An unprecedented incident occurred on Sunday morning (July 19) in the courtyard of the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Neochori, Karditsa, when a heated argument between the village priest and the president of the local community escalated, according to complaints and eyewitness accounts, into a physical altercation involving punches. The community president was taken to the hospital, and this was followed by mutual accusations and arrests.

According to alithianews.gr, there was an altercation between the village priest and the president of the local community. Subsequently, according to eyewitnesses, the priest punched the president, sending him to the hospital, and subsequently everyone ended up at the police station, where they are being held after filing mutual complaints, according to the same reports. Another villager is also in custody after the priest filed a complaint against him for verbal abuse.

The altercation

According to reports, it all began when the village president, along with other residents, went to the courtyard of the Church of Prophet Elias in Neochori to prepare the area for the annual festival held at the church on the feast day of “Ae-Lia” on July 20.

While they were moving various tables from Agia Marina, a pickup truck arrived at the site with three people whose intention was to decorate the area for a wedding to be held at noon on Sunday. According to the same sources, the village president was not aware of the wedding, and the priest was summoned.

The priest, as he told alithianews.gr, the village president went to the church and, in a stern tone, demanded that everyone leave and remove everything they had set up in the church courtyard. The president and the others told him that this could not be done because a great deal of preparation had gone into the celebration.

The priest then called the police, and shortly thereafter a patrol car from the Limni Plastira police station arrived on the scene. According to the same reports, the priest demanded that the president be arrested so he could press charges against him, while the police officer tried to mediate between them.

The current deputy mayor and the former mayor were summoned and arrived at the scene, while a former deputy mayor and other village residents were also present. A heated altercation ensued, with the president claiming that the priest had attacked him and punched him in the head, causing him to fall to the ground.

The mayor was taken to the hospital, where he received first aid, and the priest was taken to the police station, where he is being held. Subsequently, the president filed a complaint against the priest, and the priest filed a complaint against the president and another resident.

As a result, all three were taken into custody but were provisionally released on the verbal order of the prosecutor. They are scheduled to appear before the prosecutor on Monday.

The wedding was performed by another priest

The Holy Metropolis was also informed of the incident and arranged to send another priest to perform the wedding ceremony; a priest was also sent for the vespers service. The same will happen today, Monday, July 20, the feast day of Saint Lias.

Metropolitan Timotheos of Thessaliotida and Fanariofersalon told the local website that he is deeply saddened by what has happened and that he is monitoring the developments in the case.

Meanwhile, Priest Parthenios Alisianis also commented on the incident; in a Facebook post, he shared photos showing the clergyman involved with scratches on his face and wrote: “When the pious govern, the people rejoice. When the impious govern, the people are oppressed… Unfortunately, here we are. Those who understand, understand. The truth will shine through…”

Source: Protothema.gr