The Synodical Divine Liturgy was celebrated today, first Sunday of Great Lent, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens in the presence of President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopios Pavlopoulos. The Orthodox Church commemorates today the restoration of the icons to the churches in 843 by empress Theodora, her son Michael III, and Patriarch Methodios.
Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens celebrated the Holy Communion, which was concelebrated by synodical archpriests. Greek MPs, ministers, ambassadors of Orthodox states, and representatives of Greek law enforcement agencies and armed forces attended the celebration of the Holy Communion.
Metropolitan Ioustinos of Nea Krini and Kalamaria spoke at the celebration of the day and referred to problems of our times. He said, “We live in a world of impoverishment, injustice, crime, killings through abortion and endless wars, suicide, refugees, who are being used for financial, social, and political purposes, wealth, which is unevenly distributed and concentrated in the hands of the few, poverty for the majority of the population, violence, which has become a daily phenomenon, a political system based on the law of the jungle, and democracy, which has become monarchy. One thing is for sure, this world does not make its people happy. Human beings have created a world, which is far away from the image of God. According to the wise Russian writer, Fyodor Dostoevsky: ‘If there is no God, everything is permitted.'”
