Suspended one-year sentence for former bishop

Former Kiti bishop was sentenced to 12-months in prison in a suspended sentence after he was found guilty of assaulting a teenage girl in 1981, when he was still in his post.

The courtroom erupted into chants of “filthy rapist” as a loud protest took place outside.

The judge said he took into account the former bishop Chrysostomos’ advanced age, now 85, and his health issues, as well as the time that has elapsed since the case began. The plaintiff pressed charges in 2021 – 40 years after the incident.

Last week, his lawyer Michalis Pikis sought to mitigate his sentence, calling for the former bishop to have a suspended sentence. Pikis also stressed it was highly likely the Holy Synod may move to defrock the former bishop.

He told the court last week that the former Kiti bishop helped to create a number of humanitarian organisations in the district, including an association to fight hunger, an association to battle drug addiction, and he aided in bringing the Kenthea association for this purpose to Larnaca.

The plaintiff, who is now 58, claimed that during her first visit to Chrysostomos’ office at the Kiti bishopric, the bishop sat down beside her on a sofa and began touching her hands.

He allegedly assaulted her on her fifth visit when the cleric shoved her, pressed himself on top of her and kissed her on the lips. She began repeatedly screaming “let me out,” at which point she claimed the bishop got off her and opened the door.

She was 16 years old at the time.

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