I. The Orthodox Church as a "citizens' society".
Α. The Orthodox Church is not characterized by
boundaries with the rest of society. As discussed, the Church is also a broader
"citizens' society". This
means two things:
First, the continuous interaction between Church
and State or society.
The ecclesiastic
organization, as a part of society, is not only generally distinct for the
positive and negative elements characterizing the same, but is also
substantially affected at times by the economic, political crises or crises of
any other form.
Second, the members of
the Church bear in full all the rights and obligations of Greek citizens. This
practically means that the Christians as citizens must conform to the laws of
the state, as to issues of organization, administration, taxation etc.
Β. The
Organizational structure:
Metropolises, Parishes, Monasteries
These basic
structures govern the operation of the Church as well as its spiritual,
worshipping, charity and other events.
C. Other Orthodox Communities and
ecclesiastic jurisdictions in Greece:
Mount Athos (Άγιο Όρος), Old Calendar, Patriarchal Dependencies (Μετόχια), private hermitages etc.
In Greece, as indeed in
other countries of Europe and America too, there are more than one ecclesiastic
jurisdictions.
The unusual circumstance in Greece is
that the financial assistance of the
Greek State operates unilaterally in favor of the official Church of
Greece. This happens because, the Church
of Greece as a legal person of public
law enjoys privileges denied to
other religious communities. Namely
while, the priests of the "Church of Greece" are appointed by the
state, which also pays their salaries, priests of other jurisdictions, e.g.. of
the old Calendar, do not enjoy this privilege although they serve the religious
needs of Greek citizens.
ΙΙ. The causes of the modern economic crisis in Greece
The prevailing
view is that the causes of the profound economic crisis in Greece are
exclusively economic. However, the same
observers agree that this economic crisis is related to the moral consciousness of citizens.
The relatively
recent, but crucial, deterioration of the consciousness of citizens has
facilitated, if not indeed created, the very economic causes of the
crisis: tax evasion, the set of bribery / venality, and generally the
widespread corruption in its various
forms.
For example, tax awareness, is nothing else
but moral in essence -social
consciousness, since payment or nonpayment of tax obligation, shows the
deepest moral attitude of citizens towards the "others", who finally
become indeed the negative receivers of
tax evasion.
However, we
should not forget that the abovementioned attitudes come from members of the Church, where the
"vast majority" of Greeks seems to belong, in accordance to the same.
Yet could it be
that, exactly for this reason, our
Church should, instead of "whining" for the impact of the
economic crisis experienced by the same, like secular organizations, go under some self-criticism as to the
real (and not the fictional or imaginary, aka: convenient) extent to which its
members are also true agents of an integral moral conscience?
In other words, should we discuss the extent of failure of the Church, to inspire its leaders
and members of a moral and social-friendly stance in their attitudes?
Yet, how could
a religious leadership lead its faithful to a moral and social-friendly
Christian behavior, when it intentionally allows to be "corrupted".
III. Economic
crisis impact
Α. Today it is proven that the economic crisis directly
affects the entire operation of ecclesiastic organizations, with two main
demonstrations.
- In the internal organization, administration and managerial operation,
with subsequent failure to continue their smooth operation, due to the
reduction of financial revenue. The collapse of the state mechanism and the
significant reduction of sponsoring by the Greek state to the Church, made the
continuation of its establishments that were mainly funded by the state,
particularly difficult.
- In their pastoral activity (pastoral care/treatment of people).
This is because, when the operation of a non-profit organization (such
as the Church of Greece) is also based on voluntary financial offers from its
members or third parties, the reduction of such contributions, makes it
impossible for the Church to respond to its "operation of providing"
for the weakest members of society.
Suddenly, entire
sections of the charity and social activity of the Church deteriorate, with
direct impact - even as to issues of survival- on our fellow men who receive
utilities from the ecclesiastic organization.
B. The funding of ecclesiastic organizations
There are two
categories of ecclesiastic organizations based on the way their are funded.
a.Organizations
funded by the state budget, such as e.g. the Metropolises, the Parishes, the
Ecclesiastic Academies, the Monasteries of Mouth Athos.
b. Organizations operating by self-funding, such
as usually monasteries, religious charity associations, nongovernmental organizations,
various charity institutions, and the parishes of the Old Calendar, that do not
belong to the Church of Greece.
It is a fact,
that the present economic situation has a direct adverse effect mainly on the
first category. There is a problem in
the continuation of operation of the establishments of the Church of Greece and
it is imperative that they adjust to the new circumstances in order to
survive.
Revenue from
other sources must be found, so that the loss of revenue from the State, that
is continually reducing its funding to the Church, will be replenished.
{It is interesting that the Bank of Greece asked in 2011 that all
available capitals of ecclesiastic bodies be transferred to a Joint Account of
all Public Entities, kept in the Bank of Greece, so that they can be invested
in Greek State Bonds, as provided by two Public Entities laws of 1950 and 1997.
The Church of Greece had an intense reaction, based on decisions of the
European Court of Human Rights that recognise the Church as having the legal
form of a Public Entity but not as being a governmental organisation. Finally the matter was settled by legislative
exception of the bodies of Church (law 3986/2011)}.
Examples of new adverse economic measures
1.
Appointments of
priests and ecclesiastic clerks
According to the
new measures, priests and the ecclesiastic clerks that are paid by the state
budget, in order to be appointed are subject to the ratio 5 departures to 1
recruitment. (Where 5 departures are deemed from the entire public sector, not
only from the Church). This rule shall apply until the expiration of the
Medium-Term Fiscal Development Program.
This in practice
means, that every year, depending on the departures of the previous year, the
Interior Ministry approves new positions for the entire Greece based on the 5
to 1 ratio (which was 10 to 1 for year 2011)
These new positions, are allocated by his same decision to each
Ministry. Then every Ministry allocates
the positions given to each office and body of thereof. Thus, e.g. if 1000 positions are approved for
the Ministry of Education and Religion, the
Church shall have to wait out of these 1000 positions that some may be
allocated to it in order to appoint the priests that it needs. However from the same positions teachers in
elementary schools, high schools and Lyceums must also be appointed.
2. Funding termination.
The Ministry of
Education has announced that it shall proceed to the termination of funding for Ecclesiastic Academies. These are the productive schools of officials of the
Church and issue degrees of various cognitive subjects of interest to the
Church (e.g. Theology, music etc.)
The Church of
Greece, at the moment is unable to undertake the cost for the support of the
six Ecclesiastic Academies that are active and operate in the country.
3. Increased taxation of the ecclesiastic
property and donations.
Under a new law
the ecclesiastic property shall be taxed
(law 3842/2010) with a tax rate three times higher than the applicable one for
Public Entities (namely three thousandths instead of one thousandth). Only
properties used for operational and religious purposes are exempt of the
tax. (e.g. churches, monasteries) Therefore all properties that may not be
used, often because the State has declared their expropriation but has no money
to proceed to the expropriation and that have the Church as their formal owner
for decades, without the latter being able neither to sell them or use them,
since they are seized, are subject to the tax.
Under the same
law, the rents of the Church from
its property, are also taxed with a tax rate higher even than that of private
owners (law 3842/2010), namely with a 20% rate annually.
Furthermore the tax exemption for those donating
property and money to the Church is abolished and they are now taxed with a 0.1%
rate for donations and inheritances over 1000 euro’s. It is a fact that after
the reactions of the official leadership of the Church of Greece the tax rates for donations (to churches -
monasteries) were reduced to a minimum, from 10% and 5% to 1% and 0,5%
respectively. The result is naturally that this new taxation, small as it may
be, discourages people from assisting the charity activity of the Church.
4. Cuts in salaries and financial
hardship of priests
The program of
the state for the reduction of salaries
in the public sector, also includes the clergy. It is typical that even deacons, parsons and
preachers "rioted" for the cuts in their salaries and appealed to the
Council of State for their cancellation.
According to the press, these include members of the clergy, who also
have a clerk position in the Public Sector (teachers, various clerks, etc.)
After the new measures, according to the single
payroll (L. 4024/2011), priests also holding a second position in the Public
Sector, Public Entities and Local Governments, shall now receive the total of
the pay for their organic post and only 30% of the pay for the second post
where they are employed.
After the reductions of salaries, and the reduction of
the financial capacity of the faithful to assist the priest, priest are now
unable to financially meet the demands of their work. Particularly priests in the countryside, that
has to travel and cover their own transportation costs, increasingly face this
problem, the extent of which we cannot foretell. Many people fear a "devastation" of
priests in the countryside, since they will not be able to cope with the
increased cost of transportation and the costs to support their families.
IV. Will the economic crisis also have positive
results for the Church in Greece?
For the first
time in modern Greece, the notion that the State shall always cover all
expenses of the Church is being questioned.
This new reality has already produced a number of responses by the
Church, some nascent or focused on secondary issues, whereas some others
portend more fundamental changes.
1.
Non-salaried
priests
Some Metropolitans have already started to
ordain volunteers-priests, namely
non public officials. These new members of the clergy, either have revenue from
another private employment, or accept receiving a very small financial aid from
the local church so as to permanently serve the needs of a parish. Yet it is not certain whether this will
result in a future improvement of the "quality" in the clergy in
Greece or deterioration.
2. Abolishment of the mandatory vestments of the
clergy?
The new generation of the clergy that
are no longer "public official", but may have priesthood as second
employment cannot be "obliged" to mandatory vestments of the clergy, as it happened to this day.
Already various professionals who accept to serve as priests too, go to their
jobs in their usual attire, and serve as clergy on holidays or on Sunday for
the Holy Mass. This fact may prove to be
a positive development, in the sense that new members of the clergy and new
girls who had a "problem" with mandatory vestments, shall no longer
hesitate to help their churches as priests and priest's wives.
3.
Self-funded
Church
The economic
crisis also leads to thoughts for the complete reorganization of the economics of the Church.
Α. For the first time the need for an increase of revenue is now obvious, and
this is a necessary requirement for the survival of the Church. Thus a debate
has already started for the creation of Church businesses aiming at the
acquisition of resources.
Β. The replanning and reorganization of the economic
system is also deemed necessary for the taking of immediate decisions, in order to cover expenses:
- For studies
and preparation of candidate priests and theologians teachers
- For the
funding of salaries of priests and ecclesiastic clerks
-For the
increase - creation of capitals due to loss of revenue due to taxes
-For covering
needs of charities and institutions of the Church
-For the
maintenance of churches/ building new churches, and care for significant
ecclesiastic monuments.
Combating corruption.
The hardships of
the crisis, give the opportunity to the Church of Greece to face the necessary
self-criticism. This is a splendid opportunity to combat corruption,
particularly in the NGOs of the Church that have already been accused for great
economic scandals.
The meritocracy
in the recruitment of officials, the strict inspections in the economics of the
ecclesiastic organizations, the training of special officials, the control of
management of the inheritances and many more, may have become the most
necessary goal today than any other time.
Particularly for reasons of survival, but also so that the Church may
set the example, that its officials can be at the same time moral and useful to
the society of citizens.
V. Islam in Greece.
A new challenge and prospect?
For example, with the presence of the Muslim migrants and
refugees in Greece, many believe that things are simple.
This means that we lack the proper knowledge and
approach to this matter.
Helping the populations of the migrants without losing
out is not just a matter of food, health and housing for the homeless refugees
or migrants.
Right knowledge of their cultural environment from
which they come is needed.
How many know that today in Greece we have five or six
different Muslim denominations, which are not amicable between them?
How can someone help one Muslim community and be
ignorant of the other?
(Sunnites, Shiites, Druses, Alevis, Ahmadiyya,
Bektashi, are not quite the same). Nor
can each one be left uncontrolled to present themselves publicly as the
representative of the “Muslims of Greece”.
It seems that the proper cadres needed by the Hellenic
State for Public Services, for the schools, but also the properly trained
Priests that the state Church of Greece requires simply do not exist. Is anyone
dealing seriously with this problem? Also is any ecclesiastical organization considering
the new prospect of missionary work and catechism of all those who approach an Orthodox
Christian society?
What
is required is the immediate recording of the needs of the new reality, the planning and preparation of suitable programs,
before an uncontrollable chaos breaks out in
the society of Greek Orthodox citizens and there is alteration of the Greek –
Christian tradition that has been preserved for centuries.
Conclusions.
1. The Orthodox Church of Greece, as a society of
citizens, has suffered a significant impact of the economic crisis of the last
years. This issue is already of concern
for the faithful and the ecclesiastic leadership.
2.During the
crisis, the society of citizens, and particularly its sensitive groups are
threatened by a deprivation of the charity work of the Church. An immediate and
vigorous response is needed.
3. The negative impact of the present crisis can shrink
the social role and work of the Church of Greece and its Organization in the
long term.
4. The present crisis, creates a significant opportunity
for an essential improvement of the church, that will go beyond its
administrative structure and operation and shall include fundamental values,
such as meritocracy, transparency and
accountability and more than that its perfect alignment with the
teachings of Christ, its founder.
5. Unless the Church takes immediately specific decisions
and measures to cope with problems, it may be directed to isolation and marginalization
of its role.
6. The call for renewal is clear. The approach to change
must come from deep introspection, analytical evaluation of the current
operational modes, creativity, fervent prayers, and, most important, through
the grace of God Almighty.
*AHEPA, Webster University, Culture Center,
Athens, Greece, 20 Απριλίου 2017.
**first edition: "Economic crisis & impact for decision
making for the church in Greece", WSCF, Bratislava, Slovakia, 31 – 3- 2012
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου