The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Christian Church of Greece issued a statement on Monday afternoon, informing the public about its latest decision in regard to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
The Church of Greece decided to curtail all weekday services, while the Sunday liturgies will be held for only one hour, between 7 and 8 in the morning.
Additionally, all marriages and baptisms will be postponed for the next several weeks. Funerals will be held only in the presence of the family of the deceased.
The church buildings will remain open, but only for individual prayer.
The Church urged everyone, and especially the elderly and those belonging to vulnerable groups, to stay in their homes. “Everyone should feel like they are a carrier of the virus,” the Church’s announcement noted.
These measures will last until April 11.
This move comes following widespread criticism against the Church by political parties, and large sectors of the public, who considered its earlier response to the pandemic as not only insufficient but potentially dangerous.
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