A Doxology service for the beginning of the new year 2026 was celebrated on the morning of Thursday, January 1, at the Cathedral of Athens, presided over by Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, in the presence of the state, political and military leadership.
Among those in attendance at the Cathedral were the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Speaker of Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, and former Speaker of Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis. Also present were the President of PASOK, Nikos Androulakis; SYRIZA’s representative, MP Nina Kasimati; the President of “Spartiates,” Vasilis Stigkas; as well as representatives of the parties “Niki” and “Greek Solution.”
Representing the government, among others, were Ministers Lina Mendoni, Olga Kefalogianni, and Adonis Georgiadis, while Pelopas Laskos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice, was also in attendance. Present as well were the Regional Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, along with deputy regional governors and representatives of various institutions.
There was also notable representation from other Churches and religious communities: Metropolitan Theodoritos attended on behalf of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; Metropolitan Georgios of Guinea represented the Patriarchate of Alexandria; and Archimandrite Damianos, Exarch of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, was present. Also attending were the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens, Theodoros Kontidis; the Archbishop of the Armenian Church in Athens; and the Rabbi of Athens, Gabriel Negrin.
The service was also attended by the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, as well as the heads of the Armed Forces and the Security Corps.
At the conclusion of the service, Archbishop Ieronymos offered his wishes for the new year, saying: “From this place today, I would like us to convey our wishes to our leaders, our army, our people, to the entire nation and our homeland, for many years—blessed years. May God grant us a new year with many gifts, with peace, with unity, and with progress of every kind. Many and blessed years.”
