Damaskinos Papandreou was the Archbishop of Athens between 1941 and 1949. He was the Greek priest with the highest ranking throughout the German occupation, so he used his influence to help those considered criminals by the Nazi regime, including Jews.
The archbishop saved about 27,000 Greek Jews from certain death in concentration camps.
Born as Dimitrios Papandreou, he grew up in a poor family with limited possibilities, yet he managed to study both law and theology. He served during the Balkan Wars at the beginning of the 20th century, then worked his way up in the local church.
He became the Archbishop of Athens after Germany invaded Greece. The previous government disliked him, but falling in front of the invasion gave his supporters the opportunity to push him forward. In 1941, he was the spiritual leader of the entire Greek Orthodox community.
The Nazi Invasion
Soon after the government fell, many Greek fighters were arrested and killed. The archbishop opposed the process, but the newly installed Greek government was friendly to the Nazi regime. There was not much he could do about it, but just visit prisoners prior to the executions.
The situation became much worse in 1943, when Greek Jews were rounded up for executions and deportations.
During the same year, Damaskinos Papandreou sent a letter opposing the executions to both Greek and German leaders. He mentioned that he backed the Greek Jewish population, claiming that all children of Greece are a unity.
He gave the letter to Jurgen Stroop, a German SS officer. Stroop claimed that he will have the archbishop shot, but the archbishop sarcastically replied that according to local traditions, prelates aren’t shot, but hanged. He asked the officer to respect the traditions.
Eventually, Jurgen Stroop didn’t carry out his threat.
Saving Greek Jews
According to Damaskinos Papandreou, he spoke to the divinity and his new mission was to save as many Jewish souls as possible.
He ordered all churches under his authority to issue Christian baptismal certificates to Jews, only to help them pass as Christians. Priests were also asked to hide Jews who couldn’t flee.
Fortunately for the Greek Jewry, other priests agreed with him and honoured the request, hiding and helping Jews whenever they could.
An interesting incident occurred when the Nazi regime asked the Bishop of Volos to provide a list with all the Jews in the area. He evacuated them first, then gave a list with his own name only.
In 1944, Damaskinos Papandreou was placed under house arrest. The Nazi regime was getting ready to deport him, but it never happened. He became a national hero as soon as Greece was liberated.\
He passed away in 1949.