The influential Church of Greece on Tuesday appeared unwilling to back down in the face of a pandemic-related government decision ordering churches and chapels closed on worshipers on Wednesday, the Epiphany, a major religious holiday in the predominately Christian Orthodox country, although the Church’s Primate, Archbishop Ieronymos, announced that he will not officiate at services on the day.
An encyclical issued by the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece – the Church’s official name – says places of worship will remain open for worshipers on Wednesday, based on a previous framework agreed to with the center-right government and imposed for the great feast day services of Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
However, a letter by Ieronymos, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, on Tuesday evening announcing that he will not officiate at the annual Sanctification of the Waters service of the Epiphany is deemed as an attempt to walk a “fine line” between not bowing to the government, but at the same time keeping Church-going on the religious holiday non-confrontational.
The development comes after the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece on Monday issued an encyclical essentially ignoring an abrupt government decision on Friday banning Church-going on the Epiphany due to the Covid-19 pandemic, thus altering the framework agreed to for the entire 12-day period of Christmas.
Previously, the presence of worshipers was allowed for ecclesiastical services on the specific three days, with a ceiling placed on the number of worshipers allowed in cathedrals and with all public assembly precautions mandated, such as the wearing face masks.
The Church of Greece vehemently protested the fact that restrictions were made stricter for the Epiphany, i.e. no worshipers allowed, and without the prior consultation with the Church’s leadership, namely, members of the Holy Synod and the Archbishop.
In a letter published on Tuesday evening, Ieronymos called on hierarchs and clerics to comply with public assembly restrictions and public health precautions imposed during the Christmas Day and New Year Day services, provisions based on the previous ministerial decision.
At the same time, however, churches and chapels remaining open to the faithful on Wednesday during the Divine Liturgy and the Sanctification of the Waters service, but in strict compliance with the ministerial decision taken on Dec. 15, 2020. That decree stipulates a specific number of worshipers within places of worship during services on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, 2021, based on a building’s floor space.
According to reports, Ieronymos has advised parish priests in the central Athens area to conclude the Divine Liturgy service by 8:30 a.m. (06.30 GMT).
Earlier, the Council of State (CoS), Greece’s top administrative court, ruled against legal challenges by private citizens seeking to rescind the government decision.
The Epiphany, known in Orthodoxy as the Theophany, comes on the 12th day after Christmas, and is one of the most significant feast days on the ecclesiastical calendar. One of the more splendorous and reverent services of the Epiphany is the Sanctification of the Waters service, accompanied by the Tossing of the Cross into the Waters, annual conducted at port sides, along rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
The Greek high court ruled that “urgent public interest” justified the decision, aimed to prevent exposure to the Covid-19 virus.
