Renos Papadopoulos talks on death and bereavement |

His Eminence Archbishop Sergios thanks Renos after the lecture.

On Thursday, 10 January, we were pleased to welcome Professor Renos Papadopoulos of Essex University in the UK to give a lecture on death and bereavement from both an Orthodox and a psychological perspective. The meeting was well attended by about 150 people and was followed by a lively discussion.

Professor Papadopoulos began by noting how our modern society has given rise to a culture of specialisation in which we tend to ?outsource? many aspects of our lives. While this might be appropriate for computers, when it comes to the care of human beings it can have serious consequences for our lives. Earlier generations often cared for the sick at home, with people dying in their own beds, and the entire family taking care of them and learning to appreciate death as a part of life and as a preparation for eternal life. The care of the dying, and the reverence shown to their bodies after death, went together with prayer for them, both as they were dying, at the funeral and in the memorial services after their death.

Profesor Renos Papadopoulos lecturing at the Hellenic Club on 10 January 2013.

However, with the rise of our technological and increasingly specialised society, we have lost this natural contact with death.? Instead we find a denial of death and yet at the same time a morbid fascination with it. Yet at the same time, people continue to feel the need for some sort of rituals for the dead, although these are often divorced from a real care for the dead. Praying for the dead needs to go together with a genuine respect and care for them, and with a proper appreciation of death. As Christians death is not something to be avoided, but rather, the awareness of death should help us to prepare for eternal life.

In thanking Professor Papadopoulos after the lecture His Eminence Archbishop Sergios said that the Church is called to pray and to care for all people. Alluding to the lively discussion on the Church?s prohibition of cremation following the lecture, His Eminence stressed that this is rooted in our understanding of the human person and the care which we owe to the dead. Our prayer for the dead should be of one piece with the way we treat them both during their lives, as they die and after their death and the various services of the Church, and our private prayers for the departed, cannot be separated from this respectful care.

Mr and Mrs Martalas, Father Nikolaos and Archimandrite Evlogios attending the lecture.

Archimandrite Evlogios, Father Nikolaos and Father Deacon Michael attending the lecture.

Source: http://www.goarch.co.za/index.php/renos-papadopoulos-talks-on-death-and-bereavement/

marysville tornados dr. seuss dr seuss the temptations rush limbaugh sandra fluke green book