Church must urge flock to take vaccine, PM tells Ieronymos

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday asked Archbishop Ieronymos that the Church urge the flock to vaccinate against Covid-19.

“We must convince those of our fellow-citizens who remain hesitant about inoculation to get the [Covid-19] vaccine,” Mitsotakis told the head of the Church of Greece during a meeting at Maximos Mansion.

“This is why I want to once again ask that you [the Church] encourage the flock, possibly also through the priests’ sermons, so that the skeptcs hopefully take that extra step,” Mitsotakis said.

Ieronymos, now 83, was admitted to the augmented care unit of the Athens’ Evangelismos Hospital in November after contracting the virus. 

Several priests across the country have reportedly urged their congregations to avoid the shots.