Call to church leadership to rally behind efforts

Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias and the government’s chief adviser on the coronavirus pandemic, infectious disease professor Sotiris Tsiodras, are planning to address the Church of Greece’s highest authority on Tuesday in a bid to rally the clergy behind the Covid-19 vaccination push.

Kikilias said that the meeting with the Holy Synod is aimed at mobilizing parish priests to convey the importance of being vaccinated for the individual and society as a whole to their congregations.

In comments to state broadcaster ERT last week, the health minister described vaccination as a “patriotic duty.”