Η ραγδαία εξάπλωση της πανδημίας που προκλήθηκε από τον ιό SARS-COV-2 οδήγησε στη λήψη πρωτόγνωρων μέτρων που, υπό φυσιολογικές συνθήκες, θα ήταν αδιανόητα για τον σύγχρονο άνθρωπο της τρίτης χιλιετίας. Το αγαθό που έπρεπε να διαφυλαχθεί σε εθνικό και παγκόσμιο επίπεδο ήταν η ανθρώπινη ζωή και η υγεία ως συλλογικό αγαθό. Η πανδημία Covid-19 αποτέλεσε τη μεγαλύτερη άσκηση βιοπολιτικής ρύθμισης στην παγκόσμια Ιστορία και λειτούργησε ως καταλύτης για την επικράτηση του νέου βιοπολιτικού παραδείγματος στις σύγχρονες κοινωνίες της διακινδύνευσης.
Αναμφίβολα, το χρονικό αυτό διάστημα αποτέλεσε μια περίοδο σοβαρής δοκιμασίας για όλο το θεσμικό σύστημα της χώρας, αλλά και για την Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος και τους πιστούς. Η υγειονομική κρίση εργαλειοποιήθηκε σε επίπεδο κοινωνικό, πολιτικό, ακόμα και θεολογικό. Η πανδημία λειτούργησε ως πειρασμός που έθεσε υπό δοκιμασία το σώμα της Εκκλησίας και τη σχέση των πιστών μεταξύ τους. Στη δύσκολη αυτή συγκυρία, η Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος, όπως εκφράζεται με τις αποφάσεις της Διαρκούς Ιεράς Συνόδου, ενεργώντας σύμφωνα με την Ιερά Παράδοση, την Πατερική διδασκαλία και εφαρμόζοντας την αρχή της εκκλησιαστικής οικονομίας, ανταποκρίθηκε με γνώμονα την προστασία της ανθρώπινης ζωής συμβάλλοντας με κάθε τρόπο στην αντιμετώπιση της κρίσιμης κατάστασης. Συνεργάστηκε με την Πολιτεία, στο πλαίσιο της συναλληλίας και των διακριτών ρόλων και εφήρμοσε τα μέτρα με συνέπεια και προσοχή.
Η περίοδος αυτή, ωστόσο, υπήρξε και μια περίοδος διδακτική, μία περίοδος που παρείχε τη δυνατότητα ενδοσκόπησης και αυτογνωσίας, καθώς αποκάλυψε κενά, αδυναμίες και ακραίες τοποθετήσεις στην έκφραση της πίστης και τη συμπεριφορά λαϊκών και κληρικών. Τα συμπεράσματα που θα εξαχθούν από την περίοδο αυτή θα είναι πολύ χρήσιμα για το μέλλον. Η ‘μετά-Covid-19’ εποχή απαιτεί από όλους να ξεφύγουν από τον εφησυχασμό και να προτάξουν την προβολή του ορθόδοξου φρονήματος. Η ραγδαία ψηφιοποίηση της εκκλησιαστικής ζωής το διάστημα αυτό, αναβαθμίζει τον ρόλο της ενορίας ως πυρήνα της εκκλησιαστικής ζωής και την καλεί να αναλάβει την προβολή του ποιμαντικού έργου και της ποιμαντικής αποστολής της Εκκλησίας.
Η ευθύνη της Εκκλησίας ήταν και είναι να παραμείνει προσηλωμένη στην αποστολή Της, που δεν είναι άλλη από την σωτηρία του ανθρώπου και αυτό διότι η έννοια της Εκκλησίας δεν δύναται να χωρισθεί από την έννοια της ‘σωτηρίας’ και η σωτηρία δεν μπορεί να χωρισθεί από την εσχατολογική προοπτική της Βασιλείας των Ουρανών. Εξάλλου, εάν υπάρχει κάποιος χώρος στον οποίον καταργείται ο φόβος, η ασθένεια, καταλύεται ο θάνατος και η φθορά, αυτός δεν είναι άλλος από την Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία. Μόνον η Εκκλησία «έξω βάλλει τον φόβο», αφού ο ίδιος ο Ιδρυτής Της είπε: «εν τω κόσμω θλίψιν έξετε, αλλά θαρσείτε, Eγώ νενίκηκα τον κόσμον» (Ιω. 16, 33).
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The present assignment on: "The theological and communicative approaches of the Church of Greece in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic (from February 2020 until October 2021)" begins with the description of the critical situation due to the pandemic and its consequences on international and national level, and progresses from the more general, the broader context, to the more specific one. The research question is how the Church of Greece handled the issue of the pandemic from a communicative point of view and what is the theological framework which Her choices and attitude were based on.
The research aims / objectives of the assignment are, firstly, the description of the current situation as it was formed under the difficult and unpleasant condition of the pandemic at the global and national level; secondly, the development of the new biopolitical paradigm in human societies and of the new challenges in the field of law; third, the presentation of the Church's communicative attitude and behavior based on the principles of ecclesiastical economy and accuracy; forth, the analysis of the theological framework as it determines the life of the Church, fifth, the presentation of the rapid digitization of religious life during the pandemic, particularly under the regime of social isolation; sixth, how the post-Covid era is envisaged; seventh, how the Church will be able to take advantage of the new environment aiming at the reinforcement of its role and the re-evangelization of Its message of Salvation to the world.
This assignment deals with a topical issue. In other words, it consists of the planning and elaboration of a scientific research through the collection of primary qualitative data – meaning, it constitutes qualitative research.
The assignment presents the World Health Organization's declaration on the pandemic as a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC), the enforcement of new biopolitical regulations on societies defying constitutional order and the rule of law, and the prevalence of ‘globalized fear’, which permeates all aspects of social life, and which finds the most suitable vehicle for spreading in conspiracy theories, fake news and unbridled catastrophology, so much so that WHO declared a second ‘pandemic’, ‘infodemic’ and adopted recommendations for its management in the context of ‘infodemiology’, seeking the assistance of the Churches and religious communities, as their role is particularly crucial and definitive. They are the most reliable sources of information, and the most important providers of pastoral, health and social care in their communities. Their members trust and follow the recommendations and guidelines on Covid-19 more when they come from their religious leaders than when they come from governments and health organizations.
All Churches and believers around the world have gone through a period of severe ordeal. This is not the first time that humanity has been confronted with a pandemic phenomenon. This is not the first time for Greece either. What is special about this case, however, is that this 'ultimate temptation' managed to divide both the Church and the flock into opposite parties. To those who see the virus as the most serious threat to humanity, and to others who question not so much its presence as its uniqueness and see this whole situation as a global 'experimentation' aiming at global domination and subjugation of individual and collective consciences.
In Greece, religion and the Church are part of the public sphere and the debate about the role that the Church played during the pandemic is not only inevitable, but imperative as well. During this period, the Church of Greece followed the Patristic teaching and the Holy Tradition and moved in the context of the ‘ecclesiastical economy’, in its effort to meet the multilevel and multidimensional challenges of this unprecedented situation.
In this context we examine the Church-State relationship, and the Church-Science relationship, the new dimension of the ‘duty in health’ and how this new concept of having the ‘duty’ to respect the life of my fellow citizen, determined both the obligation to use masks inside the temples and the issue of vaccinations as well. We also examine the attitude of the Church and the Hierarchs and, in relation to that, what the synodal system means for the Church as the Body of Christ, where obedience and discernment must prevail. In the following chapters we examine the Mysteries of the Divine Liturgy, of the Church and of the Holy Communion around which most of the debate and controversies developed, as well as the issue of the transfer of the Resurrection Liturgy to an earlier time than usual. Subsequently we present the fast digitization of ecclesiastical life during the pandemic, especially during the period of the lockdown, and the role of the Internet and social media networking during this health crisis. We analyze how the situation has developed concerning the new digital media, the Church’s attitude to the new digital environment and how the new digital means should be utilized and exploited in the future in relation to the enhanced role of the parish.
In the last chapter we present the conclusions drawn from the assignment, emphasizing, among other things, that the pandemic has been a landmark, defining not only the future evolution of societies, but also the role of the Church in this newly shaped context. The Church of Greece is facing new challenges and new requirements, which are shaping the need for a new internal mission and a ‘re-evangelization’ of the world. The Church has rightly been advocating the protection of human life throughout this period, both individually and collectively. However, we should bear in mind that if there is a place which eliminates fear, transcends sickness, death and decay, it is none other than the Church. Only the Church "casts out fear", since its Founder Himself said: "in the world you will have sorrow, but have courage, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
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