A mother told a Limassol court that Bishop Athanasios and Abbot Epifanios began influencing her son towards monastic life when he was 15, leading to a prolonged family estrangement. She described behavioral changes starting around 1999, including the replacement of football posters with religious icons and her son prioritizing patristic texts over schoolbooks. A psychiatrist later said her son had "deified" Bishop Athanasios.

The mother recounted confrontations with the bishop, who allegedly dismissed her concerns and purportedly urged her to "make him look crazy" to remove her son from the monastery. Following these events, her son became agitated, using harsh language and expressing a desire to die in the monastery. His mental health deteriorated amid personal setbacks and the loss of close friends.

After military service, her son traveled to Mount Athos upon the bishop’s advice, contacting Vatopedi monks, then to the United States where he was reportedly met by a bishop associate. Returning nine months later, he abandoned university studies. Both clergymen are defendants in a case centered on allegations of undue influence over a minor.