The message of love, the aura of Saint Paisios, and the hope for even a temporary victory against cancer are just some of the tactics that 46-year-old Father Parthenios (the Old Calendar “archbishop” and former model) allegedly exploited. He has caused an uproar in Greek society after being arrested on drug trafficking charges, while reportedly also being involved in human trafficking.
Read: Person of the Week: The robed YouTuber involved in drug trafficking ring
The cleric, who now wears the mantle of God’s representative, was exposed through a Narcotics Division operation, with revelations emerging one after another. “PARAPOLITIKA” reporters conducting on-site investigation in Treis Gefyres found that not only are the incredible developments regarding the activities of the man formerly known as V.V. believable, but a portion of residents in the wider Sepolia area show doubts about whether everything the police investigation brings to light is… genuine. Walking through the area revealed ordinary people who for purely practical reasons became attached to the temple on Liosion Street, overlooking the fact that the space was simply an abandoned OSE warehouse.
“I brought my granddaughter because I was impressed by the beautiful courtyard and the chapel of Saint Paisios. I’m from Konitsa, that’s why. Although I don’t believe in the old calendar, I come here sometimes,” claimed a middle-aged woman, a local resident, who never detected anything suspicious about Father Parthenios or the other clerics, Chrysostomos and Asterios. At the same time, however, another middle-aged local resident didn’t view Parthenios favorably: “We held my father-in-law’s memorial service at this church. The father seemed strange to me. He gave orders that aren’t customary. He told us to kneel, which is unusual in services and ceremonies. Since then I’ve stayed away. My son actually had a verbal incident with the priest.”
Clerical drug ring: “Father Parthenios was simply an… outsider”
Beyond the workers at repair shops and auto parts stores in the area, who largely didn’t seem to know much, at a café very close to the bus terminal, the owner presented a very different perspective. As he argued while speaking to “P,” Father Parthenios was simply an… outsider, as everyone, according to him, was fighting against him. “Both he and the other priests would come by the shop. He was constantly upset that the church wasn’t filling with people. Others complained about the loudspeakers and sound from the services. Others simply didn’t want him there. He was alone against everyone. An outsider. I believe he wanted to keep the church by tooth and nail. That’s maybe why he got dragged into drug trafficking. He needed the money.”
An employee at the same establishment estimated that the alleged bishop of the old calendar and self-proclaimed “Archbishop of Athens and All Greece” is a person who simply shares the message of love: “Every time we’ve seen him he was gentle and calm. His voice and words were always kind. I went to the church once and didn’t hear anything bad or anything that ‘bothered’ me. He spoke only of love.”
Health as “bait”
Beyond all the above, what provokes different interest is Father Parthenios’ focus on the blow that cancer inflicts on society. As he had stated in a recent interview, the 46-year-old cleric felt proud that he had essentially built the “first church in the world in honor of the patron saint of cancer patients,” Saint Parthenios of Lampsacus. This was perhaps also the vehicle that led a Greek expatriate from Canada to help him financially with a huge amount for completing the church’s renovation. Aikaterini Karga reportedly donated 200,000 euros to Father Parthenios with the sole exchange being his prayers and the prayers of his flock on her behalf, as she too suffered from cancer.
With the same “vehicle” he managed to approach figures from Greek television. After all, when cancer knocks on the door, there are many who need the strength they can draw from faith. As unofficial “representative” of Saint Parthenios, the 46-year-old had the ability to speak very specifically about such cases. It’s no coincidence that a well-known actress who developed a brain tumor a few years ago had visited him to receive from him, possibly, psychological support and sympathy. Perhaps even his blessing.
Published in Parapolitika
