Monk caught beating woman in shocking video

Scandal continues to plague the Church of Cyprus as a video surfaced depicting a disturbing incident at the Holy Monastery of Saint Avakoum in Fterikoudi. In the footage brought to light by Sigma and the show "Protoselido," a monk can be seen physically assaulting a woman.

The shocking video captured a monk in a visibly agitated state, yelling at a cleaning lady to leave the area, citing exhaustion. Despite attempts by bystanders to calm him down, the monk's aggression escalated, culminating in him striking the woman with a belt, causing her to limp away.

Following the revelation of the video, police have launched an ex-officio investigation into the incident, according to Force spokesman Christos Andreou. The investigation aims to address the apparent offenses committed during the altercation.

In response to the incident, the Synodal Court convened and unanimously decided to task the Investigative Committee of the Holy Synod with conducting further investigations, in accordance with the Church of Cyprus Charter.

Meanwhile, police authorities are concurrently investigating two separate cases. The first case, initiated by Metropolitan Isaias of Tamassos and Orini on March 8, involves financial matters and has been assigned to the Investigation Team from the Financial Crime Investigation Sub-Division. The second case, under investigation by the Headquarters CID, pertains to complaints from monks of the Saint Avvakum monastery regarding offenses including assault, threats, and violence.