Last updated: September 24, 2026
At the Sacred Monastery of St. John of the Ladder, we operate the website https://trueorthodox.eu. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent, secure, and respectful manner. This Privacy Policy outlines what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
1. Who We Are
Our website address is: https://trueorthodox.eu. The site is operated by the Brotherhood of the Sacred Monastery of St. John of the Ladder, serving as the Administrative Center of the Diocese of Pallini and Western Europe. The metochion of our monastery is the Sacred Cathedral of St. Paraskevi in Gerakas, Attiki, Greece.
For any privacy-related inquiries, you can reach us directly at [email protected].
2. What Personal Data We Collect and Why We Collect It
We collect only the minimum personal information necessary to facilitate donations, manage user accounts, provide access to published content, and maintain website security:
- Donation & Billing Information: When you make an offering or purchase on our website, we collect your name, billing address, and email address. This data is used solely to process your transaction, issue confirmation receipts, and maintain legally required accounting records.
- Account & Subscription Information: If you register an account or subscribe to member-only areas of our site, we securely store your username, email address, password (in encrypted hash format), and account preferences.
- Technical & Security Data: When you visit our website, our server and security software automatically log technical information such as your IP address, browser type, and access timestamps. This data is processed to ensure website stability, defend against malicious attacks, and prevent spam (including the use of non-invasive anti-spam honeypot tools that do not track personal user data).
3. Cookies
We use necessary and functional cookies to ensure our website and donation system operate properly:
- WooCommerce Cookies: We use session cookies to remember the items in your cart, track donation selections, and facilitate the checkout process. These temporary cookies contain no personal data and expire when your session ends.
- Account & Authentication Cookies: If you log into an account on our site, we set temporary cookies to verify your browser settings and remember your login session. Login cookies persist for two days (or two weeks if you select “Remember Me”), and display preference cookies persist for up to one year.
- Functional Cookies: We may use basic cookies to remember user preferences (such as dismissing site notices or announcement banners) so that you are not repeatedly shown the same message.
4. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal data with third parties. Your data is shared only with trusted third-party service providers strictly necessary to operate our website and process orders:
- Payment Gateway (PayPal): All transactions and donations are processed securely through PayPal. Whether you pay via PayPal balance or a debit/credit card, your financial details are processed directly on PayPal’s encrypted servers. We do not store, process, or have access to your credit card or banking credentials. You can review PayPal’s Privacy Policy here.
- Email Services (Transactional Notifications): We utilize trusted email delivery providers (such as Brevo) to send automated transactional emails, such as donation receipts, password reset links, and account notices. Your email and name are processed strictly to ensure reliable email delivery.
- Postal Carriers (If Applicable): In the event that a physical publication or item is ordered, your name and shipping address will be provided to postal carriers (such as the Hellenic Post / ELTA) solely to deliver your shipment.
5. How Long We Retain Your Data
- User Accounts: For registered users, we store personal account details in their profile for as long as the account remains active. Users can view, edit, or delete their profile information at any time (with the exception of their username).
- Financial & Donation Records: For legal, tax, and accounting compliance under Greek and European law, order and donation records (names, dates, amounts, and billing addresses) are retained for the statutory period required by tax authorities.
6. Your Rights Under the GDPR
If you are a resident of the European Union, or have an account or have made a donation through this website, you hold the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”): You may request that we delete your personal data from our systems. This does not apply to data that we are legally required to maintain for administrative, tax, legal, or security purposes.
- Right to Restrict or Object to Processing: You may object to the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority, such as the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA, www.dpa.gr).
7. Data Security
We employ SSL/TLS encryption across the entirety of trueorthodox.eu to ensure that all data transmitted between your browser and our website is secure. While we follow standard industry practices to safeguard personal data, please note that no electronic transmission or storage method over the internet is completely infallible.