Yunanistan Ortodoks Kilisesi'nin Yunan Siyasetine ve Toplumuna Etkis
Project no. 20606 · Status: Kapanmış · 2019
Summary
This study evaluated the impact of the Orthodox Church of Greece on Greek politics and society, starting from its history until the end of Alexis Tsipras' term in prime minister’s Office. By following the relevant literature, the effect of the Church on Greece's domestic and foreign policy is determined and its transformation is examined in four themes. The study starts from the assumption that the central role of the Orthodox Church of Greece, which has continued since the declaration of independence from Ottoman Empire, diminishes in all themes. Accordingly, it also tries to validate the assumptions that the effective factor in reduction of Church’s influence on politics is European Union, and in start of Greek people's support for the autonomy of state from the Church is the Eurozone crisis. In this sense, findings of this study are examined under the themes of nationalism and identity; politics, state and conservatism; other religious beliefs and institutions, and intolerance and current problems. In the study, it is argued that the Church, which is considered the most important protector of Greece as it played crucial role in Greek identity formation, attempts to protect its strong position within the state through nationalism. The Church considers that every issue in politics concerns people and due to its duty to protect Greek people, it is normal for her to have a say in these matters. Moreover, the Church denies her suppression over other beliefs, based on their constitutional freedom and reasons her opposition to homosexuality by blaiming homosexuals to corrupt society’s morals. However, this study argues that while the Orthodox Church of Greece, based on nationalism and conservatism, weakens the human rights towards religious and sexual freedoms, she loses its influence in the political decision-making process to a large extent.