Priests, Presbyteres and Paradoxes

Abstract

This paper draws from a larger study on married Greek Orthodox clergy and the problem of role ambiguity and confusion encountered in their ministry. A pattern of ownership emerged, where clergy owned the “position” of Priest and Presbytera, but not all the roles which are contested among the clergy, such as the Church hierarchy and parishioners. This paper posits that the major contributing factor is the conflation of “role” and “position” and that this confusion creates paradoxes. This paper aims to raise awareness of these paradoxes and the problems they cause.