Excerpt from the speech/sermon of the blessed Archbishop of Athens Mr. Christodoulou, on the 3rd Sunday of Lent (Adoration of the Cross) 31/3/2003, which performed the elder ordination of Fr. Irenaios Nakos, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. ????Subscribe and press ???? to be automatically notified of new posts: / @theuncutmountain ➤ Facebook: / Oros-Alatomiton-102866461464159 ➤ Instagram: / theuncutmountain ➤TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSeC4k6rJ/ ➤ Pinterest: / theuncutmountain "This Cross, which was a shameful wood dishonorable, on which the greatest criminals were put to death, from the day on which our Lord and redeemer of the world was crucified on it, it became a living Cross. It is this Cross that brings life and resurrection; what the world is asking for today, which lives in the smell of death. Wars, hardships, poverty, violence, terrorism, all that stigmatize our life and culture, bring death into our souls. But the Cross is life and resurrection!” His Beatitude Archbishop of Athens Mr. Christodoulos The Blessed Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Mr +Christodoulos Paraskevaides, was born in Xanthi in 1939. In 1962 he received a degree in Law and in 1967 a degree in Theology. He had a doctorate in Theology, a degree in French and English, and a connoisseur of Italian and German. He was ordained a deacon in 1961 and an elder in 1965. He was a preacher and spiritual leader of I.N. Dormition of the Virgin (Panagitsa) in Old Faliro, and for 7 years Secretary of I. Session. He was elected Metropolitan of Dimitrias in 1974. He took part in many ecclesiastical missions abroad. He wrote many scientific and constructive texts. He wrote articles in the church press and in newspapers. In 1998 he was elected Archbishop of Athens and all Greece by the Seventh Hierarchy. His rise to the throne of the Primate of the Church of Greece was the starting point for upgrading the presence of the Church in modern reality. On his days, the Synodical Committees were reorganized and new ones were established, so that the Church could monitor and intervene wherever and whenever this is necessary. Under his leadership, the work of the Church in the social sector was promoted. The strengthening of existing and the establishment of new organizations cover areas such as bioethics, care for drug addicts, support for economic refugees, abused women, single mothers, victims of trafficking, etc., accompanied by interventions that led to the creating a network of dozens nurseries to support working women, methodical support for poor and large families, etc. The establishment of the Allelegyi NGO of the Church of Greece allowed the large-scale intervention with humanitarian aid in Greece and the international space - the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. The project of I. of the Archdiocese of Athens with the organized sisitsia for about 3000 people a day, the free provision of new clothing, the establishment of the "Mother's Shelter", the Nurseries, the Shelters for the Elderly, Residents, Disabled children, the donations medical and legal services through the "Family Support Center" and the "Ministry", the Foundation for Psychosocial Education and Support. And in the Church's communication, things changed. As he was called, he "led the Church into the world of the digital age", establishing the internet service in which, in addition to the purely church material websites, he created the first online cultural center with a digital library in 9 languages, a picture gallery, a music library, and cultural news portal in Greek and English. A multimedia website was also established for audio-visual transmissions. Makaristos' care for European issues was important. On his days, the ad hoc Synodal Committee, the Representation of the Church of Greece in the European Union with headquarters in Brussels, and a website dedicated to the presentation and support of the identifying elements of the European spirit were established. The Blessed Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Mr. Christodoulos fell asleep in Athens on 28-01-2008, after a hard battle for his life which he gave for seven months with vigor and exemplary mental strength.