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Church to use the Poor Fund to pay €1800 fine for opening illegally

The Metropolis of Mesogaia in Attica announced that it will use the fund for the poor in order to pay the fines of 1,800 euros imposed by police. On Sunday, the gates of a church in Koropi, East Attica, were opened to the faithful although that is forbidden under the lockdown rules.

A citizen – called the police denouncing that the Church did not follow the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus and had open despite the ban.

Police arrived at the place of worship and issued a fine of €1,500 to the Church as €300 to the verger.

In a statement on Monday, the Metropolis of Mesogaias that is in charge of the church, said in an angry statement that the ‘disrespectful citizen” who called the police should be fined.

The Metropolis said “police was obliged to impose the two fines because a handful of people were found in an area of 500 sq.m. to worship God.”

“We do not understand at all the absurdity with which the Government imposes unwise, outrageous, unpopular and completely disrespectful and disparaging measures for the man and the Church,” the statement said.

It made also clear that the money to pay the fines will be used from the fund of donations to the poor.

“We declare that for the time being our churches will continue to operate in accordance with the health protection measures that apply everywhere and with absolute respect to reason and society. An fines imposed due to sinful legislative measures will be borne exclusively by the Poor Fund and the Support Fund for the Poor and the Needy in our Metropolis,” the statement stressed.

It added without shame and in a clear blackmail effort that “what we have collected from the churchgoers for the poor, we must now give for the fines. We’ve reached the point where not only the faithful but also the poor are punished.”

It also called on the citizen who called the police “to pay part of the fine to the Metropolis bank account, least God forgive some of his sins,” the statement said.

It should be reminded that the government has decided that churches will open once under strict measures twice during the festive days, that is on Christmas Day, Dec 25, and Epiphany Day, Jan 6.

The country’s clergy is against the ban, demands more days and larger number of participants than just nine.

The government is reportedly considering to allow opening on one more day. The Holy Synod is to meet in the next two days and the conservative government might take the risk in the very end.

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8 comments

  1. The Church should be ashamed. Don’t they have enough gold? May their God forgive them. I won’t.

    • Its all mad isnt it,a killer virus on the loose and people can get close together to have false nails stuck on or painted, have their hair petted,take their children in shops to buy books,as if they didnt have enough to be going on with.Why is the government throwing them what might turn out to be a deadly sweet,a pacifier for Christmas?We dont want to hear the exclamations from the government then in the new year when the hospitals and staff are at the end of their capacity to endure anymore victims being trollied through the doors.

  2. Well said, Linda. Without going on a rant about institutionalised religion, suffice it to say that these so-called followers of Christ’s teachings have forgotten one of his sayings ” Blessed are the poor……”. Not so blessed by these hypocrites, apparently. I’m sure those who gave donations to help those less fortunate will be impressed by the church’s plundering. Happy Christmas? I don’t think so.

  3. Arrogance beyond belief, it’s the church that has chosen to make the poor suffer by using the poor fund to pay the fines.
    Why is the money donated by the people for the poor sitting in a church bank account making interest.
    Surely as soon as donations are made that money is taken and either given directly to the poor, or the purchase of food or clothing is made with it, then given to the poor.

  4. Disgusting…..

  5. And this lot already plunder the taxpayer to the tune of E200mn a year
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46122997
    But perhaps worse than that is the fact that by stealing from the poor box, the Church may well discourage future donations to the needy. Charitable donations depend on being able to trust the organisation that is collecting

  6. I wouldnt knock the church completely as here in Egaleo its only the church and some of its followers who feed the poor and homeless every day.They have a hall near the main church where they feed people,thus the homeless hang around that area every day so as to stay alive.During the big prolonged crisis it was one of the few bodies that helped the poor,sometimes with direct money as well,this is more than Syriza did in those troubled years and certainly much more the the Communist party did who went under ground as if they never existed.The issue here is that the church will not abide by state rules,Siyriza tried to change that but the present government shows too much tolerance and permits their self rule.

  7. Inverse Robin Hood church. Take from the poor and give to the clerics. Hard to find a photo of any cleric who isn’t overweight. Let them cut a few meals. Isn’t fasting recommended by the church?