Dozens of citizens, mainly elderly, ignored the lockdown restrictions and followed the invitation of a priest to go to the church and receive the Holy Communion. Police intervened and fined the faithful for violating the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
The priest in Agia Triada Church in Patras opened the doors and let some twenty faithful attend the religious service on Sunday.
People living around the church took to their balconies, protesting the police presence. Others called on the officers to remove the people from the church and eliminate the spread of the coronavirus.
Police issued fine tickets to many of the faithful because they did not carry movement permits with them.
It is not known whether the priest was arrested for inciting people to violate the lockdown or for “operating a facility that was supposed to be closed.” Worth noting that business owners who open their facilities violating the ban are fined and sentanced to imprisonment even though often to suspended sentences.
Local media tempo24 reports that the church was immediately closed and the faithful returned home after the police intervention was concluded.
According to patrastimes, locals called the police when they saw the faithful entering the church.
Places of worship have been closed to the public in order to contain the spread of the virus. Religious services are allowed behind closed doors in the presence of one priest and one chanter only, it is forbidden to share Holy Communion to the faithful inside the church.
The Holy Synod of the Greek Church has decided to followed the measures and called on faithful to stay home and pray there.
Faithful Greeks and priests did not defy the ban only in Patras. In Agios Nektarios in Chania, Crete, some managed to sneak into the church on Sunday morning. Police was called in and conducted control chacks also to others who were found on their way to the church.
it is not known how many fines were imposed, local media zarpanews reports.
However, it is not only some priest who defy the state and religious decisions. Some one hundred people, religious and nationalist fanatics, gathered outside the Profitis Ilias Church in Agia Barbara in West Athens on Friday.
The crowd, mostly young people, carried flags and byzantine banners and followed the instructions of the group leader shouting “As the saints died, so we will die.” Another organizer called on the people to “come together, light our candles and show our power as Christians.”
Η παραλία Θεσσαλονίκης έκλεισε και απαγόρευσαν το κολύμπι αλλά εδώ χαλαρά. Προφανώς και πουλάνε αγριάδα για επικοινωνιακούς λόγους. Δεν τους νοιάζει η καραντίνα.
pic.twitter.com/ibsZoYxoKh— Τοκάτας Φούγκας (@platitudinousgr) April 4, 2020
The church was closed and the crowed chanted hymns without even keeping the safety distance of 2 meters.
Police was present but did not intervene.
At the same time, police does nor hesitate to fine homeless for “unnecessary movement” or to call some individual swimmer to come ashore and get fined.
The tolerance police occasionally show towards priests or religious fanatics is challenging, and increases suspicion that the policy to punish lockdown violators follows double standards.
UPDATE: Following th outcry on social media, Greek Police announced sunday noon and with two days delay that one person has been arrested for participating in the gathering and for violating the lockdown measures. The person is to be taken to prosecutor in Athens. Another 5 people have been identified, while police investigation to identify the remaining participants continue, a statement said. It should be noted that one of the persons on the video posted on social media and Youtube, is known to belong to a group by a fanatic pretending to be a monk.
According to official data released on Saturday evening, there are 1,673 confirmed cases in Greece, and 68 deaths. Two more patients passed away on Sunday morning, increasing the death toll to 70.
Authorities extended the lockdown until April 27, 2020.
Some of the clergy have less common sense of self preservation than a stray dog. All those who took communion should be quarantined and these priests should each get 10 years in prison for every infected member. Absolute stupidity and a danger to humanity.