Church of Greece

Churches on the island of Crete will be reopening their doors on May 17, allowing their parishioners to attend services, the Holy Synod of the semi-autonomous church said on Thursday.

By George Gilson

Back in the early 1980's when Archbishop Seraphim was at the height of his power and clashing openly (and successfully) with Andreas Papandreou over his bid for state expropriation of monastic lands and properties (attempted by his ill-fated minister Antonis Tritsis) ) Church-State relations were sorely tested.

Apostoli (Greek for Mission), the philanthropic organization of the Archdiocese of Athens under the Church of Greece, will be distributing food and medical supplies to 10,000 families in need, it has been announced.
"In these holy, but also difficult, days that we are all going through, we must not forget our fellow men, those who need a helping hand," Archbishop Ieronymos said.

Both the government and the Church of Greece clarified Thursday that churches will only be open for clerics during Orthodox Holy Week, in line with state efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and called on the faithful to pray at home.

The Church of Greece clarified on Thursday that churches will only be open for clerics and few of their staff during the Orthodox Holy Week, in line with government decisions to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, and called on the faithful to pray at home.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, which is to hold a teleconference on Wednesday under Archbishop Ieronymos, is expected to urge the government to allow services to be conducted behind closed doors for Easter in response to the spread of the coronavirus, Kathimerini understands.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tonight ordered the closure of all churches and places of worship of all denominations.

Mitsotakis announced the decision via his Twitter account straight on the heels of a decision of the Orthodox Church of Greece to severely restrict services but to keep conducting an abbreviated Sunday Divine Liturgy between 8am and 9pm.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appealed to the Church of Greece to help raise public awareness about the new coronavirus after a fourth patient tested negative on Friday.

In a telephone call with Archbishop Ieronymos, Mitsotakis said that clerics can play an important role in helping stop the spread of the virus by informing citizens of what steps they should be taking.

Greece's highest administrative court ruled that the Education and Religion Ministry does not violate the constitution by no longer including in its responsibilities "developing a student's religious conscience."

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios is expected in Athens on Wednesday for talks with Greek Archbishop Ieronymos that are widely expected to usher in a new era in relations between the Church of Greece and the Phanar.