Rhodes, Greece, July 25, 2023
Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr
The Metropolitan of Rhodes has instructed all of the island’s parishes to open as shelter for those fleeing the wildfires that have been raging across the island for more than a week now.
Metropolitan Kyrillos is in constant communication with his priests and has instructed them to provide air-conditioned spaces for those affected by the fires, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.
Greece has launched its biggest evacuation effort ever amidst the tragedy. The Greek fire department says that 19,000 people, mainly tourists in hotels, have been moved, either to temporary accommodations on the island or off the island altogether, reports the Guardian.
Metropolitan Kyrillos has already visited several monasteries and churches and had an opportunity to speak with the monastics who remained as the fires spread through the areas surrounding their monasteries to help the firefighters and volunteers however they could.
Despite the best efforts of Abbess Mariam and the sisterhood, at least one monastery—Panagia Ypseni in Lardos—suffered serious damage.
Messages of prayerful support have come in from around the Orthodox world, including from Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Archbishop Makarios of Australia, and the Sacred Clergy Association of Greece.
“Our hearts are darkened as we watch the images of destruction from the ongoing fires in our beloved homeland and especially on the suffering island of Rhodes,” said the Archbishop of Australia. “Our pain is mitigated by the fact that no human lives have been lost despit the nightmarish conditions that have been caused.”
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