From the Macedonian Press Agency (
http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=510294)
INVESTIGATION AND DENIALS
Athens, 11 February 2005 (13:41 UTC+2)
Head Athens prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos ordered an urgent preliminary investigation on the Apostolos Vavilis case, while the government denied there is evidence that he was a secret service agent.
Meanwhile, Patriarch Erineos of Jerusalem with a statement made by the Patriarchate's lawyer Alexis Kougias denied any relation with Apostolos Vavilis, while opposition PASOK Socialist Party parliament deputy and former Prime Minister Kostas Simitis' adviser in 1996-2000 Soula Merentiti clarified that Vavilis is her distant cousin and has no contact with him.
The Ministry of Public Order announced that Vavilis participated as a representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in an inter-religious meeting in Assisi, Italy organized by the Vatican.
According to information published on the Greek-American daily �Ethnikos Kirix�, Archimandrite Giosakis who is currently detained accused of illegal trade of antiquities in the island of Kythera, wanted to build a jacusi in a Chicago church.
PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM DENIES ANY ACQUAINTANCE WITH VAVILIS
Athens, 10 February 2005 (13:38 UTC+2)
The role of the elusive Apostolos Vavilis, the man with the thousand faces, continues to torment the Greek Orthodox Church Hierarchy and scandalize the Greek public opinion. According to new evidence coming to light every day, his presence next to Patriarch Erineos of Jerusalem is being certified as well as his involvement in Church affairs with the tolerance or the encouragement of the Hierarchy leadership.
Apart from the court sentences he has received for drug trade and his Ministry of Public Order supply companies it has also been revealed that in 2002 Apostolos Vavilis participated as a representative of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the inter-religious meeting in Azize, Italy organized by the Vatican.
The name he had used then was Rafael Anagnostakis and accompanied Archimandrite Nikolaos Farmakis.
Patriarch Erineos has denied that he ever knew Vavilis through a written statement by his legal representative.
ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS WILL CALL FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF THE CHURCH HIERARCHY
Athens, 9 February 2005 (15:37 UTC+2)
Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece is expected to call for an extraordinary meeting of the Greek Orthodox Church Hierarchy at the end of February to discuss all issues that caused a major crisis in the Church.
According to information, Archbishop Christodoulos will call for a meeting of the Hierarchy in the Holy Synod meeting on Monday because a growing number of hierarchs believe that this crisis has to be dealt with by the supreme Church body.
BIG DROP IN THE ARCHBISHOP'S POPULARITY
Athens, 11 February 2005 (14:15 UTC+2)
Big drop is recorded in the popularity of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece according to an opinion poll conducted by the VPRC polling company on behalf of Athens radio station �Sky� on February 7 and 9 on a sample of 1,000 people.
According to the opinion poll results, 47% of the people asked have a negative opinion about the Archbishop compared to 43% who have a positive view. Before May 2004, Archbishop Christodoulos' popularity was at 68%.
The politicians are regarded as most corrupt by 70% of the people, while 69% express satisfaction for the election of the new Hellenic Republic President compared to 16% expressing discontent.
Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has the highest popularity rate at 70% followed by Giorgos Papandreou 55%, Alekos Alavanos 41%, Aleka Papariga 39% and Giorgos Karatzaferis 33%.
STATE-CHURCH COOPERATION FRAMEWORK
Athens, 11 February 2005 (13:56 UTC+2)
The government will not open a dialogue on the State-Church separation changing the status in the State-Church relations, stated in Parliament Education Minister Marieta Giannakou responding to a question by Coalition President Alekos Alavanos.
Mrs. Giannakou added that the State should stop using the Church to serve its political beliefs, while she called on the Church to stop meddling in State affairs and boost its spiritual role in cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Mrs. Giannakou also stressed that corruption phenomena could be observed even if the Church was totally separated from the State.
From Kathimerini (
http://www.ekathimerini.com/)
Probe launched into shady role of dealer Vavilis
His links with Church and State questioned
A top Athens prosecutor yesterday ordered an immediate investigation into the role of Apostolos Vavilis, a convicted drug dealer on the Interpol wanted list, and his possible connection to the Church and State.
Vavilis's name came to prominence after allegations that Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Church of Greece, sent him to Jerusalem in 2001 to oversee the election of the Orthodox patriarch there. Christodoulos denied the claims but this has not prevented a string of allegations about Vavilis appearing in the media.
Chief prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos said the probe should focus on four key areas: how Vavilis apparently engaged in business deals with the State when there was a warrant out for his arrest; how he was issued a fake identification card under the name Apostolos Pavlos Fokas; how he managed to leave the country for Jerusalem; and on what authority he was in Israel.
Authorities are also thought to be conducting an unofficial investigation into the possibility that Vavilis, who was first arrested in 1988 for drug dealing, was spying on Greece. An internal police probe has already uncovered that, for a man who has been wanted by Interpol since 1998, Vavilis led a seemingly charmed life.
In September 2001, Greek authorities discovered that Vavilis was in Jerusalem and had reportedly been trying to influence the outcome of the election for Orthodox patriarch. Officers at the Greek branch of Interpol contacted their Israeli counterparts and requested his arrest and extradition, providing them with the name of the hotel where he was staying. The Israelis replied almost immediately that someone called Pavlos had been staying at the hotel in question claiming to be an Orthodox worshipper but that no more information was available. However, television footage, as well as depositions Vavilis gave to Israeli authorities, suggest that he was in the country at that time.
It has also emerged that in 1994, Italian authorities had asked for Vavilis to be arrested after a Venice court found him guilty, in absentia, of drug dealing. The request was relayed by Interpol to the prosecutor in Volos, where he was first convicted in 1988, but an arrest warrant was never issued. It was not until 1998 that a warrant was put out by Interpol.
It appears that Vavilis then obtained a fake ID card and left the country. However, from 1995-97, Vavilis acted as a representative for companies selling security equipment to the Public Order Ministry. He also ran a gun shop a few meters away from police headquarters in central Athens.
Meanwhile, a priest from a Mount Athos monastery yesterday claimed that Christodoulos sent Vavilis there for spiritual guidance in 1998.
Although Christodoulos has denied links to Vavilis and said he is determined to rid the Church of corruption, according to a poll released by VPRC yesterday, his popularity has been severely dented. Some 47 percent of people questioned said they had a negative image of the archbishop - a 25 percent drop from last May.
COMMENTARIES
A Herculean task
Among the flurry of scandal allegations, which are in danger of becoming a regular fixture in our daily news, there are some that really leave us speechless � and, at the same time, at a loss as to how to purge the system of these cancerous cells.
To be sure, the alleged misdeeds are morally and legally contemptible. And it could not have been otherwise, as these involve bribe taking, lewd behavior and broken vows. One might argue that these acts were carried out by isolated individuals or by a small circle of people. However, what can one say when a single person who has been sentenced for drug dealing is nevertheless reported to have maintained close ties to the police, the Church, the judiciary, representatives of state contractors, and probably even another country�s intelligence units?
All this seem to have accumulated in Apostolos Vavilis�s resume. Condemned to 13 years in prison for dealing in drugs, he was granted a 15-year suspended sentence after a police officer testified that he was an informant for the police.
He disappeared before a new arrest warrant was issued for him. Again Vavilis received a suspended sentence. He was finally issued a new arrest warrant that was never executed.
While being sought by the police, the elusive dealer was allegedly going back and forth from the Public Order Ministry selling services and security systems. In 2001, the police believed he was trading in drugs under the name of Apostolos Fokas. During the same period, helped by the abovementioned witness � a friend of his inside the police force � as well as church officials, Vavilis was sent to Jerusalem to oversee the election of the Orthodox archbishop there; he had contact with the Israeli secret services and used a monk as a witness to issue a bogus identity card.
Police, judges, ministry, secret services, bishops and monks, they all opened the door to Vavilis � a man who traded in drugs, armored vehicles and bulletproof jackets, who also acted as middleman in many shady dealings.
It�s hard to believe that these were isolated cases. More likely, our public life has been engulfed in an ocean of corruption.
If that is true, then purifying one or two institutions simply won�t do. We have a Herculean task of cleaning up every aspect of public life. The question is who can and how to fulfill such a daunting challenge when corruption has reached such unnerving proportions.
:rolleyes: 
I recall that at one time in Greece, 20 plus years ago, all the churches were left open so that people could worship. Then icons became precious and the robberies started. 
Since then they keep them locked.