Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and all of Greece visited an elderly homeless Greek couple living for more than a month in the courtyard of a church in Keramikos after they were evicted by their landlord for unpaid rents.
The head of the Orthodox Church in Greece spoke with 84-year-old Philippos and his 83-year-old wife Eleni and told them to start looking for a new place to rent, promising them he would pay for their rent, home bills, and other expenses with his own money.
According to local media, the elderly couple spent more than 40 days in the courtyard of Agios Giorgios Church in Keramikos, after their landlord evicted them for not being able to keep up with monthly rent payments.
Philippos told reporters he is not angry at the landlord who evicted them, “We lived there for over four years. I understand why she evicted us, she also has obligations,” he said. The 84-year-old also said he was waiting for his 600 euro monthly pension to come through, so he could look for other accommodation.
The municipality of Athens announced that it offered to house Eleni and Philippos in temporary accommodations, but the couple they said refused.
Archibishop Ieronymos though was able to convince them to stay in a local shelter until they find a new place to rent.
