August 15th: The messages of state and political leadership in Greece
Today, the President of the Republic Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou attended the doxology at the Holy Pilgrimage of Panagia Ekatontapylianis of Paros. After the end of the Divine Liturgy, Mrs. Sakellaropoulou made the following statement: “This year we celebrate this great day for Orthodoxy, looking forward to the consoling and encouraging protection of the Virgin Mary.
With Her face, we Greeks have associated love, care for the weak, empathy.”
“I hope these values continue to inspire us. Happy birthday!”, concluded the President of the Republic in her statement.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Tinos
A message of unity was sent by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, from Tinos, who attended the island for the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin. Mr. Mitsotakis emphasized that “from the remote chapels to the great pilgrimages of our Church, Greece and Orthodoxy today celebrate the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, we draw strength and faith to be able individually and collectively to overcome the great difficulties and march . on the road of progress, on the road of self-confidence on the road of social cohesion”.
“On this great day for Orthodoxy, the great demand for our country remains unity and commitment to the goals of the future,” the prime minister said and added:
“To stand by those who are most in need and to overcome difficulties. And with faith we will remain faithful to the path we have set for a Greece of prosperity, self-confidence and social cohesion. I wish from the bottom of my heart to every Greek woman and every Greek man everywhere on Earth a happy birthday.”
The Prime Minister arrived in Tinos at 9 in the morning, where he was received by the leadership of the Armed Forces, the Minister of Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos and the head of the General Defense Forces General Konstantinos Floros. He boarded the missile boat “Mykonios” where, after firing honorary cannon shots, Mr. Mitsotakis paid tribute to the memory of the fallen cruiser “Elli” by throwing a laurel wreath into the sea.
Then he went to the Holy Church of Evangelistria where he touched the icon of the Virgin Mary and attended the High Priestly Divine Liturgy for the Dormition of the Virgin, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Dorotheos of Syros and Tinos.
“Today is a great celebration for Hellenism and Orthodoxy”, says the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias in a post on Twitter.
“The Mother of Christ and Christians, sweetens souls. Warm wishes to the celebrants,” he adds.
The celebrations at Panagia Soumela in Vermio were brilliant
Hundreds of believers, mainly of Pontic origin, climbed the slopes of Vermio to attend the celebrations of the fifteenth of August and to attract the icon of Panagia Soumela to the Monastery of the same name, since after two years of the pandemic this year the events are held normally with the recommendation for the use . mask.
In the morning, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Monastery of Panagia Soumela, then wreaths were placed on the bust of Alexander Ypsilantis, and the austerity of the icon of Panagia followed.
During the Divine Liturgy, the commendations, along with the monetary prize, of the “Panagia Sumela” Association were awarded to two excellent students of the Makrohori High School, in memory of the 21 students who lost their lives in a traffic accident in the valley of Tempi.
The events are dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Disaster, as said by the president of the “Panagia Soumela” Association, Giorgos Tanimanidis.
The government was represented by the Deputy Minister of Health Mina Gaga, while the Deputy Minister of Finance Apostolos Vesyropoulos, the MPs Kostas Giulekas, Anastasios Bartzokas, Lazaros Tsavdaridis (ND), Alexandros Triantafyllidis, Giorgos Spans (AngelosS-Pans) Movement for Change), the deputy regional governor of Thessaloniki were present Boula Patoulidou as representative of the Region of Central Macedonia, mayors, representatives of the Military Authorities and the Security Forces.