Greek Priest Caught Digging for Treasure

A Greek Orthodox priest and his assistant have been caught digging for buried treasure, police said Friday.

The pair were caught red-handed late Thursday after neighbors tipped off the police in the town of Fiska, in northern Greece.

They admitted that they were acting on rumors that archaeological treasures could be found under the church, built in 1854.

Digging for treasure, especially from the Ottoman period, is practically a national pastime in Greece.

Cultural authorities have stepped up efforts against looting of antiquities such as icons housed in churches and monasteries.