1988: The socialist prime minister falls in love in his late sixties with a stewardess. He marries her and suddenly becomes pious. His new wife forms a court around her of an archimandrite, two fortune-tellers and some other people, one of which is a travel agent specialised in religious tourism. They order the Greek Airline Olympiaki to bring the 'Holy Fire' from Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, so it will be available in Greece the same day. Until then each Church lit the 'Holy Fire' like any other fire and the fire from the Church in Jerusalem came by ship.
1990: The then president of the Greek Republic inflicted on the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence to bring the 'Holy Fire' in an airplane, which would be accompanied by a formation of gunships. The 'Holy Fire' should be received as a Head of State and the Ministry of Defence had to distribute it to all archdioceses of the country.
2001: The then Archbishop of Athens and Whole of Greece expounded the transport of the 'Holy Fire', which began thirteen years before, and the reception as a Head of State eleven, as a inviolable 'Hellenic-christian Tradition'.
2017: Some members of the Parliament of the Radical Left Party SY.RIZ.A, which rules with the ultra conservative Christian Democratic party AN.EL., after having received a 'Holy Belt' as a Head of State, express their objections to the whole procedure, because of the 'pagan' nature of the ceremony. The co-ruling party and other bigots expound all conspiracy theories and the union of the policemen, offered to pay the expenses.
Wiki: Holy Fire
