Greece, forges of dialogue” “

“Catholics in Greece are discriminated against by the State and by the Orthodox Church. For the latter we are apostates. Nonetheless, although they are a minority, Greek Catholics show a far higher religious practice than in Western Europe”. “We need to struggle to survive” is the explanation of Msgr. Nikolaos Foscolos , Catholic archbishop of Athens and president of the Greek Episcopal Conference. We spoke with him about the parishes in the Greek capital. Faithful dispersed… “Our most serious problem – explains the archbishop – is that we are a diaspora, especially in the big Greek cities. It’s enough to say that the thirteen parishes of Athens do not represent the geographical centre of the territory in which they operate and are very far removed from each other. So a Catholic who wants to go to his parish church, if he does not have his own means of transport, must use three or four forms of public transport and then walk for several kilometres. For this reason there’s considerable difficulty in beginning any serious parish mission. Our faithful, moreover, are few in number, approximately 25,000. Forming an ecclesial community in these conditions is arduous. The faithful meet together either on Saturday or Sunday, and these are the same days in which the activities of formation such as catechism and the administration of the sacraments take place. During the week it would be impossible. It’s one thing to have one’s own church close by, it’s quite another to have it 10 km away. Parish life in the islands of the archipelago, on the other hand, is easier, for example at Siros and Tinos. There, Catholics are far more numerous”. …But a Catholic community in growth. In spite of these difficulties, according to Archbishop Foscolos, the Catholic community is being transformed. He explains: “In Athens, apart from the 25,000 Greek Catholics, there are 40,000 Poles, 15,000 Philippinos, and also many Albanians, Italians, French and Germans; these latter communities are the best organised and have their own parish priests. Thanks to this presence, the Catholic community is reviving. Although discriminated against by the State and by the Orthodox Church, which considers us as apostates, Greek Catholics reveal a far higher religious practice than that of Western Europe. We also have to cope with secularisation, with the disaffection of the young, but we are struggling to survive. In November we will be holding an assembly to discuss these problems and update our structures, which have remained rooted in the 1960s. Much has changed since then. The average age of priests is high; vocations are few; and the laity are committed but not yet ready for service unless guided by a priest”. Proofs of dialogue. “Our parishes – he says – are forges of dialogue which is born and developed from the base. Many families that attend our churches are mixed, that is, formed of spouses of different religion, Catholic and Orthodox. Some 90% of marriages celebrated in Athenian parishes are between Catholics and Orthodox and only 1% between Catholics”. “If spouses truly practice their religion – he says – these families may become bridges to bring the Churches closer together. The Orthodox hierarchy is still fairly conservative, even though something is changing. There are grounds for hoping in a future of closer dialogue. Over the last twenty years Catholics in Greece have increased twenty-fold, thanks to the contribution of Catholics coming from Europe. We hope in their help and witness to foster a more genuine and shared life of faith in our parishes”.