Fill-in altar girls spark controversy

Something of a war has broken out in the Church of Greece after an Athens priest enlisted the help of two girls from his congregation to fill in for the altar boys in the Pentecostal liturgy.

The controversial incident took place at the Church of Agios Nikolaos Rangavas in downtown Plaka on Monday, June 5, and soon made the rounds on social media after a parishioner posted a photograph of the 14-year-old twins dressed in the altar boys’ robes and holding candles.

The photograph prompted an immediate reaction, mainly from religious and ecclesiastical circles, that saw the initiative as an affront to Christian Orthodox traditions and a herald of more “alarming” developments to come. Some even went as far as to surmise that it was a hint at intentions to allow women into the clergy.

The priest in question, Father Alexandros Kariotoglou, was suspended from service “until further notice,” with circles in the Archbishopric saying that the matter is of a theological nature and not open to public discussion.

The Byzantine church in Plaka is especially popular among younger parishioners, thanks in part to the personality of Father Alexandros. A theologian with a PhD, studies abroad and secondary teaching experience, he strives to share the notion of faith as a way of viewing life, in a modern and experiential way. Indicative of his philosophy is the fact that the Acts of the Apostles is read in Modern Greek after the Ancient so that everyone in the congregation understands its messages.

‘Those carrying out this indecent attack treat women as a detested symbol’

“The facts are simple and specific. Because of the long weekend, the congregation was very small and the boys who usually help the priest were away,” Dr Thanos Zisis, a philologist and member of the Agios Nikolaos Rangavas Council, told Kathimerini. Father Alexandros decided to allow the two sisters, who are regulars at the church, to step into their shoes. “When it comes to boys, no blessing or permission is required from the bishop,” notes Zisis.

What makes the reactions to this decision even more surprising is that it is entirely common for girls to assume such duties in Greek Orthodox churches abroad (such as when the patriarch of Alexandria is conducting the service), but also in many parts of Greece.

On Crete, notes Zisis, boys and girls from the local Experimental High School helped in the Christmas Eve service at the Metropolitan Church of Hania, with the blessing of the bishop, and girls were also part of the Pentecostal liturgy at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in San Diego, California.

“The institution of deaconesses is part of the Greek Orthodox tradition. It may have waned nowadays, but it has not been abolished,” adds Zisis.

“The Church’s last deaconess was ordained by the late archbishop Christodoulos in Volos. She was preceded by Deaconess Maria in Korea in 1978 and by another ordained in 1910 by Saint Nektarios. There is no merit, therefore, to the accusations against Father Alexandros, who has, moreover, been handed a punishment of equal severity to that imposed a few days ago against an archimandrite accused of molesting a minor,” he says.

Dr Zisis believes that the issue is very serious and has significant social dimensions. “Those carrying out this indecent attack treat women as a detested symbol. For a woman to exist within the Church, she is expected to ontologically perceive her existence, body and sexuality as something filthy, sinful and unclean. She is meant to remain subordinate to men and be useful solely for the purpose of serving coffee and cookies.”

He also believes the girls are being unfairly targeted. “Such messaging cultivates a sense of guilt in the female gender from a young age,” says the educator.

“The Church of Greece has, unfortunately, fallen behind on pastoral matters,” Zisis comments, adding that churchgoers and clerics should be more concerned about the shortage of young people at churches than about two girls holding candles.