Greek priest charged over acid attack on seven senior bishops
Athens, Greece AP A defrocked Greek Orthodox priest was charged Thursday with multiple counts of causing grievous bodily harm over an acid attack that injured seven senior bishops and three other people. The 37-year-old Greek man was led to court in lay clothing, handcuffs, and under a heavily armed police escort. Journalists and cameramen stand […]
Greece: Bishops attacked with caustic liquid, 10 hurt
Athens, GreeceAP Seven senior members of Greece’s Orthodox Church and three others were hospitalised with burns Wednesday after being attacked with a caustic liquid, allegedly by a priest facing a disciplinary hearing, authorities said. The incident occurred at a meeting in Athens of senior bishops. The 37-year-old priest, who was facing the hearing for alleged […]
Greek Church to allow worshippers at Easter Week services
Athens, GreeceAP The powerful Church of Greece said Tuesday it would allow the faithful to take part in Orthodox Easter services next week but limit attendance and hold the services earlier in the day to conform with a government-imposed curfew. The decision comes despite Greece reporting a high number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, and […]
Anglican convert and Pacific Island deity: Five faith facts about Prince Philip
RNS Prince Philip, who died Friday at age 99, was married for 73 years to the head of the Church of England, and it’s no surprise he identified for most of his life as an Anglican. But his religious profile was somewhat more complicated. Here are five faith facts to know about Britain’s longest-serving consort. […]
Greeks fly kites for ‘Clean Monday’ holiday despite pandemic
Athens, GreeceAP Colourful kites danced in the skies above the hilltops and seafront promenades of Athens on Clean Monday as Greeks turned out to celebrate the Eastern Christian holiday in their traditional fashion after being hit hard by the pandemic during the winter. The country is still in lockdown, with most retail businesses shut and […]
Greece’s Archbishop hospitalised with coronavirus symptoms
Athens, GreeceAP The head of the Orthodox Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, has been hospitalised after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the Archdiocese of Athens announced Thursday. The 82-year-old archbishop was hospitalised in an augmented care unit of Athens’ Evangelismos Hospital, the hospital said. The Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios, is also being treated for COVID-19 in […]
Turkey offended by Pompeo’s plan to discuss religious issues
Ankara, TurkeyAP Turkey took offence at a US statement that said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would promote religious freedom during an upcoming visit to Istanbul and called Wednesday on Washington to focus on racism and hate crimes in the United States instead. The State Department said in a statement Tuesday that Pompeo would travel […]
In France, suspect in priest’s shooting freed, search widens
Lyon, FranceAP French police on Sunday released an initial suspect in the shooting of a Greek Orthodox priest and widened their search for the gunman who critically wounded the priest as he closed the door to his official residence at a church in the city of Lyon. The Lyon prosecutor’s office said a man who […]
Orthodox priest shot at church in France, motive unknown
Lyon/Paris, FranceAP A Greek Orthodox priest was shot Saturday while he was closing his church in the French city of Lyon, and authorities locked down part of the city to hunt for the assailant, authorities said. The priest, a Greek citizen, is in a local hospital with life-threatening injuries after being shot twice in the […]
Work resumes on church destroyed on 9/11
New York City, USAP After a three year halt due to financial problems, work resumed Monday on a Greek Orthodox church being built to replace one destroyed in the attack on the World Trade Center on 11th September, 2001. Archbishop Elpidophoros, the leader of the Greek Orthodox church in America, stood on a balcony on […]