The monks on holiday return with a letter to the Holy Synod – “A monk accused of sexual harassment should not be accepted by the church as an accuser” – What they mention in a new letter
With a new letter to the Holy Synod of Cyprus, the Monks of the Holy Monastery of St. Avvakum return on holiday. to the members of the Holy Synod new additional elements (photographic material), which strengthen the opinion of the Brotherhood of the Holy Monastery Abbakum:
I. that the hieromonk Fr. Barnavas Chrysanthou is – based on the sacred rules and the Charter – unreliable as an accuser of Brotherhood members and
II. that for this reason, all the accusations, which he filed against the Metropolitan of Tamasos and Orini, Mr. Isaia, after the latter's urging, are non-existent and inadmissible.
The news these elements, which were sent unprovoked via mobile phone by the above hieromonk to a member of the Brotherhood, in the relevant objection they are only described, without including their depictions (i.e. the relevant photos), because they are of sensitive content.
These elements, whose sole purpose is to question the status of the above person only as an accuser and not as a priest, they will be presented and shown only to the members of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus.
In particular, it was pointed out to His Beatitude and the Holy Synod:
A. That the evidence, which has already been submitted, as well as the additional evidence submitted today, is particularly important for the characterization of the Panosiologiato Archimandrite Fr. of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod and 8th of the Cartagena Synod) and the Charter of the Church of Cyprus.
B. That the characterization of the above priest as an unreliable accuser necessarily results in the immediate withdrawal of the accusations against the members of the Brotherhood, which were attributed to them because of him.
C. That an official complaint and case file for sexual harassment against a member of the Brotherhood of the Holy Monastery of Abvakum is pending against the above-mentioned hieromonk, a fact which in itself is sufficient for the characterization of him as an unreliable accuser and the rejection of his accusations against the members of the Brotherhood.
D. That clear responsibilities and certain culpability arise for His Eminence Metropolitan Tamasosand Orinis Mr. Isaia, because – while he was obliged to check the indiscretion of the above-mentioned hieromonk as an accuser – he not only did not check it but also encouraged him to find and submit “evidence” against the members of the Brotherhood. We point out that as it appears from the testimony of the above hieromonk, the “gathering of evidence” lasted two months, began on January 5, 2024 and ended on February 29, 2024, five days before the illegal and unprecedented invasion of the Holy Monastery of Abvakum. Your conclusions, although self-evident!!
E. That the evidence, which until today we have brought to the attention of His Beatitude and the Holy Synod and which evidence we intend to present and show only to His Beatitude and the other members of the Holy Synod during this extraordinary meeting, create the conditions not only for proclamation him as an unreliable accuser but also to impose a normal sentence on him.
F. That we remember His Beatitude's statement that he wishes justice and punishment for those responsible for creating this case, not excluding himself.
G. That, finally, we also really desire the administration of justice, so that the responsibilities are assigned to those who created this case, insulting and tarnishing our honor and reputation, and that we return to our Holy Monastery, from which we were expelled illegally and irregularly.
We express the hope that – even now – the Holy Synod of the Church of Cypruswill absolve the members of the Brotherhood from all accusations, after finding out that everything started with an unreliable accuser, who at the urging of the Metropolitan of Tamasos and Orini, Mr. Isaia, took over for two months (from 5/1/2024 to 29/2/2024 ), to monitor his brother monks, without their knowledge, to illegally collect various “evidence” and submit it to the Metropolitan of Tamasos and Orinis, which he then used, in order to document the misdeeds, for which since then the according to the publications, their removal.
After the above, the critical questions are asked:
1. How is it possible for the Church of Cyprus to institute and prosecute members of the Brotherhood, based on the accusations of the accuserFr. Varnavas Chrysanthou, when according to the holy rules and its Charter, which the Church of Cyprus is obliged by the Constitution to apply, its Holy Synod is obliged to reject the specific hieromonk as an accuser and is also obliged to reject his accusations as unacceptable and non-existent?
2. How is the accused of sexual harassment with incontrovertible evidence, accepted by the Church of Cyprus as an accuser of the victim of sexual harassment?
We therefore expect the extraordinary meeting of the Holy Synod, in which we are sure that we will be called after our commissioners, that the right decision will be made and the accusations will be removed, giving a happy and just end to a case, which was created without a reason, without a reason has been troubling the Holy Synod for a long time and has scandalized the whole of the Church of Cyprus without reason, at the same time affecting a monastic Brotherhood, productive, loved by the world and active, which until March 5, 2024 only enjoyed praise and congratulations.
