim or “Our Father ..”if christian. And each one was praying alone not in loud voice. Anyway i dont know if this correct or not but at least no one was forced to do the other’s prayer and also you dont feel different which again I dont know if its correct or not.
fadi
as far as I was at elementary school everything was ok. After years at the last high school years the prayer matter was humiliated by us all. I remember a teacher who oblidged students to sing a different prayer like a choire with good grades in return, the girls were singing and we were laughing. This was humiliating for the prayer and for our religious feeling, I am sorry to remember now, but this happens to all schools in greece for decades. Time of prayer at schools is a time for laughs or fun, far away from any religious feeling. I also believe that christianity does not deserve that. I believe that my relationship with God is something so personal that cannot be dealed in the public places. So I congladulate the director of this school of Athens for this action.
Συμφωνω με την Αννουλα δυστυχως ετσι ειναι.
Συμφωνω και με τη διευθηντρια που δυστυχως -πληρωσε τη νυφη-,οχι γιατι ειμαι μουσουλμανα αλλα γιατι τα παιδια σε αυτην την τρυφερη ηλικια δεν μπορουν να αντιμετωπισουν τη διακριση,ντρεπονται,νοιωθουν οτι ολοι τους κοιταζουν κ.τ.λ
Εγω εχω δυο παιδια χριστιανους και ενα μουσουλμανο ,οταν παει σχολειο πως θα νοιωθει που δεν ακολουθει οχι μονο τα αλλα παιδια αλλα ουτε τα αδελφια του? Στο σπιτι εμεις οι γονεις χειριζομαστε με ευαισθησια αυτο το θεμα.
Επισης στο μαθημα των θρησκευτικων εκτος απο το να τους μαθαινουν για τη δημιουργια του κοσμου και τη ζωη του Χριστου καλο θα ηταν να μαθαινουν και τους νομους του θεου.
Π.χ. οτι οι σχεσεις εκτος γαμου ειναι αμαρτια και να εκφρασουν τα παιδια τις αποψεις τους ,τις αποριες τους, να γινεται δηλαδη συζητηση οχι -παπαγαλια-
Ειχα μια κουβεντα με την κορη μου που πηγαινει εκτη εχθες πανω σε αυτο το θεμα και το ακουσε για πρωτη φορα.
Αν σας φαινεται υπερβολικο το παραδειγμα που εφερα και ειστε τις αποψης οτι η κοινωνια ειναι ετσι σημερα και μερικοι νομοι του θεου δεν εφαρμοζονται τοτε προς τι ολη αυτη η ψευτοθρησκευτικοτιτα της πολιτειας?
Προς τι ο ξεσηκομος και η απολυση της διευθηντριας?
Μας εχει φαει το δηθεν σημερα.
Αλλο ενα θεμα που θα ηθελα να θεσω αν και δεν εχει σχεση με την πρωινη προσευχη αλλα εχει σχεση με τα σχολεια και νομιζω ειναι καλο να ακουστει ειναι το εξης : Ειναι πολυ καλο που μαθαινουν τα παιδια μας την ιστορια της χωρας τους αλλα νομιζω ειναι καιρος τα τραγουδακια του τυπου -κοροιδο Μουσολινι….- που πρωωθουν το ρατσισμο και την εχθρικοτητα απεναντι σε χωρες οπως Ιταλια,Τουρκια κ.τ.λ ειναι καιρος να αποσυρθουν απο τα σχολεια,αλλωστε δεν νομιζω οι αντιστοιχες χωρες να κανουν το ιδιο.
[...] Read below about this case’s past (source: http://www.greeksrethink.com/2009/05/our-father-in-heaven-replaced-by-a-poem-in-greek-schools/). [...]