• About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Sunday, May 18, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
Orthodox Times (en)
  • Home
  • Orthodoxy
    • Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Mount Athos
      • Archdiocese of America
      • Archdiocese of Australia
      • Church of Crete
    • Patriarchates
      • Patriarchate of Alexandria
      • Patriarchate of Antioch
      • Patriarchate of Moscow
      • Patriarchate of Serbia
      • Patriarchate of Romania
      • Patriarchate of Jerusalem
      • Patriarchate of Bulgaria
      • Patriarchate of Georgia
    • Churches
      • Church of Greece
      • Church of Cyprus
      • Church of Poland
      • Church of Albania
      • Church of Czech and Slovakia
      • Church of Ukraine
  • Politics
    • USA
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Society
    • Greek Diaspora
    • Culture
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
  • Home
  • Orthodoxy
    • Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Mount Athos
      • Archdiocese of America
      • Archdiocese of Australia
      • Church of Crete
    • Patriarchates
      • Patriarchate of Alexandria
      • Patriarchate of Antioch
      • Patriarchate of Moscow
      • Patriarchate of Serbia
      • Patriarchate of Romania
      • Patriarchate of Jerusalem
      • Patriarchate of Bulgaria
      • Patriarchate of Georgia
    • Churches
      • Church of Greece
      • Church of Cyprus
      • Church of Poland
      • Church of Albania
      • Church of Czech and Slovakia
      • Church of Ukraine
  • Politics
    • USA
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Society
    • Greek Diaspora
    • Culture
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
No Result
View All Result
Orthodox Times (en)
No Result
View All Result

Church of Greece: Constitutional revision is all about sensationalism

Feb 12, 2019 | 18:44
in Church of Greece, FrontPage
Church of Greece: Constitutional revision is all about sensationalism

LAST UPDATE 19:45

The Article 3 (1) of the Greek Constitution is not contrary to full religious freedom of non-Orthodox religious communities or believers in Greece, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece stated in an announcement, in which it presented its positions on the process of constitutional revision taking place in the Hellenic Parliament today.

Based on a synodical decision taken at the meeting on February 7, the Church of Greece underlined that the term “prevailing religion” has a historical, cultural and demographic significance, confirming the historical and active interaction of the Greek nation with the Orthodox tradition.

It further said that the Church of Greece supported every constitutional reference and provision for the protection to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Church of Crete and the Holy Metropolises of the Dodecanese.

The Church of Greece considered that the proposed amendment to Article 3 introduced a vague factor, “which is bound to cause constitutional interpretation problems and to lead to dangerous assumptions to the relations of the two institutions of Greece (State – Church of Greece) and thus to their relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople”.

“The introduction of the clause that Greece is a ‘religiously neutral state’ conveys a politically, legally and generally scientifically vague meaning. We cannot go much further in terms of decision making unless it is clarified which model of religious neutrality is implied,” it is noted.

In its announcement, the Holy Synod spoke of a “constitutional revision zeal” aimed at “creating impressions that the public sector in Greece is supposedly dominated by the religion and the institutional modernization of Greek society will take place. However, the secularity of the Greek state is guaranteed by three clauses [(Article 1 (2) and (3), Article 87 (2), Article 13 (4)].

It is also argued that the possibility of imposing a political oath exclusively on all state officials and civil servants would be a form of absolute ban on the expression of religious beliefs and revealed that the meaning of the latter clause was to establish a form of state irreligion.

The relevant provision of recognition of the family as the cornerstone of Greek society should not be abolished or replaced in the clause by other forms of cohabitation, “which are foreign to Greek society and have no prospect of the preservation, the national and social cohesion of the Greek nation.”

Furthermore, the Holy Synod pointed out that the public sector salaries of the clergymen and the grants for church schools are not related to the clause on the prevailing religion.

The Holy Synod stressed that it was a matter for the Parliament to define the legal entity of the Church of Greece and its organizations.

In addition, since 2010 there is no tax exemption specifically provided for the Church of Greece. This indicates that there is no connection between the Article 3 with the taxation of the Church’s organization and there is no privileged tax treatment.

The grade-school religion lessons do not exist in schools’ curriculum due to the Article 3 of the Constitution. The religion lessons are provided for by the Article 16(2) on the development of religious consciousness of the young people.

The Article 3 guarantees that the state recognizes the Orthodox Church based on the patriarchal documents (Tomos 1850, Act 1928) and has full communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. This means that other religious communities and groups cannot claim the religious representation of the Orthodox Christians in Greece, which do not meet the above criteria.

Therefore, under Article 3 of the Constitution and its definitions (it defines which Church is the head of the prevailing religion of Greece), the relations between the Greek state and the Orthodox Church can be amended by common laws, without the need to amend the Article 3 of the Constitution. In the same vein, the Church of Greece has requested legislative changes, that is its greater autonomy, which are pending and do not require any constitutional revision.

Tags: Church of GreeceChurch-State Relations

Follow OrthodoxTimes.com on Google News and learn all the news about Orthodoxy in Greece and worldwide.

All the latest developments in the Orthodox world, society and humankind, at the moment they happen, at OrthodoxTimes.com


Related Posts

Archbishop of Athens met with Metropolitan of Tallinn today
Church of Greece

Archbishop of Athens met with Metropolitan of Tallinn today

May 14, 2025
Archbishop of Athens presides over Vespers at St. Irene’s Church in Athens
Church of Greece

Archbishop of Athens presides over Vespers at St. Irene’s Church in Athens

May 5, 2025
Archbishop of Athens on Pope Francis: He had love and respect for Church of Greece
Church of Greece

Archbishop of Athens on Pope Francis: He had love and respect for Church of Greece

April 21, 2025
Archbishop of Athens: The Risen Christ offers a transformative perspective for the world’s history
Church of Greece

Archbishop of Athens: The Risen Christ offers a transformative perspective for the world’s history

April 15, 2025
Archbishop of Athens and German Minister Liminski discuss the role of religion in society
Church of Greece

Archbishop of Athens and German Minister Liminski discuss the role of religion in society

April 10, 2025
Metropolitan of Larissa raises concerns over surrogacy ban for same-sex male couples in Greece
Church of Greece

Metropolitan of Larissa raises concerns over surrogacy ban for same-sex male couples in Greece

April 3, 2025
Load More
Next Post
Athens sends Skopje note verbale for ratification of Prespes Agreement, NATO accession protocol

Athens sends Skopje note verbale for ratification of Prespes Agreement, NATO accession protocol

Latest News

Archbishop of America bestowed crosses on Holy Cross Class of 2025

Archbishop of America bestowed crosses on Holy Cross Class of 2025

by NewsRoom
May 18, 2025 | 12:41
0

On May 16, 2025, the Hellenic College Holy Cross community gathered in joy and reverence for the services of...

Darwin welcomed Archbishop of Australia for new Church dedication

Darwin welcomed Archbishop of Australia for new Church dedication

by NewsRoom
May 18, 2025 | 11:30
0

On Saturday, May 17, Archbishop Makarios of Australia arrived in the city of Darwin to preside over the foundation...

Pope Leo XIV: I was chosen having no merit of my own, I am here as a brother and servant (VIDEO)

Pope Leo XIV: I was chosen having no merit of my own, I am here as a brother and servant (VIDEO)

by NewsRoom
May 18, 2025 | 11:02
0

Last update: 13:26 Shortly after 11:00 a.m. Greek time, the official enthronement ceremony of Pope Leo XIV, who was...

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman: Faith and Repentance at Jacob’s Well

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman: Faith and Repentance at Jacob’s Well

by NewsRoom
May 18, 2025 | 10:09
0

Introduction The fifth Sunday of Holy Pascha is observed by the Orthodox Church as the Sunday of the Samaritan...

Strategic planning and renewal marked HCHC Board meeting before commencement

Strategic planning and renewal marked HCHC Board meeting before commencement

by NewsRoom
May 17, 2025 | 17:48
0

On the eve of the 83rd Commencement at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, its Board...

HCHC to award honorary degrees to Fr. Alexander Karloutsos and Helen A. Carlos

HCHC to award honorary degrees to Fr. Alexander Karloutsos and Helen A. Carlos

by NewsRoom
May 17, 2025 | 17:38
0

Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology is awarding honorary degrees to two esteemed leaders whose contributions...

Newsletter

Sign up for our weekly newsletter



Quick Links

  • Orthodoxy
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
  • History
  • Press Releases

Get Social

About Us

Advertise

Contact

Terms Of Use

© 2025 OrthodoxTimes.com
digital world media

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Orthodoxy
    • Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
      • Mount Athos
      • Archdiocese of America
      • Archdiocese of Australia
      • Church of Crete
    • Patriarchates
      • Patriarchate of Alexandria
      • Patriarchate of Antioch
      • Patriarchate of Moscow
      • Patriarchate of Serbia
      • Patriarchate of Romania
      • Patriarchate of Jerusalem
      • Patriarchate of Bulgaria
      • Patriarchate of Georgia
    • Churches
      • Church of Greece
      • Church of Cyprus
      • Church of Poland
      • Church of Albania
      • Church of Czech and Slovakia
      • Church of Ukraine
  • Politics
    • USA
    • Europe
    • Middle East
  • Society
    • Greek Diaspora
    • Culture
  • Spirituality
  • Christianity
  • Opinions
  • Greek Version

© 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT