Bishop Amvrosios lashes at ‘cursed’ education minister

Bishop Amvrosios of Kalavryta in the Peloponnese has launched an outspoken attack on Education Minister Nikos Filis calling him a “denier of the Orthodox faith.”

Amvrosios appeared to be reacting to remarks by Filis, made at a recent SYRIZA party event, that morning prayers and religious activities at secondary schools should be held at the discretion of their teachers. At the same event, Filis likened religious courses taught at school to “playtime.”

In a comment posted on his blog, Amvrosios described the SYRIZA minister as “ruthless, arrogant, complex-ridden, destructive and… cursed.”

“[Filis] is subversive! He is irreligious! He has no national identity. The only thing he is interested in is promoting his leftist, atheist culture,” said Amvrosios who also attacked a ministry proposal to scrap the teaching of Ancient Greek in high school as part of a wide-reaching overhaul of the country’s secondary education system.