In Greece, over 4,000 attacks on Orthodox churches recorded in 10 years

Greeks at a rally against vandalism. Photo: Reuters/Scanpix

On May 4, the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports of Greece Sofia Zacharaki submitted to parliament data on incidents at places of religious significance for 2015-2024. This was reported by Orthodoxia News Agency.

According to the submitted report, over ten years, 4,409 incidents involving Orthodox Church properties were recorded in Greece. This accounts for 96.05% of all such cases documented in the country

The preparation of annual reports involves the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs, religious communities, Greek police, the Prosecutor's Office, and other state services. The documents account for various types of attacks, acts of vandalism, and other incidents related to religious sites.

The report also provides data on other religious communities. In particular, 1.59% of the incidents were related to Jewish sites, 1.04% to Islamic ones, 0.34% to Catholic ones, and 0.36% to sites belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

As noted, the report aims to reflect the general situation in the country and help the state develop measures to counter attacks on places of religious significance.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that vandals desecrated a statue of the Mother of God in the Lviv region.

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