ATHENS (GREECE) – Openly flouting government pandemic curbs banning public gatherings, including religious ceremonies, Greek Orthodox churches in the country held Epiphany services on Wednesday. Epiphany is one of the most important days in the Orthodox calendar.
In spite of the appeal by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for Church authorities to set an example by halting religious services during the pandemic crisis, which has taken 5,000 lives in Greece, worshippers took part in morning services although there were caps on the number of believers allowed inside at a time.
“State orders are one thing and faith is another,” said Stavroula, a 38-year-old worshipper after attending the service at a church in the outskirts of Athens. “No law can order us what to do.”
Although policemen patrolled outside churches, they said they would not interfere with services and would resort to ‘mild’ measures to persuade people not to congregate inside.
This points to the reluctance of the conservative government led by Mitsotakis to confront the Orthodox Church, which is hugely influential in Greek public life.
Authorities on Sunday extended lockdown curbs withdrawing permissions given earlier for holding services with a maximum of 50 people attending in large churches and 25 in smaller ones.
Synod leaders of the Church on Monday wrote to the government saying there was no justification for prohibiting Epiphany services.
Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ and the revelation of the Holy Trinity and it is one of the most significant feast days in the Orthodox calendar. The popular ritual of believers diving into water bodies blessed by a priest to retrieve a cross was banned this year.