Finally in the Dock

“The moment of truth has arrived”

That day began under the best auspices. At least one of the two plaintiffs, the Chief Secretary of the Patriarchate, was present—as were the lawyers. Thus, all prerequisites for the trial to proceed were in place. The trial’s number on the docket was 5. It was not ideal (1-2), but by no means could it be described as bad. With four trials scheduled before mine, and the possibility of some of them being postponed (as often happens), the postponement of the ‘Holy Fire trial’ due to the expiration of court hours was highly improbable.

Unless what transpired that day actually happened. All three initial trials took place, and indeed lasted for a relatively long time, and when the fourth one was reached, it was already noon. Suddenly, we realized it was a very significant case—with many defendants and witnesses—which, if it proceeded, would make it impossible for my trial to begin. The courts close at 3:00 PM.

At some point, my lawyer, Thanasis Anagnostopoulos, approached me and said, disappointed: “Unfortunately, Dimitris, only a miracle will allow our trial to proceed. The trial that just started cannot possibly finish today. Therefore, ours will be postponed again for several months later.” “Are you sure?” I asked him. “One hundred percent.”

I could not believe it. I felt myself sinking. I had waited years for this moment, and the trial would not proceed again, this time due to a twist of fate. I sat in a chair and do not recall how many minutes I remained there speechless, with my head bowed.

I had to come to terms with the fourth postponement.

And suddenly, a miracle occurred!

I saw my lawyer rushing out of the courtroom, shouting: “Dimitris, quickly, into the courtroom! Our trial has begun!”
– “But how? What happened?”
– “Simply, important witnesses were absent from the previous trial, and the presiding judge postponed it. Let’s go! The moment of truth has arrived.”

En route to the courtroom, Father Charalambos Kopanakis, who had come from Crete as a defense witness, approached me and said: “As I exited the restroom and ascended the stairs, Aristarchos and his lawyer were in front of me. They did not see me, and I overheard him reminding him not to forget the phrase ‘confessional secrecy.’ However, I did not understand what he meant.”

Neither did I understand, which is why I paid no attention to Father Charalambos’s words. A few minutes later, I understood…

As soon as I entered the courtroom, I heard the Presiding Judge call my name, and I took my seat in the defendant’s dock. I felt relieved. Everyone feels regret when they are in the dock; I, however, rejoiced.
The first witness was one of the plaintiffs, the Chief Secretary of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Aristarchos (Isidoros was not present).

Finally, the time came to see what the Chief Secretary of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who has served there for 62 whole years, answered to the most crucial question posed to him:

“Can you affirm, with your hand on the Gospel, that this is a miracle?”