The Olympic Games in Athens and in Paris (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Olympic Games in Athens and in Paris

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after watching the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, among other things, made a polite criticism of what he watched, saying that "the opening ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 remains the owner of the gold, not only because of its aesthetics, but primarily because it functioned as a guardian of the idea of the Olympics and the games."

It is important to see how this result was achieved in Athens.

1. The Church and the Olympic Games in Athens

Let me remind those who do not have a strong memory or have a selective memory that since September 1997 when our country had taken over the organization of the 2004 Olympic Games, pagan proposals had been formulated on this occasion to revive the cultural atmosphere of the Games that were taking place in ancient Greece with the main proposition that "Olympism is a way of life for the Greeks."

The Image of our Society and the Church (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

  

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Various antisocial behaviors that provoke us all as well as the social sentiment of justice are published daily. Violent behavior from person to person cannot be justified, but neither can the image of our society, which we have shaped in our own way, be forgotten.

I think the issue that the Church must address as quickly as possible is the secularization not only of society, but also of the very nature of ecclesiastical life. I say this because a society that receives various influences, due to globalization, is constantly changing and is being de-ecclesiastical or de-religious by the various traditional models it has. This cannot be stopped in secular ways, and this also affects the members of the Church.

Resurrection Messages That Are Devoid of Life's Meaning (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Resurrection Messages That Are Devoid of Life's Meaning

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The feast of the Resurrection of Christ, which is solemnly celebrated by the Orthodox people, gives the opportunity to ecclesiastical and political leaders to express in writing and orally their wishes to the people under their responsibility, but also to the people who belong to the Church in general.

Reading the wishes, messages of various competent people in our society, I find that they weaken the deep meaning of the Resurrection of Christ and secularize it, making it a populist message. They talk about the Risen Christ who gives optimism to man, about the creation of a new civilization that contrasts with other civilizations, about the transcendence of ethnicity and language, about the dignity of man, about social solidarity, about the overcoming of the economic crisis and religious fanaticism, for the praise of man and the defense of human rights, for social justice, for the offering of care to others, for the improvement of society and discussion, for overcoming geopolitical games and rivalries, for the light of Hellenism that defeats all darkness, etc.