Concluding his speech, His Holiness said: “We fully understand that resolving long-standing issues requires painstaking and sustained dialogue and obeys its own political timing for each government.”
After her decision Permanent Holy Synod and upon his proposal Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Mr. Ieronymosheld yesterday, Tuesday, January 31, 2023, a meeting – Seminar with a general theme of the issues concerning the church property and the forest maps.
From the Church of Greece, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Mr. Ieronymos, the Synodical Metropolitans Mr. Varnavas of Neapolis and Stavroupolis, Mr. Fthiotidos Mr. Symeon and Mr. Kalavryta and Aegialia Mr. Ieronymos, the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, Bishop of Orion Mr. Philotheos, the General Director of E.K.Y.O., Archimandrite etc. Nikodimos Farmakis, with officials of the financial service of the Church and Mr. Theodoros Papageorgiou, Special Legal Adviser to the Holy Synod.
From the Church of Crete the Metropolitan of Kydonia and Apokoronou, Mr. Damaskinos and Mr. Prodromos of Rethymno and Avlopotamos, accompanied by the Chief Secretary of the Holy Provincial Synod of Crete Archimandrite Mr. Nifonos Vassilakis, the Legal Counselor of the Synod, Mr. Dimitriou Milathianakis and the notary, Mr. Ilectras Smyrniotakis .
Also present were the General Secretary of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education and Religion, Mr. Georgios Kalantzis and Mrs. Aikaterini Georgantas, on behalf of the Minister of Rural Development and Food.
In his brief introduction, the Chief Secretary mentioned, among other things, that this Conference is not an ordinary scientific Conference, but a meeting of the Church of Greece and the Church of Crete with the State and official actors, which aims to discuss and exchange opinions on issues related to church property and forest maps. It is, in a way, a continuation of the meetings of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Mr. Ieronymos, with the President of the Greek Government, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the Church and State Committee, a statutory body of the Greek State.
His Beatitude Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Mr. Ieronymos in his Introduction on the subject: “The current state of church property”initially emphasized that “edesire of the joint initiative is to manifest in this way the cooperation of the two Churches in a common line of reflection and a parallel struggle for the utilization of the remaining church property in cooperation with the Greek State, as the main goal of its utilization remains the dedication of the property for the benefit of our people».
He then stated that since his election as Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece, he has attempted in various ways to provide the real evidence for the true picture of the church property and its recent history in the modern Greek State and to show that the remaining property of the Church is not even untold nor does it yield resources and, therefore, the propaganda to the contrary constitutes a military slander of the Church aimed at social division.
After mentioning some enlightening examples, with which, as he pointed out, the refutation of the trust shown by the Church regarding the observance of certain agreed or legal obligations by the State, he also raised some issues that are amenable to legislative solutions, in order to clear up the ownership , urban planning and environmental situation of immovable ecclesiastical property and thus to make it clear which properties are amenable to exploitation or are ripe for exploitation and for which the prospect of their maturation is still far away, under the current legislative regime or any constitutional prohibitions.
Concluding his Introduction, His Beatitude said: “We fully understand that solving long-standing issues requires painstaking and sustained dialogue and obeys its own political timing for each government. It is equally clear that these are matters of great seriousness and historical depth, about which the governing bodies need time to be informed and properly assess their essence. However, from our side there are now settled proposals, which I presented above as an indication and which proposals the services of the Church of Greece grouped and matured after fifteen years of processing the problems, which is a good starting point for consensus on a realistic basis».
The Metropolitan of Rethymnon and Avlopotamos Mr. Prodromosafter conveying the warm thanks of the Archbishop of Crete, Mr. Eugenios, President of the Holy Provincial Synod of the Church of Crete, as well as all the Metropolitans of the Megalonisos, developed his Introduction on the subject: “Church of Crete – Forest Maps, thoughts and reflections”through which he filed a brief update on the thoughts and concerns of the Church of Crete, as synodically discussed and decided, on the issue of Forest Maps and the issues that arise, regarding the safeguarding of Ecclesiastical Property in the Church of Crete.
Initially, after he pointed out that the posting of the Forest Maps is a clear obligation of the State and that the preparation of the Forestry Act is a necessary condition for the protection and management of the forest wealth and the ecosystems of Greece, the Speaker made a brief reference to the history of the case of forest maps and the main requests of the Church of Crete, most of which are pending, although their resolution had been requested through official memos to the competent bodies and authorities.
He then referred to the current situation in the Church of Crete, the special legal status of Crete and this Church regarding the ownership of forest lands, as well as the distinction between the agricultural property of the Church of Crete, which is at risk of completed sanction of the forest maps, and on the other hand of its forest areas. Then, he listed the main requests of the Church of Crete, which he characterized as legitimate proposals, to facilitate the defense of its legal rights.
The Metropolitan of Rethymnon and Avlopotamos Mr. Prodromosclosing his thorough Introduction, stated, among other things, the following: “With our presence here today, let’s not give the wrong impression that the Church of Crete is asking for discriminatory treatment and protection of its property vis-à-vis citizens or other legal entities. After all, what has been proven historically is that its property is the property of all the people. As the Church of Crete, we expect that the honest Greek State will take responsibility, so as to protect eternally what the Church preserved in its property, over the centuries, with the sacrifices and blood of its martyrs. Opportunities for reflection and dialogue such as today are certainly a beneficial coexistence with a fruitful perspective».
After the presentations were completed, a constructive dialogue was held between all the participants and the representatives of the government and it was decided on the further cooperation of all the relevant actors.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
