Religious organizations

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.

Τhe Holy Synod, the ruling body of the Greek Orthodox Church, has said that all Easter services will be held without any public gatherings as part of the country's efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In a circular, the Holy Synod cautioned clerics against deviating from the guidelines of the Church or they would jeopardize public health.

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.

Montenegrin soldiers. Photo: Montenegrin Ministry of Defence

"Mrvaljevic was caught committing a disciplinary offence. The removal will continue until the completion of the disciplinary procedure," the ministry press release said.

Bulgaria's Minister of Culture Boil Banov announced on Monday afternoon that an exhibition of Bulgarian religious artefacts that were to be displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris has been cancelled.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece has adopted an initiative by an anti-abortion group to dedicate one day of the year to the "unborn child," local media are reporting on Thursday.

The new Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros, was elected unanimously by the members of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Holy Synod, according to a press release from the Phanar on Saturday.

An agreement to continue paying Greek clerics, but as functionaries of the Church of Greece, not as civil servants, is "mutually beneficial," the Education and Religious Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday following talks on Tuesday between Minister Costas Gavroglou and church officials.