|
|
|
Published by The National
Herald, February 4, 2005
Amid growing
scandals, Greek church suspends bishop
|
 |
 |
ATHENS, Greece Feb 4 (Associated Press)- Greece's
Orthodox Church suspended a senior bishop Friday
as it struggled to deal with growing corruption
scandals that have brought deep embarrassment to
the institution.
Metropolitan bishop Panteleimon of Attica was
suspended for six months pending a church probe
into alleged embezzlement of parish funds and
"ethical" misconduct.
The church's governing Holy Synod, which made
Friday's announcement, also on Thursday suspended
a priest Thursday who has been charged with
antiquity smuggling and is under investigation in
a major trial-fixing scandal.
The priest, archmandrite Ioakovos Giosakis, was
arrested early Friday after a prosecutor listed
him as a flight risk.
Thirteen judges and judicial officials have been
summoned to testify at a Supreme Court
investigation into the trial-fixing charges, and
face dismissal.
The allegations surrounding judges and the clergy
have been fueled by the nightly broadcast on
private television stations of alleged wiretaps of
telephone conversations containing lurid financial
and even sexual details.
Panteleimon said tapes purportedly of his
conversations were fake.
"The church is facing a crisis on an unprecedented
scale with daily revelations of involvement of the
clergy in all kinds of scandals," the Athens daily
Ta Nea commented.
"This requires radical changes within the church,
including the way its finances are managed ...
Half measures are not enough."
The government said it supports a proposal by the
church to amend decades-old legislation and
simplify procedures required to prosecute members
of the clergy.
"We are waiting for the details of this proposal
... The government supports cleanup efforts under
way within the ranks of the church," government
spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said."
The Orthodox church wields strong influence in
Greece, and about 97 percent of the country's
nearly 11 million native-born residents are
baptized into the state religion.
The suspended bishop, whose spiritual authority
covers an area surrounding in Athens, is expected
to be temporarily replaced by the Greek Church
leader, Archbishop Chistodoulos.
|
