Greece

An Athens criminal court decided on Tuesday, that the exchange of lands between the Greek government and the Vatopedi monastery in northern Greece is not a "scandal," and acquitted all 14 defendants. Among those acquitted were the monastery’s abbot, Ephraim...

Abbot Ephraim and Monk Arsenios of Vatopedi Monastery of Mt. Athos testified regarding contentious real estate exchange. With their testimonies, the case concerning land deals with the public sector is heading towards its final lap following appeals against earlier...

The trial for the Vatopedi Monastery land swap scandal started on Monday without any of the politicians allegedly involved standing trial. However, it was adjourned for March 23 because the courtroom was deemed not sufficient. The main defendants are the...

Greece ’s Supreme Court indicted 14 individuals earlier today over the Vatopedi Monastery land swap scandal that became public in August 2008. The court struck down a Supreme Court deputy prosecutor's reversal of the indictments, requested by three of...

Father Ephraim of the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi, was suing Greek journalist, Kostas Vaxevanis for two of his articles published on the Internet and in print, concerning exchanges between the monastery and the state. The court partially vindicated the...

The 14 defendants concerning the holy exchanges between the Greek State and the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, Greece will be tried by a Three-member Court of Appeal for Felonies in Athens. Specifically, the decree indicts Archimandrite Ephraim, the...

Mount Athos Abbot Ephraim of Vatopedi has been summoned to appear before state magistrate in order to give evidence concerning the land swaps between the monastery and the state. The date is set for 29 November, in which Abbot Ephraim will...

A parliamentary preliminary investigation committee on Friday night recommended the referral of five former New Democracy Ministers to a Special Judicial Council over the controversial Vatopedi-state land swaps affair. By a majority vote of the ruling PASOK MPs sitting on...

Former prime minister Costas Karamanlis conveyed a written memorandum on Tuesday afternoon to a preliminary Parliamentary committee of inquiry convened to investigate the Vatopedi land swap furor, along with possible legal liabilities by ministers of the former government. According to...

Theodoros Rousopoulos and Alexandros Kontos stated their opinions with the use of memorandums in the Vatopedi case, which is currently discussed in the Parliament, in order to, establish a committee to investigate the possibility of criminal responsibility of ministers...

The precise terms of lending from the bank, Marfin Egnatia Bank to Vatopedi Monastery will be requested tomorrow, by the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry, following the proposal made by the head of New Democracy’s MP’s, Nick Dendias to...

The floating monastery of Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos) in Porto Lagos, Xanthi in northern Greece is a unique religious monument

In response to the nationwide lockdown imposed after the huge spike in coronavirus cases, deaths and intubations around the country, Greece's monastic community of Mt. Athos, called the "Holy Mountain," has decided to enter complete isolation from the outside...

The monastic community and autonomous region of Mount Athos announced on Wednesday that it will extend its ban on all visitors, including religious pilgrims, until April 20. This decision of Karyes, the seat of the Athonite monastic state, came as...

The all-male monastic autonomous polity of Mount Athos announced on Thursday it will not be receiving any further visitors or pilgrims until March 30, 2020 as part of measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Orthodox Christian monastic community comprises...