Recall, earlier we reported that Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East is concerned about the lack of dialog between the new authorities of Syria and the Christian society of the country. According to the patriarch, despite statements in the media about the upcoming all-Syrian conference, there have been no official contacts with Christian communities by the authorities so far. He noted that the Church is committed to dialog for the sake of peace and stability in the region.
Court in Greece acquits priest accused of celebrating Masses during coronavirus
On January 13, 2025, the Criminal Court of Patras unanimously acquitted Archpriest Anastasios Gotzopoulos, accused of violating quarantine rules during the COVID-19 epidemic. The priest was accused of performing Divine Liturgies at a time when a ban on Divine Services was established in Greece, as events involving mass gatherings of people. This is reported by the Greek website of the UOJ.
It is reported that the prosecutor’s office agreed with the arguments of the defense lawyers, who argued that the Health Ministry’s decree, which banned Divine Services for 20 days due to the pandemic, was unconstitutional. The judges fully supported the prosecutor’s position, also justifying the decision on the basis of the priest’s conflict of duties. After the announcement of the acquittal, the hall met the court’s decision with great applause.
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