GREECE
Prensa Latina
Athens, Feb 18 (Prensa Latina) While the Roman Catholic Church sails in troubled waters of sex scandals with claims surpassing 1,092 and climbing, the Greek Orthodox Church Leadership comes a board the same boat dragging corruption charges.
Archbishop Christodoulos convened for an urgent meeting of the 102-strong Holy Synod because of the pressing need to deal with the scandal which The New York Times lists as drug dealing, antiquities theft, trial rigging and lewd conduct.
The Orthodox Church meets once a year and generally in October but this time the decision even attracted the media as the Archbishop plans to seek for police support for tighter control on the Church"s finances.
Early this month, the Church"s leadership suspended Archmandrite Iakovos Giosakis for traffic of antiquities and keeping secret overseas bank accounts and Metropolitan Bishop Panteleimon of Attica for embezzlement.
Other priests have already been suspended for promoting prostitution, helping get drug dealers acquitted and influencing church elections.
Posted by kshaw at February 19, 2005 04:10 PM