The Orthodox priest shot and wounded Saturday, October 31 in Lyon by a man still on the run, was operated on Monday but his state of health remains "
critical
" according to doctors who have since kept him in an artificial coma, reported a religious official.
Read also: Lyon: an Orthodox priest wounded by bullets, lifting of custody of the man arrested on Saturday
“
The operation has just finished and went well.
He's still in a coma, but doctors will try to wake him up on Tuesday.
They are more optimistic,
”the regional manager of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France, Georges Vassilakis, told AFP.
“
His state of health remains very critical.
He received gunshots in the abdomen and chest.
His intestines are almost destroyed and some vital organs are affected.
We are still in uncertainty,
”he added, saying to himself both“
shocked and saddened
”.
According to the priest of the parish of Saint-Georges in Grenoble, Nikolaos Kakavelakis, 52, had submitted his resignation a month ago for “
family reasons
” to this court of the Orthodox Church - which had been looking for a replacement for him - for to seek "
another mission abroad
".
Arrived in Lyon “
between the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010
”, the priest of the 7th arrondissement of Lyon knew conflicting relations with “
three or four members of the community
”, according to Georges Vassilakis, and in particular a man who "
Filed a complaint against him on several occasions
".
“
It was both personal and about the management of the parish.
He accused her of having changed the status of the community.
He was his only known enemy in our community, but this person was able to influence other members.
The situation was not very pleasant within the parish
”, describes Georges Vassilakis.
Read also: Attack of Nice: one of the last two detained released
Occurring two days after the attack in the basilica of Nice, this attack on a place of worship caused a stir.
However, the terrorist trail is no more privileged than that of a common law dispute.
The Grenoble priest believes that “
it cannot be a terrorist act
”.
He evokes "
something personal
", including by "
another person, independent of the community, unstable for example, who would have chosen him at random
".
On Saturday, Nikolaos Kakavelakis, priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in the 7th arrondissement of Lyon, was targeted by a sawed-off shotgun, with a touching end, so he closed the door of the church in civilian clothes.
A man "who
could correspond to the description given by the first witnesses
" had been arrested in another district of Lyon shortly after the facts.
But his custody was lifted early Sunday afternoon, nothing to link him to the facts.