Former abbot of the scandal-hit Avvakum monastery swaps cassock for a tractor

Archimandrite Nektarios, the former abbot of Saint Avvakum Monastery who found himself at the center of a major church and financial scandal, has radically changed his line of work and taken up agricultural labor. Images have circulated on social media and in local media showing the clergyman, who has been suspended from ministry, at the wheel of a tractor during the harvest in the fields. According to eyewitnesses, the former abbot is now regularly engaged in field work in the countryside.

Earlier, Archimandrite Nektarios and several of his associates were temporarily suspended from their duties by a decision of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus over allegations of major financial fraud, forgery and unethical behavior inside the monastery. A parallel investigation is being conducted into the former monastery leaders by both the church court and law enforcement authorities of the Republic of Cyprus, who are examining the origin of hundreds of thousands of euros found in the monastery safes.

The defense of the former abbot has repeatedly said that, during the investigation and the suspension of church payments, the accused priests lost their usual sources of income and means of subsistence. The appearance of the former abbot at the wheel of heavy machinery in the fields confirms that the figures in the high-profile case have turned to self-reliance through manual labor while the investigative authorities and the Synod prepare final conclusions in their case.