With its income reduced dramatically and huge amounts of money lost in stocks and assets, Greece’s Church might be soon faced with bankruptcy. Many monasteries in Greece will soon be unable to pay their workers whereas some cannot even pay the property tax.
In a recent article in Kathimerini newspaper, monasteries in Attica such as the Petraki Monastery and the Penteli Monasteri are dealing with severe economic problems and have suspended payments. They cannot pay their empolyees, they are pleading the Tax Aggency for a settlement with the ENFIA tax and they are selling property in order to solve their functional problems.
According to the director of the financial services of the Greek Church, father Salonon Antonios, “The Church’s income nowdays has decreased by 75% compared to 2008. Then, the annual budget was 23 million euros, while now it’s around 6 million euros.
According to Kathimerini, there is no cooperation between the State and the Church regarding the exploitation of the property, whereas the State raises hindrances in investments, resulting in further problems for the Church regarding its assets.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
