GREECE
Christian Today
Posted: Monday, February 21 , 2005, 15:56 (GMT)
After the meeting of the 102-member Holy Synod, the governing body of the Greek Orthodox Church, in Athens from Friday to Saturday, a number of new measures were approved. The urgent major reform, called by His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, has the aim to ease the Church out of the recent scandals, misconducts and corruption among churchmen.
Christodoulos presented his proposals regarding the present crisis in the Church and his suggestions for dealing with it. The crisis is one of the worst in recent times and has seriously damaged the reputation of the Church.
The plenary session of the Hierarchy did however, finally approved a series of measures proposed by Archbishop Christodoulos. In the wake of the misbehaviour of churchmen that has unfolded over the past month, the first proposal is to form a council of judges, chaired by the head of the Church, that will look into charges concerning bishops and suggest action to the Church ruling body, the Holy Synod.