In an interview with a local radio station, Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria, Naoussa and Campania spoke about the actions of the 37-year-old priest who was defrocked by the Synodal Court and threw acid onto seven Metropolitans.
As he said, the 37-year-old had the talent to divide the world and be a populist while his lawyer wants to put forward mental health issues, as reported by protothema.gr.
“This is a clergyman who was ordained at the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Libya and then transferred to two other Metropolises in the Peloponnese.
Four years ago, a brother called me to tell me that a clergyman from Northern Greece, who is orphaned by his father, and the brother told me to take care of him. Eventually, we took care of him but in a very short time he started creating problems until he grappled with the church’s chanter.
He then asked to go to Mount Athos and he pledged by notarial deed that his salary be collected by the Metropolis to repay the debts he had created. He did not keep this promise and hurried to collect his salary.
Then I sent him to a small village near Alexandria, in Kalochori, and there he continued to do the same, he divided the people and the worst of all; the security informed us that he was mixed up with illegal activities. Evidence was gathered and the case was brought to the synodal court.
He was defrocked. There he started cursing the hierarchs. The case was examined on the second instance, and was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When he heard the court’s ruling, he had two bottles of acid in a bag and threw it onto people. He did not repent at all. He said: “I did well.”
Because we knew his bad temperament, we had asked for a police officer to be there, as he did.
The man was waiting at the door and as soon as this happened, the secretary opened the door, the policeman came in and he stopped him and even burned the policeman’s hand with the acid.
His lawyer wants to put forward mental health issues. He acted with criminal logic. He had the gift of dividing people, he had the gift of being a populist. Well-meaning people believed in him. I recommended many things to him with love and kindness in order to make him conform. He has been suspended for three years now.”
