Political instability and the persistence of religion in Greece: The policy implications of the cultural defence paradigm

In October 2012, a Greek theatre company prepared to stage its premiere of Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi at a small theatre in central Athens. Corpus Christi is a passion play that tells the story of Christ and the Apostles, portraying them as homosexuals. The play was first staged in New York in the late 1990s and received a mixed reception because of its controversial message. Terrence McNally received several death threats after the opening of the play in the United States. In October 1999, at the close of the Lon­ don performance, McNally received a death fatwa by a UK­based Islamic group. Thirteen years later, the play stirred a similar controversy in Greece. But this time, protest did not only stem from marginalized fundamentalist groups but also from ordinary Greek citizens, clerics from the established Greek Orthodox Church, and some members of the Greek Golden Dawn – an ultranationalist, racist and neo­Nazi party which has been enjoying representation in the Greek parliament since May 2012. Many Orthodox Christians also protested outside the theatre, voicing their objection to the play’s moral agenda. Some of the protesters, far from expressing their beliefs through peaceful demonstrations, did so through the imposition of violence and verbal abuse. These were notably Golden Dawn activists and mem­ bers of Parliament, who also issued threats to the actors and their families. According to them, anyone who claims the right to choose their sexual ori­ entation, who espouses a religion different than Orthodoxy, or indeed no religion at all, or who may be of a different ethnicity does not belong to the Greek nation. They objected to the play on the basis of it being blasphemous and countering the religious consciousness of the overwhelming majority of the Greek people. The premiere was cancelled, and the play was eventually withdrawn.