The alleged events are said to have taken place in the monastery of Osiou Avakoum, in the picturesque village of Fterikoudi, which is located at the foot of the Troodos Mountains.
During a raid on the orders of Bishop Isaias of Tamassos, approximately 800,000 euros in cash was discovered in a safe on the property.
Footage broadcast by local media shows two now-suspended clergymen urging parishioners to donate money to the monastery. They tried to convince them by secretly putting myrrh in a metal cross to make it look like it was bleeding.
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According to the media, they were also filmed having sex with each other.
Before the scandal broke, the two monks were often seen on national television and were also very active on social media. They claimed to be involved in various “miracles”, such as the cure of cancer, a deaf baby who could hear again and infertile couples who still had a child.
The monastery has already attracted thousands of believers around the world, who were asked to make donations.
Cypriot police are investigating “financial crimes committed by the monks of Osiou Avakoum,” a police spokesman told local media, but no charges have been filed against them so far.
Possibly removed from office
Another investigation has been opened following a complaint filed by the two men who say they were kidnapped by masked men during the raid on the monastery, the spokesperson added. As the investigation is still ongoing, he could not provide further details.
The monks must appear before the Holy Synod, the church’s decision-making body, in early May after Orthodox Easter, where they could be removed from office or excommunicated. The Cypriot Orthodox Church has started its own investigation.
In a statement, the head of the church, Archbishop Georgios, expressed his “sincere regret over the revelations of fraud, misconduct and immorality of all kinds within the ranks of the Church of Cyprus.”