Church of Greece Is Ready to Help Greek People in Economic Crisis with Food, Clothes, Values

The Church of Greece is getting ready to assist the Greek people to face the consequences of tough economic measures taken by the government, a church official who attended an ecumenical gathering of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva this week said.

The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymos II met on May 4, 2010 with Greece's Prime Minister George Papandreou to express the church's willingness to support the Greek people during the difficult times ahead, said Fr. Gabriel Papanicolaou, a Greek Orthodox Church official. Papanicalaou attended a May 4-6 gathering of the church's ecumenical officers organized by the WCC.

Papanicolaou said, "We are preparing to supply food, clothes, and other relief items, as well as to care for the needs of the people who lose their jobs, assist them with pastoral and psychological attention. The church will stand by the people -- as it always has."

The church's role -- according to Papanicolaou -- includes reminding the faithful of essential values that help build social cohesion. "This is not just an economic or financial crisis," said Papanicolaou, "but also a crisis of values."