Head of Greek Church says austerity is 'deadly medicine'
Page last updated at 05:26 GMT, Friday, February 3, 2012 - 10:26 EST
eKathimerini:
Archbishop Ieronymos, the head of the Church of Greece, has taken the rare step of writing to Prime Minister Lucas Papademos to express serious concerns about the effectiveness of the government’s fiscal policy and the effect it is having on Greek people.
In his letter, Ieronymos also raises doubts about the role of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Fund – or troika – in the country and whether Greece should agree to further austerity measures to receive its next bailout, suggesting that they are “larger doses of a medicine that is proving deadly.”
Ieronymos expresses concern about the impact of the crisis, describing a rise in suicides, homelessness and unemployment and the desperate state that an increasing number of Greeks find themselves. He warned that this was creating a dangerous social situation.
“Greeks’ unprecedented patience is running out, fear is giving way to rage and the danger of a social explosion cannot be ignored any more, neither by those who give orders nor by those who execute their deadly recipes,” he wrote.
Read the whole story: eKathimerini
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Comments
Amen!
February 2, 2012 by John Gurlides (United Kingdom ), 15 weeks 3 days ago
Well said, Archbishop Ieronymos! Now, how about you remind Mr. Papademos about John the Baptist's words on giving your extra cloak to the person who has none.
It seems he is presiding over a government that allows some to keep multiple cloaks whilst taking cloaks, tunics and underwear from the rest.
Cloakcounting
February 2, 2012 by Jim Adams (United States ), 15 weeks 3 days ago
If you're going to go cloack-counting my friend, start with counting the cloaks that the Church has stolen from the people. If you don't know what I am talking about look up "Vatopedi Monastery" and "land swap deal." The Church of Greece is a hypocritical entity, no different than any organized religion for that matter. Now they are riding the populist wave of "lay your hands off the people, they suffered enough" - they'll suck the life out of them themselves when given the chance.