church of greece

Church of Greece to State: Keep Priests on the Payroll

April 19, 2011 Posted by: Fr. Johannes Jacobse 8 Comments

Source: MSN News | January 17, 2011 ATHENS, Greece - Greece's powerful Orthodox Church urged the government in the crisis-hit country on Monday to relax tough hiring restrictions so it can put more priests on the state payroll. The government last year paid the salaries of 10,800 priests and church staff — who are technically civil servants — out of 757,500 "permanent employees" in the … [Read more...]

Battle looming over icons and prayers in Greek schools

December 22, 2009 Posted by: John Couretas Leave a Comment

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MbEL-C7ypU[/youtube] The head of the Greek Orthodox Church has warned the country's new socialist government that it faces a major battle over removing religious symbols from schools. The European Court in Strasbourg has ordered Italy to take down crucifixes from its classrooms, and Greece's Justice Minister has acknowledged that it may have to follow … [Read more...]

Church of Greece rallies opposition to crucifix ban

November 13, 2009 Posted by: John Couretas 3 Comments

From Malcolm Brabant reporting for the BBC in Athens: The Greek Orthodox Church is urging Christians across Europe to unite in an appeal against a ban on crucifixes in classrooms in Italy. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled last week that the presence of crucifixes violated a child's right to freedom of religion. Greece's Orthodox Church fears the Italian case will set … [Read more...]

Odds & Ends

October 16, 2009 Posted by: John Couretas 5 Comments

-- A new book claims that the "Greek mafia" controlled not only the drug trade in Tarpon Springs but the local Greek Orthodox Church, too. Some say the book is "a bunch of garbage." -- Church of Greece bishops are anxious about the new Socialist government's plan to tax church property. Don't forget about property owned by the Roman Catholics and the Ecumenical Patriarch, the bishops helpfully … [Read more...]

Greek Socialists Seeking ‘Diaspora’ Talent

October 7, 2009 Posted by: John Couretas 3 Comments

A roundup of news in the wake of the Socialists' return to power in Greece: Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios congratulated George Papandreou on his election victory in Greece. The Archbishop wished him success in his “manifold work for the benefit of the homeland and the Greeks abroad.” "Diplomats," dismayed at rising xenophobia and nationalism, cheered Papandreou's … [Read more...]