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	Villagers Boycott Mass in Support of Suspended Priest Cyprus Mail June 21, 2011 http://www.cyprus-mail.com/paedophilia/villagers-boycott-mass-support-suspended-priest/20110621 A DECISION to suspend a priest after allegations he mistreated his foster daughter has angered residents of a Nicosia village who refused to attend Sunday mass in protest at his removal. And the explosion of a hand grenade under the car of a church committee member on Sunday morning appears to be linked to the affair. The priest, who has served at the Ayia Paraskevi church at Ergates for 20 years, was suspended by the Bishop of Tamasos after a complaint made by a 20-year-old woman. The woman alleged that the priest and his wife, who were her foster parents, had abused her. “This woman came to us and said she had also complained to police,” Bishop Isaias said. “We collected all the evidence and based on the material we had, we found that there was some degree of responsibility in many things.” The bishop said the priest had been suspended but the Church would continue to pay his salary for humanitarian reasons. On Sunday, police arrested the priest’s son, in connection with the explosion of a hand grenade under the car of a member of the church committee. The 32-year-old has been remanded in custody for eight days. Earlier Sunday, residents of the village Ergates who support the priest refused to attend mass, conducted by a replacement priest. Instead, some 80 people gathered outside the church and shouted slogans in favour of their priest and against the bishop. They claim that the accusations are false and defamatory. His supporters also say that the priest has helped the youth of the community. Just a handful entered the church, which was guarded by police. On Saturday night, rubbish bins were set on fire by unknown persons. Bishop Isaias yesterday called for calm and urged the embattled priest to assist towards achieving it. “I am simply asking them to calm down, let the man repent. I urge the priest to do whatever’s possible to placate them,” the bishop said. The head of the Ergates community council, Kyriakos Christodoulou said yesterday that compared to Sunday “the situation has calmed down today. We hope that the people will stay calm; what’s been going on does not honour us, or our community.” He added: “I hope that the accusations are not true. The priest has been a part of the community for 20 years. He has bonded with the people.”
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