Reuters
Athens, Feb 2: A group of Greek nuns abandoned their convent and went into hiding after running up debts of more than 600,000 euros from a knitting business that went bust, authorities said on Tuesday.
The 55 sisters of the Saints Kirikos and Ioulitis monastery in the town of Sidirokastro, near the border with Bulgaria, had purchased machinery worth 250,000 euros with bank loans some years ago, police officials said. But despite supplying several shops, they were running deeper and deeper into debt and risking bankruptcy.
"We have not been asked to intervene yet but we are following the case closely," a police official said.
The nuns are believed to have taken refuge at another monastery in central Greece and the Greek press has reported that the Church of Greece has offered to help them pay their debts and come out of hiding.
The church's representative was not available for comment.