Well-known journalist Vasso Morali has been convicted for defamation of Archbishop Makarios of Australia by the Kavala Misdemeanor Court and has appealed the decision.

Morali stated that she has taken the case to the Thrace Court of Appeals, hoping for a fairer trial by more experienced judges.

According to the announcement from the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, the court sentenced Vasiliki Morali to eleven months in prison with a three-year suspension for defamation and insult via the internet. The Archdiocese has stated that the conviction restores the grave insult against Archbishop Makarios and sends a message that all reprehensible behaviour will not go unpunished.

The Archdiocese of Australia notes that any signs of abuse, illegality, or exploitation are monitored and addressed by the Archbishop himself.

In a post on Facebook, Morali announced that she has appealed the decision of the Kavala Misdemeanor Court, which found her guilty of defaming Archbishop Makarios.

Regarding this matter, the Archdiocese of Australia issued the following statement:

“Condemnation of Vasiliki Morali for repeated defamatory slander and insult”

“The Holy Archdiocese of Australia announces the decision of the Tripartite Misdemeanour Court of Kavala, dated 18 June 2024, which sentenced Ms Vasiliki Morali to eleven (11) months imprisonment with a three-year suspension due to her criminal activities involving repeated defamatory slander and insult through the internet.

This decision, as a first-degree jurisdiction of the Greek Courts, not only restores the severe and unethical insult suffered by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios but also sends a message in many directions that any reprehensible act cannot be without consequences.

The Holy Archdiocese of Australia, the Archbishop, the Bishops, and the staff working in its institutions and services serve with absolute conscientiousness and legality and it has been made clear in every direction that any signs of abuse, illegality, or exploitation are monitored and remedied by the Archbishop himself.

It should be noted that resorting to Justice was the last means of protecting the Church and the institution of the Archbishop, as every effort on his part to avoid judicial proceedings proved fruitless and was not heeded by Ms Morali, who was found guilty.

We hope that Ms Morali, the negative protagonist of these developments, as well as her associates, will reconsider their stance to date and will want to desist in the future from their behaviours up to now. This is something that will help them existentially and will relieve them from the turmoil they have fallen into. Otherwise, they will prolong the suffering that such doomed choices bring.

The Holy Archdiocese of Australia, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, the God-loving Bishops, and all the members of the Consolidated Trust feel the need to thank the distinguished lawyer from Athens, Mr Stylianos Katselis, who handled the case with absolute conscientiousness and earnestness. At the same time, they congratulate him for once again delivering a fair and transparent result for our local Church.”

In response Vasso Morali publicly stated on her social media:

“PRAISE TO THE (not ‘blind’ but) WIDE-EYED GREEK JUSTICE THAT CONVICTED THE ‘CRIMINAL’ JOURNALIST!

My four-day trial at the Three-Member Misdemeanor Court of Kavala concluded after Archbishop Makarios of Australia filed a lawsuit against me for defamation and insult through my Facebook posts four years ago (concerning the production of the documentary tribute to my late spiritual father Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, which I voluntarily organised from the beginning and mostly completed, but the final completion ended up in the hands of Mr Makarios and his associates, whom I publicly denounced for a series of serious financial and ethical issues).

To end your suspense, the DECISION of the 3 (female) judges is:

GUILTY of 3 out of 4 defamation charges

GUILTY of insulting him with two of my phrases!

I was sentenced to a total of 11 months in prison, with a three-year suspension.

Of course, I immediately filed an Appeal to be retried in the future at the Thrace Court of Appeals by more experienced judges.

It should be noted that the Prosecutor’s (highly documented regarding the lack of established knowledge and intent on my part for defamation, as REQUIRED by law) recommendation was ACQUITTAL for the defamation offense and GUILTY for one of my phrases (‘Hypocritical priest!’) directed at Mr Makarios (insult).”