Hierarch of the Greek Church Called on Bishops to Refuse State Salaries
Metropolitan Nektariy proposed returning to the historical model of supporting the hierarchy through church property.
Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu has proposed that the episcopate of the Church of Greece completely renounce state funding for the sake of spiritual independence and redirect these funds to poor parish priests. This was reported by GreekReporter.
The hierarch put forward this initiative in a personal article amid sharp public criticism of a new bill from the Greek Ministry of Finance, which provides for a significant salary increase for senior clergy. According to the Metropolitan, the issue concerns not merely money, but how society understands the Church and the role of a bishop.
The Metropolitan emphasized that spiritual freedom is of far greater value than any financial arrangements with the authorities, and called for serious consideration of removing hierarchs from the state payroll. He noted that prior to 1986, senior clergy received their remuneration not from the treasury, but through a system of church property management.
He proposed returning to an alternative model and giving the freed-up funds to priests who serve in small, poor, or remote communities. The Metropolitan is convinced that the faithful will always support their bishop if they see that he serves the people rather than seeking financial gain. "A bishop cannot live as a lord of this world. He is called to live as a father and a servant," the hierarch added.
The bishop also drew attention to the "hidden needs" of dioceses, which are often overlooked by participants in public discussions. As an example, he cited a project on the island of Corfu to build 80 studio apartments for students and 20 apartments for teachers and civil servants who cannot find affordable housing.
According to the hierarch, dioceses are not administrative offices but "daily shelters for human pain," where the sick, the unemployed, and large families receive help. He also reminded of the need to renovate a nursing home that has been operating under the Metropolis of Corfu for 25 years.
The cause of the controversy was a bill under which metropolitans' salaries would amount to 4,671 euros per month. For some hierarchs, this represents an increase in payments of nearly 95%. Metropolitan Nektarios criticized the way these figures were presented in the media, noting that the actual take-home amounts after all taxes would be considerably more modest. He stressed that accuracy in such matters is important; otherwise, society is not being informed but simply provoked.
As the UOJ reported, Orthodox parishes in Greece have declared a shortage of funds for basic needs.
