Church in Athens denies ‘fake’ weddings report

The Church of Ilion, Acharnon and Petroupoli has denied reports that bogus priests conducted dozens of fake weddings on its premises, saying that the alleged ceremonies occurred before the church’s foundation in 2010.

The statement was issued in response to a report in the Eleftheros Typos newspaper according to which around 50 weddings – most of them before 2010 – were carried out by priests who did not have the approval of the Church of Greece, including one cleric who was suspended following his conviction for fraud.

According to that report, the couples in question realized following their ceremonies that the wedding certificates were never filed with the registry office.

“This case is old and does not involve the church,” the statement said, noting that the metropolitan of Ilion, Acharnon and Petroupoli has only approved weddings in full accordance with the regulations of the Orthodox Church since his appointment in 2010.