The presence of the president of ELAM at the Tamasos Bishopric on the day of the transfer and counting of the money found in the safe of Saint Habakkuk sparked reactions from political actors.
DISY, AKEL, DIKO, EDEK, DIPA, and the Greens are demanding explanations from Christos Christou, with AKEL even raising the issue in two committees of the House of Representatives.
Through their interventions, the parties are linking ELAM to the raid on the Monastery.
The president of ELAM, through various public appearances, provided his own explanation for his presence at the Tamasos Bishopric, presenting himself as an enthroned commissioner appointed by bishop Isaiah, and attacked AKEL for its stance towards the Church.
The announcements of DISY, DIKO, DIPA, denounce ELAM but on at the same time are cautious in their statements.
AKEL and the Greens take a more dynamic stance, highlighting the dimension of corruption and commercial exploitation of people. DISY, on the other hand, until yesterday, kept silent on the matter.
“I was by no means at Saint Habakkuk. I was at the Bishopric during the process of the monks’ apology. My presence in the area was as a witness and observer. I have no problem testifying to what I witnessed,” said the president of ELAM on OMEGA yesterday, and accused AKEL of being the party that sought the abolition of religious education in schools, defending also the works of the artist Gabriel when they offend the Church.
AKEL announced yesterday the registration of a matter in the Legal Committee regarding the police handling.
“The disturbing events regarding the Holy Monastery of Saint Habakkuk necessitate the immediate and thorough investigation of all aspects, including the involvement of the president of ELAM. This is imposed by the principles of impartiality and equality,” said DISY.
Yesterday, the president of DIKO, Nikolas Papadopoulos, made a dynamic intervention, noting that “even if certain monks have committed criminal offenses, something that should be investigated by the competent authorities, this does not mean that the entire Church is suspect and under indictment, as some would like to present it.”
Papadopoulos then raised a series of political questions about the presence of Christos Christou and the relationship of ELAM with hooded individuals.
EDEK, on its part, calls for the intervention of the Attorney General and the lifting of parliamentary immunity for Christos Christou.
“The stormy revelations of the case of the Holy Monastery of Saint Habakkuk and the involvement of the President of ELAM and the former Chief of Police necessitate the decision for drastic actions by the state,” it notes.
DIPA, on its part, expresses the belief that political involvement in Church matters, as well as the reverse, is harmful.
“Any further development of the case should take into account the clear separation of State and Church, as established in the Constitution and the Institutions of our Democracy.”
The Greens in their announcement yesterday call on the Parliament to investigate whether the involvement of the Member of Parliament in this case is in line with the code of ethics for MPs.
