The shooting of a Greek Orthodox priest in Lyon was not a terrorist attack - it was sparked by an extramarital affair, prosecutors say.

(The New York Times)

Authorities say the suspect they have detained over the shooting is a 40-year-old man whose wife was having an affair with the priest.

The suspect confessed to the shooting during police questioning, which came amid tensions within Lyon's Greek Orthodox community, prosecutors say.

The priest, 45-year-old father-of-two Nikolas Kakavelakis, was fired at twice in the abdomen by a hunting rifle while he was closing his church at about 4pm on 31 October.

He remains in a critical condition.

(The New York Times)

The victim is understood to have had a long-running legal dispute with a former monk who was convicted of defamation, French media reported.

According to the Greek Orthodox Holy Diocese of France, Mr Kakavelakis was scheduled to return to Greece after working at the Lyon church where he was shot.

(Lupni.com/Sky News)