Greek Orthodox priest arrested after throwing acid on bishops

A Greek Orthodox priest was arrested Thursday and charged with several counts of causing bodily harm after he was accused of attacking seven senior bishops and three others.

According to The Associated Press, the 37-year-old priest had just received news from the bishops in a Wednesday disciplinary hearing that he was going to be expelled from the church when he allegedly threw acid on the clergymen.

The man had reportedly been accused of drug trafficking and was meeting with the bishops to discuss being stripped of his priesthood. He had been found with 1.8 grams of cocaine in his possession in June 2018, BBC reported.

On Wednesday, the priest had a “large bottle of corrosive liquid” with him when he entered the Petraki Monastery in central Athens, Greece, the news outlet noted. 

Multiple victims of the attack were hospitalized with burns from the acid, and two were reportedly in serious condition. The guard who arrested the man also suffered burns from the acid and was hospitalized, according to the AP.

“The suspect … is a psychiatric patient who is taking strong medication,” the priest’s lawyer, Andreas Theodoropoulos, told the AP. “He did not fully comprehend the consequences of his action … but was responding to a perceived injustice.”

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis both condemned the attack. 

Mitsotakis spoke with Archbishop of Athens Ieronymos II, the head of the Greek Church, telling him that the incident made him “deeply sad” and that “the state will offer all possible medical assistance for the victims’ speedy recovery,” BBC reported.