The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church issued a statement in reaction to a disrespectful post against Christianity on Facebook by a Greek professor of Health Policy named Elias Mossialos who is serving as an advisor to the Greek government on Covid-19. The post-meme showed Joseph leading the Holy Virgin on a donkey with the speech bubbles saying:

-Mary: “Why aren’t you wearing a mask?”

-Joseph: “I don’t believe in the coronavirus”

-Mary: “But you believed the story of me getting pregnant by a Lilly hook, line, and sinker”

“Although the person of Christ and the Virgin Mary does not need any human defence against human insults, the insults and attacks against Christianity will continue and increase in the 21st century. Fanaticism and disrespect for the other is not an exclusive feature of ‘religions’ or ‘non-religious’, but a horizontal feature of many people, conservative and progressive,” the Church of Greece said in a statement issued by the Press Office titled “About the offensive post of Mr. Elias Mossialos on social media”.

“The insulting post, carried under the name of the representative of the Hellenic Republic in international organizations for the coronavirus Mr. Elias Mossialos, on Christmas Eve, which mocks the religious faith of millions of Orthodox Christians of the country he represents, and the related protests that came to our attention, is a general reminder that, although the person of Christ and Our Lady does not need any human defence against human insults, the insults and attacks against Christianity will continue and increase in the 21st century. Fanaticism and disrespect for the other is not an exclusive feature of “religions” or “non-religious”, but a horizontal feature of many people, conservative and progressive. It is also clear that no one can invoke the argument of privacy for their racist behavior when they hold positions of state responsibility and express themselves publicly.

We wish you a Merry Christmas with love, long-suffering, and prayer “for those who hate and love us”.

Elias Mossialos posts often on matters of public health on the Covid-19 pandemic.