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Christodoulos says he's determined to proceed with 'clean-up'; cites 'attack' on Church itself


Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos stressed during a closely watched sermon on Sunday that he is determined to proceed with a "clean-up" in the powerful Church, following a series of embarrassing charges aimed at a handful of top clerics over the past weeks.



Speaking from the pulpit to parishioners and several members of the Holy Synod -- the Church of Greece's hierarchical plenum -- Christodoulos nevertheless said the "heavy climate" in the Church is being "maintained by those making revelations of scandals, real or fabricated."



"What purposes does this daily vilification serve? Of what consequence are the (television programmes') proclamations of coming revelations? Do they not create a climate of blackmail? Do they not turn those they threaten into hostages? Is a clean-up achieved in this manner, with vilification and not internally (by the Church itself)?" the influential Archbishop rhetorically asked while delivering a sermon from the Penteli Monastery in Athens on a day that coincided with the holding of an annual one-day seminar on theological issues.



Moreover, he said the recent crescendo of media attention on the accusations against the high-ranking clerics -- ranging from antiquities smuggling to embezzlement and misappropriation of funds to even charges of indecency and licentiousness -- is merely an attack against the Church "during a period when the country needs its (Church) spiritual guidance".



Finally, Christodoulos said whatever problems related to the clergy are not solved with a prosecutor's "stick".



The highest-ranking cleric touched by the recent furor is Metropolitan of Attica (prefecture) Panteleimon, who was suspended by the Holy Synod from his ecclesiastical duties for six months until an investigation into the charges against him is finalised.

From Athens News Agency (http://www.ana.gr/)

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METROPOLITE PANTELEIMON ON SIX-MONTH SUSPENSION
Athens, 4 February 2005 (18:27 UTC+2)


Metropolite Panteleimon of Attiki was put on a six-month suspension after accusations of having talks with former members of the judiciary who participated in corrupt networks.

Metropolite Panteleimon testified before the Holy Synod today and according to information, he maintained that the incriminating tapes used against him are fake and the product of voice editing. In the next six months, Metropolite Panteleimon will try to prove his innocence and if he fails he will be removed from the throne of the Metropolite.

According to information, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece will assume the post of the Attiki Metropolis vicar


Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr)


--------------------------------------------------
The priest, the judge, the ring and the probe


Several judges, prosecutors and a priest are being investigated as possiblemembers of a ring that rigged trials

GEORGE GILSON

Priest Iakovos Giosakis reportedly fled the country to evade investigation into his involvement with a group alleged to have rigged court cases

A SWEEPING investigation of lower and appellate court judges and prosecutors has implicated a Greek Orthodox priest and has shaken the public trust in the Greek justice system.

The priest, Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis, is suspected of involvement with an alleged ring that rigged court cases. Giosakis, no stranger to controversy, is also under investigation.

Greek Supreme Court prosecutors are carrying out a review of cases ranging from the freeing of charged drug dealers to insurance. In a number of the cases under review, the litigious priest himself was either plaintiff or defendant.

Greek state television reported that Giosakis flew to Lebanon on January 25, immediately after his bank accounts were ordered opened, and quoted sources close to the priest that he would return to Greece in ten days. No charges have yet been filed against Giosakis, and hence there are no legal restrictions on his movement.

Forty-three percent of Greeks said that they do not have trust in the criminal justice system, according to a Kappa Research poll conducted after the scandal broke out.

Widening investigation

Supreme Court prosecutor George Sanidas has ordered the opening of bank accounts in the Commercial Bank of Greece belonging to Giosakis, lower court prosecutor Antonia Ilia and chief lower court judge Leonidas Stathis.

Sources close to the case told the Athens News that the number of judges and prosecutors involved continues to grow. An appellate court deputy prosecutor, an appellate court prosecutor and a female appellate court judge are also currently under investigation in the case. It is believed that as many as ten judges could be expelled from the judiciary by the time the investigation is over.

Lower court judge Panagiota Tsevi-Raftopoulou is under investigation in two slander cases in which she ruled in Giosakis' favour. The first was against Athens University theology professor Xenophon Papaharalambous and the other against Metropolitan Germanos of Ilia.

The ongoing probe is investigating whether three female judges, including Ilia, received bribes from Giosakis to rule in his favour in about ten cases, including the two slander suits.

Strange circumstances

Some of the facts and allegations the Supreme Court prosecutors must look into are, to put it mildly, bizarre.

For instance, Germanos reports receiving a prank call evidently designed to keep him out of court on the day of the Papaharalambous trial, in which he was a witness for the defence. The caller claimed that the French ambassador wanted to visit Germanos' diocese on that day. When Germanos telephoned the number left by the caller, he found that it belonged to the office of a deputy prosecutor.

Giosakis sued Germanos after the latter wrote a letter advising Archbishop Christodoulos against the appointment of Giosakis in the powerful position of chief secretary of the synod. Giosakis was also a candidate to fill the influential position of head of the Apostoliki Diakonia (apostolic ministry).

Another curious allegation is that in several cases involving Giosakis, the judges who were initially chosen by lot were later replaced without explanation by judges now suspected of corruption.

Supreme Court Chief Justice George Kappos ordered an investigation against Tsevi, who judged the Germanos-Giosakis case, for alleged bias.

Never a dull moment

For over 15 years, the name Giosakis has spelled trouble in the ranks of the Greek Orthodox Church. In the late 1980s, the late metropolitan Panteleimon of Limnos appointed Giosakis as chancellor of his diocese. A rift between Giosakis and two other priests resulted in ousting of the metropolitan in 1989 after 39 years on the throne, following popular outcry.

Giosakis cared for Panteleimon in Athens for the remaining decade of the metropolitan's life. A source at the Limnos diocese confirmed that Panteleimon had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease even before the arrival of Giosakis. Giosakis obtained from the metropolitan a power of attorney, which enabled him to sell 11 prime pieces of property owned by the metropolitan between 1989 and 1993.

An employee at the Kranidi land registry confirmed the sales to this newspaper, which included six properties totalling almost four acres, a rural lot with a house and a seaside property in the Mandraki region of Ermioni.

Giosakis later went to the Diocese of Kithira, where he had served before going to Limnos. He was implicated in a scandal involving the theft of icons and a homosexual scandal that led to the resignation of the island's metropolitan, Iakovos. Giosakis was never convicted of any crime.

The Greek Supreme Court is now seeking judicial assistance from the United States to investigate Giosakis' activity in Chicago, where he repaired after the Kithira scandal. While serving at the Church of Saints Athanasios and John, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Giosakis was accused of having embezzled between $500,000 and $1 million, partly from the Philoptochos charity fund.

According to a church source, police confiscated Giosakis' passport, but he managed to travel to Mexico, where patriarchal Metropolitan Athenagoras of Panama interceded with Greek consular authorities to issue a new passport. Athenagoras also issued a letter releasing Giosakis from his diocese and enabling him to be taken in later by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Attica.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos issued a stern letter rebuking Athenagoras in 2002. According to church sources, Giosakis was about to be defrocked by the patriarchate when the powerful chief secretary of the patriarchal synod interceded on his behalf.


ATHENS NEWS , 28/01/2005, page: A04
Article code: C13115A041

02] Giosakis Involved in Archbishop's Election? Turmoil in Church over Giosakis
31 Jan 2005 18:46:00
By Annita Paschalinou

Sources: NET

The revelations concerning the activities of Iakovos Giosakis are taking new dimensions. The Archimandrite, who appeared before the Piraeus Examiner this morning, is alleged to also be involved in the elections for the Archbishop in 1998. According to the accusations by the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva, Ieronymos, on Greek reporter Makis Traintafylopoulos show, Giosakis visited him on the eve of the elections and asked him to stand down from claiming the position of Archbishop. The Archdioceses reaction was immediate.

They Blamed the Journalists

Iakovos Giosakis appeared before the 7th Piraeus Examiner this morning, accompanied by two members of the clergy and two other people.

The Archimandrite stayed in the Interrogators office for a few minutes and secured a 48-hour extension.

Upon exiting, he appeared angry and did not wish to make any statements to the Press.

Those accompanying him also appeared quite angry, while one of them threw a bottle of water to the TV crews.

The Archdiocese's Response to Ieronymos

In the meantime, the accusations by the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva, Ieronymos, concerning Iiakovos Giosakis have caused turmoil in the Church.

While appearing on Greek reporter Makis Traintafylopoulos show, the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva said that Giosakis and another acting, high-ranked justice official visited him on the eve of the 98 elections and asked him to withdraw his candidacy for the position of the Archbishop.

The Archdioceses reaction was immediate.

In an announcement issued by its Press office, it was noted that Archbishop Christodoulos was not aware of such a visit by Iakovos Giosakis.

It is also underlined that, contrary to the accusation by the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva, they hold a written denunciation by Russian Holy Deacon Igor, which reveals that close ties existed between Metropolitan Bishop Ieronymos and Iakovos Giosakis.

At the same time, the Metropolitan Bishop of Attica, under whose jurisdiction Iakovos Giosakis falls, called a Holy Synod in order to appoint a clergyman as an interrogator.

His request will be considered during the Continuous Holy Synod, which will convene on Thursday.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

From http://www.hri.org

Bribery scandal engulfs Greek church
By Daniel Howden
04 February 2005


Greece's top Orthodox clerics were in an emergency meeting last night aimed at limiting the fallout from the biggest scandal to engulf the church in decades.

Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for at least one senior cleric as the Holy Synod called for an internal inquiry into a ring of priests accused of bribing top judges and lawyers in return for favourable rulings. The scandal, involving payoffs, secret funds and sexual favours, has shocked the faithful in a country where the overwhelming majority are Orthodox Christians.

The cleric at the centre of the affair, Iakovos Yiossakis, a close associate of Greece's firebrand spiritual leader, Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens, was being sought by police after prosecutors decided there a risk that he might go missing.

A number of judges, lawyers and priests are under investigation for helping get suspected drug dealers acquitted, involvement in prostitution and influencing church elections.

Archbishop Christodoulos, who has earned a reputation for outspoken involvement in political affairs, made a desperate attempt to distance the church from the furore. "We must protect it [the church]. Cleansing the church must go ahead without any compromise," he said.

His call for a purge was echoed by George Kapos, the supreme court president: "I don't have any problem if there are 13 or 20 judges who will be prosecuted because what I want is to clean the judicial system."

One of the key witnesses in the investigation, Stelios Vorinas, a reporter, has submitted audio tapes and other documents relating to one of the judges under investigation.

Metropolitan Bishop Ieronimos said in interviews this week that he had been discouraged from running for the archbishopric in 1998 by a senior judge and threatened by one of the ring of priests under investigation. Ieronimos has accused Christodoulos of using Yiossakis to blackmail him so that he would not stand against him in the ecclesiastical elections. The Archbishop denies the claims.

Four top judges linked to the priests have been charged with serious disciplinary offences and at least another nine senior judges and several prominent lawyers are under investigation.

"This is only the start of our problems," Metropolitan Bishop Ambrosius said. "There will be more developments and earthquakes and I ask you not to be scandalised by them."

Sources close to Archbishop Christodoulos said the controversial spiritual leader, who enjoys considerable support among Greece's 95 per cent Orthodox population, was "angered and disappointed".
From The Independent-Edition on Line(http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=607558)

This is very sad.

I am *SO* sorry to hear this, as I am sorry for any bad thing I read happening to the Western or Eastern Church, or religious individuals.

The love of money permeates Western societies so much.

My prayers for Archbishop Christodoulos at this difficult time.

NO Church, East or West is immune from the demon's darts and temptations. However, all Orthodox and Catholic have a promise that the bonds of Hell will not destroy us.

It is time that we put aside our differences and unite in a strong spiritual force...helping each other and praying for each other, thwarting the demon's darts because of our confession and practice of love for each other, so that the new springtime of Christianity can emerge.

Prayerfully,
Alice

On of the holiest Orthodox priestmonks I know is Father Archimandrite Roman (Braga) of the Romanian OCA Diocese...he always says this:

"Hell is going to be a very colorful place with all those bishops down there...with all their miters and vestments"

Lord have mercy upon us all!

In Christ Who is LORD,
+Fr. Gregory

To offer a somewhat lighter note: back in the sixties, I believe, some short-reigned ARchbishop of Athens was deposed for "unmentionable acts". The only result I remember was a spate of indignant editorials, including one entitled "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE MENTION THE UNMENTIONABLE ACTS?".

Since it is not difficult to think of various acts which are not normally mentioned but which are not sinful in the least, let alone criminal, one can appreciate the frustration which would give rise to such editorials! In the words of a famous American expression "Put Up or Shut Up!"

Meanwhile I have no doubt that the Church of Greece needs our prayers.

Incognitus

Hmmmm sounds like something I said way back when, when the Latin Church was being dragged through the mud and other's we gloating.
Stephanos I

I think St. John Chrysostom said something similar.

Prayers for Greece.

LTrd

Prayers for His Grace and the entire Church of Greece. May the Holy Theotokos intercede quickly for her children.

From Macedonian Press Agency (http://www.mpa.gr/)

ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS ON THE CHURCH SCANDAL
Athens, 7 February 2005 (14:02 UTC+2)


Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece delivered an emotionally charged sermon at Penteli Monastery yesterday held in the presence of the whole Church hierarchy on the occasion of St. Fotios feast.

Archbishop Christodoulos stated that the atmosphere is heavy within the Church as a result of everything that came to light lately and the revelations against a number of hierarchs.

Archbishop Christodoulos stated that he will be a crusader in the effort to purge the Church.

He maintained that an all-out and well-orchestrated attack is being launched against the Church with mud-slinging, malice and blackmails.

Meanwhile, the defense attorneys of Archimandrite Giosakis who is in police custody accused of participating in a network of corrupt judges announced their decision to stop representing him in court.



CRISIS IN THE CHURCH DEEPENS
Athens, 7 February 2005 (15:00 UTC+2)


The Church of Greece Holy Synod met today under Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece in a very heavy atmosphere in the shadow of new revelations on scandals involving members of the Church hierarchy.

The hierarchs expressed the view that this is a well-orchestrated attack against the Church and the Archbishop proposed that each case should be examined separately, adding that reputations and institutions should stop being dragged through the mud.

The hierarchs decided, among others, to form a three-member committee made up of hierarchs members of the Holy Synod, conduct an audit to the finances of the Metropolis of Kephallonia and request written explanations by Metropolite Stefanos of Trifilia and Olympia.

Meanwhile, a decision will be issued today on whether Archimandrite Giosakis detention will continue, while Metropolite Theoklitos of Thessaliotida will submit his written testimony tomorrow.

From Kathimerini (http://www.ekathimerini.com/)

Judicial probe to widen as Church is further mired
Sixth judge faces charges, 30 being investigated


The wave of scandals engulfing the Church of Greece and the justice system intensified yesterday as it was revealed that yet another judge is to face disciplinary procedures, this time after claims of involvement in a sex-trafficking ring, while the Holy Synod is looking into the publication of an indecent picture of a bishop.

A sixth judge, as yet unnamed, is to be hauled before the Supreme Court to face questioning and the possibility of expulsion from the judiciary, sources told Kathimerini, after allegations surfaced linking him to gangs which prostituted women. One court of first instance judge already facing corruption charges, Antonia Ilia, yesterday claimed that she was a victim of an operation to blacken her name. Ilia has already been linked with the priest who is alleged to be at the center of the trial-fixing ring, Archimandrite Iakovos Yiossakis, after claims that she favored him in two cases.

However, Ilia has now been accused of accepting over 200,000 euros from two lawyers in return for not remanding in custody a psychiatrist who had been accused of giving drugs to addicts that he was meant to be treating. Ilia says incriminating audio tapes have been doctored.

Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras yesterday met with Supreme Court prosecutor Dimitris Linos and is understood to have told him to speed up the investigation of allegedly corrupt judges so the scandal does not drag on, adversely affecting public opinion.

Papaligouras is expected to submit to Parliament today a 12-point draft law, which he announced last week, in a bid to clamp down on corruption. Among the tougher new measures proposed is up to 10 years� imprisonment and a maximum 1-million-euro fine for judges caught taking bribes.

Some 30 more judges are thought to be under investigation at the moment and deputy appeals prosecutor Nikos Athanasopoulos is due to appear before the Supreme Court on corruption charges today.

Meanwhile, the Holy Synod, the Church�s ruling body, yesterday decided to ask for a written explanation from Stefanos, Bishop of Trifyllia, after an indecent picture of him appeared in the press. The body also decided to set up a special panel made up of three bishops � Panteleimonas of Xanthi, Vassilios of Elassona and Efsevio of Samos � to examine allegations of corruption against other clerics.

A Piraeus prosecutor is expected today to recommend that Archimandrite Yiossakis be remanded in custody because he is a flight risk, pending his trial for antiquities theft. Yiossakis is currently being held in a cell at the Piraeus police precinct.

Editorial

The flood of corruption allegations against clergymen that has thrown the Greek Church into deep crisis, and the dubious methods employed by the bickering bishops, raise serious questions over the protection of people�s democratic rights and the smooth functioning of a state that is supposedly governed by the rule of law.

There should be no doubt that the ecclesiastical crisis is both deep and acute. To be sure, the institution�s ability to cleanse itself of corruption is limited � a failing that reinforces calls for state institutions to intervene swiftly against the clergy�s criminal offenses.

Having said that, it should be emphasized that the attempts to accustom the public to illegal means of surveillance raise serious concerns about respect for people�s democratic freedoms.

In an unreservedly provocative way, there is an ongoing, television-based attempt to legitimize, in the viewers� minds, a complex underworld in which the wiretapping of people�s personal moments is rife, with the aim of undermining or blackmailing the victims.

The threat against our democracy is even bigger, as the products of these illegal tactics are allowed � in a context of state apathy � to indicate the targets of the reform campaign, in line with the whims and desires of the interests they serve.

Why has the state remained passive in the face of this burgeoning shower of allegations? Why has the Radio and Television Council (ESR) � which has always (and rightly) been keen to punish the vulgarities exposed in sensational afternoon tell-all shows � failed to take any measures? Why did the otherwise sensitive Data Protection Authority, which protested against publication of the names of journalists holding state-sector jobs, deem that a bishop�s sexual activity need not be protected by the personal data protection law (regardless of whether such behavior is deemed �unethical� under Church rules)?

Such selective intervention constitutes a dereliction of duty on behalf of these institutions and of people�s individual rights. The political leadership and the Education and Religion Ministry ought to take drastic action, for it bears political responsibility for developments inside the Church body. It seems we are in for some difficult times.

Mr. Apostolos Vavilis (also known as Apostolos Pavlos Fokas), from Volos (Metropolis of Dimitrias and Almyros) received an introduction letter from the former metropolitan bishop of Dimitrias and Almyros and now Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos before being arrested. He used this letter at the court. Finally he was condemned for violating of legislation on narcotic drugs althought he never went to jail. During the campaing for the election of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem he was sent to Jerusalem by the Archbishopric of Athens toguether with the archimandrite Nikodimos Farmakis and a former official of the Greek police Giannis Triandafylakis apparently to help his beatitude Eirineos in his campaing. After his election as Patriarchte of the Holy City Apostolos Vavilis (who entered Israel with a false pasport) worked for security and information service of the Patriarchate during some months. Now he is said to be in a monastery after receiving the monastic tonsure (monastic name Rafail). He is wanted by the Greek and Italian Police as well as by the Interpol.

From the Eleftherotypia (http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text?c=112&id=37324216,15652536,21052472,43051832,51081400,3372600), pictures aviable
ΝΕΑ ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΑ �Απεσταλμένος του Χριστόδουλου ο Βαβύλης�


Απόστολος φαύλος


Του ΘΩΜΑ ΤΣΑΤΣΗ


Δύο νέα πρόσωπα, ένας κληρικός της �Χρυσοπηγής� κι ένας απόστρατος αστυνομικός προστίθενται στο παζλ των σχέσεων που αποκαλύπτονται μεταξύ του αρχιεπισκόπου Χριστόδουλου με τον καταζητούμενο από την Ιντερπόλ Απόστολο Βαβύλη, που στα Ιεροσόλυμα ήταν γνωστός με το όνομα �Απόστολος Φωκάς�.


ΔΙΠΛΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΗ Ο απόστρατος της ΕΛ.ΑΣ., Γιάννης Τριανταφυλλάκης, δίπλα στον Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίο, λίγο μετά την εκλογή του τον Αύγουστο του 2001
Πρόκειται για τον αρχιμανδρίτη Νικόδημο Φαρμάκη, που προέρχεται -όπως ο αρχιεπίσκοπος Χριστόδουλος και οι μητροπολίτες Πειραιώς Καλλίνικος, Καλαβρύτων Αμβρόσιος, Σάμου Ευσέβιος και Δημητριάδος Ιγνάτιος- από την Χρυσοπηγή και τον Ιωάννη Τριανταφυλλάκη, που αποστρατεύτηκε από την Ελληνική Αστυνομία τον Μάιο του 2001 με τον βαθμό του υποστρατήγου.

Ο Τριανταφυλλάκης σε κατάθεση που έδωσε στον εισαγγελέα Πλημμελειοδικών Αθηνών, τον Μάρτιο του 2004, που ήθελε να αμυνθεί μετά από μήνυση που υπέβαλε εναντίον του ο Πατριάρχης Ιεροσολύμων Ειρηναίος, αποκαλύπτει: �Προς απόδειξη της αληθείας όλων των ισχυρισμών μου, αλλά και των εγκλημάτων του κ. Ειρηναίου και μέχρι στιγμής τουλάχιστον προσάγω και επικαλούμαι τα εξής αποδεικτικά μέσα και στοιχεία:


ΤΕΛΕΤΑΡΧΗΣ Ο αρχιμανδρίτης Νικόδημος Φαρμάκης προέρχεται από τη �Χρυσοπηγή�. Στην εκλογή του Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίου είχε τον ρόλο του τελετάρχη
1. Την από 10.9.2003, επιστολή - κατάθεση του αρχιμανδρίτου κ. Νικοδήμου, κατά κόσμον Νικολάου Φαρμάκη.

2. Την με αρ. 2344/10.2.2004 ένορκη βεβαίωση του Αποστόλου Βαβύλη, μετά του οποίου και του κ. Νικοδήμου, κατόπιν εντολής του αρχιεπισκόπου κ. Χριστοδούλου, μετέβημεν επό οκτάμηνο στα Ιεροσόλυμα για να βοηθήσουμε την εκλογή του κ. Ειρηναίου�.

Λίγο πριν και πάλι με σαφή τρόπο ισχυρίζεται το ίδιο ακριβώς πράγμα:

�Επί της ψευδεστάτης και αθλίας εγκλήσεως - μηνύσεως του κ. Εμμανουήλ Σκοπελίτη, πρώην μητροπολίτου Ιεραπόλεως (σ.σ. εννοεί τον Πατριάρχη Ιεροσολύμων Ειρηναίο) και ήδη από το 2001 και με τη βοήθειά μου, μεταβάντος εμού με εντολή του Αρχιεπισκόπου Αθηνών κ. Χριστόδουλου στα Ιεροσόλυμα, μετά του κ. Απόστολου Βαβύλη και κατά χρονικά διαστήματα του αεχιμανδρίτου Νικόδημου Φαρμάκη αλλά βασικά με τις πιο κάτω κακουργηματικές πράξεις εις βάρος των επικρατεστέρων αυτού συνυποψηφίων του, εκλεγέντος Πατριάρχη Ιεροσολύμων, η οποία είναι καταδήλως και εξ ανάγκης υπεράσπιση των πιο κάτω κακουργημάτων αυτού, προφανής όλως ψευδής και άθλια, επάγομαι τα εξής...�.


Απόστολος Βαβύλης. Ο καταζητούμενος που φέρνει σε δύσκολη θέση τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο
Χθες από το Mega, δόθηκε στη δημοσιότητα μέρος κατάθεσης που έδωσε ο Απόστολος Βαβύλης στις 2 Φεβρουαρίου 2004 ενώπιον Ισραηλινού εισαγγελέα. Δηλαδή ένα μήνα πριν την κατάθεση του Γιάννη Τριανταφυλλάκη. Σύμφωνα με όσα μεταδόθηκαν, ο καταζητούμενος από την Ιντερπόλ δήλωνε: �Ημουν ο κεντρικός υποστηρικτής του κ. Ειρηναίου στην προεκλογική περίοδο, κατόπιν αιτήματος του επικεφαλής της Ελλαδικής Εκκλησίας, τον οποίο σέβομαι και θαυμάζω. Ο κ. Ειρηναίος ενεπνεύσθη, καθοδήγησε και ενέκρινε την δυσφημιστική εκστρατεία κατά των αντιπάλων του και ιδιαιτέρως του μητροπολίτη Τιμοθέου και του μητροπολίτη Κορνήλιου�.


Αρχιεπίσκοπος Χριστόδουλος. Μέσω συνεργατών διαψεύδει κάθε σχέση με Βαβύλη
�Καμία σχέση�

Συνεργάτες του Αρχιεπισκόπου, όταν κλήθηκαν να σχολιάσουν τις εξελίξεις, απάντησαν ότι �ουδεμία διασύνδεση και σχέση υπάρχει με τον αρχιεπίσκοπο Χριστόδουλο και τον Απόστολο Βαβύλη ή Φωκά. Ουδένα απέστειλε ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος για να βοηθήσει για τη συγκεκριμένη υπόθεση. Οσοι τα επικαλούνται αυτά το κάνουν για τους δικούς τους λόγους�.

Η �Ε� επικοινώνησε με τον απόστρατο αστυνομικό Γιάννη Τριανταφυλλάκη που στο παρελθόν διετέλεσε και διοικητής τη Υποδιεύθυνσης Δίωξης Ναρκωτικών, δύο φορές. Την πρώτη ο ίδιος είπε: �Πήγα στα Ιεροσόλυμα μαζί μ' έναν φίλο όχι για τα θέματα του Πατριαρχείου αλλά για άλλες δουλειές το 2001. Συναντήθηκα με τον κ. Ειρηναίο πριν από τις εκλογές και τον βοήθησα, γιατί μου το ζήτησε ο ίδιος. Τον βοηθούσαμε στις μετακινήσεις του με το αυτοκίνητό μας. Πηγαινοερχόμουνα από την Ελλάδα στο Ισραήλ. Εκεί συνάντησα και τον Βαβύλη, που τον γνώριζα από παλιά. Ξέρετε, ο άνθρωπος δεν είναι Κορλεόνε, όπως τον παρουσιάζουν. Συνεργάστηκε με τις αστυνομικές αρχές και καλύφθηκε από τις ευεργετικές διατάξεις του άρθρου 24. Αλλοι τον ενέπλεξαν. Ο άνθρωπος κυκλοφορούσε ελεύθερος. Μαθαίνω ότι δεν είναι ιδιαίτερα καλά στη υγεία του. Δεν είχα πάει μαζί του εκεί και πάντα τον γνώριζα ως Βαβύλη και όχι ως Φωκά�. Στη δεύτερη επικοινωνία τού υπενθυμήσαμε την κατάθεση που έδωσε στον εισαγγελέα Πλημμελειοδικών. Περιορίστηκε μόνο σ' ένα σχόλιο: �Είναι λάθος του δικηγόρου μου, δεν μπορώ να σας μιλήσω περισσότερο�.

Ο αρχιμανδρίτης Νικόδημος Φαρμάκης, ο τρίτος της παρέας που σύμφωνα με την κατάθεση Τριανταφυλλάκη πήγε να βοηθήσει στην εκλογή Ειρηναίου μιλώντας στην �Ε� είπε: �Πήγα μόνος μου στα Ιεροσόλυμα για να βοηθήσω τον Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίο. Ηταν πολύς κόσμος που βοηθούσε το 2001 στα Ιεροσόλυμα. Ακουσα το όνομα �Φωκάς�. Πρέπει να ήταν εκεί κάποιος με αυτό το όνομα. Δεν ξέρω κάτι περισσότερο�.

Την εκδοχή που ενισχύει τη σχέση του Απόστολου Βαβύλη με τον αρχιεπίσκοπο Χριστόδουλο έδωσε και ο πρώην πρόξενος της Ελλάδας στα Ιεροσόλυμα, Πέτρος Παναγιωτόπουλος, που γνώρισε τον �Απόστολο Φωκά�, που του δήλωσε �πνευματικό παιδί� του Αρχιεπισκόπου Αθηνών. Οταν διαπίστωσε τον ρόλο του, ενημέρωσε τον Πατριάρχη Ειρηναίο για να τον απομακρύνει. Και εκείνος του απάντησε: �Δεν μπορώ, είναι πνευματικό παιδί του Αρχιεπισκόπου�.

Μετά από περίπου οχτώ μήνες παραμονής στα Ιεροσόλυμα ο �Φωκάς� και ενώ έχει διαπιστωθεί ότι πρόκειται για τον καταζητούμενο από την Ιντερπόλ Απόστολο Βαβύλη φεύγει από το Ισραήλ. Στο μεταξύ ήδη είχε αφήσει την υπογραφή του, ως συνεργάτης του Πατριάρχη. Υπέγραψε κείμενο με ημερομηνία 21 Αυγούστου 2001, για να ενημερώσει τα μέσα ενημέρωσης ότι ο Πατριάρχης Ειρηναίος έδωσε μόνο μία συνέντευξη αμέσως μετά την εκλογή του. Το κείμενο τελείωνε ως εξής: �Για οποιαδήποτε πληροφορία σχετικά με την ενθρόνιση αλλά και το πρόγραμμα του Μακαριωτάτου, είμαστε στην απόλυτη διάθεσή σας. Τηλέφωνα επικοινωνίας και φαξ: +972 55... Μετά τιμής, Απόστολος Π. Φωκάς�.

Τις τελευταίες ημέρες το πρόσωπό που έχει αναδειχτεί σε μεγάλο κίνδυνο για τη διοικούσα Εκκλησία, ο Απόστολος Βαβύλης, είναι άγνωστον πού βρίσκεται. Σύμφωνα με εκκλησιαστικές πηγές εκάρη μοναχός σε μοναστήρι και πλέον λέγεται Ραφαήλ. Για την Ιερά Σύνοδο, αν το επιθυμεί, είναι πολύ εύκολο να ερευνήσει και να μάθει εάν όντως είναι μοναχός, εάν λέγεται Ραφαήλ και σε πιο μοναστήρι έχει πάει. Ωστόσο άλλες πληροφορίες, όπως αυτές που μετέφερε στην �Ε� ο κ. Γιάννης Τριανταφυλλάκης, λένε ότι δηλαδή είναι πολύ άρρωστος και νοσηλεύεται σε νοσοκομείο.


tsath@enet.gr


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Συνεργάτης της Δίωξης ο καταζητούμενος Βαβύλης ή Φωκάς


Του ΓΙΩΡΓΟΥ ΜΑΡΝΕΛΛΟΥ


Εντείνει η Ασφάλεια Αττικής τις αναζητήσεις για τη σύλληψη του Απόστολου Βαβύλη, που χρησιμοποιεί και την πλαστή ταυτότητα Απόστολος Φωκάς. Εις βάρος του εκκρεμούν δύο εντάλματα σύλληψης.


Ενα από το τριμελές Εφετείο Κακουργημάτων Λάρισας, που εκδόθηκε στις 12/2/97 για παράβαση του νόμου περί ναρκωτικών, και ένα εντελώς πρόσφατο, που εξεδόθη από τον ανακριτή Αθηνών ύστερα από αίτημα δικαστικής συνδρομής των ιταλικών αρχών, για υπόθεση διακίνησης ναρκωτικών το 1987 στην Ιταλία. Από το 1997 ο Βαβύλης αναζητείται και με διεθνές ένταλμα σύλληψης για λογαριασμό των ελληνικών αρχών.

Ταυτοχρόνως, εις βάρος του Βαβύλη εκκρεμεί δικογραφία που σχημάτισε το 2002 το Τμήμα Οργανωμένου Εγκλήματος της Ασφάλειας Αττικής για πλαστογραφία. Στην ίδια δικογραφία εμπλέκονται δύο αστυνομικοί, ένας απόστρατος και ένας εν ενεργεία, καθώς και δύο-τρεις δημόσιοι υπάλληλοι.

Ο Απ. Βαβύλης προκειμένου ν&a

I remember reading someplace that "In ancient times priests of gold wore crosses of wood. Today, priests of wood wear crosses of gold".
Reminds me of the horror of priests like Father Paul Shanley.
Silouan, monk

Arch. Christodoulos is right. I know that actions need to be taken towards the corruption that is rampant in the Courts, but I find the Greek media totally irresponsible.

I recall years ago when the Pope wanted to visit Greece. The irresponsibility of the media, and the total ignorance of the priests and monks they interviewed, was unimaginable, and certainly contrary to true public reaction.

It didn't dawn on them, that what they were doing was being picked up throughout the world and giving a very negative impression of Greece. :rolleyes:

Of course after seeing what CNN has done to the RCC, and it's almost 'demonic' desire to destroy probably the largest charitable institution in the nation, I can't say that our media falls far behind.

I guess Churches though, do need a good cleansing once in a while.

Zenovia

At one time, the only people eligible to become bishops, were monks that had to be dragged out of the monasteries.

Zenovia