By Gifts Antoniou

Issues that are consistently concerned with state and church relations, as well as new issues that have arisen from current developments will be on the agenda of today’s meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Archbishop K. Ieronymos, who will cross the door of 12 at noon.

The prime minister is expected to attend the funeral of the blessed Archbishop Anastasios in Albania on Thursday. The procedures for its succession will be opened in the near future, and mobility is already being recorded. Metropolitan Koritsa Ioannis appears as the dominant for succession, and was elected by the Holy Synod of the Albanian Church Supervisor of the Archbishopric Throne until the procedures for the emergence of a new Archbishop is completed.

Another issue that Athens is watching carefully and concerns both the Church of Greece and the political leadership is situation in Syria and the prospects for the Patriarchate of Antioch.

Athens consistently reiterates the importance of respected the rights of all religious communities, while Mr Mitsotakis had a telephone conversation with Patriarch of Antioch Ioannis I, in which he expressed Greece’s readiness to assist where needed. Ecclesiastical sources say the situation remains extremely fragile and that the maintenance of the Patriarchate, which has historical roots of 2000 years, is threatened.

Inside, the issues that concern Church -State relations and are once again expected to be discussed today, are little known. They relate to property issues, with the Church pushing for a number of requests related to land use, such as extension in the Vouliagmeni area or for paying compensation for land granted to the State for specific purposes, which were not implemented.

At the same time, the Church is consistently seeking tax relief for non -exploited real estate, citing the high taxation who is called upon to pay because of his large real estate.