Church wants PM to settle dispute with Education Ministry

The Church of Greece is to write to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to ask him to intervene in a dispute with the Education Ministry over whether bishops can visit schools without permission from the government.

The ministry recently issued instructions requiring the Church to obtain permission before bishops could visit their local schools. However, such visits have continued without the ministry being notified.

“The circular introduces some general rules so the schools do not become an arena for debates and sermons by figures from outside the school,” said Education Minister Nikos Filis.

The Church says that it always informs the schools of bishops’ plans to visit. It adds that the priests are not there to evaluate the school or its teachers but to answer pupils’ questions about religion.