A unique natural disaster is unfolding in a hilltop forest in northern Greece, due to a destructive species of bark beetles.
Kedrinos Lofos, also known as Seich Sou, located close to the village of Oraiokastro is home to an abundance of pine trees. But as of last month, 10 per cent of the forest’s pine trees have been destroyed as a result of the tomicus piniperda beetle’s larvae, reported The Pappas Post.
Also known as the common pine shoot beetle, it is native throughout Europe, and is one of the continent’s most destructive shoot-feeding species.
In a bid to help put an end to the destruction, Greek Orthodox priests from the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church in Oraiokastro ventured up to the forest where they offered a unique blessing.
While they had good intentions, some locals have been critical, saying that natural disasters such as the case at Kedrinos Lofos often requires more than prayers and blessings.
However representatives of the local church believe otherwise.
“Our Church has always used its weapons – prayer and blessings – even to address natural disasters,” read an official statement.
“It has always been the reverence of the world, especially in the past, for the reference to the Trinitarian God and the Saints for the solution of even everyday life problems.
“Despite the imposition of rationality in modern times, the reverence of the world is still alive because that where reason goes to dead ends, faith and reverence come to give in many cases the solution to the problem.”
