Today at noon, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece was proclaimed Honorable Citizen of Hydra at a special ceremony held in the conference hall of the Cathedral, in the presence of Metropolitan Ephraim of Hydra, Spetses and Aegina, Bishop Symeon of Thespies, Protosyncellus of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens, local authorities, clergy and faithful congregation.
The Mayor of the island, Mr. George Koukoudakis, welcomed the Archbishop emphasizing that “Your presence is a great honor and blessing for the island. Your presence undoubtedly brightens the festivities”, and referred to the important, as he said, philanthropic and social work of the Archdiocese and the Church in general.
Afterwards, the Archbishop expressed his excitement for his presence “on the beautiful and historic island of Hydra for the feast of Virgin Mary, for the Feast of the Greeks, for the Feast of the Orthodox people all over the world regardless of nationality, for the Feast of the humanity itself”, while he stressed that that “For me, this honorable distinction is not a formal event, but an opportunity to derive knowledge, memory and teaching from the ultimate and recent history of Hydra, but also an inspiration for the future”.
