(Volcanic islets are seen behind a Greek Orthodox church build on the edge of the caldera at the volcanic island of Santorini March 15, 2012. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis)
Close links between the Greek state and the Orthodox Church are turning from a blessing for the clergy into a curse as the debt-laden government struggles to fund the ancient institution, just as impoverished Greeks need its charitable work most.
Starved of money as the state makes huge spending cuts, the deeply conservative church which grew from one of the earliest centres of Christianity is seeking new sources of funds.
But despite a new spirit of enterprise, such as at one monastery which wants to build a solar energy farm, numbers of priests are dwindling, those that remain are suffering pay cuts, and the church is fighting to keep soup kitchens open as unemployment soars and poverty deepens.
“The tills are empty and the system is collapsing,” said Ignatios Stavropoulos, a modernising priest who has his own page on LinkedIn, a social website for professionals.
