Church of Greece Holy Synod warns handful of clerics criticizing use of face masks, vaccinations to avoid insolent language against hierarchs

The Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece on Thursday warned clerics of the Church refrain from verbal outbursts against Holy Synod members and other hierarchs.

The stern warning comes amid another bevy of slanderous press reports claiming that the Church of Greece is financially dependent on the Greek state, using a pretext of places of worship being closed during the pandemic.

Members of the Holy Synod, which was chaired by the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, His Beatidude Ieronymos, convened by video-conference.

During the last session for the month of January 2022, Metropolitans of the Holy Synod ascertained that certain clerics have publicly criticized the Holy Synod and other hierarchs for the expressed support, by the latter, of people using face masks, for getting Covid-19 vaccinations and adhering to public health measures, in general, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Additionally, the announcement reminded that the Church of Greece’s positions are expressed by the Holy Synod, which is comprised of Metropolitans as members.