Bishop appeals against mosque project in central Athens
A group led by Bishop Seraphim of Piraeus filed a complaint earlier this week with the Council of State, the country?s highest administrative court, in a bid to halt government plans to construct a mosque in the Athenian neighborhood of Votanikos.
The bishop claims that the project, which is budgeted at 846,000 euros, is unsustainable, given the country?s financial state, and a threat to social cohesion.
?Building a mosque in the center of Athens will not only damage public order and the morality of Greek society but also trigger a series of events which will, with mathematical certainty, dismantle the cohesion of the Greek nation as a Christian Orthodox people,? he said.
The mosque, which will not feature minarets, will be housed in a renovated property which used to belong to the navy and the project is to be funded by the state.
