Persecution of Mount Athos' Esphigmenou Monastery by the EP

[drewmeister2]

Christ is Born!

Yes. Please see http://www.Esphigmenou.com for more on what is happening right now. Their food, mail, power, phone, water, etc. has all been blocked off an their possesions like their boat, seized.

Thank you!

[Fr. Panagiotes]

The Greek government, for the time being, has backed away from enforcing the wishes of Bartholomew. Take a look at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hocna/message/501 for a little more information.

Fr. Gregory from the Esphigmenou Monastery will be visiting Toronto at the end of February and we will get more information as well as photos. Have you seen the video at http://www.esphigmenou.com/Sound/Esphig ... 0Video.swf ?

[尼古拉前执事]

"That they all may be one" (Joh. 17,21)
Living Heresy in Ecumenism
Esphigmenou - a harassed Monastery

In broad parts of Christianity a positive attitude towards ecumenism can be observed. However, among the pracitcal realisation and handling of these seemingly so tolerant and peaceful ideals a - slightly saying - repressive tendency against the Orthodox Church as well as against other Christian communities can be noticed who do not want to accept ecumenism due to their moral attitude. A real escalation happened in the Holy Monastery Esphigmenou on Mount Athos, expressing more about ecumenism than theoretical explanations.

At patriarch Bartholomew’s directive this monastery has become utmostly harassed. The formation of conscience and the acceptance of an apparently ideologic ecumenism shall be forthrightly obtained by force. Regardless the fact, that the people’s will concerning this situation remains unheard, following points can be stated for this practice:

· It deeply contradicts all constitutional conventions, the UNO’s and European Community’s understanding of freedom of religion, autonomy of conscience and human dignity

· It is a fiasco regarding its own theological persuasions representing the foundations of ecumenism which imply freedom of religion and autonomy of the conscience

· It is not compatible with all dialogical statements (mutual and among each other) between the Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Pope and the reformatory religious communities

· It is a pre-modern and therefore not bearable example of clerical arrogance and mischief of power which can only be expected of pre-modern societies.

The last point illumines not only the inner position of the church but goes even beyond to legal problems of the state church (not only) in Greece.

The state cannot be a representative and surveiller for the formation of philosophical opinion and conscience. Of course it has to protect the development of opinion according to modern constitutional understanding as well as the right of every citizen for shelter against offences of extreme ideologies, threatening the existence of a democratic constitution.

However, what kind of danger can emanate from a monastery that does not like to accept ecumenism? How can we understand the state’s constitutional self-conception tied up to a forced simplification of theological attitudes and conscience by the church?

This kind of practice is rather only known to us from the history of totalitarian systems. These incidents prove the intolerant and to some extend repressive tenor of ecumenism. With the aid of state law and in parts by ecclesiastical legal means, organisations that cannot or do not want to accept ecumenism are being combated. It must be pointed out that traditional oriented believers of the Orthodox Church in fact reach their limit of tolerance – after all, a remarkable fact for the 21st century!

Actually, the question whether ecumenism presents an adequate theological position in this conflict about the monastery does not play any role at all. It is obvious, that it is not a theological or religious problem but it is all about oppressive structures of an inner church fight for power, answering with totalitarian and repressive means against people with different thoughts, in order to force them to a unified ideological path. It is very easy to get this impression in reading the main ideas of ecclesiastical statements regarding ecumenism. In this respect, the writings of the Roman Pope and the ecumenical patriarchs take a certain priority. All their documents prove a deep persuasion of ecumenism. Both stress the importance that a unification process should keep their authentic tradition of every single church community and group involved, and should respect and tolerate each individual moral attitude. No unification without truth, gained in a dialogue – this is the ecclesiastical tenor of ecumenism.

However, in the church’s every day live nothing of it can be found.

Supposedly, all adversaries of ecumenism, all traditionalists in the East and West would be completely wrong in their theological position and attitude about church policy: First of all they do not more than to keep, cultivate and maintain once set as valid and determined liturgical, ethnical and ecclesiastical attitudes (often under considerable victims): Due to which basis would it be allowed to force them to change their attitude, even by means of legal authority? Albeit, theological criterions should be mentioned that are accepted through their publicity: Ecumenism is very young in its ideological form. It has not proved itself at all, there does not exist any consens for it within the whole church at all. In opposite to the striving towards unification of the Christians of the Truth, the proper and adequate ecumenism, the ideological ecumenism - also in its practice - takes a radical position. Nor a democratic society neither any kind of church, understanding itself as contemporary modern, can agree with this position without loosing its credibility.

For the orthodox congregation "HL. SYMEON STYLITES" in Berlin

• Archimandrit Theodoros Petrowski

Diakon Dragan Vidojkovic

[尼古拉前执事]

Here is the ad from Friends of Eshigmenou in the Ethniko Kyrika 03-31-06

[尼古拉前执事]

Holy Mountain, on 7th/20th, October 2005

Protocol No. 46

THE HISTORY OF THE PERSECUTION
OF THE SACRED AND ROYAL MONASTERY OF ESPHIGMENOU

It is commonly known that the Holy Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou, for reasons of conscience and Faith, has ceased commemorating the name of the Ecumenical Patriarch in its Church Services from the year 1972. For the same reasons it has also ceased spiritual communion with the leadership of the Governing Body, that is, the Holy Community [or Committee].

In retaliation, that same year, the Holy Community [Committee] illegally and uncanonically cast out of its meetings the representative of our Holy Monastery, the ever memorable monk, Elder Chariton. This was done in spite of the (K.X.A.O.), the Mount Athos Charter, which declares that a seat at the meetings of the Holy Community [Committee], is still legally and rightfully ours.

Since then, the Holy Community [Committee] using assorted and various coercive tactics, has tried to force us to alter our Christian Orthodox mind.

Remarkably, in the year 1974, our Sacred Monastery was surrounded by Police forces for a period of six months. They blocked all sea craft from approaching our dock, cut off our telephone lines, stopped delivery of our mail, intercepted our private correspondence and blockaded food supplies from reaching our Monastery, thereby, condemning our Brotherhood in Christ, to death through starvation. In addition, funds due the Monastery for lands expropriated by the (Greek) government have been frozen. ( Trans. Note: These are funds given to each Monastery by the Greek government for lands it expropriated after the Asia Minor refugees arrived in Greece in 1922.)

Unable to bend the morale of the Esphigmenou fathers and brothers, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, completely illegally and anti canonically deposed [from the priestly rank], the holy and ever memorable Abbot Archimandrite Athanasios, and de-tonsured [if this unorthodox act were ever possible in our Church!] three other fathers of the Monastery. They were: Father Kyriakos, the ever memorable Father Chariton, and Father Ephraim.

In 1979 a Patriarchal delegation under the presidency of Metropolitan Maximos of Stavropoleos arrived on Mount Athos and held an Extraordinary Double Session Meeting of the Sacred Committee. This delegation, with the vote of the Extraordinary Double Sacred Meeting, condemned our Holy Monastery and announced the exile our ever memorable Elder Euthymios and two other brothers of the Monastery. However, for well known reasons, the decision to exile the fathers was never enforced.

Even though many years have passed, to this day the Holy Community [Committee] has been unrelenting and unmerciful in its persecution of our Sacred Monastery, because it sees our Monastery’s continual resolve to defend itself, with all its feeble power, and in every direction, against those who set themselves against it.

These struggles have resulted not only in discrimination against us, but also, in persecution and in threats. We have been deprived of privileges [afforded all the other Monasteries,] we have been denied of funds due the Monastery for its expropriated Metochia land, and, we have been denied of recognition as required by the Mount Athos Charter which governs the internal affairs of this land. They refuse to recognize the internal rules and regulations of our Monastery and finally, they refuse to recognize the lawfully elected Abbot of the Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou, the most Reverend Father Methodios, as well as his predecessor, the blessed Elder Euthymios.

The refusal to accept these leaders and the refusal to accept the [Monastery’s internal] Committees, as well as the refusal to accept the names of all our Brotherhood in Christ from the Register kept at our Holy and Royal Monastery and place them in the Official Register of monks residing on Mount Athos, which is kept by the Holy Community of the Holy Mountain Athos in Karyes, [constitute a gross discriminatory practice by the ecumenist Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew, the Foreign Minister of Greece Mr. Petros Molyviatis, and the Holy Community (Committee) of the Holy Mount Athos. In addition, this practice is a grave civil rights violation of the U.N. Charter on Human Rights, as defined by those Articles dealing with Human Rights and Freedom of Religious Practices of the E.U. Constitution, as well as our civil rights guaranteed to us by the Greek Constitution, as citizens of Greece.] And yet, remarkably, the Greek government which extends protection to all heretical groups within territorial borders, is somehow, troubled by the [Orthodox] Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou.

Then, on the 9th of July 2001, without any notification or consultation with our Sacred Monastery, the Holy Community [Committee] decided to abolish the (50) Special Permits for friends to freely enter Mount Athos and visit our Monastery which had been rightfully allocated to our Monastery on a yearly basis, as is the case with all the Holy Monasteries on the Holy Mountain Athos.

Furthermore, a document, Protocol Number F. 2/34/1712/29/9 - 4/10/2001, was sent to the [Greek Government’s] Director for the Holy Mountain, ordering an investigation into our Holy Monastery’s use of existing Bank accounts in the Monastery’s name, and, into who the people are who use the accounts and on whose authority they use them.

After this the temporary Director [of the Greek Government] for the Holy Mountain Athos, Mr. Aristarchos Kasmiroglu, with the objective of freeze the Sacred Monastery’s bank accounts, sent a document, Protocol Number 4212/31/7/8-10-2001, to all the Banks in Greece to discover if there were any deposits.

[No deposits were found. The Monastery was penniless.]

Around the same time, the Customs agent at the port of Daphni telephoned and informed us that after, a verbal order of the temporary Director [of the Greek Government] for the Holy Mountain Athos, Mr. Aristarchos Kasmiroglu, Customs officials at the port of Daphni, were forbidden to provide untaxed fuel to our Monastery.[All Monasteries receive untaxed fuel. The Monastery was once again being discriminated against by the Greek Government for its Christian Beliefs]. Moreover, everything was being done verbally, without paperwork from the Holy Community, or, from the temporary Director[of the Greek Government] for the Holy Mountain Athos, and, without explaining why these things were being done and why was this embargo was being implemented against, our Monastery.

Expanding this embargo, The Holy Community ordered the police of the Holy Mountain Athos, to not recognize those in charge of our Monastery and those who represented it and to refuse any written document which requested help.

Furthermore, with the annual change in the people serving on the Holy Committee of the Holy Mountain Athos, the new First supervisor of the Iberian Supervisory [committee], elder Kallinikos, issued a ban prohibiting any and all vehicles from entering or exiting our Sacred and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou. This measure was another step in the coercive restrictions being placed on the Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou by the Holy Community [at the request of Patriarch Bartholomew], in order to bend the will our Holy Monastery and force it to change its sincere and pure Orthodox way of life.

This is a flagrant violation of our personal and religious rights as citizens of Greece [and the European Union].

Moreover, the Holy Community Committee of the Holy Mountain Athos considers our Abbot, our Committee of Elders, and all our Brotherhood in Christ, of the Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou, to be illegal cataleptics, illegal occupiers, nonexistent ones and undesirables.

The Committee of the Holy Community is comprised of: hieromonk Nikodemos from the Great Laura Monastery, Elder Nikodemos from Saint Paul’s Monastery, Hieromonk Photios from the Monastery of Gregoriou and the chief Secretary of the Holy Community, Hieromonk John from Saint Anne’s [Skete], who has been adamantly demanding, that the Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou take part in the common administrative issues of the Holy Mountain, end its struggle for Holy Orthodoxy and follow the other 19 Holy Monasteries, in joint prayers, which [would ultimately] conclude in the ecumenist embrace of Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew.

The Holy Committee of the Holy Mountain Athos along with the Temporary Director [of the Greek Government] for the Holy Mountain Athos, unable to convince the Esphigmenou fathers and brothers to abandon their struggle for Orthodoxy against the panheresy of Ecumenism, held consul together, and encouraged by the Holy Community (Committee) to commence their anti-Christian persecution against the Holy Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou. To carry this out, they first sought a written opinion against the Monastery by professors [hired and paid by them] Mr. Spiro Troyanou, Charalampos Papastathis and Diogenous Karagiannakidou. These hired consultants wrote a paper which was replete with false arguments. Finally, with the help of the ecumenist Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew, a Patriarchal Act, Protocol Number 1110/14-12-2002, was issued declaring the monks of Esphigmenou, to now be schismatics.

This despicable piece of paper authorized by the ecumenist and Latin minded Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew was sent to the Holy Community of the Holy Mountain, Athos, which then accept the responsibility of forcibly casting out of the borders of the Holy Mountain Athos, and unto the streets, all the monks [and clergy]of Esphigmenou.

After this, the fathers of Esphigmenou appealed to the Council of State [Greece’s highest Court] to nullify the decision of the Holy Community to expel them from the Holy Mountain. Unfortunately the Council of State Court did not vindicate the Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou and rejected its Appeal.

Yet, the most massive, high handed act and manipulation of the Charter of the Holy Mountain Athos took place very recently on behalf of the Holy Community, when it whimsically, arbitrarily and unlawfully proceeded to establish an impostor [Esphigmenou] brotherhood which is to replace the lawful Brotherhood of the Holy Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou.

This resolution took place on August 26, 2005 in the Holy Municipal building. At the same time there arrived a Patriarchal delegation comprised by Metropolitans: Meliton of Philadelphia, Eirinaios of Kidonias and Apokoronou, and Demetrios of Sebastia. Meeting after meeting was held to force the Holy Community members to agree [to what the Patriarchal delegates demanded]. However, again and again there was resistance and most of the representatives of the Holy Monasteries continued to expressed their resistance and reservations. However, in the end, through scheming which only the representatives of Fanar diplomacy are so skilled at using, a conclusion was achieved by force from the opinions of the (19) Abbots and their corresponding representatives.

The Holy Community of the Holy Mountain Athos, after violating an incalculable number of legal directives relative to the processes of election to the position of Abbot for a Holy Mountain Monastery, chose the elder, Hieromonk Chrysostomos Katsoulidis, of the Holy Kellion of “Annunciation of the Thoetokos,” which is located in the town of Karyes, on the Holy Mountain Athos and is a dependency of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra.

The legal violations of the Charter of the Holy Mountain, consist of the following: Father Chrysostomos lacks a Holy Mountain tonsure, has not completed a ten year coenobitic life at the Monastery, and was not vote on by the Brotherhood of the real Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou, where those who are eligible to vote must have completed six years in the Monastery from the time of their tonsure. (See articles 112 and 114 of the Charter of Mount Athos).

Moreover the Holy Committee of the Holy Mountain Athos chose a representative to the Holy Committee and its meetings, with the right to sign documents on behalf of the legal Brotherhood of the Holy and Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou, without their consent.

Let us keep in mind that the Charter of the Holy Mountain Athos forbids a brotherhood of a Holy Mountain Monastery to be living outside its Monastery, something which is being done by the new impostor brotherhood. But the violations and high handedness do not stop here. The new impostor Abbot Father Chrysostomos has attempted to illegally seize the mail of the lawful Brotherhood with craftiness, by sending what appeared to be a legal notice to the Postal authorities, demanding the displacement of the lawful Brotherhood. At the same time, the new impostor (Esphigmenou) brotherhood has printed and uses coupons which exempt it from taxation [Greek Government tax].

Finally, the impostor brotherhood has ordered fuel, making it obvious and self-evident that in the future, it will attempt to seize the assets and legal papers which belong to the lawful Brotherhood of the Holy Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou and become the possessor of the Constitutional rights of the lawful Esphigmenou fathers. All this with the consent and culpability of the Holy Committee of the Holy Mountain Athos.

EPILOGUE

In conclusion we condemn the maneuverings used by the Holy Community of Mount Athos as extremely anti constitutional and illegal. At the same time we call to the attention of the Civil Director [of the Greek Government] for the Holy Mountain, because he has a sacred duty and a sacred obligation of supervision and exact maintenance and enforcement of the directives of the Charter of the Holy Mountain Athos, to not cover up the violations and illegalities by the Holy Community, as well as, the rest of the (19) Holy Monasteries.

We categorically declare, that these violations and the overt trampling of our individual and religious rights as Greek citizens are taking place with the tolerance, the aiding and abetting of the Civil Administration[of the Greek Government, a European Union Member, whose Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is Foreign Minister Mr. Petros Moliviatis.

While at the same time, the rest of the Holy Mountain fathers, and even those who are of other faiths and foreigner workers who live on Mount Athos, enjoy all their rights, which are afforded to them by the Greek Constitution.

However, we will not be cowered, but with a strong voice will declare to all, that we are ready to sacrifice, even this, our life so that this sacred struggle which we have carried on for thirty two years, succeeds.

This struggle is not being conducted for selfish interests.

It is for the defense of our most sweet Orthodox [Faith] and for the eradication of Ecumenism and the securing of our ancestral privileges and for the Athonite way of life.

We, therefore, declare what is evident to all, that with the help of almighty GOD and through the intercession of our Lady Theotokos the Overseer and Protector of the Holy Mountain, we shall honor the pledge, “ORTHODOXY or DEATH” which has been waving unfettered for decades over our Orthodox and Holy Royal Monastery of Esphigmenou. Amen.

THE ABBOT OF THE HOLY AND ROYAL MONASTERY OF ESPHIGMENOU

(Signature) +Archimandrite Methodios
and the brothers in CHRIST with me.

[尼古拉前执事]

A Chronology of events from 1924-1974

A short background that takes you back to the roots of today's disagreement. Read this and you will be up to date on how this situation came to pass. Also are answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

A Historical Background and Overview of the current situation of Esphigmenou

1. Unilateral change from the Julian calendar to the calendar of Pope Gregory. The Mt. Athos Community, with the exception of the Monastery of Vatopaidi (who accepted the new calendar from 1924-1971), collectively ceased commemorating the Ecumenical Patriarch.

2. As a result of much pressure the Patriarchate negotiated a “compromise” that was accepted-but not by all the Mt Athos MONASTERIES- and NOT by all the Mt. Athos MONKS. Esphigmenou did not accept the compromise. The Patriarchate assured the monks, the calendar was to be reconsidered in an upcoming Pan-Orthodox Council and persuaded the Mt. Athos Community to resume commemorating the Ecumenical Patriarch, pending the resolution of the calendar question by a Pan-Orthodox Council. The Pan Orthodox council was never convened to consider and agree on the issue.

3. The Ecumenical Patriarchate “lifted” the anathemas against the church headed by the Pope of Rome. This event caused upheaval across Mount Athos, as one monastery after another ceased commemorating the Patriarch. Ultimately, most of monasteries, sketes, and dependencies of Mount Athos ceased commemorating the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

4. A special session of the governing representative body of Mount Athos—was convened. This special session resolved that:

“On the issue of resuming the commemoration of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, each Holy Monastery, as a self-governing entity, is to remain free to choose a course of action according to its conscience.”

Along with others, the Monastery of Esphigmenou continued to operate under the 1971 resolution, but not long after the Abbot Andreas and Abbot Eudokimos, the of St. Paul and Xenphontos Monasteries, who also remained faithful to the resolution were removed and exiled by the Patriarchate and replaced with hand picked appointees.

1. The Monks of Esphigmenou raised black flags over their Monastery in protest against the prayer service held by the then Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and the Pope. The Monastery of Esphigmenou ceased participating in joint prayer services with representatives of the other monasteries.

2. The Mt. Athos Community, lead by Fr. Theokletos of Dionysiou and in cooperation with the Patriarchate, consented to the unjust and unethical resolution of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, condemning the Esphigmenou fathers moreover, ordered the exile of the Esphigmenou Abbot and 3 other leaders of the monastery. As a result, under the Military Junta, a Navy Warship enforced a sea blockade and Marines surrounded the monastery for weeks. Unwilling to be intimidated by this overwhelming military force the monastery unfurled a now famous banner over the monastery wall facing the battleship which read “Orthodoxy or Death”.

Abbott Efraim from the Mt Athos Monastery of Vatopaidi was threatened with excommunication when he left to join the Russian Orthodox Church which does not commemorate the Patriarch. After the threat he came back.

And now Esphigmenou has been declared schismatic, even though they have not changed their faith.

The ruling is simply an abuse of authority to cast the monks in a negative light and to invoke the Greek Constitution which forbids schismatics from Mt Athos. Just because the Patriarch labels them Schismatics, doesn’t mean that they are truly schismatics, as defined by the teachings of the church. An unbiased ruling – even one conducted by all Orthodox Churches would most certainly agree that they are not truly schismatics.

If the Greek Law forbids schismatics aren’t they required to leave?

1. When the law was written, the intent of the Greek law was to prevent schismatics from building Monasteries on Mount Athos, namely Protestants and Roman Catholics-with whom we do not share a common faith. It was not intended to be used as a sledge hammer by the Patriarch to force Orthodox monks to obey his every desire.

2. Mt. Athos is an independent monastic community set up so it can act as it had historically, as defenders of the faith, not as yes-men of the Patriarch. Today though the Monastery leaders are stacked with Patriarchal appointees – a departure from the historic election of Abbotts by the monastic brotherhoods of the individual Monastery. In this way the Patriarch controls the leadership, what they preach and how they might vote. Since individual monks do not vote, but just the leaders of the monastery the decisions are skewed to what the Patriarch wants and are not a reflection of the majority of the monks on Mt Athos.

3. Nowadays when the all the monasteries of Mt Athos raise an issue with the Patriarchs teachings as they did with Bartholomew in letters dated 1999 and 1993, the Patriarch threatens them with disciplinary action including excommunication and defrockment if they do not apologize for offending him. This way he never addresses the underlying issues and continues on his path.

4. Forcing the monks to leave by police force and these hardball tactics is destroying the very essence what was once a truly autonomous community. The forced commemoration of the Patriarch goes against the very essence of Mt Athos. The Patriarch wants to silence dissent by showing everyone else what happens to people that do not obey him.

What about the death of the monk?

The situation is under investigation. Regardless of the outcome if he was chased… whatever the details…. This would have never arisen (to drive the tractor at night to avoid detection) if the police blockade were not here. The Patriarch and leaders that put the blockade in place are responsible for causing his death.
Isn’t the eviction legal?

The eviction violates the autonomy of the Mt Athos charter. The label of schismatics is not based in any orthodox church teaching. An eviction can only be performed when you are on someone else’s property. The Monastery is private property and belongs to the brotherhood of Esphigmenou. This was affirmed by Greece’s Minister of Culture, Evangelos Venizelos, as reported by Athens News Agency on Jan 17, who stated at a meeting in Brussels “all the land there belongs to each monastery and is therefor private, without exception, and without any of it belonging to the public or the Greek state.” The eviction is illegal. The Patriarchate is putting strong pressure on the government as a means of resolving a dispute by force without having to discuss the underlying issues in an open forum – a Orthodox Church Synod, violating a long tradition of how differences have been resolved in the Orthodox church. Issuing a Papal like ruling of being schismatic and then calling on the use of military force to enforce it. This is no different than what the crusaders did to other Christians.

[尼古拉前执事]

A short history of the dispute 1972- 2002

A brief history of the dispute, adapted from an article in the Greek language, Kathimerini newspaper.

A short history of the dispute surrounding Esphigmenou

A series of recent measures taken by the Holy Community of Mount Athos against the Esphigmenou Monastery brings to light a dispute of over thirty years. In the dispute between the Holy Community and the Monastery of Esphigmenou, the monks of Esphigmenou are again being treated very unfairly by the Athonite Community. Here is a brief history.

In 1972, the Monks of Esphigmenou raised black flags on their Monastery in protest against the meeting of the then Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople and the Pope. The monks did not object to dialogue and discussion, per se, but to formal ecclesiastical union engaged in by the patriarch by having joint prayer services with the Roman Catholic Church. Such services are a de facto reunification of the church, bypassing the formal process of convening a synod to decide matters of faith as is the rule of the church.

What followed was a four month siege by land and sea. On land, Greek Marines surrounded the Holy Monastery, and off the coast, enforcing a blockade by sea and in plain view of the oceanside monastery, sat a Greek Navy Warship. The besieged monks, unwilling to be intimidated by the overwhelming military force deployed against them, answered with a message of their own, unfurling a banner over their monastery wall which read, "Orthodoxy or Death".

In the years that followed, the monks of Esphigmenou, with their exemplary ascetic life, gained the esteem of those in the monastic community on Mt. Athos, even those who theologically disagreed with them. The high regard in which the monks of Esphigmenou were held, kept at bay those who wanted to take over the Monastery from finding a way to achieve their goal. In the most recent event, the Patriarch tried to act through the use of force by using his influence with the Greek Government to secure an eviction order of the monks. However, the regional Greek Governor in charge of Mount Athos, Costas Papoulides, resigned his position after refusing to carry out instructions from higher authorities to use force in order to enter the Monastery and evict the Monks.

PAST HISTORY OF COOPERATION

In the past, however, there were periods of cooperation when the Holy Community of Mt. Athos approached the Monks of Esphigmenou with a desire to resolve the differences as had happened four years ago. Then, a majority of monasteries, thirteen out of twenty, voted together to oppose the abolishment of the self-governing status of the Holy Mountain and thereby foiled the plans of Patriarch Bartholomew to assert his control over the community.

The Ecumenical Patriarch then applied pressure to the monasteries, and stopped this process of rapprochement and dialogue which the Holy community had with Esphigmenou, because it was beginning to achieve some success. The process of rapprochement had been marked by repeated visits of the representatives of the majority of the Monasteries of the Holy Community to Esphigmenou monastery to discuss its return to the Holy Community.

The self-governing status, as well as the autonomy, which the Monasteries have and always enjoyed, has been the principle reason for the Holy Mountain’s survival throughout the centuries. The principles of tolerance, understanding, and respect were exercised on the Holy Mountain and constituted important achievements for Orthodoxy, aiding in the preservation of monastic life. Any disagreements over its 1,000 year history have always been solved amongst the independent monasteries which occupy the peninsula and which have governed themselves through their combined Holy Community without interference from the outside world.

Throughout the years, many committees of the Holy Community, the "Holy Epistasia" (the Secretariat of the Holy Community), as well as many patriarchal missions who have at times visited the autonomous district of Mount Athos, have occupied themselves with the issue of Esphigmenou monastery. The passage of time, and the tendency of the Esphigmenite Fathers not to provoke their neighbors, proved that a "de facto" status quo of mutual acceptance and tolerance had stabilized and that only the theological and dogmatic differences remained.

THE PATRIARCH STRIKES BACK

But the current Holy Community Committee, composed mainly of the hieromonks hand-picked by the Patriarch of Constantinople, chose a forceful way of handling the whole issue.

A series of and increasingly hard line and forceful measures taken since last summer has again made the life of the Esphigmenite brotherhood difficult. The Holy Community refuses to recognize the Abbot Methodios, the Members of the Governing Committee of the Monastery of Esphigmenou, as well as 113 of its 117 Monks. The remaining four are recognized because they were registered in the List of Monks (the Monachologion) of the Monastery before 1972. Ever since then, however, the Holy Community has refused to accept the new entries to the Lists of Monks sent by the Esphigmenou Monastery. In this way, the new Holy Community Committee wages a technical war of attrition and thereby considers all those monks as "illegal occupants".

TIGHTENING THE NOOSE

The first provocation against the monastery was the restriction of visitors to Esphigmenou. Next, was the blockade of all provisions to the monastery, including those containing, food, medicine and heating oil. Next, an order of the Acting Civil Governor of the Holy Mountain froze all the Bank accounts of the Monastery. Then the State of Greece stopped paying the monastery, its annual compensation as required by agreement, for the expropriation of a great number of real estate, properties and land, which the monastery owned outside the boundaries of Mount Athos.

The monks of Esphigmenou, not wishing to engage in a confrontation or involve outside secular authorities in church affairs endured these hardship in silence. They faced this embargo by purchasing through donations a large speedboat which can travel safely even in seas of up to eight beaufourts. In this way they have been able to “run” their embargo up until now. They are afraid however that the appetite for confrontation on the part of the Patriarch has not been satisfied, and the next step will be the prohibition of the use of the speedboat, says the Secretary of the Monastery, the Monk Theokletos.

Many monks throughout the Holy Mountain who lead a simple monastic life disagree with these heavy handed and decidedly unchristian actions. Now the monastic community has been divided and many of the monks are against the use of force against the brotherhood of Esphigmenou. They say that tolerance is a characteristic of Orthodoxy and the Holy Mountain and that any of the problems which arise among the Athonite monks should be solved by the monks themselves in a spirit of patience, love, and discretion as well as over time.

THE SUMMONS

In November 2002, the Executive Committee of the Holy Community sent, through a constable of the court, a summons to each one of the monks of Esphigmenou (including those who have died) in which eighty-eight charges have been addressed to each one of them, calling them to appear in groups of twenty-five by December 5, 2002. The monks answered the summons in writing, stressing the fact that the accusations against them were vague and baseless. After the expiration of this deadline, the Holy Community, now controlled by members loyal to Bartholomew, issued a finding that, the monks were an illegal brother hood, and instructed them to vacate the monastery by January 28th, 2003.

Persistent rumors have it that a new brotherhood for the Monastery of Esphigmenou has been created, composed of monks from other monasteries, and a new abbot will be established, who now is a member of the Holy Community Committee. This new group, with a new seal for the Monastery, has been temporarily established in the premises of the Russian Skete of Prophet Elijah, and has secretly been given all the privileges and rights of the Monastery of Esphigmenou. The hope is to make the ultimate goal of seizing the monastery a fait accompli by having the new brotherhood of monks step in and take physical possession of the monastery after the forceful eviction of the Esphigmenou brotherhood.

Now the monastery is under siege on land by the Greek Police and at sea by the Greek Coast Guard. Last week the monks were served papers by the Greek Coast Guard prohibiting the use of their boat. This had been their only lifeline to the outside world and the only way to bring food in for themselves. Now, only hours remain until the deadline for eviction, and the armed forces of the Greek Government are poised to evict the monks by force.

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The Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou appeals for the moral support of all people, so that the Human Rights and Religious Freedom of its 117 monks will not be trampled and so that the Monastery may continue, without hindrance, to pursue its spiritual life and philanthropy towards all people.

Special thanks goes to the Greek newspaper Ethnos, for writing the article which formed the basis of this history.