Seven women are suing Bishop of Dodoni, Chrysostomos over his outrageous rape and abortion claims on Friday morning.
The women, some of them verbally or sexually abused, will file a lawsuit against the Bishop under the anti -racist law at the First Instance Court in Thessaloniki.
“We will sue you because your people will not punish you,” the women said in a letter sent to religious issues website ekklisiaonnline.gr.
The Open Letter to the Bishop:
“You are abusing us twice.
»It is barbaric to be abused twice. We are women, mothers, daughters, some of us have undergone physical and verbal violence, we have experienced terror, racism.
Today we saw the same terror on television. In the face of a man dressed in black who pretends to be a priest. That the Church in which we so much believe tolerates him to pretend being a priest.
»You are abusing us twice, your words are worse than the rape itself.
»The preacher of love becomes preacher of hatred trying to gain some publicity.
»That’s why we sue you, because we know that yours will not punish you.
The text was followed by the full names of the seven women.
Bishops’ statements shock the society
In statements full of sexism and misogyny directly form the Middle Ages, the Bishop claimed on Skai TV:
No woman is raped without consent
Abortion should not be performed even in the case of rape.
Only if the brain of a fetus is damaged an abortion can be preformed with the Church’s permission.
Storm of reactions
A storm of angry reactions broke up in zero time, social media were set on fire, mainstream media, TV channels, and websites condemned the obscurantist claims and even ministers of the conservative Greek government followed.
The Holy synod of the Greek Orthodox Church describe the Bishop’s statements as “unacceptable and insulting to the victims of rape.
Late on Friday, the bishop reportedly apologized saying that his thought was misinterpreted. He and the Church perceive the rape as a fact that has to be condemned, he said.
SEE KTG’s report on full Bishop’s statements and reactions HERE
This bishop seems to be forgetting that men, also, can be raped.
As for a woman’s participation, I know women who were tied up or raped under other horrid conditions like weapons drawn or gang rapes. And even if the man is only using his sheer strength, shall we remember all of the femicides which show that many women are not able to fight back against a man, even when their life depends on it?
In an era of fake news, we need to flag him as such. It’s hate propaganda at the very least, in my opinion, because if anyone believes him, they may criticize rape victims for participating!
> your words are worse than the rape itself
I am pretty sure rape is much much worse than words.