Greek Archbishop Ieronymos in a company of two thousand homeless people for Easter
(
21.04.2009
)
The municipality of Athens and the Athens’s Diocese organised a Paschal dining table for two thousand homeless people in the centre of the capital of Greece.
The Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Ieronymos, celebrated Easter together with the homeless in the main street Sophocles, where the festive dinning table in which nothing was missing, has been organised.
“As a representative of the Church, I will do my best, to be together with the people that suffer. It’s our duty and holy mission”, said Archbishop Ieronymos.
Traditionally, at this place 1500 portions are handed out to hungry people, every day.
The share of the Paschal dinner table with the homeless and poor people is a tradition for all the people from Greece. In many cities of the country, communities and parishes organise celebrations for their fellow citizens who suffer in poverty. Christians massively collect aid, gifts and money which are given to socially poor families and homeless.
Eight hundred people were present to the Paschal dinning table in Thessalonica, and several orthodox parishes in the town organised charity Easter’s meal, and all the people of the parishes take presence in the preparation of such meal. According to the information from the Ministry of Health of Greece, there are around 7.200 homeless, excluding the illegal immigrants. 970 of them live in houses for temporary shelter, while other 2.730 live in poor conditions, in wooden cabins, trailers, tends, abandoned stores and ruined buildings.
The Ministry of Health started the operation of counting and filing the homeless in the country, on the data bases submitted by the municipalities. Only the illegal immigrants living in Athens are several tens of thousands.
