Archbishop Ieronymos: You can’t cremate and be Orthodox too!

Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos said on Sunday that it was every person’s right to choose to have his or her body cremated, but this decision would be contrary to the beliefs of the Orthodox Church and therefore crematoriums could not operate within Greek Church cemeteries.

During an interview with private MEGA TV, the archbishop also expressed reservations about the prospect of same-sex partnerships. He said that such a matter is a personal choice, hence should not enter family law. He questioned the point of such a matter going to Greek Parliament and being set as law.

Regarding the building of a mosque in Athens, he said that while everyone had the right to a place of worship he said that there are risks regarding religious fanaticism. Hence, given the current situation, the archbishop said it would be naive to rush to build a mosque without weighing the pros and cons and being fully convinced that the decision would not just offer an outlet for teaching fundamentalism.