Founder of children's shelter in Athens asks for help to avoid prison

Father Antonios Papanikolaou. Photo: pronews.gr

The founder of the Greek children's shelter "Ark of teh World" in Athens, priest Antonios Papanikolaou, has appealed to believers for support after the announcement of the appellate verdict, with which he categorically disagrees. He stated that he is unable to pay the amount necessary to buy out the assigned sentence and asks for help in raising funds, reports the Greek branch of the UOJ.

On February 19, 2026, the Three-Member Appellate Court for Misdemeanors of Athens sentenced Fr. Antonios to 9 years and 6 months of imprisonment in the case of abuse of wards of the "Ark of the World." The sentence was converted to monetary form – 10 euros per day, which amounts to over 60,000 euros in total. Four other defendants were also convicted in the case; for two of them the punishment was also converted to a monetary fine, for two others the execution was suspended.

For fundraising, bank details have been published: three accounts are indicated – separately for each of those who must pay the sentence buyout. The organizers clarify that the exact amounts will be confirmed by the Appellate Court on Tuesday, after which reporting will be provided for each contribution.

According to the court's decision, the case materials have been sent to the Prosecutor's Office to check for possible perjury by four witnesses who changed their testimony on appeal. Earlier, Fr. Antonios left the proceedings, stating the court's bias; he reported this in a published video.

In an interview on the eve of the verdict, the priest claimed that “Ark of the World” had faced resistance because of the scale of its activities and competition for funding. He insists on his innocence and says he is disappointed with the actions of the judicial authorities. Together with his lawyers, he has decided to finally withdraw from participation in the case and places all his hopes in God.

The "Ark of the World" foundation was created in the late 1990s in the Kolonó district of Athens as a shelter and network of social structures for children in difficult situations and refugees; subsequently, the work expanded to other regions of Greece.

As the UOJ wrote, the Archbishop of Greece spoke about his successor and the future of the Church.

Read also