Bishop did not molest cantor, Church rules
Senior Church of Greece officials decided on Saturday to clear a senior bishop of charges he had sexually molested a male cantor in the early 1990s. The Church’s ruling body, the 13-member Holy Synod, said the evidence against Kallinikos, Bishop of Piraeus, «is contradictory and is not backed up by any other witness testimony. «Under the rules of the Church and the laws of the state, it is impossible to prove the bishop’s guilt,» the Synod said. Kallinikos has denied the former cantor’s allegations, claiming he was victim to a dirty tricks campaign. The man had accused the bishop of repeatedly making sexual advances to him some 13 years ago. Saturday’s ruling came as the Church is trying to clean up its image following a string of damaging corruption and sex scandals this year involving senior clerics.
