On 27 December 2024, the religious of Greece grouped together within EKME (Union of Catholic Religious of Greece) gathered in Athens at the Marist Brothers’ house for their annual meeting. 26 religious were present: 20 men – Marists, one Brother of the Christian Schools, two Capuchins, two Jesuits and for the first time three Salesian Fathers who have just arrived in Greece; and 6 women – two Sisters of Charity and four Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition (sja).
The meeting took place in a very fraternal and prayerful atmosphere. Mons. Georges Altouvas, Archbishop of Corfu and Apostolic Representative for Thessalonica and Vólos, spoke about the last Synod of Bishops which he attended, and the document on Synodality. His speech was very clear and interesting, and followed by a lively exchange after questions had been asked. He advised the participants to study the document and share it in their communities. At the end of the morning, the Bishop of Athens also joined the meeting to celebrate the Eucharist and share a fraternal meal.
In the afternoon, the representatives of the various congregations present spoke about what had been achieved throughout 2024, as well as the economic expenditure. Unfortunately, as in the past three years, many religious could not take part in this fraternal moment. There are various reasons for this: distances, the advanced age of many brothers and sisters, the difficulty of the Greek language… The result was that, according to the statutes, the participants were unable to elect a new president (lack of quorum). From now on, this will be the situation at EKME, despite the arrival of new congregations or lay people belonging to religious movements, who come to offer their services for a time to migrants and not only. The local communities belonging to EKME are diminishing in number or increasing in age, so it’s always the same people who take part in these meetings. There are no new vocations at the moment. And the situation of the religious is becoming poorer and more fragile.
Also in agreement with the Bishop of Athens, who is the bishop who most closely follows the affairs of EKME, the religious present chose to appoint a ‘coordinator’ in the person of Sister Agnes Palaiologou, former sja Provincial for Europe, who declared herself ready to take on this service for EKME.
