There is a dissonance in the discussion of the Church of Greece (hereafter the Church) and immigration. On the one hand academics and immigration experts often omit the Church as an actor or hark back to the identity card and mosque issues and the presence of publicly funded religious education to extrapolate a nationalistic presence at best and a xenophobic one at worst. On the other hand, clergymen argue that the Church supports the integration of immigrants with crucial programs and indeed Church-inspired efforts in Athens, the countryside and the islands frequently surface in the press. But as one expert put it, “If you asked a migrant about the Church, they would know nothing of these programs.”
Author: George Mesthos
See the paper.