Rev'd Oeconomos Fr. Anastasios D. Salapatas, Martyria, 105th Issue, April 2002

It is well known to all Greeks that the Greek Government is trying for a number of years to secure the return of the Marbles of Parthenon, which are exhibited at the British Museum to their legitimate home place, which is the Acropolis of Athens.

Fr. Anastasios Salapatas has written a letter to our local Member of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Tony McNulty, MP for Harrow East. He then wrote to the Minister of State for the Arts, Baroness Blackstone, and received back (on 19th March 2002) the following answer:

"Dear Tony,
Thank you for your letter of 26th February enclosing a copy of a letter from one of your constituents, Father Anastasios Salapatas, about the Parthenon Sculptures.

The Government recognises the immense importance of the history of Greek civilisation and of the Parthenon in particular. However we have considered the issue of the sculptures very carefully and have concluded that they are an integral part of the British Museum's collections and should remain in the Museum where they are seen free of charge by up to 5 million visitors from all countries of the world every year.

The sculptures were legally acquired and are the legitimate property of the British Museum, which is prevented under its governing statute from disposing of objects in its collections unless they are duplicates or worthless. The Trustees of the Museum have a statutory duty to protect their collections and this duty could only be over-ridden by primary legislation amending Section 5 of the British Museum Act 1963, relating to the disposal of objects in the collection. There are no plans for such legislation.

The British Museum is a truly international museum, transcending national boundaries, in the same way as those in Paris and Berlin. The loss of any great central areas in its collections would diminish the Museum's role in displaying the most excellent pieces from all areas of the world. The Government believes that any general attempt to return legally acquired objects to their countries of origin could involve dispersing some of the world’s great collections.

The Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport considered, among other matters, the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures in their enquiry into: "Cultural Property: Return and Illicit Trade" which was published in July 2000 (HC 371-I). The Committee considered both the Government's evidence and the arguments put forward by the Foreign Minister of Greece and concluded that there should be no change to the present arrangements.

The Government sees no sufficient reason to change the decision that the sculptures should remain at the British Museum. However, we remain prepared to continue a bilateral discussion with the Government of Greece, under the guidance of UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation).

Yours, Tessa Blackstone",

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