A little known sect organized an admittedly “unique” event on the central Aristotelous square in Thessaloniki: exorcisms performed outdoors. A big screen was displaying “exorcisms” and a crowd of people curiously watching a new …transcendental experience.The exorcisms were held also in English so that tourists could understand.
Alarmed by the unauthorized exorcisms, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece held an emergency meeting on Thursday and urged the faithful to refrain from joining such events. At the same time, the local prosecutor ordered an investigation into whether the group occupied public space without permission by the authorities.
The event took place on August 21 without permission by the local authorities and found widely promotion initially by local media of northern Greece. Two similar events were reportedly organized also in July.
What is this sect, who is the leader, what do they represent, what do they want, do they want to proselytize, what’s the purpose of exorcism outdoors and how did they manage to put chairs, megaphones and a huge screen on a central square of the city without permission?
Dozens of questions have been raised. Afterwards, of course.
A heated debate started on TV and radio panels in the country’s second biggest city.
A local lawyer said that “such events insult and provoke the morals of the Greek Orthodox society.”
“They submitted their permission application for the event after it took place,” a member of Thessaloniki Municipality Council said at one of the TV panels.
A representative of the organization D.P. told daily ethnos, however, that both the Municipality as well as the police that was present knew of the event in adcance as they were informed by the organization. The representative said further that around ten exorcisms are been performed during each event.
He added that participants on Aristotelous Sq were members who visit the “Church” located near the airport, tourists visiting Thessaloniki but also people who had heard of the “Church of all nations.”
Papanakidis said further that the exorcisms were held bilingual also in English so that tourists can understand, too.
The exorcists call the name of Jesus Christ, ask the “demon” who he is and then order it go leave the human body.
Video: Exorcism on the screen on Aristotelous Sq.
According to Church sources cited by media, the sect is self-proclaimed to be called “Church of all nations”, a branch of a sect based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Leader is “Harris”, a Greek whose real name is Haralampos Ts.
The organization has an unknown number of supporters in Greece, a website, a YouTube channel displaying kind of staged “exorcisms” and is apparently about to expand its influence aiming to convert people.
On one of the organization’s video broadcast by a private TV channel, a woman was kind of dancing in rounds with partly spastic movements and she was watching a man who was standing next to her shouting “Get out! Get out!”. Eventually, the “it” went out and “the woman was cured from all the cancer she had,” the report claimed.
Donations are welcome, the leader of the sect told media.
No wonder, the Greek Church was alarmed, even if with delay probably due to summer vacations.
After the two-day meeting the Holy Synod issued a statement in which it urged the faithful to refrain from joining such “Alleged exorcism ceremonies” as it said characteristically.
According to the Holy Synod, the autonomous neo-Pentecostalism* is behind these ceremonies. Such ceremonies are held in central parts of large cities to impress and attract people.
The Holy Synod draws the attention of the members of the Orthodox Church, so that they avoid any participation in its ceremonies.
It should be noted that the District Attorney ordered the Security branch of Thessaloniki security to carry out a preliminary investigation in order to find out whether the crimes of proselytizing, illegal occupation of public space and disturbing the peace were committed, local media grtimes.gr reported.
*Neo-Pentecostalism or Neo-Charismatic Movement is movement within evangelical Protestant Christianity with transdenominational renewal features.
PS Interesting that nobody bothered to investigate whether exorcisms have any place on the 21st century. though.
It’s an African cultic pentecostal/charismatic (the same really) organization.
To my surprise, I noticed another of these groups, from Brazil that time, opening a local meeting place in Piraeus a decade ago or so… Maybe there are more, they are spreading from Africa and South America like wildfire.