Sermon "to the people" raises concerns

The Hierarchy's inner circles are tumultuous, after reading the pamphlet named "To the People", which is being handed out in Churches, whose contents criticize the goings-on of the fiscal crisis.

The Archdiocese seems to be annoyed by the tone of the text, while some hierarchs state that "in these difficult times, the Church must have a soothing role, not a provoking one". Other hierarchs consider that the pamphlet in question represents the opinions of only a few hierarchs, and not the Church in its totality.

"Our country is no longer free and seems to be governed by our lenders", is one phrase in the text, accompanied by "It is true that what is happening to Greece is disrupting and never before seen" Along with spiritual, social and fiscal unrest, any form of transposition is possible. There is a coordinated effort to uproot and destroy the foundations of traditions that have long been standards of our country's way of life... These measures are imposed by our lenders. We state that we are a country under occupation and we carry out the orders of our occupiers... How come we have not removed all of the pathogenic diseases of our society and economy which only now we try to violently change, which we should already have done? Why did it have to come down to this? The people running this country have been the same for decades now"

At another point of the text, there is even harsher criticism against politicians: "..How, then, did they mind the political cost, knowing that they were driving the country to destruction, and they somehow feel safe now, carrying out orders? There are radical reversals being effected today, that would at any other point in time bring Greece to an uproar. This day, they are being applied without any form of protest...". The criticism continues: "A leadership that could not stand and account for its actions before the people, that could not or would not speak truthfully, that projected the wrong kind of examples, that cultivated corruption only because it wanted to stay in power".

The pamphlet author also mentions the faults of the public, saying that: "A leadership that in fact proves it undermined the real aims of the country and its people. On the other hand, a whole people acted immaturely, just trying to have a good time and follow get-rich-quick schemes by cheating. We did not trouble ourselves with the way things truly are".

Last but not least, there is criticism of the Church's affairs, mentioning that: "We know that we have hurt you some times. We have created scandals. We did not react to things that hurt you". According to sources, this text might be the result of the motions submitted on the financial crisis that the Hierarchy approved of last October. Its writer is allegedly Bishop Siatistis Pavlos.