Priest throws acid at court panel after verdict

THE senior Greek Orthodox priests reached a verdict: a 37-year-old priest, who was arrested years earlier for allegedly hiding cocaine under his religious garb, should be defrocked.

But as the members of the religious court informed the priest of their decision, he suddenly stood up, pulled out two bottles of acid and lunged at the panel, allegedly dousing them in caustic liquid, local news reported.

“My first thought was that it was holy water,” one of the bishops said, according to Greek newspaper Ta Nea. “I quickly realised what was flying … it was a caustic liquid.”

Police say seven priests, two lawyers, one guard and one secretary were injured in the attack. Law enforcement has not formally identified the priest.

Police captured the priest before he could escape. They arrested him and he remains in custody, according to the Athens News Agency. It is unclear whether he has been formally charged.

“The attack with vitriol … is a disgusting act. I wish them a speedy recovery and a good return to their duties,” Niki Kerameus, Greece’s minister of education and religious affairs, tweeted in Greek.

The priest allegedly had a history of violent behaviour, Ta Nea reported. In 2015, he was arrested after he allegedly tried to attack a middle-aged woman with a stick and harassed her outside her home.

He was arrested again in 2018 after police said he hid 1.8 grams of cocaine under his cassock, local news reported at the time of the incident.

The seven members of the religious court met at the Petraki Monastery in Athens on Wednesday to convene the priest’s formal hearing. But as the committee announced they were denying his appeal, the priest allegedly stood up and pulled out two bottles from his bag.

“It was immediate,” one of the bishops said, referring to the stinging effect of the acid. “Another bishop’s face changed colour as soon as the liquid fell on him.”

Moments after the priest allegedly sprayed the committee members, witnesses said he panicked and tried to escape. But a guard outside the room heard the commotion and threw himself on to the priest.