We often hear the phrase “let them sort it out with God.”
The phrase stems from human incapacity – often – to find justice or even to seek justice, knowing the difficulties of the task and the deadlock it may lead to due to various factors.
And so, it leaves God to take on the role of judge, in this life or in another.
One might argue that the phrase embodies defeatism and fatalism. However, it is comforting to those who believe that somehow order will be restored through divine judgment.
The statements of Mr. Kypros Michaelides regarding the case of the Habakkuk Monastery seem to come from such thinking.
“There were three phone calls with the Archbishop, who spoke both with the bishop of Tamassos and the monks of the Habakkuk Monastery, who sought forgiveness from the Archbishop and from God.”
Both the bishop and the monks sought forgiveness from God. Of course, we cannot know God’s response, but in other words, “let them sort it out with God. Why should we burden our hearts, why waste our time seeking justice? Both sides were wrong; let the matter close.”
If this were said (or implied) by an ordinary citizen, it would be understandable. However, when a former Chief of Police says it, it undermines the role the institution he served can play, reaching the top of the pyramid.
Just as he undermined it when it came to accounting for the money found in the monastery’s safe and perhaps the raid that preceded it.
He himself states that he sees nothing wrong with all this because, as he has said, it is widely known that he is friends with the bishop of Tamassos. In other words, anyone with a police friend, past or present, can directly call them instead of going through official channels (as, for example, the late Kalopsidiotis did).
Michaelides further revealed (in statements to ANT1) that he advises the bishop on financial matters. (It’s hard to believe that this specific bishop needs such advice. Quite the opposite, he could teach business at top universities, as – of course – could other Church officials for whom it’s not known whether they had police advisors).
Now, however, that the monks have unfolded their story, claiming that the hundreds of thousands did not come from selling pancakes and miracles but from selling land, a financial advisor may indeed be needed.
Or perhaps we will end up “letting them sort it out with God” since both sides have asked for forgiveness.
