Athens, 4^th February, 2003 

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, with a deep sense of its pastoral responsibility and an awareness of its obligations before God and its Christian pleroma, follows with concern and sadness, together with the People of God, the continuous threat of war, under which mankind lives.

This concern also covers the possibility of a wider outbreak of hostilities in the area, which will clearly have adverse consequences for our country.

The Church of Greece once again concludes that it is necessary that peace prevail in the life of all men. Peace is not an unseen good or an abstract condition, but the gift and fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Church continuously prays and labors that peace may prevail throughout the world. Of course its prevailing is dependent upon the prevailing of freedom and justice. It is inconceivable that peace can prevail in the life of mankind when totalitarian regimes oppress human beings or when elementary rules of justice are violated.

The Church of Greece also wishes to express her sympathy and her support to all those who, regardless of nationality, race or religion, find themselves tested and tried by war.

She congratulates all those who labor for the cause of peace and who struggle against violence, regardless of its origin. Certainly the Lord will bless their efforts, even when these do not evoke a response in the hearts of all.

She prays that our Lord, the Prince of Peace, will enlighten the political Leaders of this world so that in a spirit of discretion and peace they will exhaust all their efforts to find peaceful solutions through the existing competent global organs.


From the Press Office of the Holy Synod.