A Greek Orthodox monk from northern Greece has been missing for nearly three months after traveling to Turkey to visit h...

A Greek Orthodox monk from northern Greece has been missing for nearly three months after traveling to Turkey to visit his ancestral homeland and live as a hermit. Monk Joseph, born Nikolaos Tsigozis, 58, left his family home in Neos Mylotopos near Giannitsa on July 23 without telling anyone where he was going. His family has had no contact with him since. His sisters first discovered he was gone when they returned to the village and could not find him. A search of a travel agency near the Thessaloniki railway station confirmed that a bus ticket to Turkey had been issued in his name, and the family later verified he boarded the bus. The Greek Consulate in Constantinople confirmed in a written statement that a man resembling Monk Joseph appeared at its offices on the afternoon of July 25. He was not wearing monastic robes, was asking for directions to Trabzon, and used a third party's mobile phone to reach a consular official, since it was a non-working day. Consular staff checked his passport and directed him to the intercity bus station, but stopped short of confirming the man's identity. His sister Evangelia described his motivation on the television program Fos sto Tunnel. "He had a burning desire to go to Pontus," she said. "He used to say that he wanted to become a hermit." Monk Joseph had spent years in the monastic community, including a period on Mount Athos starting in 2003, before eventually staying at the family home while awaiting a transfer to a new monastery. The family believes the search should focus on Istanbul, Trabzon and the broader Pontus region, and possibly Cappadocia, all areas linked to their family's origins. Interpol and the Greek Consulate in Turkey have been notified. Monk Joseph is roughly 1.64 meters tall, with long grey hair usually tied in a ponytail, a grey moustache, a closely trimmed beard, and green eyes. "We want to know, is he alive? Is he well?" his sister Eftychia said. Anyone with information is asked to contact the relevant authorities. #Greece #MissingPerson #Pontus