A Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Source: Huffington Post
The sermon at the Church St. Paul Thessaloniki ended abruptly one day recently when one of Greece’s most important religious leaders informed the congregation that he was going to vote “yes” on an economic bailout referendum taking place on Sunday.
The Metropolitan Anthimos told the congregation they had the right to vote however they wished, but that he would “vote for Europe” — at which point the assembly erupted with a mix of responses, some applauding while others shouted objections.
On Sunday, the Greek people will be voting on whether to accept the terms of a bailout offered by Greece’s European Union creditors that includes the continuation of the severe austerity measures that have resulted in resentment and economic hardship in the country. It is expected to be a close vote, with the current polling numbers showing an almost even split between the “yes” and “no” votes. The closeness of the numbers and the sense of what is at stake have led to intensifying political activity. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is urging a “no” vote, and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has pledged to step down if the Greek people do not reject the bailout terms.
On the other side, the head of the Orthodox Church, Archbishop Ieronymos II, has thrown the weight of his office behind the “yes” vote. In a statement released Wednesday, the archbishop wrote: “We have to promise our children a Greece of growth and progress. A Greece that will move on with self confidence and safety, flesh of the flesh of the hard core of the common European family.”
The vast majority of Greeks identify as Orthodox, and the church is in the constitution as the prevailing religion of the country. “The Church in Greece is omnipresent,” explained Father Dan Skvir, the Orthodox Christian Chaplain at Princeton University. “There are one or two churches on every block. It is obviously a critical player, and its voice is listened to.”
Not all Orthodox priests are lining up behind the archbishop. At a recent pro-government rally in Syntagma Square in Athens, priests protested the austerity measures outside the Greek Parliament.
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