Eastern Orthodox Church

Τhe Holy Synod, the ruling body of the Greek Orthodox Church, has said that all Easter services will be held without any public gatherings as part of the country's efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In a circular, the Holy Synod cautioned clerics against deviating from the guidelines of the Church or they would jeopardize public health.

Israel is working with foreign governments and Orthodox Christian leaders in the Holy Land to make sure that one of their most ancient and mysterious rituals - the Holy Fire ceremony - is not extinguished by the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Friday.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tonight ordered the closure of all churches and places of worship of all denominations.

Mitsotakis announced the decision via his Twitter account straight on the heels of a decision of the Orthodox Church of Greece to severely restrict services but to keep conducting an abbreviated Sunday Divine Liturgy between 8am and 9pm.

Metropolitan Neofit of Sofia, the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, has drawn anger - and some ridicule - after his office said church services would continue in the country - despite concerns about transmission of the coronavirus - as the holy sacraments could not possibly transmit a disease.

Montenegrin soldiers. Photo: Montenegrin Ministry of Defence

"Mrvaljevic was caught committing a disciplinary offence. The removal will continue until the completion of the disciplinary procedure," the ministry press release said.

Sparking controversy, the ruling body of the Orthodox Church of Greece issued a statement on Monday saying that the coronavirus cannot be transmitted through holy communion as the "faithful of all ages know that even in the midst of a pandemic, it is both a practical affirmation of self-surrender to the Living God and a potent manifestation of love."

Amid fears of a broader coronavirus contagion across the country, the Holy Synod, the ruling body of the Greek Orthodox Church, on Monday issued a statement saying that the disease does not transmit through the distribution of holy communion by the chalice.

Bulgaria's Minister of Culture Boil Banov announced on Monday afternoon that an exhibition of Bulgarian religious artefacts that were to be displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris has been cancelled.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday welcomed a decision by the Church of Greece and Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa to recognize the autonomy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, during a visit to Kiev.

Greek Archbishop Ieronymos informed the Holy Synod on Friday that he has refused an invitation from Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem to attend a meeting of Orthodox leaders.
According to a statement issued by the Holy Synod, Ieronymos refused the invite because the calling of such meetings of Orthodox leaders is the sole privilege of the ecumenical patriarch based in Istanbul.