Global Greek World: March 2020

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Covid19 Diaries: Global Greek Immunologist, Dr Sotiris Tsiodras, is Greece's Coronavirus Human SuperHero

How can you not love this guy? Dr Sotiris Tsiodras is the Health Ministry's spokesman for #Covid19 in Greece and one of our #GlobalGreeks.

Born in Sydney, Australia, he came to Greece in his teens, finishing high school and Medical School in Athens and going abroad to do research and post graduate studies at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Centre and Harvard Medical School.

We listen to his quiet, but firm announcements every day at 6pm knowing that we can trust what he has to say because he is genuine and professional but above all, humane and down to earth.

We doubt anyone listening to him today was left untouched simply because we loved what he said. When he paused, overcome by emotion, most of Greece wept with him.

A very moving day for all of us, today 21 March 2020, one day before complete lockdown, with 13 deaths and 530 confirmed cases.

Visibly moved and emotional, he had to pause a couple of times while telling us about his response to a 'highly-esteemed' colleague from abroad who told him that Greece was making way too much fuss about a few elderly and helpless individuals ...

His answer was that the miracle of medicine in 2020 meant that we were in a position to ensure an extended better quality survival for these particular people, many of them are our Mothers and Fathers, Grandfathers and Grandmothers.

'The answer,' he said, 'is that we honour, respect and care for ALL people but especially for these ones. We owe our existence and our identity to them. We would not exist and we would not have an identity without them. We want our elderly to survive. Every single life is valuable.'

Yes, it is because that is who we are.

Thank you, Dr Tsiodras.

You can watch and listen to Dr Tsiodras in the video excerpt from that daily briefing here.

#StayHome #StaySafe #ΜένουμεΣπίτι

Let's #FlattenTheCurve and beat #COVID2019

#AllLivesMatter #WereAllInThisTogether

Enjoy #GreeceFromHome

#VisitGreeceLater

🇬🇷 💙 🇬🇷

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Covid19 Diaries: Message of His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Regarding Covid19 Pandemic

'Covid19 doesn't test our FAITH it tests our FAITHFUL.'

Wise words from His All Holiness Bartholomew Ecumenical Patriarchate who made the decision for the Greek Orthodox churches abroad.

In Greece the Greek government's decision for all places of worship in Greece was to close doors to the public advising that church services will be televised from now on, as there seemed to be no definitive decision being made by the Church.

As His All Holiness says:

'However, that which is at stake

is not our faith – it is the faithful.
It is not Christ – it is our Christians.
It is not the divine-man - Ο ΘΕΑνθρωπος– but human beings.

Our faith is firmly established in the roots of our culture.

Our faith is a living faith, and there is no exceptional circumstance that can limit

or suppress it.

What must be limited and suppressed in these extraordinary circumstances are gatherings and large congregations of people.

Let us remain in our homes.

Let us be careful and protect those around us.

And there, from our homes, strengthened by the power of our spiritual unity,

let each and every one of us pray for all humankind.'

Listen to the entire address in English below:

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!