Greek church bells forbidden to sound

The new electric church bells of St. Nicholas’ Greek Orthodox church in Marrickville of Sydney have been silenced to due the intensity of its (73 decibel) sound. The new electric bells which cost $60,000 in total, were installed to save elderly committee members climbing 40 steps in two bell towers for every wedding, funeral and Sunday morning worship.
Marrickville council arrived on the decision further to a petition signed by 77 neighbours. The bells are only allowed to sound again if they are adequately sound-proofed, in an acoustic box costing $20,000. Now, only an old hand-pulled bell is permitted for 7.30am services
However, the parish priest, Eleftherios Kampourakis, stated that the cost of insulating the bell is overwhelming and added that the sounding of the bell is part of “our faith, our tradition and our customs”
Source: ana-mpa