In the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, the inauguration of the sacristy of Athens Metropolitan Temple was held, on Sunday, January 19th.
Archbishop Ieronymos presided over the inauguration and several priests attended the ceremony, Orthodox Times reports.
Following the sanctification ceremony, the Archbishop stressed, “This is not only a place with objects that have survived after various dramatic events, but also a place that encompasses memories, prayers, anguish.” He also said that the evening event was of utmost importance not only in the history of the temple, but also in the history of this place.
The Chief of Metropolitan Cathedral, Protopresbyter Thomas Synodinos, said that “the Church often is being tested by the acute question that has prevailed since holy relics were confiscated: does the display of holy relics in state museum constitute an undesirable secularization or how can we justify their protection in reliquaries by the Church? ”
In his address, the President emphasized, inter alia, that “the sacristy of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens is an emblematic spiritual museum. A museum that turns it into a robust museum of our Orthodox Christian Faith that so much represents a museum of our culture.”
Photo courtesy of Orthodox Times
