President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Monday attended the doxology at the church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani in the island of Paros.
After the end of the Divine Liturgy, Sakellaropoulou made the following statement: "This year we celebrate this great day for Orthodoxy, longing for the consoling and inspiring protection of the Virgin Mary that we, the Greeks, have associated with love, care for the weak, and sensitiveness. I hope these values continue to inspire us."
For his part, main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said on Monday that it is "the day of the Mother who loves, forgives, comforts, supports."
"Without distinguishing colour, religion, passports," he added his message for the celebration of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, noting that it is a day of "expectation and hope."
Tsipras in a post on his personal Facebook account said that "the people who persist, the ordinary people who stubbornly hold on to their lives, the children who dream, the chased refugees and the people of poverty, the wounded, those who are afraid of darkness and the future, feel that today is a day of relief and hope."
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who visited the island of Tinos for the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin, sent on Monday a message of unity.
"Greece and Orthodoxy today celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. We find strength and faith to be able to individually and collectively overcome the great difficulties and walk the path of progress, the path of self-confidence and the path of social cohesion. On this great day for Orthodoxy, unity and commitment to the goals of the future remain the main objective for our country," the prime minister said and added:
"Let's stand by those who are most in need and overcome difficulties. And with faith we will remain faithful to the path we have set for a Greece of prosperity, self-confidence and social cohesion."
