Since the "proclamation" of the Autocephaly of the Church of Greece, a pious desire and constant request has been the publication of the New Testament and the rendering of the original text into the formal Modern Greek language.

This desire was expressed more urgently after the inauguration by the late Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Spyridon, in June 1951, and the operation of the Printing House of the Apostolic Ministry.

This major theological and ecclesiastical issue was discussed many times in the Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece, and finally, in 1978, it was decided to publish the New Testament, by the Apostolic Ministry, in the formal Modern Greek (demotic) language.

There were again difficulties and obstacles, but by the grace of God, the work was completed. And we are in a very pleasant position to inform you, with spiritual joy and sacred emotion, that the New Testament has already been printed - the original text along with its rendering into the formal demotic language.

The rendering into the formal demotic language is the work of the Emeritus Professor of the Theological School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the esteemed Mr. Christos Voulgaris.

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew mentions in the sent Patriarchal Letter:

"Having gone through the text of the rendering of the New Testament into Modern Greek sent by you and having considered the entire effort synodically, we bless the present publication, congratulate the one who worked hard and brought this laborious project to completion, the specialized Professor, and express our Patriarchal satisfaction, in your person, holy brother of Fanari, to the Apostolic Ministry of the Church of Greece for the decision to prepare a valid translation of the Greek text of the New Testament and for the supervision and care of the entire process."

The Standing Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, in its Session of June 6, 2012, "...recognizing the spiritual benefit of the project, but also the scientific excellence of the proposed rendering by the esteemed Mr. Christos Voulgaris, Professor of the Theological School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, of the sacred text into the simple Greek language, decided to approve the translation of the New Testament submitted by the Apostolic Ministry of the Church of Greece."