A craft industry, which aspired to become an industry of miracles, resembled the “Holy Retreat of Saint Avvakum” in the village of Fterikoudi, Cyprus.
What has come to light in the last few days, tears down the structure that some ten monks began to build four years ago, who decided to settle in the monastery, with the “dowry” of the tomb of Saint Avvakum, whose relic was discovered only in 1989.
Everything was going well until the Tuesday before last, when the Metropolitan of Tamasos and Mountains, Isaias, under whose jurisdiction the monastery is located, decided to organize a raid, with hooded men and employees of the Metropolis.
During the operation, the monks were brought to the Metropolis and a safe with €807,000, various relics, pictures and the CCTV recorder were seized.
The plan that had been worked out was simple.
Abbot Nektarios and Archimandrite Porphyrios, to admit in writing that they had committed serious sins and to ask for their dismissal.
After the admissions of Nektarios and Porphyrios, information about what was happening in the monastery was selectively leaked to the media, so that the members of the Holy Synod, who were called into an extraordinary session by the Archbishop of Nea Justinian and All Cyprus, George, could also prepare themselves appropriately.
The decision to remove the two Archimandrites was considered a foregone conclusion, so that the wound could be closed, once and for all, through summary procedures. At the meeting, the Bishop of Tamassos presented the Bishop of Tamassos with evidence (videos, documents, etc.) in order to convince the Synod members of the carnal and financial misdeeds of the two Archimandrites, as well as the deception of the faithful by showing “miracles” which they staged.
At that session, everything was overturned as the accused Archimandrites recanted their signatures, claiming that they were obtained through blackmail and pressure from the Bishop of Tamassos.
At the same time, accusations were also made against the Metropolitan in connection with the extraction of large sums of money from the monastery to support his election campaign for election to the Archbishop’s throne last year.
As for the videos, they claimed that they were edited and edited in order to incriminate them.
Following this development, the Holy Synod decided to refer the case to a Synodal Court, after considering the evidence of both sides.
A non-binding timetable was set to complete the trial by Easter, but this was found at the first session to be impracticable, since further investigation was imposed by an investigative commission, to which two bishops and three other clergy were appointed.
The video battle
The side of the Metropolitan of Tamasos, apparently wanting to win public opinion, began leaking to the media video clips that leave the monks seriously exposed.
The first video, shows Abbot Nectarios with another monk, in the monastery office, preparing the “holy” myrrh, which is supposedly emitted by the cross of St. Porphyry.
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For the record, according to Nectarios, the cross was found in his hands after the death of Saint Porphyry.
It was handed to him by a lady who had received it from St. Porphyry himself who, according to Archimandrite Nectarios, instructed it to be handed over to him.
This cross literally became a goldsmith’s work for him and the monastery.
It was placed in a silver case which had a container which, as the video shows, was filled with myrrh to present as a “miracle” the fact that it smelled fragrant, gushing myrrh!
In another video, the same cross is presented to some nuns, and Abbot Nektarios tells them that they are living a living miracle.
The “miracle” was the myrrh that the cross was gushing out, which was so much so that they put cotton balls to collect it.
He asked the nuns not to tell anyone else because he didn’t want to make a show and he didn’t want a crowd to form at the convent to experience the miracle.
In his words, if it became known to everyone, there was a danger that Christ would take away their Divine Grace!
