The amount of approximately € 137 million was paid by the state from 1983 to 2018 as a subsidy for the salaries of the orthodox clergy of the countryside. The cost to the state is even higher, because the subsidy has been paid since 1971, however, the specific data are not included in what the General Accounting Office of the Republic announced to the Parliament for information purposes, because they do not exist! It is estimated that the cost of the state subsidy from 1971 to 2018 exceeds € 145 million.
Based on the agreement of 1971, which was decided and approved in its dual capacity by the then President of the Republic and Archbishop, Makarios III, the Church should transfer to the state in exchange for the subsidy of the salaries of the orthodox clergy of the country 15.564 acres of land.
Of the specific plots of land that will be allocated by the Archdiocese or by churches and monasteries that belong to the Archdiocese, about 73% is located in the occupied areas.
According to an estimate of the Land Registry Department, the value of the church land that will be granted to the state and located in the free areas, at 2010 prices, amounts to € 81.268.000 while the corresponding value of the land located in the occupied areas, at 2009 prices , on the basis of the market value for the purposes of the Equal Weight Allocation Body, was estimated at € 125.163.000.
The General Accountant of the Republic Rea Georgiou in her letter, dated 21 June 2019 secured by "F", informed the deputies of the Finance Committee that the Council of Ministers in its session on 2/1/2019 approved the transfer to the State of the ecclesiastical land included in the 1971 agreement which is located in the free zones.
The transfer process is in progress at the Land Registry Department. According to the information sent to the Parliament by Mrs. Georgiou, the ecclesiastical land that is in the free areas and will be transferred to the state concerns agricultural land, the majority of which is in Avdellero.
Also, fields belonging to the Archdiocese located in the areas of Analyonta, Malounda, Kampia, Kapedes, Katalionta, Lythrodonta, Mathiati, Pera, Politiko, Mosfiloti, Ormideia, Troulli, Paralimni and Sotira will be transferred to the state.
Regarding the ecclesiastical property in the occupied territories, the General Accountant of the Republic clarifies in her letter that "this concerns a political issue that does not fall within her responsibilities".
The ecclesiastical land that the Archdiocese will transfer to the state, whenever deemed appropriate, concerns agricultural land in the occupied areas of Kythrea / Ag. Andronikos, Louroutzina, Tremetousia, Aloe, Acheritou, Vassili, Agios Georgios Spatharikou, Davlos, Engomi, Agios Ilias, Kalopsida, Livadia, Leonarissos, Mandres, Milia, Pigi, Salamina, Lanta, Sanotas, Lamotas
It is worth mentioning that the bill of the Ministry of Finance submitted to the Parliament in May 2019 for a vote, in order to legislate the annual state sponsorship of the Church, does not provide a ceiling on the amount of the grant, nor a date on which the state grant to the Church. With members of the Finance Committee reasonably asking the following question: "The state will continue to subsidize the salaries of rural clergy when the amount of state sponsorship exceeds € 206 million which is the estimated value of church land to be granted in return. in the State;".
As deputies of the Finance Committee stated to "F", their intention is to make amendments to the said bill in order to safeguard the interests of the state. Pointing out, at the same time, that it does not mean for the purposes of state subsidy to be considered rural municipalities such as Strovolos, Aglantzia, Latsia, Lakatamia, Mesa Geitonia etc.
The Archbishop succeeded in increasing the state subsidy
It is emphasized that the initial agreement as it was submitted in 2015 to the Parliament in the form of a bill for voting, provided for the subsidy of the salary of 700 rural priests until 31/12/2025 with an annual state sponsorship of € 6.140.862.
With the revised agreement of 2019, the Archbishop achieved the subsidy of the salary of a total of 850 clergy in the countryside and in fact, from 1/1/2014 against a state sponsorship that amounts to € 7.534.553 per year.
In particular, the bill with the revised agreement that the Parliament is called to vote provides the following:
1. From the date of validity of this law until 31/12/2020, 760 rural priests will be subsidized with a monthly amount of € 681,86. Therefore, the state sponsorship will amount to € 6.736.776 per year.
2. From 1/1/2021 until 31/12/2023, 800 rural priests will be subsidized with a monthly amount of € 681,86. That is, the state sponsorship will amount to € 7.091.344 per year.
3. From 1/1/2024 until 31/12/2025, 850 priests will be subsidized with a monthly amount of € 681.86. As a result, government sponsorship increases to € 7.534.553 per year.
4. After 1/1/2016 the number of 850 beneficiaries of state aid priests will increase by 0,5% each year.
In addition, the salaries of the clergy of the Armenian religious groups are subsidized in the same way by the state - three priests, the Latins - six priests, the Maronites - 10 priests and the Autocephalous Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians (Greek Orthodox) .
The letter of the General Accountant of the Republic does not mention the amount of the annual subsidy for the salaries of the clergy of the religious groups.
In addition, the letter does not answer the question, what mediated the withdrawal of the 2015 agreement from the Parliament to be submitted revised in 2019 with clearly increased amounts of the grant to the church.
The issue was raised on the table, asking for answers, during the last session of the Finance Committee of the Parliament, the AKEL MPs, who are expected to return.
Source: Philenews