Moria, Lesvos, Greece, June 19, 2020
The restored Church of St. Catherine in Moria, Lesvos. Photo: Facebook
Churches and chapels throughout the Greek island of Lesvos have been repeatedly vandalized and desecrated in recent years, as the island has been flooded with migrants predominantly from Muslim countries.
However, the local Orthodox faithful remain resilient.
“The number one target of vandals in Moria in its new colors. For every 10 times they destroy it, we will rebuild it 100 times,” Moria resident Makis Pavlellis writes on Facebook, presenting the photo of the newly-restored Church of St. Catherine decked out in the blue and white of the Greek flag.
The church was restored by volunteers.
It is located near the Moria hotspot, where thousands of third-world nationals, mainly from Muslim countries, who came to the island via migrant smuggling rings operating in Turkey, are temporarily hosted while their asylum requests are being processed.
Not only did the vandals cause physical damage inside the church, but they were also using it to defecate in. “The smell inside is unbearable,” Pavlellis before the volunteers began their work on the church.
In February it was reported that locals had locked St. Catherine’s in an attempt to protect it after the windows were broken, and the holy cross and icons were broken and thrown to the ground.
And St. Catherine’s is just one of many churches that have been repeatedly attacked on the island.
See how the church looked before repairs:
Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr
Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr
