Archbishop Hieronymos II of Athens and All Greece on 2 February warned the Greek government of a possible social upheaval if more austerity measures are ushered in by international financial institutions overseeing the sovereign debt crisis. ‘Our hearts are shattered and our minds are blurred with all that is taking place,’ he said in a letter sent to interim Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, extracts of which were published on the Greek Orthodox Church's official site (www.ecclesia.gr). ‘The phenomenon of the homeless and the famished, a reminder of WWII occupation conditions, is taking nightmare dimensions,’ wrote Hieronymos. The interim coalition government is in the midst of critical talks with the EU's International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank to secure additional funds to avert a default over Greece's huge debt burden.
Pray: for the government of Greece as they face up to this crisis. (Pr.1:20)