The hierarch of the official Archdiocese of Greece, Metropolitan Herman of Elis and Olena, refused to perform Christian funerals and even attend the funerals of unvaccinated victims of coronavirus.
This is reported by Credo Portal.
Metropolitan Herman believes that the main reason for the increase in morbidity is selfishness and disobedience to the Holy Synod and Bishop. He recalled that in Greece, more than 18 thousand people died from coronavirus.
"And how many people died from vaccination? Two, three, five?" the Metropolitan asked rhetorically.
According to him, unvaccinated clergymen "are not pious but pretend to be pious" in order to persuade their followers to disobey. In addition, the Metropolitan believes that some politicians are demonstratively not vaccinated in order to "raise people against the government."
"I consider [unvaccinated] clergy and laity who died from coronavirus to be suicides and do not even go to their funerals," the Metropolitan of Elis and Olena said.
In July, the leadership of the Greek Ministry of Health met with the Holy Synod of the Archdiocese of Greece, which then released an encyclic letter supporting the government's vaccination efforts. Later, some Metropolitans called calls not to get vaccinated "schismatic" and deprived priests who oppose vaccination of the right to accept confessions. Metropolitan Ignatius of Demetriades has banned clergymen from mentioning COVID-19 and the possibility of not being instilled in sermons, confessions and their personal communication with parishioners.