Orthodox Churches in the crosshairs

By SOTIRIS LETSIOS*

The continuing incidents of theft and vandalism targeting Orthodox churches and other sites of religious significance across Greece are causing growing concern. According to the annual report of the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, a total of 386 incidents targeting places of religious significance were recorded in Greece last year, with the vast majority involving the Orthodox Church. Of the 386 incidents, 362 targeted Orthodox sites, accounting for 93.78% of the total. The report also recorded an increase in antisemitic incidents in 2025, with 11 cases reported across the country.

In addition, seven incidents targeted Old Calendarist communities, four involved Jehovah’s Witnesses, while one incident each was recorded against the Anglican Church and Islam. This year’s edition marks 11 years since the publication of the first report documenting incidents against sites of religious significance in Greece. A review of the data published over this period shows that the highest number of incidents targeting Orthodox sites was recorded in 2023, with 591 cases, followed by 2022 with 564 and…