“I have told my friends in the Priesthood that if they ditched the gold religions chains, elaborate vestments and fancy limousines and were as humble as the Elder, Saint Paisos, they would’ve attracted more people to Church services, particularly young people. Humility is what will bring the youth back to Church not extravagance," said Greek singer Nikos Vertis.
Vertis made the comments during a TV interview with Niko Hatzinikolaou where he discussed his relationship with religion.
“I love Christ dearly; I have Him in my life. We are living in an era where young people are afraid to declare their belief in Jesus Christ. I don’t like this situation. I would like to see everyone feel free to express their beliefs. You either believe Christ, or Mohammed or nobody. I cringe at the expression when people say they “believe in a higher power.”
"Sure we all believe in a Higher Power, but these people are afraid to name that Higher Power."
The popular singer went on to say that he believes in Christ, not because of the miracles he performed but because He reflects what represents his life. The beginning and the end: Love.
“With love you can solve everything in life”.
About Nikos Vertis
Nikolaos Arvanitidis better known by his stage name Nikos Vertis is a popular Greek singer. He was born in Gorinchem, Netherlands and his origin is from Galipsos village, near Kavala. To date, he has released five studio albums along with one CD single, and two special edition CD/DVD albums.
The son of Argyris Arvanitidis and Morfoula Arvanitidi, at the age of six, Vertis and his family moved to Thessaloniki, Greece and at seven, he started playing the Bouzouki. By the age of 15, he started getting involved with singing. At age 16, he moved back to the Netherlands for two years, where he attended a technical high school. He returned to Greece for his military duties, and once completed started getting involved with his love of singing. He started singing in small clubs in Thessaloniki and other locations around the region of Macedonia. In the summer of 2002, he started singing at the popular club "Rodon" where he made a big impact, and continued singing there until summer 2003.
For the winter season of 2006-2007, Vertis sang again at club "Posidonion". In March, he started recording his fourth studio album, titled Mono Gia Sena (Only for you), which was released in April 2007 and included a bonus DVD. From the album, the songs "Mono Gia Sena", "Matia Mou Glyka", "Parapono Mou", "Svista Ola" and "De M'Agapas" became instant radio hits and charted throughout the summer. In July 2007, the album was certified platinum, and became double platinum by February 2008.
For the winter season of 2007-2008, Vertis sang for the fourth year in a row at club "Posidonion", ending on 14 January 2008. The final night was filled with guest appearances by fellow singers and friends such as Antonis Remos, George Dalaras, Antonis Vardis, and other celebrities. In October 2008, Vertis began a world tour of twenty concerts in Australia, Israel, the United States, Canada, and Europe, ending on 17 January 2009 at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London.
Vertis' fifth studio album Ola Einai Edo (Everything is here) was originally announced to be a February 2009 release, but was finally released in early April. The twelve-track album was written by Christos Nikolopoulos, Antonis Vardis, and Dimitris Dekos. It was released in three versions: a standard twelve-track album in a jewel case, an edition in a rectangular box with a bonus "Mega-Mix" CD of thirteen of Vertis' greatest hits, and a version that includes a magazine.
As part of Universal Music's promotional campaign, a digipak edition with a fixed price of €9.90 was also released, notable for being about half of what the average new album is priced at in the Greek market.
The first single "Den Teliosame" was released to radios in early April and is an erotic ballad; a music video was created and was directed by Giorgos Gabalos. The album was certified Platinum quickly, and later certified 4× Platinum.
