Cyprus Mail 5 November 2024 - by Elias Hazou
In 2025 the state will spend about €9 million on the salaries of clerics, based on an agreement between the government and the church dating to the early 1970s.
The finance ministry has budgeted €8.85 million to pay the wages of Christian Orthodox priests based in rural areas, plus another €350,000 for the clerics of other denominations – Maronites, Armenians and Latins.
The arrangement dates back to 1971 when President Makarios introduced the deal between the government, which he headed, and the church – which he also headed.