Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece led the liturgy at the cathedral church of the island of Hydra to celebrate Dormition Day on Thursday, calling for unity and collaboration.

“The Virgin Mary dries Eve’s tears and is the bridge that helps lead us to the heavens, acting as an intermediary for our complaints, confessions, and pleas,” he said.

The Archbishop said that the cathedral and the town hall, which exist side by side, “should serve as a site that teaches us this land progressed whenever the people were united, loving, and sharing an effort.”

The prelate was proclaimed an honorary citizen of the island at a special event in the cathedral, in the presence of other church leaders and local officials. Hydra mayor Georgios Koukoudakis lauded the Greek Orthodox church’s philanthropic work and that of the archbishop himself, whose “love for the weaker is apparent throughout your religious leadership.”