The fires that have been devastating Greece over the last few days, killing people and destroying everything, are “a dramatic and at the same time a mysterious event”. This was stated by the president of the Greek Bishops Conference, mgr. Francesco Papamanolis, in a statement he gave to SIR today. “The reason that pushes the arsonists to start fires is a mysterious one – states the bishop – Who are they? Are they an organisation? These are questions we hear repeated all the time, but nobody can answer them”. Mgr. Papamanolis does not share the assumption of the “political conspiracy in the run-up to the election”, even if it seems “organised people are starting these fires”. “For the moment, the reason behind such acts remains a mystery”, he adds. “As the Catholic Church in Greece, so far we have suffered no damages to our churches or constructions; after all, we are fairly far from the fires, but as an episcopate we have invited our congregations to pray. We have sent out a message of sympathy for the victims’ families. On 8th and 9th September, we will raise funds in all of our Churches. Caritas Grecia is working, but we still do not know exactly where help is most needed. Our Government is taking very important measures for those people who have suffered damages. We can only pray for rain”.
