(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, OCTOBER 16 - The Church of Greece is
drawing up a three-year financial plan in a bid to determine the
size of its debt and to exploit its assets to secure its
autonomy, Archbishop Ieronymos told a session of the Holy Synod
on Tuesday, as reported today by daily Kathimerini.
"The situation today is dire," Ieronymos told clerics, saying
that the Church's debts and the general economic situation "have
brought us to our knees." A three-year program would "present a
picture of our debts and our reserves as well as outlining the
impact of a new legislative framework on the exploitation of our
assets," he said.
Emphasizing that "without assets we will never have
autonomy," Ieronymos also set the scene for a discussion about a
possible change in the relationship between the Church and the
state. "Will we let events overtake us?" the archbishop remarked
and called for the creation of a committee of clerics and
independent experts to discuss a likely constitutional revision
and its implications for the Church. (ANSAmed).
