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The Church of Greece about classroom crucifix

2009-11-12T11:30:34Z

The Church of Greece yesterday criticized a European Court of Human Rights ruling that the presence of crucifixes in classrooms is a breach of human rights after hearing a case brought by a mother from Italy.

“It is not only minorities that have rights, the majority has them as well,” said the head of the Greek Church Archbishop Ieronymos, adding that the matter would be discussed by the Holy Synod if necessary.

“Youngsters will soon not have any symbols to inspire and protect them,” said Bishop Nikolaos of Fthiotida. Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki said he hopes Greek officials will appeal any decision that could lead to the removal of religious icons from classrooms. The court found that the right of parents to educate their children according to their own beliefs, and children’s right to freedom of religion, were breached by the presence of a crucifix in classrooms.

The cooperation between the Orthodox Church and the state in Greece

2009-11-03T10:24:37Z

Prime Minister George Papandreou welcomes Archbishop Ieronymos to the Maximos Mansion yesterday for talks on boosting cooperation between the Orthodox Church and the state. Papandreou heralded the creation of a series of joint committees aimed at tackling burning issues such as poverty and illegal immigration.

Church of Greece about its land

2009-10-16T09:56:20Z

Archbishop Ieronymos yesterday appealed to the state to release land and other assets expropriated from the Church of Greece, noting that the Church would respond by creating a welfare fund to support charitable causes.

Addressing the Holy Synod, Ieronymos noted that if these assets were returned to the Church the income they would generate would help cover its “huge” operational costs. A close cooperation between the Church and the state – “involving honesty, transparency and binding state guarantees” – would result in the best exploitation of Church assets, he said. Comments made by the Bishop of Ioannina, Theoklitos, made it clear that clerics are preoccupied with the impending taxation of Church property, as pledged by George Papandreou before he became prime minister. “The issue now is how we convince the government to handle the issue fairly, proceeding with taxes for land belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Catholic Church.”

Archbishop Ieronymos calls for new form of administration

2009-10-13T10:37:19Z

The head of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, yesterday proposed a restructuring of the institution in his opening speech to the Holy Synod. Ieronymos said forces who wanted to “dechristianize Greek society and alienate it from its true traditions” were “no longer far away, they are within our walls.” Speaking after reports suggested that some 1.2 million euros collected from worshippers had been used to pay Church expenses rather than go to good causes, the archbishop said that “we have to re-examine the way we organize and administrate our affairs.” Ieronymos proposed that the Church hierarchy meet twice a year, not once.

Vatopedi land swap - one of several corruption scandals

2009-10-09T09:14:06Z

Two magistrates have finished questioning more than 40 witnesses in connection with the Vatopedi land swap, one of several corruption scandals that precipitated the downfall of the previous New Democracy government, and are ready to level charges against more than 30 people including some politicians.

The investigation by magistrates Irini Kalou and Nikitas Christopoulos has reportedly produced a bulky case file that includes photographs of the title deeds of properties belonging to the Vatopedi Monastery which is alleged to have benefited in a land swap with the state that cost taxpayers around 100 million euros.

The magistrates, who in May brought charges against “all persons responsible,” are now due to start bringing these charges against specific individuals whose identities remain unclear but are believed to include certain prominent notaries.

The charges include six felonies – breach of faith to the detriment of the state, joint breach of faith to the detriment of the state, making false declarations to the detriment of the state, money laundering and instigation of these acts or direct involvement in them – and three misdemeanors, namely breach of duty, illegal transfer of property rights attaching to a monument and violation of building regulations.

According to sources, charges will also be brought against certain politicians even though their alleged misdeeds are subject to the statute of limitations. Judicial sources told that charges would be lodged against these politicians as a matter of principle “to show that they too would have faced trial if their alleged misdeeds had not been prescribed.”

Concerning the Ranks of Churches

2009-10-07T21:12:22Z

Fr. Makarios Griniezakis

Specifically, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Moscow had begun reevaluating the ecclesiastical rank of the Orthodox Churches. According to Archpriest Maxim Kozlof, a member of the committee entrusted with this task, the Patriarchate of Moscow is considered a Church of the pentarchy, that is, of the five Churches of ancient Christendom. In a recent interview, the Archpriest Maxim Kozlof, a member of this newly formed committee, provided the details of the committee's work. He also claims that by virtue of its magnitude, the Patriarchate of Moscow maintains such a status. He also declares that the Patriarchate of Moscow has extended its jurisdiction across numerous countries.

With regard to these comments, but also in response to various ecclesiological and theological uncertainties often put forth by Russian clergymen and theologians, permit me the following thoughts:

1. The fact that an Orthodox Patriarchate has yet to clarify in its conscience who is the First of Orthodoxy incites sadness. During their Synaxis this past October, the Primates of the Orthodox Church signed an official declaration that reemphasized who has the first place in Orthodoxy. We are troubled, however, that only a few months after this historic moment a committee is formed to reevaluate the ranking amongst Orthodox Churches. We remind the reader that the Primates, including the Patriarch of Russia, stated that they gathered "at the invitation and under the presidency of the First among us, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew." If this statement is not sufficient, then our faithful brothers in Russia should refer to the Patriarchal Tome of 1589, which granted to them the Patriarchal Status. In the pages of this document they will discover exactly who signed the Tome, and thus realize who holds the eminent position in Orthodoxy.

2. To question issues that have been settled by Ecumenical Councils and established for centuries is quite dangerous. We speak in terms of "danger" because even a cursory study of history shows us that every heresy, schism and ecclesiastical division stemmed from personal ambition and egotism, only later to be robed in the mantle of dogmatic diversity. Arius, Dioscorus, Nestorius, Apollinarius, and Marcion, were pious and religious; however, they also were men who had tremendous egos and lacked ecclesiastical ethos. If they truly believed in God, if they were obedient to their bishops, if they respected the canons of the Church, and if they recognized the authenticity of the Holy Synods, then they would not have reached the point where they created division in the unified Body of Christ. Consequently, it is not enough for us to uphold the dogma of the Fathers in isolation--even the "old-calendarists" do this. We must also maintain the ethos of the Fathers, which helps to secure the unity of the Church.

3. When we speak about ecclesiastical ethos, we certainly do not identify with the logic based on size and figures. If we did, we would give the impression that we were economists, sociologists, and politicians. In the life of the Church, and especially in our spiritual lives--which the Church of Russia has much fruit to offer--two plus two does not always equal four. When we emphasize our vastness and point to statistical demonstrations, it means that we are not shepherds, but rather operatives of power, exploiting the administrative and spiritual authority that springs forth from our position. Â This is even more so the case when we put forth such efforts to earn the praise of the world and acquire the primary position in Orthodoxy. Given our current condition, those who participate in the administration of the Church must consider that their role is not to compete on stage with Stalin and Hitler. They are called to enter that sacred space where Church Fathers such as Basil the Great, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Gregory the Theologian, and Saint John Chrysostom live, and to be inspired by them. This is what we mean when we pronounce, "we who follow the fathers," especially since the patristic era has not ended. Every moment in time has the potential of becoming patristic if it secures and protects the Orthodox ecclesiological criteria for responding to prevalent problems and concerns. This is lost when we follow the philosophy and logic of the world, of arithmetic, of expediency, and of statistics and consequences.

4. It has been noted that, "the place of the Patriarchate of Moscow in the pentarchy of the ancient Patriarchates is very significant." It seems that some have still not realized that which is quite obvious, that is, that the Patriarchate of Moscow has never been a member of the pentarchy of the ancient Patriarchates. The pentarchy is comprised of Old Rome, New Rome (Constantinople) and the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Not only was Moscow never considered a member of the pentarchy, but also there are no ecclesiastical or canonical texts that designate Moscow as the replacement or substitute for Old Rome. This is made clear when we look at some of the central moments in church history: the schism with Old Rome occurred on 1054 during the reign of Michael Kerularios, while Russia was elevated to the status of a Patriarchate in 1589, under Patriarch Jeremiah II. If there was ever a pressing need to replace Old Rome this would have occurred immediately after the schism (1054), and not five centuries later, when Russia was elevated to a Patriarchate.

5. It is also noted "that after the fall of Rome, the Patriarchate of Moscow acquired a seat amongst the five most significant Churches, and extends its jurisdiction over a series of countries." At this point we must emphasize that the 28th Canon of the Fourth Ecumenical Council grants only to the Church of Constantinople the jurisdictional oversight of the "barbaric lands."

The extension of the Patriarch of Russia's jurisdiction across lands outside its ecclesiastical borders is uncanonical and a violation of Church order. This is the case when other Primates act similarly. Local Churches would have been able to extend into lands beyond their established ecclesiastical border if the canon referred to ethnicities ("barbarians") instead of geographical regions ("barabaric lands"). If this were the case we would have been able to say, for example, that the Romanian Patriarch is the spiritual leader of the Romanian people across the world, or that the Russian Patriarch is the leader of every Russian. However, the 28th Canon is unambiguous and mentions geographical jurisdictions and not ethnicities. Every Orthodox Church has a specific geographical border. Constantinople, however, maintains the license to extend throughout the Ecoumene, except, of course, into those areas under the canonical jurisdiction of other autocephalous or synodal Orthodox Churches.

The present ecclesiological circumstances are accepted through ekonomia. After all, it is not ideal to have five Archbishops of America, or to have multiple ecclesiastical jurisdictions in a single European country. We should not forget, however, that our compliance with the current state of affairs through ekonomia should not become an occasion for boastful arrogance and deviation from canonical tradition. Moreover, the uncanonical extension of a Church's jurisdiction should not be viewed as a strict execution of canon law, nor should it be perceived as an a priori right that every Primate enjoys because of their canonical jurisdiction over a specified ecclesiastical geographic region.

The thoughts that we have shared express a much deeper problem concerning what is often said about primacy in the Orthodox Church, about the idea of a "third Rome," about ecclesiastical rank, etc. These ideas would not be taken seriously had some random laymen or clergymen issued them. It is disturbing, however, when an official Church arbitrarily creates a committee (according to Fr. Maxim's comments) to evaluate matters that have already been resolved; to decide on those issues for which the Church has already decided. We would expect a Church such as Russia, which has undergone trials and tribulations, to have a completely different way of thinking. We would expect to see the Church of Russia rely more on faith than on logic, on miracles rather than facts and figures.

It is clear from the discussion that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will certainly not lose the position of primacy that it maintains; the ranking of the Orthodox Churches will not change; and the committee in question--or any other committee that is formed--will not institute rebellious changes in the Orthodox Church. We owe it to the faithful to always speak the truth so that they may hear a different perspective, and in order to avoid stirring false impressions in them. It is important not to forget that truth abides. The truth will release us from our parochial attitude and self-love; the truth will liberate us from spitefulness and our egos; the truth will allow us to move beyond feelings that instigate internal quarrels and erect narcissistic partitions. 'The truth shall set us free.' Irrespective of who we are, as members of the Church we have a constant and sacred duty to actively defend the truth.

Fr. Makarios Griniezakis is an Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne; he is also the official preacher of the Archdiocese of Crete, a professor of theology and ethics at the Theological Academy of Heraklion in Crete and the director of the Archdiocese's radio station.

14 ultra-Orthodox monks convicted

2009-09-25T08:45:39Z

A misdemeanors court in Thessaloniki yesterday issued suspended jail sentences to 14 ultra-Orthodox monks who have been illegally occupying the Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos since 2002 when they fell out with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate. The monks were issued with 1-year jail sentences, suspended for three years, after being found guilty of disturbing the peace. Two police officers, charged with breach of duty after allegedly allowing a vehicle carrying provisions for the rebel monks to cross into the monastic community, were exonerated due to a lack of incriminating evidence.

"From now on, I will not tolerate"'- Archbishop said

2009-09-25T08:41:20Z

Archbishop Ieronymos yesterday issued a strict message to priests who failed to submit reports regarding Church collections by a June deadline. According to sources, the archbishop also warned any clerics who have been accepting illicit payments that such practices would not be tolerated any longer. “All that is over. From now on, I will not tolerate any suspicion of mismanagement of funds,” Ieronymos said. According to the same sources, the archbishop sought the resignation of about 50 priests currently responsible for church collections because the churchmen in question had failed to submit their financial reports in time.

Two senior monks from the Vatopedi Monastery faced the court yesterday

2009-09-23T11:18:31Z

Two senior monks from the Vatopedi Monastery, which is implicated in a land-swap deal with the state, yesterday faced an appeals court on charges of being moral accomplices to a breach of duty. Ephraim, the monastery’s chief monk, and Arsenios, its financial manager, have consistently denied any wrongdoing in the land-swap affair believed to have cost taxpayers some 100 million euros. Maria Psalti, the former judge of a first instance court in Rhodope, northern Greece, where tracts of land involved in the swap are located, faced the court yesterday on the same charges.

The Church of Greece’s finances today

2009-08-30T15:49:09Z

The Church of Greece’s finances are in rude health, according to a report handed to Archbishop Ieronymos this week, which indicated that the church made more than 7 million euros profit in 2008.

According to the internal report, almost 20 million euros of revenue flowed into the church’s coffers last year, mostly from the renting out of church property. It also earned some 4.5 million euros from investments.

During 2008, the church spent almost 12.5 million euros. The biggest outlay, just over 4 million euros, was for sponsoring events. Almost 4 million was spent on salaries.

Last year, the robust state of the church’s finances also allowed it to buy 1.6 million shares in the National Bank, taking its stake in the lender up to 7.7 million shares.

An annual procession along Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s Old City

2009-08-26T21:45:25Z

Greek Orthodox nuns hold candles as they take part in an annual procession along Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s Old City early yesterday that involves carrying an icon of the Virgin Mary from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to another church at the foot of the Mount of Olives.

Αγνή Παρθένε Δέσποινα

2009-07-18T16:50:48Z

Another suspicious exchange between the Orthodox Church and the Greek state

2009-06-29T11:10:35Z

Just a few months after news broke about the Vatopedi land-swap scandal, the Supreme Court prosecutor this weekend called for an investigation into another suspicious exchange between the Orthodox Church and the state.

Giorgos Sanidas ordered a preliminary investigation into the transfer of a prime piece of land on the Aegean island of Skyros to a Mount Athos monastery and the purchase by the Greek state, allegedly at an excessive price, of a much smaller plot belonging to the monastery.

Sanidas wants an Athens prosecutor to determine whether the monastery’s acquisition of the 3,700-hectare plot on Skyros should lead to any individuals being charged with defrauding the state. He notes that the court rulings relating to the land transfer “were the result of misleading evidence and testimonies” and therefore are “unlawful.”

Priest tricked a cancer sufferer

2009-06-10T09:11:01Z

Thessaloniki court decided yesterday that a priest and three members of an ecclesiastical council should stand trial on charges that they tricked a cancer sufferer into making the Orthodox Church a gift of a half a million euros shortly before his death.

The court heard that in the days preceding the 82-year-old’s death, his health had deteriorated and, as a result of the heavy medication he was receiving, often did not recognize people nor was he able to speak coherently.
Nine days before he died, the man allegedly appeared at his local bank with the priest and three church officials to withdraw the money. Bank employees told the court that the 82-year-old appeared confused and had to be reminded he was withdrawing 500,000 euros, not drachmas.

The man’s widow launched the action against the four men, who, along with a fifth person, will stand trial for fraud.

Vatopedi scandal runs

2009-05-20T21:12:37Z

Suspects in the Vatopedi scandal, which has troubled the government since last year, are set to face charges for six felonies and three misdemeanors in connection with claims that a land exchange between the state and the Mount Athos monastery was weighted heavily in favor of the monks.

Chief appeals prosecutor Kyriakos Karoutsos yesterday issued the charges against “all persons responsible,” a catch-all legal term. Magistrate Eirini Kalou will now have to decide exactly who will be charged.

The six felonies that Karoutsos identified are breach of faith to the detriment of the state, joint breach of faith to the detriment of the state, making false declarations to the detriment of the state, money laundering, as well as instigation of these acts or direct involvement in them.

The three misdemeanors that he ascertained are breach of duty, illegal transfer of property rights attaching to a monument and violation of building regulations.

Karoutsos also decided that 33 official legal advisers to the state and seven senior monks at Vatopedi should not face prosecution because there is not enough evidence to suggest any wrongdoing.

A total of 62 people were questioned as suspects during the long judicial investigation into the case. So, 22 of them could still face charges after Kalou has finished her probe.

The possibility of any politicians facing charges disappeared after a parliamentary committee that looked into the case last year failed to arrive at a common conclusion over whether members of the government had intentionally set up the deal to favor the monastery at the expense of taxpayers. Nevertheless, last October then government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos resigned after he had been implicated in the scandal even though he denied any wrongdoing. Last month, the outgoing Supreme Court prosecutor Giorgos Sanidas prevented the case file being resubmitted to Parliament, insisting that no new evidence implicating any politicians had been uncovered.

Archbishop's visit to young inmates on Easter

2009-04-15T19:21:10Z

Archbishop Ieronymos is seen emerging from a jail for young offenders in Avlona, northern Attica, yesterday. The archbishop, who visited the institution with Justice Minister Nikos Dendias, distributed Easter candles and ‘tsoureki,’ a traditional sweet bread, to the inmates and told them a ‘second chance’ awaited them upon their release. ‘We all make mistakes; the point is to learn from them,’ he told the youngsters.

Church’s demand for compulsory religion lessons in schools

2009-04-01T16:59:56Z

Archbishop Ieronymos has reiterated the Church’s demand for compulsory religion lessons in schools in a letter to Education and Religion Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos, ministry sources said yesterday.

The main focus of the archbishop’s letter is reportedly a request for the hiring of some 4,000 unemployed theology school graduates. Ieronymos is reported to have asked for them to be appointed as teachers in schools or as guides on “religious tourism” tours and in museums displaying ecclesiastical relics.

A Holy Synod source said, “We are sorry that certain ministry officials... are bothered by the Church’s established stance on religion lessons and not by the chronic problem of unemployment faced by thousands of theologians.” Spiliotopoulos said he would consider the archbishop’s request once he had read the letter.

13 million euros of the Church of Greece are missing

2009-03-13T22:25:41Z

An investigation into the finances of the Church of Greece’s nongovernmental organization Solidarity has revealed that 13 million euros are missing, sources revealed yesterday. The development came one day after a senior cleric at the Bishopric of Attica sent Archbishop Ieronymos his resignation in protest at a decision by the Holy Synod not to make the jailed former bishop of Attica, Panteleimon, face a Church court.

The abbot of Aghia Skepi Monastery has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing

2009-03-11T11:55:06Z

The abbot of Aghia Skepi Monastery in Keratea, east of Athens, has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing at least 21 novice monks over the last two decades, police said yesterday.

The 68-year-old was taken into custody after four men aged 18 to 34 went to a police station in Keratea and told officers that the monk repeatedly abused them between 1988 and 2007 while they were at the monastery.

They claimed that the abbot took advantage of the spiritual trust that his novices placed in him. Police said that an initial investigation had indicated that the 68-year-old sexually molested at least 17 other young men.

The abbot appeared before a magistrate yesterday but asked for, and was granted, more time to prepare his defense. First instance prosecutor Eleni Raikou gave authorization for the name of the suspect, Eleftherios Anastasopoulos, to be published.

Anastasopoulos will not be charged for all the alleged attacks, such as the ones said to have taken place in 1988, due to the statute of limitations.

Ecumenical Patriarch on the Great and Holy Lent

2009-03-02T22:07:55Z

By God's Grace Archbishop of Constantinople,
New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

To the Plenitude of the Church,

Grace and Peace from our Savior Jesus Christ
And Prayers, Blessings and Forgiveness from Us

"Come, all peoples, let us today welcome

The gift of fasting

The period of repentance granted to us by God"

(Monday, First Week of Fasting)

Brethren and beloved children in the Lord,

The fast proposed to us by our Holy Church is not any deprivation, but a charisma. And the repentance to which it calls us is not any punishment, but a divine gift.

When the Church urges us, through the words of Scripture, not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth "where most and rust consume" but instead to store up treasures in heaven, where there is no danger of corruption, it is telling us the truth. For the Church is not of this world, even though it lives in this world and knows it. It knows humanity: our real need and distress. It knows our time well: the time of great development and speed, the plethora of information and confusion, the time of maqny fears, threats and collapses.

This is why – with calmness and steadiness – the Church invites everyone to repentance. This is why it discourages its children from taking the wrong path by treasuring their labors and basing their hopes on unstable foundations. Rather, it encourages them to store up treasure in heaven; for where our treasure lies, there also our heart is.

The treasure that cannot be corrupted and the hope that does not shame is precisely God's love, the divine force that binds all things together. It is the incarnate Word of God, who stays with us forever.

He is the sanctification of our souls and bodies. For, He did not come to judge but to save the world. He did not come to criticize but to heal. "He wounds with compassion and demonstrates compassion with fervor."

He abolished he one who held the power of death, namely the devil. He annihilated the sorrow of death, namely the joyless form and dark presence of death, which darkens and poisons all of our life and joy.

This is why, when our heart and love are directed toward the divine-human Lord, who has authority over the living and the dead, then everything is illumined and transformed.

Indeed, when the Apostle exhorts us "not to set our hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Tim. 6.17), he is assuring us that the true enjoyment of life is exactly what God offers us, while we simply receive it with gratitude and thanksgiving. Then, the little becomes abundant, because it is blessed; and the fleeting and momentary shine with the light of eternity.

Then, not only do the joys of life contain something eternal; but the troubles and sufferings become occasions of divine comfort.

The divine economy of salvation is certain. For, God is "the one who provides everything with depth of wisdom and loving-kindness." And the deposit of our labors is secure, for "we surrender all of our life and hope" to the incarnate Word.

So when the Gospel refers us to heaven, it is speaking literally. It brings us down to the reality of the earth, which has become heaven.

This is the certainty experienced and confessed by the Church.

Through your Cross, O Christ, there is one flock and one church of angels and human beings. Heaven and earth rejoice together. Lord, glory to you."

The Church grants us the opportunity to experience this miracle of earth-become-heaven. Our roots lie in heaven. Without the Church, we are uprooted and homeless.

For the Church is our home. So long as we return to the Church, we are returning home; we come to ourselves. So long as we are estranged from the Church, we are lost and meaningless.

So long as we approach the Church, we perceive the authenticity of what is true. We behold the heavenly Father awaiting us outside the house.

We are convinced by the sense of goodness and beauty; we sense the presence of God's powerful love, which overcomes death; we no longer sense the corruption and doubt, which mock the world.

Therefore, let us heed the divine invitation to enter the ocean of fasting in order to reach the harbor of light and resurrection with all the saints.

Holy and Great Lent 2009

Your fervent supplicant before God,

+ BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople

A float satirizing a senior monk at the heart of the Vatopedi land exchange scandal in Patras

2009-03-02T14:02:34Z

As revelers prepare to wheel out a float satirizing a senior monk at the heart of the Vatopedi land exchange scandal this weekend for the culmination of Carnival celebrations in the central port of Patras, clerics say the effigy is an unfair blow against all priests.

“It is an affront to the clergy, to the Church, to Orthodoxy,” said Timotheos Papastavrou, a member of a local religious group that appealed for the float to be banned. “Does a child who attends the parade know Ephraim or what he did? He just sees the clergy being ridiculed,” he added.

Thessaloniki’s outspoken Bishop Anthimos said the float’s inclusion in the parade was “a very grave mistake.”

Patras’s Deputy Mayor Alexis Skarmeas defended the move. “Our intention is not to offend the Church but to satirize and not condemn a particular individual for specific activities with political ramifications.”

http://desniza.livejournal.com/22627.html

Church of Greece insists that nothing illegal took place in the exchange of land

2009-02-27T14:06:23Z

One of the Church of Greece’s most prominent figures, Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki, yesterday intervened in the growing dispute over a piece of forestland in the northern city that has been given to the Church for the construction of a home for the elderly.

Anthimos responded to the news that Thessaloniki chief prosecutor Dimitris Papageorgiou has ordered a preliminary investigation into how just over 3.2 hectares of public land ended up in the hands of the Church.

The case bears similarities to the recent scandal involving the exchange of land between the state and the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, which is also being investigated amid allegations that taxpayers were shortchanged.

However, Anthimos yesterday insisted that everything in the exchange of the plot in the Panorama district of Thessaloniki was above board.

“No law has been broken,” he told Skai Radio. “We have a huge file with all the paperwork.” Thessaloniki Prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis also insists that nothing illegal took place.

However, pressure for the transfer of the land to be investigated is growing. The Thessaloniki Bar Association expressed its “surprise and deep concern about the terms and conditions under which the construction will take place.”

Three MPs, from PASOK and the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), have also submitted questions in Parliament about the issue.

Papageorgiou wants to find out why the land was given to the Church so that it could build a hospital, whereas the construction plans now indicate that a home for the poor and elderly with 150 rooms will instead be built.

The land was part of a 100-hectare estate that had been donated to the Health Ministry several decades ago.

A Carnival float of the former head of the Vatopedi Monastery

2009-02-19T13:21:42Z

A Carnival float satirizing a senior monk at the heart of the Vatopedi land exchange scandal has fueled controversy in the port city of Patras, with churchmen demanding its removal from forthcoming Carnival celebrations.

A Patras court yesterday was discussing an appeal by a local missionary organization that city authorities be fined for authorizing the float which, it claims, is offensive to religious sentiment.

The float, which depicts three cunning-faced monks, is due to appear at the city's annual Carnival parade on March 1. One of the monks depicted is supposed to be Ephraim, the former head of the Vatopedi Monastery which was implicated in a multimillion-euro land swap with the state.

Several monasteries of the northern Mount Athos community which includes Vatopedi have reportedly written to local authorities seeking the withdrawal of the float.

The relics of saints Gregory, Theodore and Leo were returned to Greece

2009-02-11T13:27:41Z

A church in Venice has returned to Greece part of the remains of three saints from the Ionian island of Cephalonia missing since the 14th century, the island’s church said yesterday. The relics of saints Gregory, Theodore and Leo were found in the church of San Zaccaria on January 30, a senior cleric on Cephalonia said in a statement.

The trial of the former chief monk at the Vatopedi Monastery

2009-02-05T17:14:43Z

The trial of the former chief monk at the Vatopedi Monastery, Ephraim, was postponed until March 31 yesterday, as one of his co-defendants was too ill to appear in court. Ephraim and another monk, Arsenios, who was in charge of the Mount Athos monastery’s finances, are being tried in connection with the property exchange between Vatopedi and the state, which is alleged to have cost taxpayers millions. A judge, Maria Psalti, is also due to stand trial. She was unable to appear in court yesterday due to illness.