Rome Newsroom, Nov 5, 2020 / 09:00 am
Fr. Nikolas Kakavelakis, a Greek Orthodox priest who was seriously wounded in a shooting Saturday, has emerged from coma, according to French media.
"He came out of a coma … and has started speaking again today. He manages to move a little but he has a lot of pain, " Georges Vassilakis, the regional manager of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France, told Le Parisien Nov. 4.
The priest was attacked with a sawn-off shotgun the afternoon of Oct. 31 as he was closing the Church of the Annunciation in Lyon. While out of a medically induced coma, Kakavelakis may still need surgery, local Orthodox leaders have said. He still has severe injuries from being shot in the chest and abdomen.
The 52-year-old priest was due to return to Greece soon. He has been at the Lyon parish since 2012.