Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, on the occasion of the beginning of the anniversary year 2021, which marks the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek Revolution of 1821, addressed a message, which will be broadcasted by the Greek mass media.
Specifically, in his message the Archbishop stated: “Happy and blessed New Year! The year 2021 begins today, during which all Greeks will honor, despite the health difficulties and with respect to the sanitary precautionary measures, the 200 years since the War of Greek Independence. Our Church celebrates the Greek Revolution as a spiritual event. It celebrates the Struggle for Independence as a man’s timeless struggle against tyranny and slavery, both external and internal, both collective and personal.
Archbishop Ieronymos called on all Greeks to honor the memory of the New Martyrs and the Heroes of the Faith and of Greece, to whom the Church of Greece dedicates this great anniversary. The New Martyrs chose to sacrifice their lives to spread the orthodox, universal message that they should not convert to Islam, that there is no future without the light of Jesus Christ. They stood up with Christian ethos and Greek boldness. They preferred martyrdom rather than to change their faith and national conscience.
Finally, the Archbishop of Athens stated, “In this celebration of spiritual freedom and unique encounter with ourselves and our history, I call on each and every one of you to the 261 Synodal and Regional Events planned by the Church of Greece.”
