Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will lead a meeting at his office on Monday morning amid revelations of sexual abuse at well-known children’s charity Ark of the World (Kivotos tou Kosmou).
According to Ekathimerini, Greek Deputy Labor Minister Domna Michailidou and a ministry official will take part at the meeting; it is not known whether other officials will attend.
The meeting will specifically deal with ensuring the protection of the children living at Ark of the World for the duration of the judicial investigation into allegations of bodily and sexual abuse.
Police and prosecution authorities have so far received testimonies of at least three allegations of sexual abuse and four of beatings by a prominent member of Ark of the World.
The charity issued a statement on Thursday saying it had no knowledge of allegations of child sexual abuse at one of its facilities but would assist in the investigation of them.
“We unequivocally condemn such incidents and assure that the Ark of the World and its social services will assist the authorities in investigating the claims,” it said.
In response, Greece’s Minister of Finance Christos Staikouras said all state aid to the children’s charity would be withdrawn until a judiciary decision was reached.
“We want to help the children but we want to know where these funds go,” Staikouras said.
Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, also confirmed on Sunday that he had launched an investigation on Father Antonios Papanikolaou, the priest who founded Ark of the World.
Hieronymos said that the Church has banned Father Antonios from his priestly duties while the investigation is ongoing, adding that the Church has no connection to the charity.
