High-ranking clergy in Greece will receive a pay rise up to 120%, a government decision that has the public to watch the issue with raised eyebrows.
The relevant provision has been added to a multi-bill of the National Economy Ministry and refers to the salary rise of Archbishops, Metropolitans and Titular Metropolitans, who have no family to feed and provide for due to the zolibat.. For example, the basic salary of the Archbishop of the Church of Greece amounted to 2,600 euros, with an additional performance allowance of 100 euros.
However, not affected by the rise are regular priests who are usually married and have quite a couple of kids to feed, dress and have them study.
The amendment has been uploaded for public consultation.
According to the provision, changes are being promoted in the method of determining the salaries of the Archpriests, providing for total monthly gross salaries that will reach even 120%.
This change brings increases that can cumulatively reach up to 120% in specific parts of the old payroll, while overall the monthly gross salaries increase by percentages of 60% to 95%.
Until today, the basic monthly salary was set at 2,210 euros, to which a performance allowance of 50 euros and a study allowance of up to 75 euros) were added.
With the upcoming new status, the basic salaries and allowances are integrated into a single total that is formed gross at 4,671.90 euros, that is an increase of 60.2%.
According to the new regulation, the salaries are now directly linked to the maximum salary limit of the State, as defined in article 28 of law 4354/2015, namely to the salaries of the Secretary General of a Ministry.
Specifically, the total monthly salaries of the Archbishop, Metropolitans and Titular Metropolitans are set at 90% of this maximum limit, while the salaries of Titular and Assistant Bishops are set at 70% of the corresponding salaries of the Metropolitans.
Given that today the salaries of the Secretary General of the Ministry amount to approximately 5,745 euros gross per month, the salaries of the Metropolitans are reportedly set at approximately 5,170 euros gross per month. This means that in relation to the current regime, their salaries more than double, recording an increase of almost 120%.
The increase for the Archbishop is 91.5%!
The government will probably be able to invoke… divine grace for its decision to proceed with the readjustment of these salaries at this specific (pre-election) time.
High-ranking clergy in Greece are usually conservative and voters of right-wing parties like New Democracy and have a lot of power in the local communities of the faithful, also power over the low-ranking priest who on their part can influence the congregation.
Given the results of public opinion polls showing that ruling New Democracy will hardly be able to form a majority government in the election expected to take place in autumn 2026 or spring 2027, it is a politically wise decision of PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to reward his “influencers.”
Who cares about the low-pensioners, the people with disabilities or the younger generations of employees who cannot make ends meet after the 15th or the 20th of the month?
Not the Prime Minister. Not this one.
