Memorial service to Nikitaras the Turcophagus in Piraeustranslated

At the Church of the Evangelist of Piraeus, yesterday, Sunday, October 4, 2026, the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Piraeus Mr. Seraphim, who after the end of the Divine Liturgy, performed a memorial service for General Nikitas Stamatelopoulos, the so-called "Turkophagus", on the occasion of his 177th birthday since his death. The prayer is held every year at the initiative of the Holy Metropolis of Piraeus, the Turkoleka Brotherhood "O Nikitaras" and the participation of the Cultural Association "Unity".

During his sermon at the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness referred to the "heart of the Gospel message, as he characteristically said, referring to the word of the Lord "love your enemies", underlining that this word goes beyond the human logic of enmity, retribution and revenge and reveals the true destiny of man: to resemble the Most Holy God, who is absolute Love and mercy. At the same time, he highlighted, once again, the Saints as models of this course, while he also referred to the hero Nikitaras, emphasizing the need to derive models of bravery, love and patriotism, especially in an era characterized by...