ECCLESIA
THE HOLY SYNOD
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THE HOLY SYNOD |
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SYNODAL COMMITEE FOR INTERORTHODOX AND
INTERCHRISTIAN RELATIONS
ACTS OF THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE CHURCH OF GREECE Regulation No. 148/2001 “Concerning Ecclesiastical Scholarships”
THE HOLY SYNOD OF THE CHURCH OF GREECE
Having in mind : 1. The stipulations of section 3, article 43 of Law 590/1977 “Constitutional Charter of the Church of Greece” 2. The consultatory response of the Legal Department of the Church of Greece dated 11/1/2001 3. Its decision of 31/7/2001, VOTES Regulation No. 148/2001 “Concerning Ecclesiastical Scholarships” 1. The Church of Greece grants scholarships to Greek and foreign students for theological or post-graduate studies. 2. Ecclesiastical scholarships are granted for purely ecclesiastical purposes: i.e. to train cadres for the Church, either to Greek Orthodox priests or candidate priests for post-graduate studies abroad, or to foreigners, Orthodox and/or non-Orthodox, for theological or post-graduate studies in Greece. 3. the 1/5 of the granted scholarships may be awarded to women.
Article 2 1. Specifically, the number of scholarships that are award by the Church of Greece through the Synodal subcommittee for scholarships is set at sixty (60), and is divided as follows:
2. Thirty (30) scholarships to foreign students, specifically from the Orthodox Churches of Russia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Albania (five for each Church), for theological or post-graduate studies in Greece. 3. The number of scholarships can be extended by ten (10) more, five (5) to Greek students and five (5) to foreign students, whenever deemed necessary for the furtherance of the overall work of our Church, and its relations with the other Orthodox Churches. 4. Also by exception and in order to cover other vital sectors of Church life and activity, scholarships maybe granted to clergy or lay persons who wish to specialize in fields such as computer science, library science, iconography, journalism, sociology, psychiatric-pastoral psychology, economics, radio-television, church music, translations, civil science, common market law etc. Article 3 1. In order to deal with various matters concerning the awarding of scholarships, a special Sub-committee for the awarding of scholarships is established within the framework of the Synodal Committee on Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations. 2. The Subcommittee for scholarships is composed of the President of the Synodal Committee on Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations, the Hierarchical members of the above committee and those of the Committee for Ecclesiastical Education, and the General Director of the Apostolic Diakonia. The Secretary of the Synodal Committee on Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations acts as the Secretary of the Special Subcommittee for the awarding of Scholarships and when absent is replaced by its special collaborator. 3. President of the Subcommittee is the President of the Synodal Committee on Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations; whenever absent or unable to attend, he is replaced by the senior member of the Committee 4. The main task of the Subcommittee on Scholarships is the selection of the priests and candidate priests to whom scholarships are to be awarded.
1. The scholarships that are to be granted by the Church are announced on January every year through a relevant article published in the periodical “EKKLISIA”, the “ECCLESIASTICAL TRUTH” Newspaper, and in two daily Athens Newspapers with specific nationwide circulation. 2. The duration of every scholarship granted is for the academic year, i.e. at first for 10 months, and specifically from 1st of October until 31st of July. The scholarship can be extended until the end of the recipient’s studies, but cannot extend beyond 3 years. 3. The renewal of the scholarship is always done for justifiable reasons, after evaluating the course of the student’s studies through certified documentation. 4. For the renewal of a scholarship certification of the morals, the ecclesiastical mind-set and conduct of the scholarship recipient is necessary and is provided by the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of the student’s provenance and from the Metropolitan where he lives and studies, as well as certification of morals and the student’s progress by the universities, that he attends every semester. 5. When a scholarship is extended, the recipient’s financial stipend is not interrupted during the two summer months. 6. The monthly financial sum given to Greek students abroad is determined in early September of each year by the Holy Synod and depends upon the prevailing cost of living.
Article 5 The following are conditions necessary for the granting of scholarship to Greek students for studies abroad: 1. For a cleric, the permission of his Metropolitan of the Church of Greece as well as a letter of recommendation pertaining to his character and virtue as a priest is required. 2. If it concerns a lay person (male or female student) a letter of recommendation from his/her Metropolitan pertaining to his virtues and previous volunteer work in the Church is necessary. 3. Certificates from at least two professors certifying the scientific skills and abilities of the candidate student. 4. A copy of his University degree (or from his technological institute showing that he has specialized in purely technical sectors) with a grade of A or B. 5. Certificate from the University or from his Technological Institute from which the candidate has graduated, showing every year’s detailed record and marks. 6. He must not be over 40 years old. In special cases the Holy Synod can extend the age limit over 40. 7. A written statement by the student that after he has completed his studies he is at the disposal of the Holy Synod, to serve her for at least two (2) years. Should he refuse to serve the Holy Synod, he is obligated to pay back the money that Holy Synod has awarded him for studies. 8. Competent knowledge of the language of the country in which the student wishes to study, proven by a Certificate of Studies 9. A birth certificate 10. A curriculum vitae 11. A certificate of acceptance by the university in which the student wishes to study. Article 6 1. The scholar is obliged to inform the Subcommittee on Scholarships, as well as the Greek authorities (ecclesiastical and political) abroad, as to the exact address of his permanent residence in Greece or abroad, and of any change. 2. Similarly he/she is obliged to be in contact with the Subcommittee and to inform it in writing about the progress of his/her studies at the end of every academic year, in accordance with the regulations in force in the institutions for State Scholarships. 3. Students after they have finished their studies and returned to Greece, must submit to the Subcommittee on Scholarships copies of their foreign diplomas and when publishing their dissertations must make known that it was written while they were scholarship recipients of the Church of Greece. 4. The clerical scholarship recipients may serve during their period of studies as parish priests of Greek communities; if they have retained their position in any parish in Greece and have educational leave, they can receive their salaries from Greece. CHAPTER III Scholarships granted to foreign students for studies in Greece
Article 7 1. The purpose of the scholarships granted to foreign students is to assist the Local Autocephalous Orthodox Churches in creating Greek-speaking ministers and cadres and thereby strengthen relations between the Church of Greece and their Churches. 2. The scholarships are granted to priests or lay persons- graduates or students from theological schools, proposed by the Heads of their Churches. 3. These scholarships are granted solely for theological studies, for either university or post-graduate studies. 4. In exceptional cases the Holy Synod can grant one-year scholarships to foreign professors for serious scientific research on theological or ecclesiastical matters or for learning the Greek language. 5. The criteria for choosing the candidates are made known in advance to those interested and are :
Article 8 The candidates are obliged to submit to the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece (Subcommittee on Scholarships by the 30th of April at the latest) the following supporting documents issued by their Church Authority a) An application accompanied by a biographical sketch, indicating the nationality, place and the date of birth, Studies, Church situation, and any ecclesiastical and scientific activities. b) A letter of recommendation from his/her Church Authority c) Photocopies of diplomas and degrees d) A Health Certificate, issued by the medical authorities of the candidate’s country e) A formal statement that he has not received and does not receive another scholarship from any other Church, State or institutional source during the period to be covered by the scholarship requested. Article 9 1. The amount of the monthly scholarship that foreign scholars receive is determined by the Holy Synod, as mentioned on section 6, article 4. 2. The scholarship recipients studying in Greece are as a rule obligated to live in church institutions ( boarding houses) unless married. In such a case the Holy Synod can, upon suggestion by the scholarships’ subcommittee, increase scholarship granted to the foreign scholars who are married by half the amount. 3. The duration of the scholarship is initially set at one academic year, from the 1st of October to the 31st of July. It may be extended but cannot exceed five years for university studies and 3 years for post graduate studies. Especially for those who are working towards a doctorate it can be extended for another 2 years. This extension is given after the assurance of the professor under whom the student is working. 4. If a scholarship is extended, foreign students receive their stipend during the two months (July-August) that are between the two academic years. 5. According to the judgement of the Holy Synod, Greek and foreign students may have an extension of their scholarship beyond the 3-year or the 5-year period of studies, should they not manage to finish their studies in time. The extension however cannot exceed a 2-year period. 6. The scholarship will be cut off if the scholarship recipient :
7. All scholarship recipients at the end of the year come before the Scholarship’s Subcommittee at a given time and place and are asked questions regarding the progress of their studies, but also their conduct and behaviour towards their host, the Church of Greece, in order to decide whether or not the scholarship will continue to be granted.
1. The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, during the first year of studies when they are studying the Greek language, undertakes to cover the medical expenses of foreign students since the State does not cover their medical expenses. The State covers their medical expenses upon their enrollment in Greek State Universities. 2. The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece covers the expenses for foreign students to obtain legal resident permits in Greece, as well as for their registration in the Greek State Universities in Athens and Thessaloniki, as these costs are set by the Greek government in accordance with the cost of living. 3. When foreign students complete their studies, and upon application, they may receive the equivalent of a two-month scholarship in order to cover the expenses of returning home. CHAPTER D General Provisions Article 11 1. The list of the Greek candidates for scholarships is drawn up by the Scholarships’ Subcommittee in May and is submitted for approval to the Holy Synod through the Synodal Committee on Inter-Orthodox and Inter-Christian Relations. 2. The Holy Synod’s relevant decisions are sent to the Synodal Committee for implementation. 3. The scholarship recipients chosen are obliged to inform the Holy Synod by the end of August whether or not they will accept the scholarship. Article 12 1. Holy Synod’s Scholarships’ Subcommittee keeps separate files of the scholarship recipients of the Church of Greece, for Greeks and foreigners. 2. The Holy Synod’s Scholarships’ Subcommittee oversees the scholarship recipients’ contribution to the work of Church :
Article 13 Instances not foreseen by the present Rules concerning matters of Greek and foreign scholarship recipients are regulated by the Holy Synod, which acts upon proposals by the Scholarships’ Subcommittee. Article 14 Upon the publication of the present Rules and Regulations in the Government Gazette, the former Rules and Regulations: 13/1981,66/1992, 119/1999 are abrogated.
Article 15 These Rules and Regulations come into effect upon their publication in the Government Gazette and the Official Periodical of the Church of Greece, “EKKLISIA”.
Article 16 Pursuant to the articles of the present Rules and Regulations a certain burden is placed upon the budget of the legal entity of the Church of Greece, the amount of which cannot be ascertained. The present Rules are to be published in the Government Gazette.
Athens, 31st of July 2001
The President of the Holy Synod Archbishop CHRISTODOULOS of Athens
The Chief-Secretary + Archimandrite Theologos Apostolides
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