Hardcore Metropolitan Bishop of Kalavryta and Aigialia, Amvrosios announced his resignation during the morning mess on Sunday. The resignation of the 81-year-old Amvrosios was planted for quite some time after he was sentenced for hate speech.
In his speech to the parish on Sunday, he explained the reasons for his resignation saying among others “our homeland is in danger and our faith is being persecuted.”
He served as Metropolitan for 41 years.
The controversial Metropolitan was sued and condemned earlier this year by a local court to a seven-month suspended sentence for hate speech against gays, and for his pronouncement, last year, that the eadly wildfire in Mati was God’s punishment for the “atheist” then-Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
He is a supporter of far-right party Golden Dawn which he had described as the “golden hope for the nation.”
To Amvrosios’ resignation, SYRIZA MEP and Vice President of the European Parliament, Dimitris Papadimoulis commented describing him as “far-right, racist and bigot.”
Ακροδεξιός, ρατσιστής και διαρκής κήρυκας της μισαλλοδοξίας ο παραιτηθείς Αμβρόσιος. Κορυφαία του δήλωση ο χαρακτηρισμός της νεοναζιστικής Χρυσής Αυγής, ως της «χρυσής ελπίδας του έθνους». Τέτοιοι ιεράρχες εκθέτουν την εκκλησία και βλάπτουν την δημοκρατία! https://t.co/8hn0et1wr5
— Dim. Papadimoulis (@papadimoulis) August 18, 2019
“Resigned Amvroios, a far-right,racist and a permanent preacher of bigotry. His major statement to descirbe neo-nazi Golden Dawn as “golden hope of the nation.” Such clergymen expose the Church and harm the democracy.”
Amvrosios’ hate statements had not only upest the previous government and the society but also the clergy who had urged him to finally “shut up!”
More about Amvrosios controversial statements here.
