A crumbling facade?
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is facing a very serious problem as the crisis with the Church and judicial sectors develops. His role is so crucial, his powers so exceptional, that he cannot stand by and do nothing while all the political parties who play a part in governing begin to crack under the strain. Indeed, if he fails to take the necessary initiatives he will find his government will tumble down around him. We have never had the foundations for a durable regime in this country, but that does not mean that we can keep going if our existing mechanisms cease to function. Fixing our institutions will be much easier once we have agreed on a diagnosis of the crisis we are experiencing. For example, we need to ask: What is the link between the alleged sexual practices and the financial enrichment of bishops? Why should perjurious judges and scandalously worldly priests have common interests? Opportunities for easy money, a prevailing climate of moral impunity, shady transactions and entangled interests have caused many judges and clerics to believe that they run no risks… if they have the right protection. We have had no institutions to speak of for a long time now, and what remains of their facades is a shambles. But the current crisis is a good opportunity to rebuild them. Who is going to take the initiative and the responsibility?
