Significant

Published by The National Herald, February 18, 2005

Church of Greece to Undergo a Significant Overhaul

By Demetri Chriss
Special to The National Herald

ATHENS – Although the flood of allegations and accusations appears to have subsided for the time being, the true extent of the damage to the Church of Greece remains to be seen.

The shocking revelations of widespread corruption and scandalous behavior within the Church’s ranks have presented Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens with the greatest challenge of his seven-year ministry. The Archbishop of Athens has appeared stressed out in recent days, and the burden of the scandal is obviously taking its toll.

There has even been frenzied speculation that the customarily popular Archbishop of Athens might lose his archiepiscopal seat, although it must be noted much of that speculation is being generated by the Archbishop’s usual critics and opponents.

In any case, Greece’s public and political establishments now anxiously await his response to a near universal call for far-reaching reforms and greater transparency in Church affairs. The Archbishop’s handling of the crisis, as well as the severity with which he deals with all those found guilty of any wrongdoing, will undoubtedly weigh heavily on Church’s future standing in Greek society.

An emergency meeting of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece has been called by the Holy Synod (the Church’s governing body) for this weekend, when all 81 of its members will meet in Athens in order to assess how to best cope with a crisis which has severely damaged the Church’s reputation in Greece and abroad.

In an effort to bolster his position and secure support for severe measures which are probably required to restore order in the Church’s ranks, Archbishop Christodoulos has already met privately with several key members of the Hierarchy. Perhaps most telling of the severity of the corruption-plagued situation is the fact that a private meeting was also held between Archbishop Christodoulos and one of his most outspoken critics (and candidate for the archiepiscopal throne in 1998), Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes.

Several drastic measures are reportedly being considered by the Archbishop, including personal income verification and mandatory military service for members of the clergy prior to their ordination.

The Holy Synod also announced that Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica’s six-month suspension might lead to his permanent dismissal if any of the allegations for embezzlement and sexual misconduct are proven to be true, pending the outcome of the investigation currently underway. Metropolitan Panteleimon has already been suspended from his managerial and ecclesiastical duties, and it is public knowledge that he has been asked to move out of the metropolitan’s official residence.

In the case of the Metropolitan Stefanos of Trifyllia, who was allegedly photographed in a compromising position at a nightclub, the Holy Synod has accepted the elderly bishop’s written explanation, and now awaits the outcome of his lawsuit against the newspaper which originally published the photos of his alleged misconduct.

As far as Metropolitan Nikiforos of Didymoteiho and his alleged improprieties are concerned, the Holy Synod has called upon his accusers to provide their sworn testimony, as well as any other evidence they might have at their disposal, to the appropriate Church authorities. Meanwhile, an official audit of the Metropolis of Keffalinia will commence in coming days, subsequent to a request submitted by its Metropolitan, Spyridon.

Thus far, only Metropolitan Theoklitos of Thessaliotida has been cleared of allegations that he had been detained by police as a suspected drug dealer while wearing civilian garb at a Trikala bar. Nonetheless, the Holy Synod complied with Theoklitos’ request to further investigate the case.

In recent days, revelations regarding the activities of Apostolos Vavylis (a.k.a., Apostolos Fokas or Rev. Rafael Apostolos Anagnostakis) provided yet another twist to the scandal saga afflicting the Church of Greece. Vavylis, a convicted drug dealer who is currently a fugitive with an outstanding Interpol arrest warrant, was allegedly involved in a wide variety of criminal activities both in Greece and abroad. This man of many faces apparently gained privileged access to Patriarch Eirineos of Jerusalem prior to his enthronement in 2001, and has since been sighted masquerading as a Greek Orthodox priest in Greece and southern Italy.

In 1991, Vavylis was convicted of trying to import 1.5 kilos of heroin to Greece from Italy and received a 13-year prison sentence. Two years later, the sentence was suspended for 15 years, after Vavylis allegedly offered crucial information to Hellenic authorities leading to the arrest of other drug dealers.

Although he managed to secure his conditional release from prison in Greece, Vavylis has remained on Interpol’s wanted list, since Italian authorities have also charged him with drug trafficking. This did not stop the intrepid Vavylis from procuring a contract to sell armored cars and bulletproof vests to Greece’s Ministry of Public Order and Postal Savings Bank in the 1990’s, however. The Athens prosecutor’s office has ordered an immediate investigation into how Vavylis was able to cross borders and conduct business transactions with state agencies while on Interpol’s wanted list.

Subsequent to his conditional release from prison, Vavylis also managed to resume his international activities and frequently traveled to Israel, where he was occasionally accompanied by a retired Greek police lieutenant, Yannis Triantafyllakis.

During one of his visits to Jerusalem, Vavylis was summoned by Israeli authorities for questioning relevant to the purpose of his visits, and in a sworn affidavit, the convicted drug dealer claimed that Archbishop Christodoulos had sent him as an envoy to help secure the election of Eirineos as Patriarch of Jerusalem in 2001. There has been widespread speculation in the Greek press that Vavylis may have been in the employ of the Greek or Israeli secret service, or that he was working as a double agent.

When asked about Archbishop Christodoulos’ relationship with Vavylis, Church of Greece Spokesman Rev. Epiphanios Economou stated that "the Archbishop has not seen Vavylis since 1987," and that his recommendation for Vavylis had been authored subsequent to a request received from the latter’s parents, who are "respectable citizens of Volos, as part of (then Metropolitan of Demetrias) Christodoulos’ pastoral duties." The Church of Greece also emphatically denied that Archbishop Christodoulos had ever sent anyone to help elect Patriarch Eirineos.

The public uproar created by the recent series of scandals has led to mounting calls for the separation of Church and State. Politicians ranging from PASOK Party Chairman George Papandreou, leader of the main opposition, and Coalition of the Left Party Chairman Alekos Alavanos to prominent conservative politicians such as Ioannis Varvitsiotes, Member of the European Union Parliament, have called for an end to the Church of Greece’s constitutionally sanctioned position of privilege.

The Greek Government has thus far categorically rejected any such prospect, however.

A poll conducted by VPRC for the Eleftherotypia daily shows that 48 percent of Greeks now support the separation of Church and State, while 72 percent consider drastic reforms, such as the election of Metropolitans by the people rather than the Hierarchy, as the only way to salvage the Church of Greece’s standing in society. Furthermore, 73 percent of those polled believe that the prohibition on the marriage of high-ranking clerics should be lifted.

Government Spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos stated that the relationship between the Greek Government and the Church remains "strong," and that it "hasn’t been affected in the least" by the ongoing crisis. But he went onto emphasize that the Church "is obliged to proceed with the efforts currently underway to effectively deal with its problems," essentially reiterating Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis’ position on the matter.

As far as the prospect of the Government imposing remedial measures in the event that the Church Hierarchy proves unwilling to take the required steps, Mr. Roussopoulos stated that "Church officials appear to be proceeding in the right direction," adding that "we are all hoping for satisfactory results that will benefit Greek society."

However, certain circles within the Government have clearly indicated that the Prime Minister is displeased with the way ecclesiastical authorities have handled the crisis so far, citing "unnecessary delays and a lack of decisiveness" on the Church’s part as the root of the problem.

Moreover, several MP’s and Government ministers, who had been ardent supporters of the Archbishop in the past, have apprehensively kept their distance in anticipation of the outcome.

In a recent interview, New Democracy Party Spokesman Vangelis Meimarakis called on Church officials to "take the courageous decisions that are warranted by the current situation," and cited New Democracy’s "zero-tolerance" policy with regard to corruption in public life.



Volume 7 Number 8 - Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY