Pantelis Kanarakis was photographed for a well-known magazine with a crown of thorns as another Jesus, stirring up a "storm" of reactions in the church.
In the context of the photo shoot, the actor posed with others, representing the Last Supper.
During the show "Better Does Not Happen", Natalia Germanou mentioned that seven priests are suing Pantelis Kanarakis and the magazine for the specific photo shoot.
Andreas Karagiannis of Ekklisia Online stressed, among other things, that they do not want to silence the freedom of expression, but the way of dressing is very important.
Earlier, the website published the lawsuit of the priests, which states:
"After a difficult two-year pandemic that tested the limits of humanity, during a war with thousands of victims after the invasion of an Orthodox country to another on Lent, with Christians fasting and today chanting the First Greetings of the Virgin, some malicious and with clear discriminatory plan against Christians, choose to humiliate the name of our Lord Jesus Christ with provocative photographs in magazines.
Based on the legal department of the Ekklesia Online, we appeal to the court against Mr. Pantelis Kanarakis and ask that the specific issue of the magazine be withdrawn.
ATHENS, March 11, 2022
Fr. Theophilos Sklavos
p. L. Armeniakos
p. Spyridonas Fokas
p Timotheos Lytras
p Spyros Marantos
p Georgios Nikandrou
p Antonios Vigos."
KOITA magazine, in which Pantelis Kanarakis was photographed, made the following announcement:
"Every cover of the artistic free press KOITA aims to reflect and be a social comment. This concept ... aimed to make a social comment on the downfall of the planet, diseases, wars and all the troubles that plague humanity at the moment. That is why the photos show modern man wearing the crown of thorns that symbolises suffering.
That is why the black wet eyes of Pantelis is a comment on what man suffers today. And where will he draw strength to endure all this 'martyrdom'??? Of course from Faith and God. That is why he "wears" on it symbols of faith that symbolise the hope of the world in a higher power that in Greece is our religion.
The message we are sending is the opposite of what some people received ... I am deeply sorry if the final image brought the opposite results from what we expected. However, respecting the objections that were caused, we are willing not to release the specific photos and since the magazine has not been released yet, it will not be released, because our purpose was not to provoke...
I would also like to remind and emphasise that Art has the obligation to reflect and the freedom of Art is a constitutional right (Article 16 of the Constitution paragraph 1).
... With respect to all those present."
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