The dark side of religious tourism and an extensive miracles’ racket operating out of the Ayios Avakoum monastery in Fterikoudes came to light on Monday, adding to a slew of scandals brought to light about going-ons at the religious site last week.
According to neighbouring Palaichori resident Sofronis Sofroniou the revelations to date are merely the tip of the iceberg and the deceptions taking place in the surrounding communities, which also drew miracle-seekers from far and wide, have a more sinister dimension.
Speaking extensively to the state broadcaster, Sofroniou, an award-winning writer, painted a disturbing picture of the past three years.
Since 2021, after a popular broadcast managed to convince a large proportion of the population that “something big” was happening people began swarming to the monastery looking for healing miracles, Sofroniou said.
Last week’s scandals at Ayios Avakoum monastery are currently being investigated by police, where two monks were allegedly found to be having sex and receiving thousands of euros in cash they claimed were donations.
An emergency Holy Synod meeting on Friday decided the two monks, embroiled in the scandal, would head to ecclesiastical court.
Sofroniou described how the situation got so out-of-hand that he was daily having to guide lost visitors on their way to the site.
“I and some others felt it was necessary to begin observing the situation, especially after some outrageous incidents were brought to our attention,” Sofroniou said.
He went on to describe the case of an elderly woman who had been exhorted to donate €5,000 towards decorating the saint’s grave (under the church foundation), leaving her desperate and unable to afford her electricity bill.
Other elderly residents also proceeded to “donate” plots of land and property or money.
“After a while I decided it was necessary to speak to the police because of the severity of the situation,” Sofroniou explained.
However, when he tried, the process was extremely cumbersome and he was met with resistance.
“When I called the CID after first being grilled as to why I was even pursuing the matter and what I might stand to gain by it, I was told that the police themselves visit the monastery. When they finally seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation […] I was told it was nonetheless sanctioned by the bishopric and [THE POLICE’S] authority had its limits.”
Sofroniou described how in addition to direct extortion of material goods from the faithful, a large side-show of miracles and pilgrimages was being orchestrated by private entities with a lot of social media clout, locally, in Greece and elsewhere.
“This sideshow was being conducted by individuals with over 100,000 followers advancing the ‘religious trade’ and presenting weekly videos of supposed miracles,” Sofroniou noted.
A brief search by Cyprus Mail on social media sites Facebook and TikTok indeed reveals evidence of such videos, some now seemingly removed.
Large gatherings were held with much funfair where the faithful were invited to venerate arrivals of the saint’s relics and his slippers, while last year in neighbouring Pano Deftera, an event to venerate the mixed relics of Avakoum and another saint proved so popular that a three-day event turned into a five-day event, certainly involving massive profit from the whole scene, Sofroniou said.
After feeling he got nowhere with the police, the writer last year requested and gained an audience with the Bishop Isaias of Tamasos himself.
“I spoke for an hour, explaining the issue and telling him what I knew. [THE CLERIC] behaved as though he had no idea about all of this and said he’d have to go and check out the situation,” Sofroniou said.
In a related episode, Palaichori residents banded together to rid themselves of their newly assigned priest (one of the monastery monks) who also acted as treasurer, after financial abuses became evident a mere three months into his appointment.
Criminal responsibility also belongs also to large media channels which have played along, profiting from the whole scene and encouraging people to seek miracle cures for serious medical conditions – a criminal act, he added.
“Since the situation has been exposed you can sense the relief, people feel freer to speak openly,” Sofroniou said.
Earlier, police spokesman Christos Andreou, clarified to CyBC that two lines of investigation are currently underway, one concerning claims by clerics who reported financial crimes of their members, and the other, an inquiry into statements brought to police by four monks, including claims of kidnapping.
Andreou sought to counter reports that the monks in question had initially been refused the right to file a statement when they presented themselves to the Lakatamia police station on Friday, saying that arrangements were made for them to give their statements promptly, the very next day.
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