Church must be free and economically independent, – Primate of Greek Church

Europe should return to its starting point, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece suggested in an interview with the state television channel ERT1, according to Sedmitsa.

“Today, I do not see the Europe of solidarity but I see every day, more often and more clearly, the Europe of exploitation,” he said. The foundations of this Europe had to “go back to the starting point, from where it began, with the same thoughts and the same purpose,” the head of the Greek Orthodox Church added.

On Church-State relations, he said the role of the Church was to talk to everyone, including those responsible for the state, because the Church was not a political party and “cooperation is therefore necessary”.

On the issue of Church property, Archbishop Ieronymos noted that the Church’s spiritual mission could not be carried out without economic support. The archbishop said that he had made a proposal to use the material resources of the Church for the benefit of the people. The First Hierarch of the Greek Church said that "the Church must be free and economically independent".