{"id":274508,"date":"2020-03-19T14:41:34","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T12:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=274508"},"modified":"2020-03-19T14:41:34","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T12:41:34","slug":"archbishop-of-athens-attends-swearing-in-ceremony-of-greeces-first-female-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/archbishop-of-athens-attends-swearing-in-ceremony-of-greeces-first-female-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Archbishop of Athens attends swearing-in ceremony of Greece\u2019s first female president"},"content":{"rendered":"

Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a former judge at the Council of State, the Administrative Supreme Court of Greece, was sworn in last Friday as the country\u2019s first woman president. In January, she was elected with overwhelming majority by the Greek Parliament.<\/p>\n

She is 63 and was born in Thessaloniki. She had an almost four-decade career at the Council of State, which she headed between 2018 and 2020.<\/p>\n

The swearing-in ceremony was held in an almost empty parliament building, following measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens offered a short prayer, and read the oath of office. The new president repeated the oath with her hand on the Holy Gospel. She pledged to defend the borders of her country and human rights.<\/p>\n

The written swearing-in protocol was signed<\/a>\u00a0by the new president, the Archbishop, the President of the Parliament and the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n

Katerina Sakellaropoulou said she would \u201cwalk together\u201d with Greeks to create a \u201cprosperous\u201d and \u201ccosmopolitan\u201d future \u201cthat includes all of us.\u201d She also warned population to follow the sanitary rules instituted for the coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n

The new Greek president\u2019s mandate has started in a delicate moment, while thousands of refugees put pressure on the country\u2019s border with Turkey.<\/p>\n