“State-Church Relations” PASOK Programmatic Conference
PROGRAMMATIC CONFERENCE OF PASOK
18-19 May 2007
Intervention of Anna Karamanou,
(Member of the National Council of PASOK, former Member of the European Parliament)
“RELATIONS OF STATE – CHURCH”, chapter VII of the programming framework, p. 79
The Program Framework clearly sets the issue of the distinction between the relationships of the State and the Church, with the aim of “regulations that will free the church from state dependencies and from practices foreign to European constitutional culture.” In this context, I return to my previous proposals for changes, 90% of which concern common legislation and can be implemented immediately by the PASOK government, without the need for a constitutional revision.
In this direction, I submit 10 proposals for the emancipation of the church from the state. These reforms are:
1. The oath: The oath of the government, the President of the Republic, and the members of parliament “in the name of the Holy and Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity” should be abolished, based on Article 13 of the Constitution regarding religious freedom. The oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws should only be taken before the Parliament.
2. Metaxas laws 1363/38, 1369/38, and 1672/39 regarding proselytism and places of worship: These laws, apart from undermining the spiritual level of the average Greek citizen, conflict with both contemporary notions of religious freedom and the constitutionally guaranteed religious tolerance, as well as with the European Convention on Human Rights. The criminal disgrace of individuals and groups based on the exercise of their religious duties tarnishes Greece’s image in the international arena, particularly within European institutions, such as the European Court of Human Rights, to which the persecuted often appeal. As highlighted in a related report by the Ombudsman, “even in cases where those referred are declared innocent, the criminal process constitutes in itself an irreparable disgrace and places the exercise of religious worship under the constant specter of judicial involvement and distress…”
3. The religious education classes in schools should be replaced with theology. It is unacceptable for the state to provide indoctrination for a specific religion through the school.
4. The ecclesiastical schools should be open to both genders. Based on the constitutional mandate and the principle of gender equality, women should have access to all faculties and all levels of education, as ultimately happened with the military academies.
5. The law 2623 of 1953 that criminalizes the violation of the prohibition of Mount Athos by women should be abolished. This law, which certifies in the most characteristic way the involvement of state power with ecclesiastical authority, today, with the full recognition of the equality of men and women, has neither democratic, nor legal, nor moral, nor democratic legitimacy. The European Parliament has issued opinions on this matter twice.
6. Blessings: They cause confusion of responsibilities between the state and the Church when they are institutionalized and take place in the public sphere. The Greek Parliament is the only one in the European Union that begins its sessions with blessings, which should, within the framework of the modern democratic multicultural society, be limited to the private sphere.
7. Cremation of the dead: Greece is again the only country in the EU that does not yet have a relevant legislative framework, theoretically without prohibiting it. Here, the Church intervenes, violating fundamental individual rights and freedoms, with the result that those who wish for cremation have to travel posthumously, usually to our neighboring Bulgaria.
8. Political funeral: Just like for the cremation of the dead, here too relevant legislation is needed.
9. The metropolitan areas from public entities to become private entities. Why, I wonder, should a ministerial decree from the Minister of Education be issued for the appointment of a metropolitan? In general, necessary institutional changes should be made so that the Church ceases to be an administrative extension of the state and the state has no interference in its internal matters.
10. Church property: No one knows its value. Therefore, a consultation between the state and the church is necessary to record it, to tax it, and to manage it transparently.
Regarding the remuneration of clergymen, since the primary aim of the state is to meet the needs of citizens, it should continue, as faith, spirituality, and religious worship constitute a timeless cultural phenomenon and a human need.
It is evident that the aforementioned simple institutional reforms need to be accompanied by internal reforms, so that the Church can become again a part of civil society and a dynamic pole of spirituality and promotion of the Christian values of peace, social solidarity, equality, and social justice, values that largely coincide with the values of socialist and social democratic parties.