The priests of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Thebes and Livadia said they would refuse to perform funeral services for people who were cremated. “We will not bury those who are cremated. The Church does not accept the incineration of the body for its members. This is not obscurantism,” the clerics said in a resolution made public on Tuesday.

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece has instructed its priests not to conduct funeral or memorial services for people who have chosen to be cremated after their death.

The announcements of new finds will be made on Friday, at an event at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki by the University Interdisciplinary Group responsible for the Vergina Excavation.