Church of Greece

A memorial service was held on Wednesday at the site of the railway crash in Tempe, central Greece, to honor the 57 individuals who lost their lives on February 28, 2023. Relatives and friends gathered to pay their respects, leaving flowers at the scene as they called for justice.

Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the Orthodox Church of Greece, supposedly took a relatively soft stance on the issue of same-sex marriage.

The public statement on Thursday by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece that the Church of Greece would agree to the baptism of children of same-sex couples when they grow up, if they so desire, surprised senior clerics, who referred to his address just two days ago at the meeting of the Holy Synod, where he had stressed that the Hierarchy will speak in one voice.

The Greek Orthodox Church would agree to baptize children of same-sex couples, if they so desire, Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the influential Orthodox Church of Greece, said on Thursday.

The government has ruled out the possibility of conducting a referendum on the matter of marriage and childbearing for same-sex couples. 

In an interview on Skai radio on Friday, spokesman Pavlos Marinakis emphasized that while the government respects the role and views of the Church, it remains committed to implementing its policy program.

Archbishop Ieronymos, the leader of the influential Orthodox Church of Greece, which opposes government plans to permit same-sex civil marriages, suggested on Friday that a referendum could be conducted to address the issue.

The leader of the left-wing opposition party SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, is scheduled to meet with the head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, on Saturday at 10 a.m.

The Church of Greece has said it will issue an opinion on the new identity cards this week.

Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens has called for "judiciousness and prudence" on an issue that has energized conspiracists among the faithful, including some bishops, and which has already led to protest rallies and plans for more.

Four days after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that faithful at Orthodox churches will have to present a negative COVID-19 rapid test in order to enter a church, the Holy Synod, the Church's executive organ, announced that it does not have the wherewithal to conduct such checks at the entrances of Church's.

Metropolitan Ignatios of Dimitriada (Volos) is widely considered one of the most moderate and open-minded bishops of the Orthodox Church of Greece.

The son of a priest who himself was for years a priest in the diocese of Piraeus, Ignatios became known widely from his weekly Sunday television show Arhontariki where he discussed spiritual and social issues with guests.