Athens, Greece - The Orthodox Church of Greece has decided to keep on public display the corpse of a monk found partially decomposed after 15 years of burial, a discovery that has drawn hundreds of believers to a monastery in central Greece, the church said on Wednesday.
"Regarding the phenomenon surrounding the monk's uncorrupted remains ... the local church authorities will ensure [their protection] from irreverent exploitation," the Holy Synod, governing body of the Church of Greece, said in a statement received on Wednesday.
The church said all money donated by pilgrims flocking to see the body -- displayed since March inside a glass case at Agathonos monastery, central Greece -- will be given to poor families and disabled persons under a new foundation bearing the monk's name.
The case of monk Vissarionas Korkoliakos, who died in 1991 at the age of 83, has caused a stir following his recent exhumation at Agathonos monastery.
Drawn by religious fervour or plain curiosity, hundreds have visited the monastery following extensive media coverage of the alleged phenomenon, and after the local bishop claimed that "even the monk's soft parts are intact" despite 15 years of burial.
"This phenomenon is a celestial sign, a message for our people and our time," the Holy Synod said.
The decision has drawn criticism from some clerics, who say the monk should be reburied, while medical experts observe that cases of bodies failing to decompose fully under certain humidity conditions are rare but possible.