The Church of Crete is also opposed to the Liturgy ban, and with a letter to Minister of Education and Religious Affairs Niki Kerameus demands that all parish and monastery churches be allowed to perform the services throughout the Holy Week, without the participation of worshipers. The letter was also sent to the Ministry of Health, to infectious disease specialist Sotiris Tsiodras, and to the Secretary General of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education.
According to “Patris .gr” the Bishop of Knossos, f. Prodromos Xenakis, says that the Church of Crete asks the Minister of Education to allow all parish and monastery churches to perform all the liturgies throughout the Holy Week, without the participation of the faithful.
He also mentions that the Church of Crete understands the difficulties of the day and does not consider it appropriate to ask for the temples to be “opened”, but it requests to perform the services as usual so that the faithful know that their parishes are celebrating, that the church of their village will not be left without a Crucified Christ, an Epitaphios, and the services of these days.
The rationale of the Church of Crete is that after the liturgies, which will be celebrated behind closed doors, as provided by law, the faithful may, as far as is permissible, by all security measures, cross the threshold of the temples, to be able to pray and worship the icons.
The services will be performed only by the priest, in the presence of the chant and the sacristan.
The Church of Crete believes that, if its request is satisfied by the State, this will strengthen people and will support them in these difficult times.
In a telephone communication that the Church of Crete had with the Ministry of Education, it received the message that the State is considering its request in full respect and will act according to the data it has in its hands.
“Our request is not unreasonable, it helps people to know that even if they are absent, the Epitaphios procession will take place, despite how hard it is for them, under these circumstances, to understand the reason, it cannot be done differently,” the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Crete says.
Source: ikivotos.gr
