Before a lockdown went into effect on March 23, an Orthodox priest was held briefly in Greece after celebrating mass in a church, following a government order also closing down churches along with most businesses over the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak.
Metropolitan Seraphim of Cypher island, off the Greek coast, conducted the service the night of March 20 ahead of the Orthodox Easter celebrations starting on 19 April, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported citing police sources not identified.
After criticism, he was held by police and interviewed before being informed he was violating a measure suspending all services, including personal prayer, Holy Communion and Sunday liturgy after the Greek Church had first resisted doing so.
He was released after being asked to follow the measures applied by the Greek government and the Church of Greece amid the coronavirus crisis, said AFP and Euronews in a report.
Under the quarantine, the New Democracy government closed most non-essential businesses but it was widely flouted that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis imposed the near-total lockdown.
While there were scores of arrests for violating the quarantine, and two business owners fined 300 euros ($320.23) for staying open, the Metropolitan escaped detention or prosecution.
The Metropolitan is known for his provocative remarks, even asking Queen Elizabeth II to divest Elton John, a homosexual, of knighthood for saying that Jesus Christ was gay. The priest also has made strong anti-Semitic remarks, citing international Zionism and blaming Jews for a world financial crisis in 2010, for which he was condemned by the government.
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