Greece’s powerful Orthodox Church on Monday accused city authorities of seeking to increase the number of prostitution licenses in Athens before the 2004 Games.
The Holy Synod of Church elders expressed ”surprise and dismay” over last month’s city council petition urging the government to re-examine prostitution regulations in the Greek capital.
”This decision is degrading the face of mankind and does not honour the nation’s premier municipality, especially at a time when we will be trying to promote our culture,” a statement from the Holy Synod said.
Greece has a small and tightly controlled legal prostitution industry and a much larger illegal one, maintained mainly through illegal immigrants from eastern Europe.
The council on Monday said the church had been ”misinformed.”
A statement said the council had asked the government to ”clarify operating rules” for brothels in an effort to curb the illegal sex trade. – Sapa-AP