Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia has issued a statement to clarify the incident that occurred on April 3 at the Church of the Holy Archangels of the Megalo Revma in Constantinople.
According to reports, Archimandrite Chrysanthos allegedly attacked and physically assaulted Metropolitan Athenagoras inside the church, resulting in a heated argument conducted in Turkish.
Metropolitan Athenagoras extends his apologies for the incident, acknowledging its impact on the reputation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and expressing concern over its implications for the faithful, raising questions about the conduct of clergy members.
Furthermore, he emphasizes that the clergyman in question has exhibited a challenging demeanor and a lack of cooperation, noting a prior verbal attack in the Metropolitan’s office on Monday afternoon, which disrupted plans for a Holy Service.
Metropolitan Athenagoras refutes any additional claims surrounding the incident and stresses that he promptly informed both the authorities and the Ecumenical Patriarch about the attack.
Read the announcement of Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia:
1.The video that circulated following the regrettable incident on Monday afternoon, April 1, 2024, at the Community of the Holy Archangels of the Megalo Revma of Constantinople, has unfortunately shocked the faithful and prompted widespread concerns about the conduct of ecclesiastical figures.
2. We sincerely apologize for the unfortunate incident that has led to the ridicule of the First Throne Church of Constantinople, the targeting of the revered clergy, and the drawing of inaccurate conclusions.
3. As a result, certain reports in the press have inaccurately portrayed the situation. The reality is that the clergyman involved in the incident has exhibited challenging behavior since his arrival at the Community of Megalo Revma. From the beginning, he displayed reluctance to cooperate with us and other relevant parties. Despite this, we treated him with Christian love, exercising patience and delicacy in the hope that he would adjust to his new role.
4. However, due to his behavior, on the afternoon of Monday, April 1, 2024, he launched into a heated verbal attack in our office and attempted to physically assault us, rendering it impossible to proceed with a joint Holy Service. Consequently, we expressed our reluctance to have him participate further, stating, “Father … I won’t need you, you can go,” as captured in the audiovisual footage.
5. Regrettably, despite the opportunity provided to defuse the situation, this clergyman escalated matters. Instead of seeking resolution, he became physically aggressive towards us during the veneration of the holy icon of Panagia Mavromoliotissa.
6. Thankfully, the sexton of the Community was present and intervened, managing to restrain him after he attempted a second act of violence against us. Of course we didn’t reciprocate. We remained silent and calm.
7. The reprehensible insults in Turkish were uttered by the priest, while the pleas for restraint came from the sexton.
8. The last sentence, which came out of the priest’s mouth, in a gutter language (sic), was addressed to us: “I will kill you!”
9. We did not try to cover up the incident. In contrast, we chose to follow the prescribed legal procedure by informing the authorities about the unprovoked attack we endured and the threat to our physical safety. We duly informed the Ecumenical Patriarch, who is the Shepherd of the aforementioned clergyman.
10. We categorically deny anything else that came to light.
11. We hope and pray that the priest realizes his mistake, which he made for the second time. The Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Diaspora recall similar incidents caused by the clergyman in another ecclesiastical community, ultimately resulting in his dismissal from that position.
12. May the Holy God forgive and have mercy on all of us, especially us clergy, who, with similar behaviors, scandalize the Christians in the midst of Holy and Great Lent.
Megalo Revma, 04. 04. 2024
+ Metropolitan Athenagoras of
Kydonia, Hierarchical Head of the Community of Megalo Revma
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
