After the procession of the icon of Panagia Myrtidiotissa on Orthodoxy Sunday, March 21, and the intervention of the Greek Police in the process, the Metropolitan of Kythera, Seraphim, said in his sermon the following:
«Unfortunately, even in our difficult times there is a form of iconoclasm, where there are people who study the atheist letters, as St. Cosmas the Aetolian used to say, and with their epistemology, which is separated from virtue, they judge and criticize and rationally assess certain things and say that «no, don't worship the icons because you will be infected by the virus. Neither with the mask, nor without.» Some say with the mask go and worship. But this is not right. This is how we deny the sanctity of the Holy Images.
I have immense gratitude to Our Lady, because at this time and throughout time, Our Lady has covered this place from infectious diseases more serious than the one we are going through now, and yet back then, our ancestors, in the Temple, were dealing with these situations».
«Now the rulers are coming to tell us that the Temples should be closed or that those who enter should be limited. One in 25 square meters, which is such a foolish thing to do, but also disrespectful. So that is to create bad situations and to exclude the people of God, to be outside, to be deprived of Divine Worship and especially of Holy Communion. All these are the signs of the times.
Yesterday and today I experienced here this deep bitterness that I got from the ban made by the senior police officers, there of the District, the Brigadier General gave an order not to perform the procession of our Virgin Mary. Who are you, sir? Who are you to interfere in the affairs of the Church? No one gives you the right. The constitution does not allow you. If they allow some joint ministerial decisions these are against the Constitution and you will see very soon, the judiciary will rule on this.».
«This is very insulting. This attitude of trying to interfere and try to tell us how many of us are in and what we're wearing. And you have to get the vaccines or take the tests to function. But aren't they ashamed? Aren't they ashamed to say these things? When has this thing been done here in Orthodox Greece? We have the treasure of Orthodoxy.‘.
«We put a mirror in front of us and we see that we are not Orthodox as a state, we may be called and baptized, but we are not walking on the path of the right faith, of the right glory, of Orthodoxy».
