The Italy and Greece Command of The Salvation Army is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
The work of Escercito della Salvezza (The Salvation Army) in Italy began in 1893 after an initial effort in 1887 ceased operations. In 1890 meetings had recommenced in a northern Italian village by a man who eventually became an officer. The Army was decreed a philanthropic organization by Italy’s president in 1965 and received legal status as a church in 2009.
In 2007 O Stratos Tis Sotirias (The Salvation Army) began operations in Thessaloniki, Greece, with the appointment of an officer couple of Greek nationality from Great Britain. Greece was recognized as part of the command in 2011; administration relocated to Athens a year later.
The Italy and Greece Command has 17 corps (churches), 26 active officers (pastors), 226 senior soldiers (members), 92 adherent members and 24 junior soldiers. Social services include a center for the homeless and an anti-human trafficking program in Rome, a workers’ lodge in Potenza (southern Italy), and a wide range of support for the influx of refugees into both countries, as well as Greeks who’d been adversely affected by the country’s financial crisis.
Source: The Salvation Army Year Book 2016
