Let Us Pray for All People in the Middle East: Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece

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OCP News Service – 26/10/2023

Athens- Greece: The Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece, invited the faithful to pray for the situation in the Middle East from the Holy Church of Agios Dimitrios, where he celebrated the vespers in the memory of Saint Demetrius on 25 October 2023.

The Archbishop in the sermon, pointed out that selfishness has become part of the way we exist, that is, without God. “And this way distorts everything and above all the image of the real God. It would limit our suffering if we recognized that all people have a right to life and its goods and understood that we are stewards of the earth and not its owners,” noted the Archbishop and added: “Thus in many parts of the earth, as now in the Middle East, misunderstanding and even violence have created a tragic situation. Civilians from both sides find themselves impoverished, hostages of violence. We believe that only through dialogue can a minimal coexistence emerge.” He also underlined that “as Christians, we have a special sensitivity towards the Holy Places area. They are places sanctified by the presence of Christ. With our Orthodox brothers and especially His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem”.

Also, His Beatitude emphasized: “Although we know that based on the words of Christ there cannot be a final peace on earth, this does not prevent us from praying for all the people in the Middle East, Christians and non-Christians. The fact that in both the old Patriarchates, Antioch and Jerusalem, our Orthodox brothers live, who are under pressure and suffer, can help us to be more intense in our prayer.”

And concluding his sermon, he wished “through the embassies of Saint Demetrius, that a way of understanding and communication be found, so that the people who are now experiencing the sufferings of war and conflicts can be relieved.”

Source:

OCP News Service and ecclesia.gr