"We are asking for an extra 15 euros to turn the air conditioner on," Father George, a priest in a working-class neighbourhood of Athens, told the Eleftherotypia newspaper.

Summer temperatures in Greece can soar to as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), leaving Greeks dressed in their Sunday best sweating in the country's small and frequently packed churches.

Adding to the heat, marriage and baptism ceremonies also usually take place under glaring spotlights as most of them are videotaped -- something else priests level charges for, Eleftherotypia reported.

Father George says the air-conditioner fee merely covers costs and chastised people for complaining, saying: "We don't charge anything for the red carpets and the lights."

Last month, the Athens taxi union condemned a practice by some of its members to charge passengers an extra euro or more to turn the air conditioning in their cars.

TERRA.WIRE