The Greek church predates the Greek state by many centuries, and such is its concern with the original events of sacred history that it can seem magnificently, almost provocatively, detached from the ebb and flow of everyday events. As Greeks contemplated the dire consequences of a "yes" or "no" vote in the forthcoming referendum and quarrelled bitterly with one another, the website of the Archdiocese of Athens announced yesterday that the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul had been celebrated "with splendour" both in Athens and in many other Hellenic places, from Macedonia to Corinth, where Paul's missionary work is a cherished local tradition.
But the realities of the year of our Lord 2015 did make their appearance. Anthimos, the conservative metropolitan bishop of Thessaloniki, drew a stormy reaction when he laid out his own position in a sermon. "Vote whatever you like, that is your absolute right, but this time I too have the right to make a confession, I will vote for Europe," he declared. Some of his listeners began clapping while at least one began chanting "No! No!" and the flustered cleric abandoned his homily.
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