Timeline Of Eastern Orthodoxy In Greece (1974–2008)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

This is a timeline of the presence of
Eastern Orthodoxy in Greece Eastern Orthodoxy is by far the largest religious denomination in Greece. Status The Greek Orthodox Church, a member of the Eastern Orthodox Communion, is described as the "prevailing religion" in Greece's constitution. Since 1850, Greek Ortho ...
from 1974 to 2008. The history of Greece traditionally encompasses the study of the Greek people, the areas they ruled historically, as well as the territory now composing the modern state of
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
.


Third Hellenic Republic (from 1974)

*1974 Metr.
Seraphim A seraph ( ; pl.: ) is a Angelic being, celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and ...
of Ioannina is elected Archbishop of Athens and all Greece (1974–1998);''"Seraphim, Archbishop (Vissarion Tikas)."'' Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009. the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Patras is inaugurated, being the largest church in Greece, housing the relics of
Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...
the Apostle; Esphigmenou Monastery (Athos), a stronghold for the conservative Greek
Old Calendarists Old Calendarists ( Greek: ''palaioimerologitai'' or ''palaioimerologites''), also known as Old Feasters (''palaioeortologitai''), Genuine Orthodox Christians or True Orthodox Christians (GOC; ), are traditionalist groups of Eastern Orthodox Ch ...
, withdrew its representative from the common meetings of the Holy Community at
Karyes Karyes (Greek: Καρυές, before 1930: Αράχωβα - ''Arachova'') is a village of the Peloponnese peninsula, which is located in the southern part of Greece. The Peloponnese is made up of a number of states and Karyes belongs to the state ...
(the administrative center of Mount Athos), accusing the
Patriarchate Patriarchate (, ; , ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, referring to the office and jurisdiction of a patriarch. According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria—were establi ...
of being
ecumenist Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...
, and refusing to commemorate the Patriarch; death of Blessed Sophia of Kleisoura (''Myrtidiotissa in
Schema Schema may refer to: Science and technology * SCHEMA (bioinformatics), an algorithm used in protein engineering * Schema (genetic algorithms), a set of programs or bit strings that have some genotypic similarity * Schema.org, a web markup vocab ...
''), the ascetic of Kleisoura,
Fool-for-Christ Foolishness for Christ (; ) refers to behavior such as giving up all one's worldly possessions upon joining an ascetic order or religious life, or deliberately flouting society's conventions to serve a religious purpose—particularly of Christia ...
.Very Rev. Dr. Edward Pehanich.
St. Sophia the Righteous
'' American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A. Retrieved: 21 December 2013.
*1975 Death of Papa-Dimitris (Gagastathis); ''Article 3'' of the
Greek Constitution The Constitution of Greece () was created by the Fifth Revisionary Hellenic Parliament in 1974, after the fall of the Greek junta and the start of the Third Hellenic Republic. It came into force on 11 June 1975 (adopted two days prior) and has ...
officially declares the prevailing religion in Greece as Eastern Orthodoxy under the authority of the autocephalous Church of Greece, united in doctrine to the
Ecumenical Patriarchate The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen Autocephaly, autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. ...
. *1976 The ''
Dimotiki Demotic Greek (, , , ) is the standard spoken language of Greece in modern times and, since the resolution of the Greek language question in 1976, the official language of Greece. "Demotic Greek" (with a capital D) contrasts with the conservat ...
(Demotic)'' language form of
Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...
was made the official language, replacing the purified and formal ''
Katharevousa Katharevousa (, , literally "purifying anguage) is a conservative form of the Modern Greek language conceived in the late 18th century as both a literary language and a compromise between Ancient Greek and the contemporary vernacular, Demotic ...
'' language of Modern Greek which had been in use for nearly two centuries since foundation of the modern Greek state. *1977 Death of noted Greek theologian and professor Panagiotes N. Trembelas; conversion of French theologian and Cistercian monk Placide Deseille ( fr), together with two other Cistercian monks, Séraphim (Pyotte) and Elie (Ragot), who received baptism from
Igumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns ...
Emilian of
Simonopetra Simonopetra Monastery (, literally: "Simon's Rock"), also Monastery of Simonos Petra (), is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece. It ranks 13th in the hierarchy of the Athonite monasteries. It is on the sou ...
on Mt. Athos, later accepting the
schema Schema may refer to: Science and technology * SCHEMA (bioinformatics), an algorithm used in protein engineering * Schema (genetic algorithms), a set of programs or bit strings that have some genotypic similarity * Schema.org, a web markup vocab ...
and being ordained as
hieromonk A hieromonk,; Church Slavonic, Slavonic: ''Иеромонахъ''; ; ; ; ; Albanian language, Albanian: ''Hieromurg'' also called a priestmonk, is a person who is both monk and Priest#Roman Catholic and Orthodox, priest in the Eastern Christianity ...
s of the Simonopetra brotherhood, subsequently founding various Athonite
Metochia A ''metochion'' or ''metochi'' ( or ; ) is an ecclesiastical embassy church within Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is usually from one autocephalous or autonomous church to another. The term is also used to refer to a parish representation (or de ...
of Simonopetra in France. *1978 Abortions are legalised in Greece but only under certain specific circumstances;'
Greece: Abortion Policy
"'' UNITED NATIONS, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
through the efforts of Metr. Panteleimon (Chrysofakis) of Thessalonica, the sacred
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
s St. David of Thessalonica (''David the Dendrite'') were triumphantly returned to Thessaloniki from Milan, Italy, after having been taken by Crusaders in 1236 AD; the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece founded the Integration Centre for Returning Migrants, Immigrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees (KSPM).Assoc Prof Inger Furseth, Professor Per Pettersson, Dr Helena Vilaça, Professor Enzo Pace.
The Changing Soul of Europe: Religions and Migrations in Northern and Southern Europe
'' Ashgate AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Series. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2014. pp. 79-82.
*1979 Martyrdom of Archimandrite
Philoumenos (Hasapis) of Jacob's Well Philoumenos (Hasapis) of Jacob's Well (; ; or , 15 October 1913 – 29 November 1979) was the Hegumen of the Greek Orthodox monastery of Jacob's Well, from the city of Nablus (''Neapolis'') in the West Bank. He was murdered on 29 November 1979 by ...
. *1980 Greece and the Holy See formally established diplomatic relations; Ιωάννης Ασημάκης
25 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ∆ΙΠΛΩΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΣΧΕΣΕΙΣ ΕΛΛΑ∆ΟΣ-ΑΓΙΑΣ Ε∆ΡΑΣ
pp. 193-224. Retrieved: 5 August 2013.
death of Elder Philotheos (Zervakos) of Paros; Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue, 1st plenary, met in Patmos and Rhodes; Extraordinar
Joint Conference of the Sacred Community of Mount Athos
'', 9–22 April, resolved publicly to state the opinion of the Athonite fathers on the subject of dialogue with the heterodox; Greek priest-monk Fr. Athanasios Anthides travelled to India to begin a systematic Orthodox Mission in the rural area of Arambah, in
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
state, in eastern India;
FOCUS ON INDIA
'' Orthodox Research Institute. Retrieved: 24 July 2013.
death of Patr.
Benedict I of Jerusalem Patriarch Benedict of Jerusalem, also Benediktos I of Jerusalem, born Vasileios Papadopoulos (, 1892 – December 10, 1980) was the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem from 1957 to 1980. Biography Vasileios was born ...
, who had actively pursued a rehabilitation of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem. The church is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchat ...
. Member State of the European Community (European Union) *1981 Greece becomes the 10th member of the
European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
, 1 January; conservatives of the Esphigmenou Monastery (Athos) refuse common market aid to Mt. Athos;''"Zealots Spurn Common Market Aid to Mt. Athos Monastic Community."'' The New York Times. Sunday 19 April 1981 (Late City Final Edition). Section 1, Part 1, Page 8. Column 1. Adultery is decriminalized in the penal code. *1982 Death of Archimandrite Haralambos Vasilopoulos, founder of the ''Pan-Hellenic Orthodox Union'' in 1959 («Πανελληνίου Ορθοδόξου Ενώσεως» (Π.Ο.Ε.)) and its organ ''Orthodoxos Typos'', and a faithful defender of the Orthodox Faith, being the author of over 300 publications including books exposing occultism and anti-Christian sects; death of renowned lay preacher and Orthodox writer Dimitrios Panagopoulos (1916-1982); glorification of the Venerable Eugenios of Aetolia († 1682);
monotonic orthography Greek orthography has used a variety of diacritics starting in the Hellenistic period. The more complex polytonic orthography (), which includes five diacritics, notates Ancient Greek phonology. The simpler monotonic orthography (), introduce ...
was imposed by law on the Greek language,Diana Diaconou. '' 'Monotony' pleases Greeks.'' The Globe and Mail (Canada), 30 January 1982. however the Greek Orthodox Church continues to use
polytonic orthography Greek orthography has used a variety of diacritics starting in the Hellenistic period. The more complex polytonic orthography (), which includes five diacritics, notates Ancient Greek phonology. The simpler monotonic orthography (), introduce ...
; civil marriage is introduced in Greece in 1982, although the overwhelming majority still marries in church and Orthodox clergymen sometimes refuse burial rites and other rights to those not married in church.George Mavrogordatos. ''"Orthodoxy and Nationalism in the Greek case."'' West European Politics. 1 January 2003. Vol.26. No.1. Pg. 117(22) . *1983 Death of Elder
Arsenios the cave-dweller Elder Arsenios the Cave Dweller (; Samsun, 1886 – Mount Athos, 1983) was a Greek Orthodox monk and elder.Monk Joseph Dionysaitis. ''Elder Arsenios the Cave-dweller (1886–1983): Fellow Ascetic of Elder Joseph the Hesychast.'' Transl. Angela Ge ...
of Mt. Athos. *1984 Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Commission, 3rd plenary, meets in
Khania Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion. The municipality has ...
, Crete;''Catholic, Orthodox Talks in Greece End In Disagreement.'' The Associated Press. 8 June 1984. professor Georgios Mantzaridis publishes ''"The Deification of Man"'' , setting forth the theological and anthropological basis for the doctrine of deification as expounded by St. Gregory Palamas (1296-1359). *1986
Root of Jesse The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, shown in a branching tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David. It is the original use of the family tree as a schematic representation of a gen ...
icon of the Mother of God in
Andros Andros (, ) is the northernmost island of the Greece, Greek Cyclades archipelago, about southeast of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . It is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and ...
(the "Myrovlytissa"), begins gushing
myrrh Myrrh (; from an unidentified ancient Semitic language, see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a few small, thorny tree species of the '' Commiphora'' genus, belonging to the Burseraceae family. Myrrh resin has been used ...
; glorification of
Arsenios the Cappadocian Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian (Greek: Ὅσιος Ἀρσένιος ὁ Καππαδόκης; 1840 – November 10, 1924), born in Kephalochori, Cappadocia () was a Greek dean and the spiritual father of Paisios of Mount Athos. He had a brother ...
(†1924) by the Patriarchate of Constantinople; the performance of abortions was further liberalized by Law No. 1609 of 28 June 1986." *1987 In April, parliament approved a law to expropriate monastic land in order to redistribute some to poor peasants, and to take over administration of urban church-owned assets, however Abp. Seraphim (Tikas) of Athens was victorious in preventing the government from expropriating church landholdings, by allowing some land redistribution while opposing nationalisation of church and monastery land; on
August 19 Events Pre-1600 * 295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. *43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later kno ...
Patr. Pimen of Moscow and All Russia, and Ec. Patr.
Demetrios I of Constantinople Demetrios I of Constantinople, also ''Dimitrios I'' or ''Demetrius I'', born ''Demetrios Papadopoulos'' (; 8 September 1914 – 2 October 1991), was the 269th list of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantino ...
co-celebrated the
Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...
on the
Feast of the Transfiguration The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor.' ...
at the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Monastery, being the first concelebration in 398 years (since January 1589). *1988 Canonization of
Eustathius of Thessalonica Eustathius of Thessalonica (or Eustathios of Thessalonike; ; ) was a Byzantine Greek scholar and Archbishop of Thessalonica and is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is most noted for his stand against the sack of Thessalonica by the No ...
(†1197); Mount Athos and the
Meteora The Meteora (; , ) is a rock formation in the regional unit of Trikala, in Thessaly, in northwestern Greece, hosting one of the most prominent complexes of Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery, monasteries, viewed locally as se ...
are designated as
UNESCO World Heritage sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
; radio station " Church of Piraeus 91.2 FM" begins transmitting in October, through the efforts of Metr. Kallinikos (Karousos) of Piraeus (1978-2006); death of Fr George Pirounakis, a turbulent cleric who opposed the right-wing dictatorship of 1967–1974, supported student uprisings against the junta, and later demanded that bishops who had succoured the tyrants should be held to account. *1989 Hellenic Bible Society publishes a translation of the New Testament into the modern vernacular (
Demotic Greek Demotic Greek (, , , ) is the standard spoken language of Greece in modern times and, since the resolution of the Greek language question in 1976, the official language of Greece. "Demotic Greek" (with a capital D) contrasts with the conservat ...
), The New Testament diglot, containing both the Patriarchal edition of 1904, along with a parallel translation in Today's Greek Version, having the blessing, approval and endorsements of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...
, the Holy Synod of the
Church of Greece The Church of Greece (, ), part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Its canonical territory is confined to the borders of Greece prior to th ...
, the
Patriarchate of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria is the archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. Historically, this office has included the designation "pope" (etymologically "Father", like "Abbot"). The Alexandrian episcopate was revered as one of the three major episc ...
, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Pedagogical Institute of the Greek Ministry for Education and Religion;
Mystras Mystras or Mistras (), also known in the '' Chronicle of the Morea'' as Myzethras or Myzithras (Μυζηθρᾶς), is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mount Taygetus, above ancient Sparta, ...
is designated as a
UNESCO World Heritage site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
; *1990 Bilateral declarations of both Greece and Israel are made on 21 May 1990 in which they normalized their diplomatic relations, essentially recognizing the special interest of the
Greek Government The Government of Greece (Greek language, Greek: Κυβέρνηση της Ελλάδας), officially the Government of the Hellenic Republic (Κυβέρνηση της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας) is the collective body of the Gre ...
in a
Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...
presence in the
Holy Places A sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, holy place or holy site is a location which is regarded to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a Sacred natural site, natural feature may accrue through tradition or ...
, as well as its right to have a say in any future arrangements concerning the religious status quo and the rights and privileges of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem; the monasteries of
Daphni Daphni may refer to: * Dan Snaith, Canadian musician * Dafni (disambiguation), places in Greece {{dab ...
(Athens),
Hosios Loukas Hosios Loukas () is a historic walled monastery situated near the town of Distomo, in Boeotia, Greece. Founded in the mid-10th century, the monastery is one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architecture and art, and has been l ...
(Beotia) and
Nea Moni of Chios Nea Moni () is an 11th-century monastery on the island of Chios that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located on the Provateio Oros Mt. in the island's interior, about 15 km from Chios town. It is well known for its ...
, are designated as
UNESCO World Heritage sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
; death of Fr. Athanasios Anthides, first Greek Orthodox Missionary to India, succeeded a year later by priest-monk Fr. Ignatios Sennis, who came to
Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
to continue the mission; the
Friends of Mount Athos The Friends of Mount Athos (FoMA) is a society formed in 1990 by people who shared a common interest for the monasteries of Mount Athos. It is a registered charity in the United Kingdom (Registered Charity No. 1047287). People Timothy Ware, Me ...
society is formed, with Metr.
Kallistos (Ware) Metropolitan Kallistos (born Timothy Richard Ware, 11 September 1934 – 24 August 2022) was an English bishop and theologian of the Eastern Orthodox Church. From 1982, he held the titular bishopric of Diokleia in Phrygia (), later made a titu ...
of Diokleia as president, including
Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
(Duke of Edinburgh) and
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
(The Prince of Wales) among its members. *1991 Death of Elder Porphyrios (Bairaktaris) the Kapsokalivite (Evangelos (Bairaktaris)) 7 February; Kyriopascha occurs;From antiquity the Orthodox Church has celebrated with special liturgical joy the occurrence when Pascha falls on
25 March Until 1752 it was the official date of the beginning of the year in England and its dominions (in the Julian calendar). Events Pre-1600 * 410 – The Southern Yan capital of Guanggu falls to the Jin dynasty general Liu Yu, ending the ...
(
Old Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries betwe ...
) - the
Feast of the Annunciation The Feast of the Annunciation () commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is celebrated on 25 March; however, if 25 Marc ...
, calling it ''"Kyriopascha,"'' "the Lord's Pascha". It was precisely on the coincidence of the Feasts of the Annunciation and Pascha on 25 March 1821 (Old Style), that Greece challenged the Turkish Yoke. Kyriopascha has also manifested its miraculous Grace to our own generation by its most recent occurrence in 1991, the year of the demise of Communism in Russia, a demise which, furthermore, was finalized by a last, desperate gasp in the form of an abortive Communist coup thwarted on 6 August (Old Style)–the Feast of the Transfiguration. The last Kyriopascha on the Julian calendar was in 1991; the next will be in 2075, 2086 and 2159. The last Kyriopascha on the Gregorian Calendar was in 1951, and the next will be in 2035, 2046 and 2103.
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy (and Malta from until the creation of the Exarchate of Malta in 2021), officially the Sacred Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Exarchate of Southern Europe (), is a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate o ...
is created;
syncretistic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...
synod of the Antiochian Patriarchate convened and presided over by Patriarch
Ignatius IV of Antioch Patriarch Ignatius IV ( ; born Ḥabīb Hazīm ; April 17, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All The East from 1979 to 2012. Life Habib Hazim was born on April 4, 1920, in the village o ...
, and attended by the heretical
Monophysite Monophysitism ( ) or monophysism ( ; from Greek , "solitary" and , "nature") is a Christological doctrine that states that there was only one nature—the divine—in the person of Jesus Christ, who was the incarnated Word. It is rejected as ...
Jacobite Syrian Patriarch Ignatius Zakka, implements a series of measures aimed at achieving full union with the Monophysite Syriac Churches, declaring their patriarchates to be "sister churches"
Statement of the Orthodox Church of Antioch on the Relations between the Eastern and Syrian Orthodox Churches
'' Syriac Orthodox Resources (SOR). 12 November 1991. Retrieved: 20 August 2016.
despite the
Christological In Christianity, Christology is a branch of theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would be in the freeing of ...
differences, and allowing joint prayer in the agreed statement. *1992 Synaxis of primates of Orthodox churches in Constantinople;Helena Smith. ''ORTHODOX LEADERS ACCUSE VATICAN OF STEALING THEIR CHRISTIAN FLOCK.'' The Guardian (London). 17 March 1992. Pg. 4. Patr. Diodoros I of Jerusalem presented a list of '
firm declarations of Orthodox convictions
'' of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which was entered into the minutes of the assembly of Orthodox leaders at the Phanar on the Sunday of Orthodoxy; on 4 November 1992, the
Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox ...
of the Church of Greece unanimously declared Bp.
Chrysostomos of Smyrna Chrysostomos Kalafatis (; 8 January 1867 – 10 September 1922), also known as Saint Chrysostomos of Smyrna, Chrysostomos of Smyrna and Metropolitan Chrysostom, was the Greek Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Smyrna (İzmir) between 1910 and 1914, ...
(†1922) an Ethnomartyr and a
Saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
of the
Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
, to be jointly commemorated on the Sunday before the Feast of the
Elevation of the Holy Cross The Elevation of the Holy Cross (), also known as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on September 14. The feast is celebrated on the anniversary of the day on which St. Helena found ...
, together with four other Holy Hierarchs of
Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
including: Bp. Ambrosios Moschonision, Bp.
Euthymios (Agritellis) of Zela Saint Euthymios of Zela the Ethno-Hieromartyr, Αθαν. Γ. Τσερνογλου. ''"Εὐθύμιος. Ὁ Ἀγριτέλλης. Έθνομάρτυς ἐπίσκοπος Ζήλων Ἀμασείας (1912-1921)."'' Θρησκευτική κα ...
(†1921), Bp. Gregorios of Kidonion (†1922), and Bp. Prokopios of Iconium (†1923); in June, Patr.
Alexy II of Moscow Patriarch Alexy II (or Alexius II, ; secular name Aleksei Mikhailovich Ridiger ; 23 February 1929 – 5 December 2008) was the 15th Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. Elected Patriarch of Mosco ...
visits Church of Greece; deaths of Eldress Gabrielia (Papayannis) and Chrysanthi of Andros; the total congregation of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1992 was estimated at 145,000 Greek Orthodox Palestinians in the
Occupied Territories Military occupation, also called belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is temporary hostile control exerted by a ruling power's military apparatus over a sovereign territory that is outside of the legal boundaries of that ruling powe ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
, representing the largest Christian congregation in historic Palestine, and Jerusalem in particular. *1993
Church of Cyprus The Church of Cyprus () is one of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox churches that together with other Eastern Orthodox churches form the communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox autocephalous churches; ...
condemned Freemasonry as a religion incompatible with Christianity; Orthodox-Roman Catholic Joint Theological Commission meets in Balamand, Lebanon, issuing common document ''"Uniatism: Method of Union of the Past, and Present. Search for Full Communion"'' (the "
Balamand declaration ''Uniatism, method of union of the past, and the present search for full communion'', also known as the Balamand declaration and the Balamand document, is a 1993 report written by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Betwee ...
"), equating the Orthodox and Roman Catholics as "sister churches", and concluding that
rebaptism Rebaptism in Christianity is the baptism of a person who has previously been baptized, usually in association with a denomination that does not recognize the validity of the previous baptism. When a denomination rebaptizes members of another den ...
should be avoided, while "'uniatism' can no longer be accepted either as a method to be followed nor as a model of the unity our Churches are seeking". *1994 Death of Elder
Paisios (Eznepidis) Saint Paisios of Mount Athos (, ; secular name: Arsenios Eznepidis (); 1924–1994), was a Greek Eastern Orthodox Asceticism#Christianity, ascetic from Mount Athos, originally from Pharasa, Cappadocia. Today, he is widely venerated by Eastern O ...
of Mt. Athos, 12 July; Greek Parliament passes a resolution marking 19 May as " Pontus Genocide Remembrance Day"; the Liaison Office of the Orthodox Church to the European Union was established in Brussels by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate;Lucian N. Leustean. ''"Table 1.2 Other Christian Bodies in dialogue with European institutions".'' In: Representing Religion in the European Union: Does God Matter? Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics. Routledge, 2012. p. 14.
Museum of Byzantine Culture The Museum of Byzantine Culture () is a museum in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece, which opened in 1994. History To design the museum, a nationwide architectural competition was announced in 1977. The competition was ultimately won by t ...
is inaugurated in Thessaloniki. *1995 Elder Ephraim of Philotheou begins founding Athonite-style monasteries in North America;Νεκτάριος Μαμαλοῦγκος


'' 25 February 2009. Retrieved: 11 July 2013.
death of Eldress Macrina of Portaria; Ecumenical Patr.
Bartholomew I Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...
visits Patmos as part of the celebration of the 1,900th anniversary of the writing of the
Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...
by the Evangelist John. * 1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America is reorganized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, dividing the administration of the two continents into four parts (
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, Central America, and South America); in his thesis ''
Clash of Civilizations The "Clash of Civilizations" is a thesis that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post–Cold War world. The American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argued that future wars would be ...
'' professor
Samuel P. Huntington Samuel Phillips Huntington (April 18, 1927December 24, 2008) was an American political scientist, adviser, and academic. He spent more than half a century at Harvard University, where he was director of Harvard's Center for International Affair ...
argued that one
geopolitical Geopolitics () is the study of the effects of Earth's geography on politics and international relations. Geopolitics usually refers to countries and relations between them, it may also focus on two other kinds of states: ''de facto'' independen ...
alliance in the post-
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
world would be an Eastern-Christian bloc, linking Russia, Serbia and Greece. *1997 A bomb explodes at the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...
, seriously injuring Orthodox deacon Nectarius Nikolou and damaging several buildings, being the third such attack in recent years, following the ones in 1994 and 1996; Thessaloniki is the
cultural capital of Europe A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...
(1997); posthumous recognition by the State of
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
of Metr. Joachim (Alexopoulos) of Demetrias for saving the lives of 700 people during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
who were hidden by the residents of the villages of
Mount Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern , ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. It ...
, having his name inscribed in the Holocaust Museum in Washington, and entered on the Righteous Honor Wall at
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...
in Jerusalem; in the case of ''Canea Catholic Church v. Greece (143/1996/762/963)'', the
European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...
(ECtHR) held unanimously that the Greek courts had violated article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights by refusing to acknowledge that the Canea Catholic Church in Crete had legal personality.Charalambos K. Papastathis and Nikos Maghioros. '
Greece: A Faithful Orthodox Christian State. THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC
"'' In: Javier Martínez-Torrón and W. Cole Durham, Jr.. Religion and the Secular State: National Reports (Issued for the occasion of the XVIIIth International Congress of Comparative Law, Washington, D.C., July 2010). Published by: Complutense Universidad de Madrid, in cooperation with The International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University. July 2014. pp. 370-371.
*1998 Archbishop Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) was enthroned in Athens as the new head of the Greek Orthodox Church (1998–2008); Archbishop Christodoulos makes first official visit of a Greek Primate to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 24 years (since 1974); establishment of the '
Office of the Representation of the Church of Greece to the European Union
'' in Brussels; death of Elder
Ephraim of Katounakia Saint Ephraim of Katounakia or Efrem/Ephraim Katounakiotis (; born Evangelos Papanikitas (; 6 December 1912 – 27 February 1998) was a Greek Orthodox monk who lived on Mount Athos. He was canonized as a saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Co ...
; death of missionary Archimandrite Chariton Pneumatikakis, having served the Orthodox mission in
Kananga Kananga, formerly known as Luluabourg or Luluaburg, is the capital Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, city of the Kasai-Central, Kasai-Central Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was the capital of the former Kasaï ...
,
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...
, for 25 years (1973-1998); by an overwhelming parliamentary majority, including both major parties (PASOK and ND), the separation of church and state was excluded (in 1998) from the constitutional revision that was eventually completed in April 2001;Thessaloniki Summit
held to discuss Orthodox participation in WCC; on 8 December th
Bioethics Committee of the Church of Greece
was created to study contemporary bioethical problems in depth from a scientific viewpoint based on Orthodox ethos and the theological perception of man, society and values; Greek parliament affirmed the genocide of Greeks in Asia Minor as a whole (Pontian and Anatolian
Ottoman Greeks Ottoman Greeks (; ) were ethnic Greeks who lived in the Ottoman Empire (1299–1922), much of which is in modern Turkey. Ottoman Greeks were Greek Orthodox Christians who belonged to the Rum Millet (''Millet-i Rum''). They were concentrated in ...
), and designated 14 September a day of commemoration. *20th century Notable Greek Orthodox modern writers include: Metr.
John Zizioulas John Zizioulas (; ; 10 January 1931 – 2 February 2023) was a Greek Orthodox bishop who served as the Metropolitan of Pergamon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from 1986 until his death in 2023. He was one of the most influent ...
of Pergamon; Archimandrite Vasileios Gontikakis; Prof.
Christos Yannaras Christos Yannaras (; also Giannaras; ; 10 April 1935 – 24 August 2024) was a Greek philosopher, Eastern Orthodox theologian and author of more than 50 books which have been translated into many languages. He was a professor emeritus of philo ...
; Prof. Fr.
John S. Romanides John Savvas Romanides (; 2 March 19271 November 2001) was a theologian, Eastern Orthodox priest, and scholar who had a distinctive influence on post-war Greek Orthodox theology. Biography Born in Piraeus, Greece, on 2 March 1927, his parents e ...
(†2001); Bp.
Hierotheos (Vlachos) Hierotheos Vlachos (; born Georgios Vlachos, , 1945) is a Greek Orthodox metropolitan and theologian. Biography He was born in 1945 in Ioannina, Greece. He graduated from the Theological School of the University of Thessaloniki and was ordaine ...
of Nafpaktos; Protopresbyter
Nikolaos Loudovikos Nikolaos Loudovikos (; born 1959) is a Greek Orthodox theologian and priest (protopresbyter), psychologist, author and professor. Biography Nikolaos Loudovikos was born in Volos, Greece, in 1959. He studied psychology and education at the Unive ...
; Protopresbyter
George Metallinos George Metallinos ( ''Georgios Metallinos''; 11 March 1940 – 19 December 2019) was a Greek Orthodox theologian, priest (protopresbyter), historian, author and professor. Biography He was born in Corfu, Greece on 11 March 1940, where he also ...
; Protopresbyter Theodore Zisis; Prof. Georgios Mantzaridis; and Panayiotis Nellas (†1986), among others. *2000–2001 Government of Greece orders removal of compulsory reference to religious affiliation on state identity cards, despite widespread campaigns against this from the Church of Greece and the majority of the public. *2001 Death of Elder
Haralambos Dionysiatis Archimandrite Charalambos (Galanopoulos) of Dionysiou (or Haralambos Dionysiatis, ; 1910 in Russia – 1 January 2001 in Dionysiou Monastery, Mount Athos) was a Greek Orthodox Christian monk who served as the abbot of Dionysiou Monastery from 197 ...
, teacher of noetic prayer; on the first trip to Greece by a Pope since AD 710,
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
of Rome apologizes to Orthodox Church for
Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
; a day earlier some 1,000 Orthodox conservatives took to the streets to denounce his visit; in March, Abp. Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens blessed the ''Hellenic Genocide Petition Effort'', which urged that the government not violate Law 2675/98 by deleting the term "genocide" when explaining the destruction of Hellenism in Asia Minor; Abp. Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens visits the
Patriarchate of Moscow The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The primate of the ROC is the patriarch of Moscow and all R ...
, being also received by Russian President
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
; pastoral agreement between the
Coptic Orthodox Church The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the See of Alexandria is the pope of Alexandria on the Holy Apo ...
and
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa (), also known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, is an autocephalous patriarchate that is part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Its seat is in Alexandria, and it has canonical ...
, agreeing to accept the
sacrament of marriage Christian terminology and theological views of marriage vary by time period, by country, and by the different Christian denominations. Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians consider marriage as a holy sacrament or sacred mystery, while Pro ...
which is conducted in either Church, as well as performing all other sacraments to that new family of Mixed Christian Marriage; death of distinguished scholar
Dimitri Obolensky Sir Dimitri Dimitrievich Obolensky (; – 23 December 2001) was a Russian-British historian who was Professor of Russian and Balkan History at the University of Oxford and the author of various historical works. Biography Prince Dimitri Dim ...
, Russian-born historian who traced the influence of Byzantine civilisation in Eastern European identity. *2002 The
Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox ...
of the Church of Greece rejected a proposal to introduce
Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...
into the
Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...
(similar to what the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
did for the Roman Catholic Church by allowing the use of the
vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...
for the
Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
), opting to keep
Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...
as it was spoken 2,000 years ago and used in
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
texts; Metropolis of Glyfada is established as a new
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
separating from Metropolis of Nea Smyrni;
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (fir ...
declared the monks of Esphigmenou Monastery (Athos) as being in
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
with the
Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
; Patr. Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople and Pope John Paul II co-sig
Venice Declaration of Environmental Ethics
*2003 Abp. Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens inaugurated the Office of th
Representation of the Church of Greece to the European Union
in Brussels; Orthodox Churches in Europe commemorated the 550th anniversary of the
Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...
in May; the Greek Minister of Culture
Evangelos Venizelos Evangelos Venizelos (, ; born 1 January 1957) is a Greek academic and retired politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Greece from 2011 to 2015, as well as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 25 June 2013 to 27 January 2015 and Minister ...
informs Europarliament session that the status of the monasteries on Holy Mount Athos and its way of life will remain unchanged, citing official recognition of this status fixed in Article 105 of the
Greek Constitution The Constitution of Greece () was created by the Fifth Revisionary Hellenic Parliament in 1974, after the fall of the Greek junta and the start of the Third Hellenic Republic. It came into force on 11 June 1975 (adopted two days prior) and has ...
and also legally confirmed in the special Athens Treaty clause specifying conditions on which Greece joined the European Union; Abp. Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens has falling out with Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...
over who should have the final say in the appointment of bishops in northern Greece, but rift is mended three weeks later;''Orthodox church leaders agree to restore communion.'' Associated Press Worldstream. 20 May 2004. in February, the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church issued a statement opposing the threat of war in Iraq; the Church of Greece sent more than 20 tons in humanitarian aid for the refugees of the war in Iraq to be distributed along the Jordanian-Iraqi border; the proposal to build a mosque outside Athens before the 2004 Olympics was blocked due to opposition from residents and Greece's Orthodox Church which disagreed with the location and plans for the funding for the multimillion-pound mosque to come from Saudi Arabia's King Fahd; the 5th Academic Meeting between Judaism And Orthodox Christianity was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, on 27–29 May; Inter-Orthodox Consultation on the Draft Constitutional Treaty of the European Union is held in Herakleion, Crete, from 18 to 19 March 2003; death of Elder Serapheim Savvaitis (8 January / 26 December),
Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...
of the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (1957-2003). *2004 In September, a helicopter carrying Patr. Petros VII (Papapetrou) of Alexandria along with 16 others (including 3 other bishops of the
Church of Alexandria The Church of Alexandria in Egypt was the Christian Church headed by the patriarch of Alexandria. It was one of the five sees of the pentarchy, alongside Rome, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem. Tradition holds that Saint Mark the Evangeli ...
) crashed into the Aegean Sea while en route to the monastic community of Mount Athos with no survivors; on 8 October the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece decided to restore the female diaconate for senior nuns in monasteries;Phyllis Zagano.
Grant Her Your Spirit
'' America Magazine. 7 February 2005.
more than two years after he was elected to the post, Israel stated that it would recognise Patr. Irineos I as the
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem The Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem or Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, officially patriarch of Jerusalem (; ; ), is the head bishop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine patriarchs in the Easte ...
, after a long-standing refusal to endorse Irineos, describing him as the "candidate of the Palestinians."''Israel recognises Greek Orthodox patriarch ... two years on.'' Agence France Presse -- English. 18 January 2004. *2005 Church of Greece hosted the WCC ''World Conference on Mission and Evangelism'' in Athens, the first in an Orthodox country in the history of this body; the Ecumenical Patriarchate issued the ''"General Regulations for the Establishment and Operation of Holy Monasteries in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America"'' ''Protocol #95on 16 February, regulating monasticism in America; Britain's
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
arrived on the monastic community of Mount Athos for a three-day visit in May;
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
becomes the first Russian state leader to visit Mount Athos; in October, the ''"
Grey Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey ...
"'' Turkish terrorist group staged a rally outside the
Ecumenical Patriarchate The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen Autocephaly, autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. ...
in
Phanar Fener (; ), also spelled Phanar, is a quarter midway up the Golden Horn in the district of Fatih in Istanbul, Turkey. The Turkish name is derived from the Greek word "phanarion" (Medieval Greek: Φανάριον), meaning lantern, streetlight or ...
, proceeding to the gate where they laid a black wreath, chanting ''"Patriarch Leave"'' and ''"Patriarchate to Greece"'', inaugurating the campaign for the collection of signatures to oust the Ecumenical Patriarchate from Istanbul. *2006 Abp. Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens visits Vatican, the first head of the Church of Greece to visit the Vatican, reciprocating the Pope's visit to Greece in 2001, signing
Joint Declaration on the importance of the Christian roots of Europe
and protecting fundamental human rights; Abp. Christodoulos castigated globalisation as a ''"crime against humanity"''; Abp. Christodoulos welcomed the imminent arrival of millions of Orthodox faithful from Bulgaria and Romania into the EU from 1 January 2007, saying the influx ''"will strengthen the voice of Orthodoxy"'' to address a perceived threat to national and religious identity posed by globalisation; foundation of the Special Synodic Committee for Migrants, Refugees and Returning Migrants (SCMRM) at the initiative of Abp. Christodoulos, following the approval of the Holy Synod in Nov. 2006; Prime Minister
Costas Karamanlis Konstantinos A. Karamanlis (; born 14 September 1956), commonly known as Kostas Karamanlis (, ), is a Greek retired politician who served as prime minister of Greece from 2004 to 2009. He was also president of the centre-right New Democracy part ...
took a three-day pilgrimage to
Mount Athos Mount Athos (; ) is a mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece directly on the Aegean Sea. It is an important center of Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox monasticism. The mountain and most of the Athos peninsula are governed ...
;
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
met with Greek Orthodox Seminarians from the Apostoliki Diakonia theology college in Greece who were visiting Rome, urging them to confront the challenges that threaten the faith by working to unify all Christians; the church reported that there were 216 men's monastic communities and 259 for women along with 66 sketes, with a total of 1,041 monks and 2,500 nuns, witnessing to a modern modest revival in
monasticism Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Chr ...
;CNEWA Canada (
Catholic Near East Welfare Association The Catholic Near East Welfare Association (abbreviated CNEWA, pronounced "k-NAY-wah" ) is a papal agency established in 1926 and dedicated to giving pastoral and humanitarian support to Northeast Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and India ...
).
The Orthodox Church of Greece
'' Last Modified: 26 June 2008. Retrieved: 1 May 2013.
in September, barely 48 hours after a Somali Islamic cleric called for Muslims to kill the Pope, Abp.
Christodoulos Christodoulos () is a Greek language, Greek given name. It is a theophoric name which means "servant of Jesus Christ, Christ". It can refer to: * Christodoulos (Greek patriarch of Alexandria), r. 907–932 * Pope Christodoulos of Alexandria, Copti ...
told a sermon in Athens that Christians in Africa were suffering at the hands of ''"fanatic Islamists"'', citing the example of Roman Catholic monks who were slaughtered the previous year ''"because they wore
the cross The Christian cross, seen as representing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a religious symbol, symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a ''corpus'' (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) a ...
and believed in our crucified Lord"''; Abp. Christodoulos criticized the authors of a state issued elementary school sixth grade history textbook, as attempting to conceal the Church's role in defending Greek national identity during Ottoman occupation, the book being later removed in 2007; death of Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios, having authored thousands of recorded lectures in the spirit of patristic traditional Orthodoxy; a ruling by a first-instance court in Athens approved the formation of an association of people who worship the 12 gods of Mount Olympus, linked to New Age practises by the Church of Greece; government of Greece announces it will fund and build a €15 million (US$19 million) new mosque in Athens, to be the first working mosque in the Greek capital since the end of Ottoman rule over 170 years prior, welcomed by Abp. Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens and the Church of Greece in accordance with its established position. *2007 The 1600th anniversary celebration of the repose of
John Chrysostom John Chrysostom (; ; – 14 September 407) was an important Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and p ...
; Greek Minority Lyceum at the Phanar ('' Megali tou Genous Sxoli'', today a middle and high school of the Greek minority) wins a judgement condemning Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), for violation of the ''European Convention On Human Rights (protection of property)''; the
International Association of Genocide Scholars The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) is an international non-partisan organization that seeks to further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, including the Armenian genocide, the Holoc ...
(IAGS) passed a resolution affirming ''"that the Ottoman campaign against Christian minorities of the Empire between 1914 and 1923 constituted a genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, and Pontian and Anatolian Greeks";'' '
Representation of the Church of Cyprus to the European Union
is established by decision of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus;
New English Translation of the Septuagint The ''New English Translation of the Septuagint and the Other Greek Translations Traditionally Included under That Title'' (NETS) is a modern translation of the Septuagint (LXX), that is the scriptures used by Greek-speaking Christians and Jews ...
(NETS) is published by the
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies The International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies (IOSCS) is an international association of researchers whose main research focus is the study of the Septuagint and related texts. Research The IOSCS has published a journal since ...
(IOSCS), based on the best critical editions of the
Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
, primarily the larger
Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
Septuagint; a half-finished painting in the Church of the Holy Virgin in
Axioupoli Axioupoli (), known until 1927 as Boymitsa (Боймица, Μποέμιτσα), is a small town and a former municipality in the former Paionia Province of Kilkis regional unit, Greek Macedonia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is par ...
s, northern Greece, o
Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin
cutting off the beard of St Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), painted as a symbol of communist oppression of the Church, offended traditionalists who wanted it removed. *2008 Death of Abp. Christodoulos (Paraskevaides) of Athens, proving to be one of the most popular archbishops in Greek history, reviving the appeal of the Church in a secular age, especially among young people; ΤΖΟΥΜΑΣ Μ. ΣΩΤΗΡΗΣ.
ΧΡΙΣΤΟΔΟΥΛΟΣ
'' AMBELOS. Απρίλιος 2010. 216 pp.


See also

*
Eastern Orthodoxy in Greece Eastern Orthodoxy is by far the largest religious denomination in Greece. Status The Greek Orthodox Church, a member of the Eastern Orthodox Communion, is described as the "prevailing religion" in Greece's constitution. Since 1850, Greek Ortho ...
*
List of archbishops of Athens The following is a list of bishops, Metropolitan bishop, metropolitans, and archbishops of Athens. The Archbishopric of Athens, Church of Athens was created by Paul the Apostle during his Paul the Apostle#Second missionary journey, second missio ...
*
Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...
*
Eastern Orthodox Church organization The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly known simply as the Orthodox Church is a communion composed of up to seventeen separate autocephalous (self-governing) hierarchical churches that profess Eastern ...
History *
History of the Eastern Orthodox Church The history of the Eastern Orthodox Church is the formation, events, and transformation of the Eastern Orthodox Church through time. According to the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church is traced back to Jesus Ch ...
*
History of Eastern Christianity Christianity has been, historically, a Middle Eastern religion with its origin in Judaism. Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions and churches which developed in the Middle East, Egypt, Asia Minor, the Far East, Balk ...
*
History of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Ottoman Empire In AD 1453, the city of Constantinople, the capital and last stronghold of the Byzantine Empire, fell to the Ottoman Empire. By this time, Egypt had been under Muslim control for about eight centuries. Jerusalem had been conquered by the Rash ...
* History of Eastern Orthodox Churches in the 20th century *
Timeline of Eastern Orthodoxy in America The timeline of Eastern Orthodoxy in North America represents a timeline of the historical development of religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in North America. Early visits and missions (1700 ...
Church Fathers *
Apostolic Fathers The Apostolic Fathers, also known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers, were core Christian theologians among the Church Fathers who lived in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD who are believed to have personally known some of the Twelve Apostles or to have be ...
*
Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...
*''
Ante-Nicene Fathers (book) ''The Ante-Nicene Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325'' (abbreviated ANF) is a collection of books in 10 volumes (one volume is indexes) containing English translations of the majority of Early Christian writings. The period co ...
'' *
Desert Fathers The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Wadi El Natrun, then known as ''Skete'', in Roman Egypt, beginning around the Christianity in the ante-Nicene period, third century. The ''Sayings of the Dese ...
*''
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers ''A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church'', usually known as the ''Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers'' (NPNF), is a set of books containing translations of early Christian writings into English. It was publi ...
'' *List of Church Fathers


Notes


References


Bibliography

* Giannēs Koliopoulos and Thanos Veremēs.
Greece: The Modern Sequel, from 1831 to the Present
'' NYU Press, 2002. 407 pp. * Anastasios Anastassiadis.
Religion and Politics in Greece: The Greek Church's 'Conservative Modernization' in the 1990s
'. Research in Question, No.11, January 2004. (PDF). * C.M. Woodhouse. ''Modern Greece''. 4th ed. Boston : Faber and Faber, 1986. * Charalambos K. Papastathis and Nikos Maghioros. '
Greece: A Faithful Orthodox Christian State. THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC
"'' In: Javier Martínez-Torrón and W. Cole Durham, Jr.. Religion and the Secular State: National Reports (Issued for the occasion of the XVIIIth International Congress of Comparative Law, Washington, D.C., July 2010). Published by: Complutense Universidad de Madrid, in cooperation with The International Center for Law and Religion Studies, Brigham Young University. July 2014. pp. 339–375. * Demetrios Constantelos, Demetrios J. Constantelos. ''Understanding the Greek Orthodox Church: Its Faith, History and Life.'' 4th Edition. Brookline, Mass.: Hellenic College Press, 2005. * Dimitri E. Conomos, Graham Speake. ''Mount Athos, the Sacred Bridge: The Spirituality of the Holy Mountain.'' Oxford: Peter Lang, 2005. * Dr. Daphne Halikiopoulou.
Patterns of Secularization: Church, State and Nation in Greece and the Republic of Ireland
'' Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2011. * Effie Fokas. ''Religion in the Greek Public Sphere: Nuancing the Account.'' Journal of Modern Greek Studies. Volume 27, Number 2, October 2009, pp. 349–374. * Efthymios Nicolaidis. ''Science and Eastern Orthodoxy: From the Greek Fathers to the Age of Globalization.'' Transl. Susan Emanuel. Johns Hopkins University Press. 2011. 288 pp. * Herman A. Middleton.
Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit: The Lives & Counsels of Contemporary Elders of Greece
'' 2nd Ed. Protecting Veil Press, 2004. * John Hadjinicolaou (Ed.). ''Synaxis: An Anthology of the Most Significant Orthodox Theology in Greece Appearing in the Journal Synaxē from 1982 to 2002''. Montréal : Alexander Press, 2006. * John L. Tomkinson.
Between Heaven and Earth: The Greek Church
'' Anagnosis Books, Athens, 2004. * Mother Nectaria McLees. ''EVLOGEITE! A Pilgrim's Guide to Greece.'' 1st Ed. St. Nicholas Press, Kansas City, MO, 2002. 927 pp. * Norman Russell.
Modern Greek Theologians and the Greek Fathers
'' ''Philosophy & Theology'' Volume 18, Issue 1. 2007.10.17. Pages 77–92. () * Rev. Dr. Nicon D. Patrinacos (M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon)).

'. Light & Life Publishing, Minnesota, 1984. * Rev. A. H. Hore.
Eighteen centuries of the Orthodox Greek Church
'' London: James Parker & Co. 1899. 706pp. (''Re-printed
Gorgias Press LLC
2003.'') * Vasilios Makrides (Professor).
Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches: A Concise History of the Religious Cultures of Greece from Antiquity to the Present
'' New York University Press, 2009. 345 pp. * Victor Roudometof and Vasilios Makrides (Eds.).
Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece: The Role of Religion in Culture, Ethnicity, and Politics
'' Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2010. 258 pp. {{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline of Orthodoxy in Greece 20th century in Greece 21st century in Greece Cultural history of Greece Greek Orthodoxy in Greece Greek timelines, Orthodoxy in Greece History of Eastern Orthodoxy in Greece History of Greece since 1974 Timelines of Eastern Orthodoxy, Greece