The belief that vaccination should become mandatory for the entire population and the priests was expressed by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Messinia speaking at the Greek Radio, First Program 91.6 and 105.8.
“Obligation must have a general application throughout society. No one can be excluded, not even the priests, as we are all vulnerable to the danger of Covid”, he said characteristically.
“It must apply to the whole population. Every member of society, in order not to spread death and destruction, must be vaccinated,” the Metropolitan said, noting that individual rights are not violated by vaccinations. “The individual right is valued when I respect the other person and when I do not become the reason for the other person to die. We need to get vaccinated to break the chain of death. In the face of the dilemma of life or death, there is no whether we apply the Constitution or not”.
Metropolitan Chrysostomos also indirectly agreed with the position of the Russian Church, which characterizes as “sinners” those who refuse to be vaccinated. “From the moment a person causes death in the life of himself and his fellow humans, this is a sin. Each of us must determine our relationship with our fellow humans,” he said, noting that deniers are sinners in the moral sense.
The Metropolitan of Messinia noted that “until today, the attitude of the official Church towards vaccination and its necessity is specific. Almost the majority of Metropolitans support this effort,” he said, adding that vaccination is a means of protection for the lives of all people.
He also stressed that the Church, all it can do, is to try to convince vaccine-deniers through its teaching and the personal contact of the clergy with the faithful, that “there is nothing metaphysical” behind vaccines, “No superstition or conspiracy theories”. He added, however, that everywhere in all areas there are deniers of both the vaccine and the implementation of the measures.
“What is worrying is that there are a lot of young people who are under this veil of conspiracy and superstition and are not going to be vaccinated. “It is very dangerous for the whole society”, said Chrysostomos.
Asked about the attitude of priests in Crete who refuse to communicate with those who have been vaccinated, he clarified that “no one has the right to exclude a believer from the sacrament of the Holy Communion because he has been vaccinated or because he has not been vaccinated. The Sacrament, the participation, and attendance have nothing to do with this life. “Those who do it are accountable to God, the church, and their Bishop.”
Source: ertnews.gr
