ATHENS – Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Wednesday with an Ecumenical Patriarchate delegation, a party announcement said on Thursday.

According to the announcement the Patriarachate’s delegation expressed concern over the changes to the Constitution promoted by the government, as well as over the government’s intention to change the clergymen’s payroll status.

Mitsotakis said that his party is against the changes, noting that the pending issues between the Church and the State can be settled without changes in the Constitution. He also clarified that ND had from the start opposed the government’s attempt to change the clergymens’ payroll status.