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First entry: Thursday, December 10, 2020, 6:20 am
The reactions have been provoked in Corfu by the decision of the Metropolitan Nektarios to proceed with a three-day protest with flags at half-staff and mourning for the bells due to the prohibition of people approaching the churches during the celebration of three days of Agios Spyros.
In statements to local media, the three deputies of the island expressed their opposition to the actions of the Metropolitan. Specifically, the ND MP F. Speaking to Corfutvnews, Gikas said: “We are all sad that we will not celebrate our Saint as in previous years.
The government made the decision to close the churches after a suggestion from the scientific medical community because we have 100 deaths a day and a great epidemiological burden for the community. He did not do it to “harm” the Church, nor to subject it to “persecution.”
It is a completely temporary measure! So it is different from everyone to express a justified pain that we will not be able to worship as in previous years and different to say that the Church is “persecuted” and that the New Democracy government – the democratically elected government – must be compared to the Hoxha dictatorship. in Albania.
“I think such statements are unfair to the government and the effort it is making to deal with the pandemic, but they are primarily unfair to our Holy Diocese.”
SYRIZA MP A. Avlonitis said in a statement: from Agios Spyridon.
I am also very impressed by their decision to preach persecution to our local Church, as well as by the order that the bells ring sadly for three days. “He notes:
But this is not the time to test our Christian feelings in an auction of faith and devotion, nor to provoke individual and collective behaviors that may have irreparable consequences.
“Solidarity in human suffering and support for the difficulties encountered by increased measures to protect the public health of all of us is, according to our Orthodox Church, a revered Christian act that can and should attract the inhabitants of our island to similar feelings. “
On the occasion of the celebration of the patron saint Agios Spyridon, the Corfu MP with the Movement for Change, Dimitris Biagkis highlights:
“We are at a critical time to face the pandemic, where every day large numbers of our fellow citizens struggle to stay alive in the country’s intensive care units and hospitals.
In a few days, our island will celebrate the memory of the patron saint of our city, Saint Spyridon. A holiday that is a landmark for Corfu and the inhabitants of this place, essentially marks the beginning of the festive Christmas season.
Right now, it is sad that we have reached the point where as a state we are adopting blanket bans even for religious observances, sad but necessary.
In this context, the discontent of our Metropolitan and the local Church is understood, but in no case can we accept logic that overwhelms the already heavy climate of the day. Let logic prevail and not discontent in everyone’s decisions, hope and not sadness. All we need “.
Corfu Metropolitan: We understand the situation, but our life will not stop
The reasons that led to the decision of a three-day protest are mentioned by His Eminence the Metropolitan of Corfu, Paxos and the Diaponcian Islands, Mr. Nektarios, in the circular sent to the priests of Corfu on Tuesday 8 December.
His Excellency, among other things, emphasizes that: “We understand the health situation in which only our country finds itself, but also humanity as a whole due to the pandemic, but this does not mean that our life should stop.
In the past, when there was an epidemic in some places and in Corfu, the temples were not closed, but people, taking care of themselves as much as possible, turned to our saint but also to local saints to ask God to overcome the disease.
Both by faith and by God’s will they received an answer. We understand that today we live in a constant de-Christianization of our life, that there are forces opposed or indifferent to faith, and that we cannot force anyone to embrace what we believe and live. But we are tired of our politicians treating us even worse than the shops, hair salons and others on the market who always aim to satisfy the vital needs of man or live in temporary reality.
And when the great festivals of our faith come again, with the first of our patron saint Agios Spyridon, but also after the Christmas and Epiphany holidays, we feel that the church will celebrate in mourning for the inability of the people of our town to participate. .
It seems inconceivable to us to have our saint at the door for three days and not allow our people to greet their protector.
Out of love and understanding, we tolerate the problem of closing the temples again, even though we had decided in September at the Hierarchical Conference that we would not allow it.
But we can’t just sit idly by. We are also citizens of a state. We have the right to speak, we have the right to follow our opinions. We respect the laws and we do not want to cause everything, but everything has a limit that in our opinion the state has exceeded.
And I ask myself as your bishop and spiritual father: should we remain silent? Should we let that go too? So, do we hear the voices of protest from a crowd of faithful who say no more?
To all of them we respond “whether we live or die, from the Lord Jesus.”
Finally, regarding decisions, the circular emphasizes that they are binding on all priests.
