Marking the 85th anniversary of one of Greece’s most defining moments, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America issued an encyclical honoring the courage and faith of those who stood firm on October 28, 1940, or Oxi Day.
Oxi Day commemorates the day in 1940 when Ioannis Metaxas, Prime Minister of Greece, famously rejected an ultimatum from Benito Mussolini demanding Greece’s surrender to Axis forces–sparking Greece’s entry into World War II on the side of the Allies. Encapsulated in the single word “όχι” (“no”), this refusal has become a symbol of Greece pride and resistance.
Archbishop Elpidophoros began his Oct. 28 encyclical by quoting the words of the Gospel according to Matthew: “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’” (Matthew 5:37).
The Archbishop reflected on the moral clarity that inspired Greece’s resistance to fascist aggression.
“If, in the history of the Greek People, there was ever a definitive example of the ‘no being no,’ it is doubtless October 28, 1940,” he wrote. “In the face of overwhelming fascist aggression, and the horrendous consequences of standing up to the Axis of evil … brave Hellenes rejected any submission to the evil to come with a single word, ‘OXI.’”
He also drew a spiritual parallel between that historic stand and the Christian call to truth and freedom. “In saying their ‘no was no,’” he noted, “they also voiced a roaring ‘Yes!’ to freedom and to truth.”
Comparing the heroes of 1940 to those of Greece’s War of Independence in 1821, Archbishop Elpidophoros emphasized the shared spirit of sacrifice and vision that transcends earthly victory.
“Their vision extended well beyond this world into the world to come—where freedom, justice and peace reign supreme,” he wrote. “They could say a resounding ‘No!’ to the tyrants of this world, because their hearts were crying out with ‘Yes!’ to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
Calling on the faithful to carry forward that same moral conviction, the Archbishop urged Orthodox Christians to live with integrity, compassion, and courage in the face of today’s challenges.
“Let our ‘no be no’ to tyranny, to despotism, to oppression and to cruelty,” he wrote. “And let our ‘yes be yes’ to the truth, to liberty, to decency and to the true patriotism that values love for our country, rather than hatred for the ‘other.’”
Acknowledging that the Archdiocese’s parishioners may not be called to the same physical battlefields as their forebears, His Eminence nevertheless encouraged spiritual vigilance and moral strength.
“Though we may not be spending sleepless nights of vigilance in the cold and rain of mountain fortresses, or risking our very lives in the defense of our homeland,” he reminded, “we shall yet be revealed to be worthy successors of those Heroes of 1940, crying out ‘No!’ to the abuse of power wherever it may occur, and ‘Yes!’ to the freedom that our Lord promises to all who follow Him.”
Read here the Archepiscopal Encyclical for the Commemoration of OXI Day
Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, Presvyteres and Diakonisses, the Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, the Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, the Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and the entirety of the Christ-named Plenitude of the Sacred Archdiocese of America:
Ἔστω δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ …. (κατὰ Ματθαῖον 5:37)
Let your “yes” be “yes,” and your “no” be “no”…. (Matthew 5:37)
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
If, in the history of the Greek People, there was ever a definitive example of the ‘no being no,’ it is doubtless October 28, 1940 — OXI Day. In the face of overwhelming fascist aggression, and the horrendous consequences of standing up to the Axis of evil, which would bring the brutal Nazi Occupation (Κατοχή) to Greece, brave Hellenes rejected any submission to the evil to come with a single word, “OXI.” In doing so, they signaled that in saying their ‘no was no,’ they also voiced a roaring “Yes!” to freedom and to truth.
The Heroes of 1940 were no different than those of 1821. Their sacrifices and courage served to preserve the liberty of Greece, just as those of 1821 served to bring about the liberation of Greece. And like those Immortal Heroes of the Revolution, many perished without seeing the final victory for which they died.
But their vision extended well beyond this world into the world to come — where freedom, justice and peace reign supreme. They could say a resounding “No!” to the tyrants of this world, because their hearts were crying out with “Yes!” to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of the Eternal Realm of Heaven.
Therefore, on this OXI Day, eighty-five years after their heroic cry of freedom, let us commit to follow in their footsteps. Let our “no be no” to tyranny, to despotism, to oppression and to cruelty. And let our “yes be yes” to the truth, to liberty, to decency and to the true patriotism that values love for our country, rather than hatred for the “other.”
Though we may not be spending sleepless nights of vigilance in the cold and rain of mountain fortresses, or risking our very lives in the defense of our homeland, we shall yet be revealed to be worthy successors of those Heroes of 1940, crying out “No!” to the abuse of power wherever it may occur, and “Yes!” to the freedom that our Lord promises to all who follow Him.
With much paternal love in Christ,
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† ELPIDOPHOROS
Archbishop of America
