The new head of the Central Financial Services of the Church of Greece (EKIO), Archimandrite Nikodimos Farmakis, spoke of the difficult task that the Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens trusted him.
In an interview with ethnos.gr, Archimandrite Nikodimos reiterated that the Church gave a lot of money for charities and now little is left.
“The financial crisis has reached our limits,” he said.
He added that it was a myth that the Church has an undreamt fortune. “There is property but the Church cannot properly exploit it.”
He also underlined that the largest part of the church property is located in the southern suburbs of Athens. There is a property which belongs to the Church and for some reason is not exploitable.
“The Church wants to be able to afford to maintain its structures properly and give a helping hand to those in need,” he said.
Regarding the number of clerics and their payment regime, Archimandrite Nicodemus said that the posts of the clergy should now be regulated and not be a tool for any minister or government to exert pressure on the Church.
The second strand is that of church property. “The government has a very good attitude towards us. The first contacts have taken place and it is necessary to resolve the old problems and cooperate with the government. I believe we will make it.”
His vision is to “put our house in order.” “It is a moral obligation to make use of church property as is it were something sacred so that we return it back to the faithful. The Church is the institution that always stands by every individual.”
Source: ethnos.gr