You will not comply with the lockdown.
The Greek Orthodox Church told the priests on Monday not to abide by the Greek government’s order to close houses of worship, as part of the country’s new, tightened coronavirus restrictions.
The conservative church has issued a statement ordering religious leaders to allow believers to gather for services on the Wednesday feast of the Epiphany.
The Holy Synod said it “does not accept” the week-long restriction issued in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 ahead of the planned reopening of schools.
The January 3-10 blockage comes after Greece closed schools and largely halted economic activity in November as a result of rising infections that nearly consumed hospitals.
Those measures were partially relaxed before Christmas, allowing churches to resume some activities.
But officials are now restarting the strict regulations for a week ahead of a scheduled Jan. 11 reopening.
Since the pandemic began, Orthodox officials have had a mixed response to health and safety measures, ranging from mild support to severe opposition.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Greece has been able to control the virus better than many other European countries, with a total of about 136,000 confirmed cases and fewer than 5,000 deaths.
With pole wires