Greek Orthodox Church priests taken off Athens payroll

Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Greek Orthodox Church priests will now be paid through an annual state subsidy and will no longer be considered government civil servants, officials said Wednesday.

The church and the Greek government will establish a fund to manage and develop property claimed by both since 1952, with other assets the church transfers to the fund on a voluntary basis, Greek City Times reported.

"Following a long, detailed and sincere dialogue between the State and the Church, which was held in an atmosphere of understanding and respect, we are now able to take consensual and mutually acceptable and beneficial initiatives that relate to the reconfiguring the nature of our relationship," Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Wednesday in a joint statement with the church.

Revenues generated from the fund and obligations from the property will be divided between the church and government.

Some 10,000 clerics and staff will no longer be part of the government's payroll since they can no longer be classified as civil servants.

Officials said the government will maintain annual payments to the church for their wages as a subsidy.

"What we and this agreement are showing is our intention to move a step forward, with mutual respect for one another," Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens added in the statement.

Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told reporters Wednesday the move will allow Athens to hire more doctors and teachers and cover critical welfare state requirements, Ekathimerini.com reported.