Archbishop Ieronymos expresses concern over separation of Church and state

Amid the ongoing dispute between the government and senior Orthodox clergy over the issue of the separation of Church and state, Archbishop Ieronymos touched on the matter during a sermon at Aghios Dimitrios Church in Athens on Wednesday.

"How can I divide [the people]? For the state they are citizens but for me they are the faithful. You cannot separate them and it's something that is of major concern to me," he said.

Likening the Church to a "mother," the archbishop of Athens and all Greece said that "as a spiritual father, I cannot countenance dividing my children."