Greek priest arrested for acid attacks on bishops

One of the bishops at first thought the acid was holy water

Security guards at the gate of the Petraki Monastery in Athens, where a priest threw acid at bishops earlier this week (REUTERS)

A priest has been arrested for throwing acid on seven bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church, authorities say.

The priest had been attending a disciplinary hearing at the Petraki Monastery in Athens on Wednesday, where bishops were deciding whether he should be stripped of his religious authority over his 2018 arrest for the possession of 1.8 grams of cocaine that he allegedly hid under his cassock.

Local newspaperTa Nea reported that after the bishops informed the priest that he would be defrocked, the priest stood up, took out two bottles from his bag and began spraying the bishops with a caustic liquid.

One of the bishops told the newspaper: “My first thought was that it was holy water”.

But added that he quickly realised what the substance was as it caused immediate stinging to the eyes. He said that he witnessed another bishop’s face “change colour” when the liquid hit his face.

A witness told the Greek newspaper that the priest tried to escape after he had thrown the acid on the bishops, but was deterred by a security guard, who threw himself onto the perpetrator.

Shortly after, police arrived and arrested the priest, who is now being held in the Athens Security Sub-Directorate.

Two lawyers and one security guard were also injured in the attack.

The priest’s lawyer, who was among those injured in the attack, apologised on behalf of his client on local TV station ANT1, and said that the priest needed psychiatric care, adding that he had attempted suicide earlier this year.

Three bishops remain in hospital in serious but not life-threatening condition, receiving treatment for burns mostly on their faces.

Archbishop Ieronymos , the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, visited the victims in hospital alongside Vassilis Kikilias, the Greek health minister.

Mr Kikilias called the incident “unprecedented and tragic” and Ieronymos, while expressing his regret, said “fortunately we avoided the worst”.

Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Greek president, expressed her “disgust” with the incident on Twitter, and wished the victims a speedy recovery.

Similarly, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that he was “deeply sad” and assured the bishops that “the state will offer all possible medical assistance for the victims’ speedy recovery”.