Řecká pravoslavná církev a její interpretace řecké ekonomické krize

Abstract

The Orthodox Church of Greece and its Interpretation of the Greek Economic Crisis

For various reasons, the Greek economic crisis affected not only the material situation of Greek society, but the crisis also had a psychological impact on it. The decline of the Greek state and its inferior position within the EU created a collective trauma, which was then utilized by radical and extremist political parties. The Orthodox Church of Greece has seen the crisis as an opportunity to increase its influence within the society. In response to the crisis, it opted for a rather nationalist and populist discourse employing conspiracy theories and mobilizing its supporters by referring to critical moments of Greek national history, such as the Axis occupation during the Second World War. Based on an analysis of official statements by the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece and its permanent Synod, this study attempts to explain how the Orthodox Church of Greece interpreted the causes, course, and consequences of the economic crisis, and how it evaluated the austerity measures proposed by the Troika and subsequently adopted by the Greek government and how the Orthodox Church defined its own role during this period. 

Keywords: Orthodox Church of Greece; economic crisis; populism; conspiracy theories; Troika; Greece

DOI: 10.14712/23363231.2017.3