Two years after being elected Archbishop of Cyprus, Archbishop George spoke in an interview with the newspaper “Phileutheros” about the problems faced with the management of church property.
He plans to combat the vicious cycle of church property management that is harming the church. “Some people declare that they are farming on parish land and even receive state subsidies.” This has been discontinued and anyone wishing to use church land will have to pay a fee. There will be no compromise for anyone. According to him, the state of the archdiocese’s agricultural lands is not being managed in the best way for the Church. “Specific mandates have been introduced on this issue since this year and this continues to concern us.”
The Archdiocese of Cyprus suffered losses of more than 100 million euros due to the banking crisis, which affected the church’s financial stability, the archbishop said. The archbishop spoke of the ongoing investigation into the misuse of archdiocese property, which began during the time of the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II. The property of ‘Our Lady of the Appearance of God (Paneromeni)’, the largest church in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, is also a problem. The archdiocese said the case brought legal action against tenants who were paying inappropriately low rents and refusing to conduct reasonable reviews of unprofitable rents. “Everyone sees things from their own perspective, but I think there needs to be more order,” he said. The archbishop specified that this was not about “lonely elderly women living at home” but about commercial establishments. No compromise was reached with anyone, including the relatives of Archbishop Chrysostomos I of Cyprus (1977-2007).
“Furthermore, taking into account that we do not want to alienate church property, I have directed that the properties of the archdiocese be evaluated or, if necessary, improved for the purpose of leasing them.”
He pointed out that the Church of Cyprus is also making a significant contribution to the defense of Cyprus. Recently, the Archdiocese of Cyprus allocated 1.2 million euros for the renovation of the Greek Naval Academy dormitories. The Holy Synod also decided to allocate a certain amount of money each year for the defense of Cyprus, but the archbishop did not specify a specific amount.
Additionally, the archdiocese alone allocates €1 million annually for scholarships and other social needs, and other Cypriot metropolitan areas also have their own social programs. The archbishop specified that all these funds would not come from the church treasury, if the income was not even sufficient to maintain the temple, but from the church’s shares in various branches of business. The Church of Cyprus is currently investing in solar power generation. It also became clear that the Church of Cyprus had used state subsidies to build student dormitories. He also believes the salaries of archdiocese employees are too imbalanced. Some receive up to €300,000 per year in salary, up to €8,000 in salary and additional income through participation on various boards of archdiocesan organizations or companies, while others receive €12-13,000 per year. He pointed out, “I don’t deny that everyone should be compensated according to their qualifications and work, but we are a church, not a private company.” “An extra €1,000 a month is enough to attend each board meeting and feel useful to the church. The money saved from allowances is significant and can be used to increase the salaries of other employees.
When asked whether he was worried about opposition, Archbishop George responded: “Don’t forgive me if I pretend nothing is happening.”
