Greek hierarch: Unvax priests must be denied salaries by authorities

Metropolitan Paul of Drama. Photo: orthodoxia.info

On November 28, 2021, Metropolitan Paul (Apostolidis) of Drama of the Hellenic Orthodox Church proposed to the authorities to deprive unvaccinated priests of their salaries, orthodoxia.info reports.

According to the metropolitan, the money raised from such a decision should be allocated as a benefit to medical workers "who work day and night exerting themselves to prevent deaths caused by the stupidity of these priests, who are responsible for sending people to hospitals."

The Metropolitan of Drama believes that only the spiritual rebukes, practiced in his diocese in relation to the clergy who do not follow the instructions of the church administration, are not enough.

That is why he suggested that the public services find non-vaccinated clergymen through payrolls and suspend their salaries, if there is no medical reason for their decision not to be inoculated.

In Greece, priests receive a salary from the state. Thus, in 2018, in accordance with the new Greek law on the salaries of senior civil servants, the basic salary of an archbishop was 2,600 Euros, a metropolitan – 2,210 Euros, and a bishop – 1,820 Euros. An additional 75 Euros are paid for a PhD degree and 45 Euros for the master’s.

Ordinary priests with higher education receive 678 Euros, after 10 years of service – 1,032 Euros, priests with 30 years of experience – 1,410 Euros. For clerics who have only graduated from seminary, the basic salary is 644 Euros, which reaches 1,099 Euros after 30 years-in-service.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the hierarch of the Church of Greece considers clergymen who do not agree with vaccination "unworthy of their sacred mission and inhuman elements."

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