Saturday, January 22, 2011

Monk Nabbed At Airport Trying To Smuggle Dead Nun's Skeleton Out Of Greece

Cyprus Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostomos II   above , said a Cypriot  monk who tried to smuggle a nun' skeleton out  of Athens was a "charlatan" and called his actions was sacriligious.
The Nun's skull above was found wrapped in a cloth and stashed in the  monk's bags below along with pieces  of her skeleton.
A  monk and two accomplices were busted  Sunday trying to board a plane in  Athens with the skull and bones of a dead nun in their luggage.

When question about why he had a skull and skeletal remains in his suitcase , the 42 -year-old monk who is from Cyprus , told police that he was transferring the remains from Greece to a monastery in Cyprus because the nun was a saint.

The Cypriot Orthodox church , though , showed little faith in the monk's story  , saying the attempted smuggling was sacrilegious.

'It appears to be the work of charlatans with a finanical interest , that is what I suspect," Cyprus ' Archbishop Chysostomos II told Reuters.

The trio ,  which included a man in his 50s   and a woman in her 60s were  charged with theft and desecrating human remains .

The monk was also suspended from his monastery for three months , according to the  Cyprus   Mail.

The graverobbers allegedly stole the remains of the nun , Eleni                   Vathiadou    , after a memorial service held by her family at a cemetery to mark the four-year anniversary of her death,  the Cyprus Mail reported.

Valhiadou had once served as a  nun in Cyprus but had been living in Greece when   she died.

She was never officially  declared a saint by the church.

However , it is common for sects within the Orthodox   tradition to worship their own saints and revere their remains which are often placed on display along with donation boxes , Reuters reported  .

1 comment:

  1. This was a story I was going to follow up on too. You did a great job. You never know what nonsense the clergy will get up to next.

    ReplyDelete

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