Greece’s government is set to grant substantial salary increases to around 150 senior figures of the Greek Orthodox Church, adding an estimated €3.6 million a year to public spending under legislation submitted to Parliament.
The measure applies to the Archbishop of Greece, Metropolitans and Bishops—the highest ranks of the country’s Orthodox hierarchy—but leaves the salaries of ordinary parish priests unchanged. Those clergy members will continue to be paid under the standard public-sector wage system.
Under the new formula, the salaries of senior church officials will be pegged to those of top civil servants. The Archbishop and Metropolitans will receive 90% of the salary paid to a ministry’s Secretary General, lifting their gross monthly compensation to €4,671.90 from a previous range of roughly €2,400 to €2,915, depending on qualifications and allowances.
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The increase amounts to raises ranging from about 60% to nearly 95%, with some Metropolitans effectively seeing their state-funded salaries almost double.
Bishops and Auxiliary Bishops will also benefit from the reform. Their compensation will be tied to 70% of a ministry Secretary General’s salary, bringing gross monthly earnings to approximately €3,200. Previously, their net monthly pay was around €1,500.
The government argues that the change brings the remuneration of senior Orthodox clergy more closely into line with that of other high-ranking public officials. Ministry Secretaries General currently earn about €5,191 gross per month, while Directors General receive around €3,000, depending on seniority and supplements. Officials have also pointed to appointed Muftis, who serve Greece’s Muslim minority and whose pay is linked to equivalent public-sector positions.
The salary adjustment comes against the backdrop of Greece’s long-standing and often debated relationship between church and state. Orthodox clergy are paid by the government, reflecting historical arrangements dating back to the 19th century when the Church transferred significant property holdings to the state in exchange for financial support.
Critics, however, note that senior bishops may receive income beyond their official salaries through voluntary donations and monetary gifts associated with religious ceremonies and ecclesiastical events. Known in Greek as tychera, these payments are not subject to a centralized reporting system or public disclosure requirements, making their overall value impossible to verify.
As a result, while the fiscal cost of the government’s salary increase can be calculated precisely, the total earnings of some senior clergy remain opaque. The absence of official data has fueled questions over whether the newly approved public salaries represent the bulk of their compensation or only a portion of their overall income.
Some political observers and opposition figures view the pay increase as a pre-election move aimed at strengthening the government's standing with the senior hierarchy of the Greek Orthodox Church. Given the influence that bishops and metropolitans are widely believed to wield over conservative and religious voters, critics argue that the measure could help bolster support for the governing party among an important segment of the electorate. The government has not characterized the reform in those terms, instead presenting it as an effort to align the remuneration of senior clergy with comparable positions in the public sector.
