Orestiada, Greece, December 27, 2017
Photo: pravoslavie.ru The clergy of the Diocese of Orestiada of the Greek Orthodox Church have unanimously supported a declaration dedicated to the difficult situation in modern Greece, the main points of which have been published on AgionOros.
The clergy’s concern has been caused by the demographic problem: “Our villages are dying out and schools are closing from lack of students. Unfortunately, the authorities are showing their indifference to people who want to give birth and raise their children. We demand that the government render support to underprivileged and large families instead of wasting huge budget funds on financing 300,000 annual abortions.”
The Orestiada clergy have stated with sorrow that the authorities are “systematically destroying the foundational institutions and values of Greek society,” by its adoption of the law “On Free Cohabitation,” which dealt a blow to the family and the institution of marriage, and the carrying out of the destruction of morals beginning with the youth, with talks on “sexual identity” in the schools. The clergy also pointed to the recent legislation that allows even young teenagers to legally change their gender by simple written notification.
In December 2015, Greek parliament voted 193-56 to extend civil partnerships to same-sex couples. New leftist education programs, including discussions about sexual behavior and sexual relations, analyses of phallic symbols, discussions on “sexuality in adolescence,” including topics such as the emergence of sexuality, sexual intercourse, expressions of sexuality, sexual identities, etc, have caused a huge uproar in the Greek Church and society.
Most recently, Greek parliament voted 148-124 to pass the bill “On the Free Change of Sex,” which allows anyone 15 years and older to legally change their gender by sending a written notification to the relevant authorities. This has also caused an outrage in society and in the Church.
The clergy are also particularly concerned with the change to History and Religious Studies courses in the nation’s schools. History, in their view, is being falsified and revised, while the religious courses only serve to sow doubts and confusion.
The clergy’s appeal ends with a call “to stop the catastrophic decline of Greece, which is hanging on the edge of the abyss.”
