The Greek government’s top coordinator and spokesman on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, infectious diseases professor Sotiris Tsiodras, devoted time from his daily briefing on Thursday to refer to the essence of experiencing faith, referring directly to a pilgrimage he once made to Mount Athos and his conversation with an Elder Monk.
“When, some 30 years ago I traveled to Mount Athos while still an undergraduate, a monk told me that man’s virtue is not like the washed clothes we hang on the porch; faith is an internal experience, a stance regarding life. We must thank the Church and the faithful, which have fraternally followed authorities’ instructions for the protection of the health of all of us,” the noted medical professor and researcher said.
Tsiodras has become among the most recognized people in the east Mediterranean country over the past few weeks, due to his daily and nationally televised briefings on the course of the Covid-19 outbreak in Greece, and efforts to deal with and combat the pandemic.