Nikos Doumas is bringing the Orthodox Church to a new type of congregant. The Web master for the church's Web site, he's fast and enthusiastic. With quick clicks and a turn of the tongue—Greek and English—he jumps easily from New Testament passages to iconic art to a series of books in dozens of languages about Orthodox Christianity to Olympic visitors.
Doumas mans a newly built kiosk outside Athens' main Cathedral, the forefront of an effort by Greece's deeply insular Orthodox Church to swing wide the doors and display centuries of heritage and history to the thousands of visitors in town for the Olympics.
“In the beginning only Greeks came to browse...but now there are many people, foreigners of Greek origin but also people with no relation to the country,” Doumas said. “They are interested and they show a feeling of respect, not like they are just visiting another museum.”
Like the rest of the city, indeed the entire country, Athens' clergy are working nearly 24-7 to accommodate Olympic visitors. Dressed smartly in their black cassocks and pipe hats, they're keeping the church doors and religious monuments open through the end of the games, even on holidays.
And, in a nod to the worldliness of the games, and its draw from different cultures and faiths, the government has urged priests to avoid excessive bell ringing.
Central Athens features several historic churches, some nearly 1,000 years old, which are often overlooked by tourists keen to visit the 2,500-year-old Parthenon and other ancient monuments. Twenty-odd churches in Athens' historic Plaka district and other downtown areas will remain open and provide visitors recordings of hymns and printed literature in Greek and English about the site.
Outside the city's main cathedral, a group of teenage girls gathered at the entrance, mulling over whether to go in after reading a sign that said: “Keep body covered. No shorts allowed.” One of the girls walked in after she pulled her shirt down, covering her midriff.
Maria Smeets, a Dutch tourist, lit a devotional candle before heading to the main Olympic stadium to see swimming.
“I always visit the churches when I go abroad to get an impression,” she said. “It is very heavy and there is a lot of gold—I prefer plain churches—but everything has its own happiness and its own soul.”
The powerful and state-funded Greek Orthodox Church, which counts 97 percent of Greek's 10 million people, has been energized by Archbishop Christodoulos, the church leader who blessed the Greek team of more than 400 athletes at a service Aug. 1.
Elected in 1998, the archbishop swapped decades of caution and official silence, for the Internet, radio, and public pronouncements, giving adherents a better grasp of the church's mission and outreach.
His opponents argue that Christodoulos meddles in politics. He was recently booed for talking too long at the welcoming ceremony for Greek soccer players who had just won the European championships.
Father Eirenaios will hear none of it. “He has made the church part of Greek society again,” the priest said, minutes after finishing a service at the Cathedral. The Olympic campaign, he said, fits right in with the new spirit of pious promotion.
“We have put on concerts of Byzantine hymns, and all the main churches of Athens have recorded guided tours in six languages,” he said.
“The church has provided 2,000 volunteers to the Olympic games and at the Olympic Village, there are regular services shortened for sporting needs—in several languages and the opportunity to give confession.”
Support for the Olympics, however, does not extend to Zeus and the other ancient Gods.
“We don't believe in the games as far the ancient Greek spirit goes—we believe this leads to pagan elements,” Eirenaios said. “We support the notion of fair play, peace among nations, and the individual effort made by athletes—but that's all.”