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I was curious to look up the details of the Catholic Church on Crete. The details from the Church website contrasted with an extract from the Catholic Encyclodedia make in interesting reading. There seems to be not much left of what once was there.
"Due to such historical reasons, the Catholic population is now no more than about 500, most of whom are not even native of the Island.

Most Tourists have discovered CRETE since the 1960�s. But now it attracts over a million visitors. A good many of these people are Catholic and feel quite at home in our 3 parishes, all located on the Northern coast.

Some day historians will produce a history of the Catholic Church in CRETE where so many priests, lay-brothers and nuns of many congregations and orders have worked together for centuries.
However the Capuchins, present on the Island since 1566, are now the only Latin Clergy to carry out a three-fold mission, thus under the jurisdiction of the Catholic bishop of Syros, Santorini and Crete, Francis Papamanolis, himself a Capuchin and native of Greece, they endeavour.

to maintain regular contacts with the residents
to establish a real friendship with the Orthodox,
to offer a warm welcome to large groups of tourists

Since then, in 1996, Crete has also benefited from the presence of 4 "Missionaries of Charity" (from the sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta), whose pastoral work is to enhance the liturgy and to deal with the poor, the sick and the prisoners.
A resident VICAR GENERAL in Crete makes pastoral efforts well coordinated."

&

"On the north shore of Crete was an ancient city called Heracleion. Lequien (II, 269) mentions among those present at the Seventh General Council (Nicaea, 787) Theodorus, Bishop of Heracleiopolis, by which he understands Heracleion; the latter title, however, does not figure in the Greek "Notitiae episcopatuum". The Greeks still give the name of Heracleion to a city built by the Arabs in 825 near the site of the ancient city; the Arabian name was Khandak, whence the Italian name Candia is used also for the whole island. In 960 Candia was taken by Nicephorus Phocas. In 1204 it passed to the Venetians and in 1669 to the Turks. It has now about 25,000 inhabitants (8000 Greeks, 100 Latins). There are remains of its ancient walls and aqueduct, also a museum of antiquities. Under the Venetian occupation Crete was divided into eleven Latin sees, Candia being the seat of an archbishopric. Lequien (III, 907-916) cites twenty-seven archbishops, from 1213 to 1645; Eubel (I, 223, II, 156) has thirty, from the thirteenth century to 1493. Among the latter are the famous Carmelite, St. Peter Thomas (1363), and Blessed Francis Quirini (1364). The hierarchy disappeared with the Turkish conquest. In 1874 Pius IX re-established the See of Candia, as a suffragan of Smyrna; the bishop has until now resided at Canea. The diocese has only about 300 Catholics. The Capuchins have parishes at Candia (Megalokastro), Canea (Khania), Retimo, and a station at Sitia; 4 schools for boys and 2 for girls (Sisters of St. Joseph de l'Apparition). Candia is the residence of the Greek Metropolitan of Crete, who has seven suffragan sees, Khania, Kisamos, Rethymnon (Retimo), Sitia, Lampa, Arkadia, and Chersonesos."

ICXC
NIKA

Dear Pavel,

Christos Voskrese!

This is intereting. Perhaps Armando can tell us more since he is a new member of the Roman Catholic Church in Crete.

In Christ,
Alice

Dear Pavel,

What probably happened to the 'Latin's, as they were known in the latter years, or 'Franks' in the earlier one's, probably had to do with the special persecutions they were under because of the wars between Venice and Turkey.

I know in other islands the Catholics were massacred, and so they either would leave, or no doubt convert.

Zenovia

Yes I hope Armando can tell us more about the local RC Church he is part of, tiny as it is. Everyone must know each other very well.

I see on Santorini that RCs are about 40% of the population.

They are I believe still referred to as 'Latins' (Romans means Orthodox) and 'Franks' in the Near East and the Arabic word for the 'Franks' (something like Frenghi) has travelled further east to be a not so nice word to describe Christians. A guy I knew who came from Calcutta said that Moslems there used to to refer those like his Anglo-Indian Catholic family.

ICXC
NIKA

In Greek I have heard the Roman Catholics called simply: 'Catholikoi', or sometimes 'Papists', but never 'Latins'...

Again, hopefully, Armando will come upon this and enlighten us!

In Christ,
Alice

Xpucmoc Bockpece

WhenI was in Holy Land, many years ago, I was asked by a priest if I was "Roum". To my surprisie, I found out that Roum had the meaning "Orthodox" and not "Roman Catholic".

Z Bohom
Nycholaij

Dear Nicholaj,

Yes, the Latins are the usurpers here . . .

Could you tell me what you think of this website?

http://www.unicorne.org/orthodoxy

Alex

Dear Alice you said:

I say:

Actually you're right! It is the English historians that would use the word Latin, so I automatically assummed....

What was commonly used in the past was the word Frangi for Franks...and that could mean anyone from the West with the exception of the Hungarians. Now isn't that interesting?

But then again the English called the Germans 'Huns' in the First World War...no doubt to denigrate them as in 'Attila the Hun', or the 'Mongolian' hoards from the East.

Or as was asked in Correli's Mandolin in reference to Hitler...Attila? Could be the same name you know.

Oh how I love my little tidbits.

Zenovia

"Lateen" is the term more used in the Near East countries to distinguish the RCs among the various overlay of liturgical traditions. Roum or Roumi is still what Greeks are called in Turkey. It is also used to distinguish the Byzantine Orthodox in the Near Eastern Countries. The Patriarchate in Constinople is of course a Roman Church (nothing to do with Italy & RCs). The Emperor to the very last breath was the Roman Emperor. All to me part of the wonderful culture and history of the region.

ICXC
NIKA

I can't believe I hadn't noticed this topic before... :p Well, I joined the Catholic Church of Crete in 2004, after accidentaly entering St. John the Baptist's church in Iraklio. I liked the mass so much but I still remember that at my first mass, I said the Creed in latin but I didn't say the word filioque. It took me 4-5 Sunday masses and 2 hours of dialogue with Fr. Peter Roussos, the Capuchin Vicar General of Crete, to start making the sign of the cross the Catholic way and chant filioque along with the rest of the laymen.

There are 4 Churches where Sunday Mass is held regularly...
*St. John the Baptist's, Iraklio
*St. Francis of Assisi's, Rethymno
*A cathedral in Chania
*St Charalambus, Orthodox Church, in San Nicolas

After voluntering to help Fr Peter with the website of the local church, a first version of the website is online: www.cathecclesia.gr [cathecclesia.gr]
I am working on translating it to English and include more information about the local Church.

The old website is also online: www.interkriti.net/ccc [interkriti.net] which is available in English.

As many problems as there might be caused by Greek stuberness, this many miracles of unity this small Catholic community has worked on the island. For me, it is my conversion I owe to the Catholic Church of Crete...

Also, it attracts a great deal of Orthodox (both youth and adults), helping them understand that we are more alike than we think (or anti-unionists want us to think!)... This year's Good Saturday mass attracted a number of 30 Orthodox faithful interested in watching the Catholic Pascha, this small Church of Crete has offered a great deal to Ecumenism. Few are those that convert, but many are those that realise...: We might not have full communion in common but that is the only thing we don't have in common...

Of course, there are many Orthodox priests that accuse and threat the local Catholic Church, for giving communion to non-Catholic laymen (Orthodox, Armenians etc.)...

Fr Peter Roussos
Fr Peter is the Vicar General of Crete. I recall a protestant layman calling him a true man of God. He is my spiritual father and a man devoted to his mission. Travelling around Crete to hold Mass and struggling to help the local community survive, well explains why his name is Peter. Having to deal with some (few) Orthodox laymen and clergy that accuse the local Catholic Church for prosyltising and doubting their right to have a Church in an Orthodox country, Fr Peter is to me a living Saint. He is the reason right now there is a Catholic minority in Crete. I, in my 2 years of knowing him, never saw anything close to prosylitizing... Even when I told him I wish to convert he was cautious as to if I fully understood what converting to Catholicism was and he asked me to wait 'till I was 18, also asking me to go see an Orthodox priest so I would also fully understand Orthodoxy first and then start compering and making choices. The only thing he did is explained to me what the Catholic Church officially teaches, her doctrines and traditions. That to the eyes of our Orthodox brothers is prosyltism. I pray and hope that they will understand Catholicism better and stop seeing us as the evil Antichristians that try to corrupt and break apart orthodoxy and start seeing us eye-to-eye as brothers in Christ. Fr Peter, in many occasions has attended the Orthodox Good Saturday mass and the opposite (Orthodox priest has attended ours). He has helped both the Orthodox and Protestants. He has always been close to the Catholic youth of Crete and helped many of us attend WYD.

If the See of Peter is the rock and foundation and head of the Church, Crete is the rock and foundation of Ecumenism. A true example for every (Orthodox and Catholic) Christian to follow.

[Linked Image]
I know this is not the Prayer section but I ask all of you brothers, Orthodox and Catholic, to pray for Full Union. A union, not pleasing to us but to our Father...

You were born, Lord, taught love, died on the cross and rose from the dead to unite all people in one, large and happy family, in one and only one Church.
We ask and beg Thee, touch the hearts of all Christians so that they shall all desire love and unity, so that they shall all be in union, in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and so that all Christians with one faith, one heart and one voice, praise Thee, in brotherly love. Amen.

His All Holiness Bartholomew looks awesome in this picture!

Thank you for a most beautiful and inspiring post, Armando!

May we live to see the blessed day of unity of Christ's Church.

....could you please add a little more about how the Roman Catholic services are in Crete. I remember watching the Roman Catholic Mass in Athens in honor of Pope John Paul II...it seemed very reverend, very beautiful, and not very different from a Greek Orthodox liturgy. You have mentioned chanting...is this normal in Catholic churches in Greece? (there is no chanting in Catholic churches here, for instance)
I eagerly await your response.

God bless,
In Christ,
Alice

I think I'll put a humor in here from the book 'Gifts of the Desert'. It is predominantly about Father Maximus, and he decided to tell a story about the Pope:

"A story abot the pope I heard lately jsut came to my mind. A painter went to the Vatican to offer the pontiff a gift, a portrait of the pope that he himself had painted. The pope had the habit of kindly accepting presents from the faithful. He would then sign them and offer them back to the donors as giftsfrom him. In addition to his signature he would search for an appropriate extract from the Gospels and add it above his name.

When he looked at the portrait he realized that the painting had no resembla nce to him whatsoever. But, being a kind man, he said nothing while he searched to find an appropriate extract from the Gospels and add it above his name.

I think I'll put a litte humor in here from the book 'Gifts of the Desert'. It is predominantly about the saintly Father Maximus, who decided to tell the following story:

"A story about the Pope I heard lately just came to my mind. A painter went to the Vatican to offer the pontiff a gift, a portrait of the Pope that he himself had painted. The Pope had the habit of kindly accepting presents from the faithful. He would then sign them and offer them back to the donors as gifts from him. In addition to his signature he would search for an appropriate extract from the Gospels and add it above his name.

When he looked at the portrait he realized that the painting had no resemblance to him whatsoever. But, being a kind man, he said nothing while he searched to find an appropriate extract from the Gospels to inscribe on the painting before he offered it back to the painter.

He flipped the pages of the New Testament and found a fitting extract. It was that part when the disciples, in a state of utter fear, saw Jesus walking on the water. So, the pope wrote what Jesus said to put them at ease: Fear not. It is me!"

Zenovia