Holy Communion in Greek Orthodoxy in the Time of Coronavirus: Ideological Perspectives in Conflict

This article examines the controversy over the mode of distribution of Holy Communion that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on debates that took place in the Greek Orthodox community. After describing and evaluating the role of secular and religious experts in the context of the p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kessareas, Efstathios (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: MDPI 12.05.2023
In: Religions
Year: 2023, Volume: 14, Issue: 5
Further subjects:B Greek Orthodoxy
B Covid-19
B Modernity
B Tradition
B Secularization
B Ideology
B Holy Communion
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Rights Information:CC BY 4.0
Description
Summary:This article examines the controversy over the mode of distribution of Holy Communion that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on debates that took place in the Greek Orthodox community. After describing and evaluating the role of secular and religious experts in the context of the pandemic, the paper analyzes three main perspectives on the issue of the Eucharist: (1) the secularist-rationalist viewpoint; (2) the religious–traditionalist outlook; and (3) the “Third Way” perspective. The paper argues that the Church’s Holy Communion controversy is indicative of a deeper struggle between religious and secular thinkers and among various voices in the Greek Orthodox Church concerning the latter’s place in, and influence over, the modern secular socio-political order.
ISSN:2077-1444
Access:Open Access
Contains:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel14050647