Metropolitan Athanasios of Achaia endorses the Metropolitan of Corfu regarding the incidents that took place before Easter and the letter he sent to the minister of Education, with the content of which he agrees.
The letter from the Metropolitan of Achaia
After carefully reading the letter sent to the Minister of Education by His Eminence Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu on April 22, I feel obliged to publicly voice my double concern. As it has been rightly and officially underlined, there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Eccl. 3:7).
This letter sent to the minister intends to awaken people’s conscience and a sense of responsibility. I fully support my fellow bishop’s concern and distress.
When I see the crowds in the supermarkets, on the one hand, and the lively activity of the police or the “outcry!” of various kinds, on the other hand, because few were “caught” to pray in temples in terms of social protection, which they and their ancestors built since they considered them their home, I express my grief like that of many people who contacted me these days.
Things, it seems, have gone too far in our country and cannot go on the way they are! My second concern is related to the distress expressed very movingly by Metropolitan Amfilochios of Kissamos and Selinos in a letter sent on April 20.
Is it possible to ambiguously approach and refer to the Mystery of Holy Communion in terms of precaution that are understood only by those who speak without the awareness and those who come to the temples out of obligation in the spotlight?
And those who never receive the Holy Communion with few exceptions? It is possible for so long – we do not know for how long! – to accept with complacency that the few believers who wish to receive the Holy Communion must obey the laws, the constitutionality of which in my conscience and in the conscience of many fellow Greeks and, moreover, with the arguments of experts it has been challenged?
Yes! This is a time to speak. Those of us who believe in it will join our voices.
If our voice is weak and lukewarm, we will accept the consequences. The utter silence is over because Christ has risen!