Priest from Greece: Dioceses quarantined churches for 1 million euros

Priest Emmanuel Harris. Photo: Facebook Ε.Εμμανουήλ Σαρρής

Emmanuel Sarris, clergyman of the Cretan Orthodox Church, said the Greek metropolitanates had received one million euros for the closure of churches during lockdown, according to the Vima Orthodoxias publication.

According to the priest, in the first quarantine they (Greek hierarchs – Ed.) closed the churches because they were paid. As far as I know, each diocese received about 1 million euros for closing its churches."

He also believes that “the Church, if it has the courage, should have made a decision not to allow any measures inside the temples and to refuse to give carte blanche to the government for anything, because it speaks of its subordination."

“They were paid, and people did not have Easter. There must always be a penalty for betrayal,” said Emmanuel Sarris.

The Cretan Orthodox Church (officially the Church of Crete) is a semi-autonomous Orthodox Church within the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its jurisdiction is Crete, Greece. According to the treaty with the Greek authorities, the regulations of the Greek Orthodox Church concerning the parish churches and their rectors also apply to the Church of Crete.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Prime Minister of Greece took part in a meeting of the Synod of the GOC on vaccination.

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