Greek Metropolitan Found Not Guilty of Holding Services During Pandemic

Pravoslavie ^ | 11/23/22

[marshmallow]

His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythira of the Orthodox Church of Greece was found not guilty yesterday of violating the COVID lockdown in March 2020.

The hierarch was arrested on Friday, March 20, 2020, for opening the doors of Holy Cross Cathedral and inviting the faithful to pray at the Salutations to the Theotokos. The state had ordered at that time that all services be canceled.

Met. Seraphim said several times throughout the pandemic that closing churches only exacerbates the situation.

According to the Orthodoxia News Agency, the trial at the Criminal Court of Piraeus lasted all of 15 minutes yesterday. His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus testified as a defense witness during the speedy trial.

When His Eminence was acquitted, in agreement with the Prosecutor’s proposal, the court room broke out into applause.

Met. Seraphim and His Eminence Metropolitan Kosmas of Aetolia found themselves in trouble with ecclesiastical authorities the next year when they opposed the Holy Synod’s decision to celebrate Pascha several hours early, in light of lockdown measures.

The Metropolitans explained their stance before the Holy Synod in August, though the other hierarchs deemed their explanation insufficient and called on the two to renew their episcopal vows and give their assurance of future compliance with Synodal decisions.

[texas booster]

So the Greek prosecutors finally wised up, let the Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus speak in his defense and then accepted the not guilty plea.

If the Greek government (which is still mostly Communist) will respect the Church enough to drop these farce trials over churches holding services, will they stop prosecutions of regular citizens who opposed the extreme Covid measures?

What will Trudeau the Yellow do in the frozen north, since he seems to run all branches of government up there?

How about the minor (not popular) religions in a country that do not have the backing of the population?

The true test of a Constitution.