The Greek Constitution of 1975 recognizes the Eastern Orthodox Church as the prevailing religion of Greece. There are specific paragraphs within the constitution which relate to altering the text of the Sacred Scriptures (forbidden), translation of scripture, church government and disposition of church property, particularly the monasteries on the peninsula of Athos. The constitution guarantees freedom of conscience, belief and practice for people of "all known religions" except in the case of prosyletism. Prosyletism in Greece is illegal. The constitution also declares that one of the responsibilities of the education system is to "develop the national and religious conscience." Therefore, religious education is mandatory in public schools for Greek Orthodox students. Non-Orthodox students are exempt from this instruction. The constitution mandates that elected members of the Greek Parliament must take a religious oath before they can undertake the discharge of their duties. The wording of the oath is prescribed for Greek Orthodox members and begins, "I swear in the name of the Holy and Consubstatial and Indivisible Trinity..." The wording may be altered for members of other religions.
A 1995 poll conducted by the European Commission found that Greeks are
the most religious of all European Union members. Since 98 percent of the
people are of the Greek Orthodox faith, the result is that this church
exerts a pervasive influence in public life, education and social policy.
The only ethnic minority which the Greek government recognizes is the
Muslim community. Most Muslims reside in Western Thrace and the islands
of Rhodes and Thrace. They are allowed to operate mosques. However, in
1991, the state appointed two muftis and one assistant mufti which has
resulted in some dissension. Some Muslims recognize the official muftis.
Others have chosen two muftis whom the government doesn’t recognize. In
1996, both unofficial muftis were charged with usurping the authority of
a mufti. One was sentenced to one year in jail and two years in prison.
Upon appeal, he was not incarcerated. The second was sentenced to five
months in jail but instead, paid a fine.
Unrecognized Slavic minorities, particularly "Macedonians" or "Slavomacedonians," face a similar difficulty. Priests operating outside of the Greek Orthodox Church may be prosecuted for "pretense of authority." The 1996 State Department Report on Human Rights notes that the language of a May 1996 ruling by the court of appeals overturning the conviction of one priest has been construed by human rights activists as implying recognition of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. A permit request for the opening of a Macedonian Orthodox Church is currently pending the decision of the government.
In 1997, the Greek Parliament passed two new laws concerning taxes on religious groups, one relating to "the abolition of tax exemptions," and the second concerning "large real estate holdings." These laws created new taxes pertaining to property and income of institutions such as schools and hospitals which had previously been tax-exempt. Roman Catholic and Jewish leaders have filed protest to these laws within the European community and have expressed their concern to officials of the US government.
There is a strong relationship between the church and the Ministry of Education and Religion. In order to open a house of worship for any church other than the Greek Orthodox Church, permission must be granted by this commission. According to the US State Department 1997 Report on Religious Freedom:
There is no formal mechanism for newly arrived religious groups to apply for ... recognition. Such groups ... cannot obtain permits to operate a house of worship without first having the status of a "known religion," but this status can be obtained only if the Greek government brings legal action against the group and a court deems the group’s beliefs worthy of recognition as a religion. In practice, this means that non-Orthodox religious groups exist in a legal twilight zone until they come into conflict with the Greek government ...; only then, and only if the group wins the case, is recognition as a religion granted. (p.46)
It can be difficult, even for religions which have existed in Greece for centuries, to obtain house of worship permits because the decision is based largely upon the advisory opinion of the local Bishop. It is much more difficult for recently arrived religious groups to obtain permits.
The 1997 US State Department Report on Religious Freedom mentions the case of four Jehovah’s Witnesses convicted of operating an illegal house of prayer in 1991. In September 1996, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Greece had violated Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Subsequent to this decision, the Greek government denied that they had ever imposed any restrictions. In February of this year, two more Jehovah’s Witnesses were arrested in Komotini for operating an illegal house of prayer.
Jehovah’s witnesses have also been arrested for violating the constitutional provision against proselytizing and for refusing to serve in the armed forces. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have continued to appeal cases within Greece and to the European Court of Human Rights. The Council of State has recognized the Witnesses as a "known religion," but the Ministry of Education and Religion continues to accept the Orthodox Church’s view which states that they are not a known religion.
The Unification Church does not have legal recognition and thus may not own property and is prohibited from holding meetings or conducting religious services.
The State Department also reports the difficulties of a Christian nondenominational group, The Church of Greek Christians, which had been granted recognition in 1993. On the island of Crete, members and leaders have come under attack from Orthodox leaders and the media. The church has been accused of practicing black magic and its leaders have been accused of stealing money. The Minister of Education ordered an investigation of charges that the group has been proselytizing amongst public school children. Two teachers were removed and a principal was told that he would be fired if he did not cross himself in the manner prescribed by the Orthodox Church.
2003 US State Department International Religious Freedom Report on Greece
International Christian Concern Report on Greece
GREECE: Religious freedom, the Achilles' Heel WorldWide Religious News 5/17/04
Disputed Athens mosque given go ahead WorldWide Religious News 4/16/04
Search Amazon.com for books on religious freedom in Greece