An unprecedented incident unfolded on Sunday morning, on the eve of the Feast of Prophet Elijah, at the courtyard of the Prophet Elijah Church in the village of Neochori, in central Greece’s Karditsa region, causing shock and unrest in the local community.

According to reports, a heated confrontation broke out between the village priest and the president of the local community, Fotis Mantziafos. Eyewitnesses claim the priest punched the community leader, who was taken to the hospital for treatment. Both men were later taken to the local police station, where they were detained after filing criminal complaints against one another.

Another village resident was also reportedly detained after the priest filed a complaint accusing him of verbal abuse. The incident took place in the presence of a police officer from the Lake Plastiras Police Department, who had been called to the scene by the priest.

How the Incident Unfolded

According to available information, the incident began on the morning of Sunday, July 19, when community president Fotis Mantziafos and several villagers arrived at the church courtyard to prepare for the following day’s celebration honoring Prophet Elijah. As is customary, the village was also organizing its traditional pie festival alongside the religious feast.

While they were moving tables from the nearby Church of Saint Marina, a van carrying three people arrived to decorate the courtyard for a scheduled wedding ceremony. The community president said he had not been informed about the wedding and contacted the village priest in an attempt to resolve the situation.

Speaking to the Greek newspaper Alithia (“Truth”), the community president said the priest arrived at the church and, in a forceful manner, demanded that everyone leave the area and remove the items they had already placed there. Those present objected, saying they had already made extensive preparations for the village celebration.

The priest then called the police, and a patrol car from the Lake Plastiras Police Department arrived shortly afterward. According to the community president, the priest requested his arrest, while the responding officer attempted to calm the situation, saying such an incident should not be taking place outside a church.

Deputy Mayor Vangelis Krommydas, former Mayor Fotis Papantonis, former Deputy Mayor Giorgos Gogoulos, and other local residents also arrived at the scene. However, the disagreement over how the courtyard should be arranged led to another heated argument.

The community president alleges that the priest attacked him, striking him in the head with a punch that caused him to fall to the ground. He was taken to the hospital for first aid, while the priest was taken into custody at the police station.

Both sides subsequently filed criminal complaints against each other—the community president against the priest, and the priest against the community president and another village resident. All three were temporarily detained while police compiled the case file, which will be submitted to the public prosecutor. The prosecutor will decide whether the case will proceed under Greece’s expedited autoforo (summary criminal) procedure or be referred to a regular court hearing.

Diocese Intervenes, Religious Services Continue

The local Greek Orthodox Metropolis (diocese) was immediately informed of the incident and assigned another priest to officiate both the scheduled wedding ceremony and the evening vespers service. The same arrangement is expected to remain in place for the following day’s celebration of Prophet Elijah.

Metropolitan Timotheos told Alithia that he was deeply saddened by the events and was closely monitoring developments in the case, which has now been referred to the justice system.

Released Pending Prosecutor Appearance

According to the latest information, at around 8:30 p.m., the three detainees were released on the verbal order of the public prosecutor and are scheduled to appear before the Prosecutor’s Office the following morning for further proceedings.

Priest Parthenios Alisianis later addressed the incident in a Facebook post, writing: “When the righteous govern, the people rejoice. When the ungodly govern, the people suffer… Unfortunately, here we are. Those who understand, understand. The truth will come to light…”

The post was accompanied by photographs showing scratches on his face.