Persecution of Mount Athos' Esphigmenou Monastery by the EP

[Jean-Serge]

I talked to John Rigas yesterday and it seems the police left...

[Sean]

I talked to John Rigas yesterday and it seems the police left...

Glory to God for all things!

This isn't the first time this has happened to the Esphigmenou Brotherhood. I pray that they continue to struggle for Holy Orthodoxy and pray for the souls of us sinners.

[尼古拉前执事]

UPDATE: June 10, 2008

The assault of Esphigmenou Monastery has been thwarted. Thanks to the many phone calls and emails to the Greek Government, the police forces have been recalled. Please continue to contact government officials both in Greece, USA and your own government to end the persecution of Esphigmenou Monastery.

From http:// www.esphigmenou.com

[Sean]

ESPHIGMENOU MONASTERY - MOUNT ATHOS

Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou - Holy Mountain Athos

Under Persecution!

UPDATE: August 19, 2008

August 19th, 2008 - This week, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
will travel to Mt. Athos, Greece from his native Turkey in his latest
attempt to expel the monks of the Holy and Sacred Monastery of
Esphigmenou on Mt Athos from their monastery home of 1500 years.

The monks of Esphigmenou have had a long running religious dispute
with Patriarch Bartholomew over his departure from the teachings of
the Orthodox Church and have respectfully and humbly requested a
peaceful dialog with him in an attempt to resolve their differences.
Patriarch Bartholomew has refused dialogue and has resorted to ever
more harsher, unorthodox tactics in his crusade to evict the monks
from their monastery.

The Holy Community of Mont Athos recently voted 13-6 (Esphigmenou was
not allowed to attend), not to use force to remove the monks. The
Patriarch plans to meet with the abbots of the monasteries of
Xeropotamou, Dionysiou, Saint Paul, Simonos Petra, and Pantoktatoros.
Angered by their decision not to use force, he personally intends to
apply pressure to those monasteries because they did not vote to his
liking. His intentions are to demand they change their vote to evict
the monks of Esphigmenou. The Patriarch is allegedly threatening the
abbots with defrockment if they do not obey his edict to use force.

Patriarch Bartholomew' s approach is a blatant violation of canon law
and a wholesale abuse of Episcopal authority which only reserves
defrockment for grievous violations of canon law, and is not for
advancing a personal political agenda. Like other teachings of the
Orthodox Church, Patriarch Bartholomew is disregarding this central
tenet of church law.

Mt Athos is a semi-autonomous monastic of community in Greece and in
comprised of 20 independent monasteries. It is governed by the Holy
Community, which is a body made up of one representative from each
monastery. Under the Greek constitution, the findings of the Holy
Community have the force of civil law on this monastic peninsula of
Greece. Patriarch Bartholomew, who is a Turkish citizen, is attempting
to interfere in this legitimate and independent lawmaking body in
Greece, by bending them to his personal will. He seeks to influence
their decision, not on a matter of canon law but to advance his
personal political agenda.

The monks of Esphigmenou, who seek only a life of peace and prayer in
their monastery, have been subject to a non-stop campaign of official
harassment and intimidation by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
and his accomplices in the Greek Government, because of a religious
disagreement they have with him. In this holy war against the
monastery, we see the same types of state-sponsored tactics Turkey has
used against Orthodox Christians in Turkey, brought to bear on the
Greek Orthodox citizens of Esphigmenou monastery. This is one Turkish
import Greece can do without.

Who to Call/Fax:

From the US, first dial 011-30-23770 then the below numbers

From Europe dial 00-30-23770 then the below numbers:

MONASTERY NAME TEL. NO. FAX NO

Dionysiou 23687 23686

Pantokratoros 23253 23685

St. Paul's 23250 23355

Simonopetra 23254 23707

Xeropotamou 23251 23733

[Sean]

As I've said before; not only are these beligerrant Ecumenists graceless heretics, but they aren't even decent human beings.

Thessaloniki Court: Acquits Esphigmenou Monks

The Third Court of Appeals in Thessaloniki, Greece announced their decision and found no evidence that the Esphigmenou Monks were guilty of the charge of disturbing the peace. The incident took place back in 2005. Some of the incident was video taped by the Esphigmenou Monks, and it clearly shows a violent attack perpetrated "on them" and "not by them". The sinister attack on the monks of Esphigmenou with a sledgehammer made news around the world and video of it (see below) aired showing the shocking details. It was clearly an embarrassment for not only the Greek Government and Patriarch Bartholomew but also all those who opposed Esphigmenou. The over zealous prosecutor in Thessalonki, however, thought it a good idea to pursue charges. No charges shockingly enough were ever brought upon the sledgehammer wielding monks outside but only to the defenseless Esphigmenou monks held up behind the locked wooden door.

http://www.esphigmenou.com/Sound/Esphig ... 0Video.swf

[Priest Siluan]

To Trial the five monks of the "NEW" Brotherhood of Holy Esphigmenou Monastery

Salonika

«To trial are finally referred five monks of the «set-up» (as New) Brotherhood of the Holy Esphigmenou Monastery…

While one important part of the State Church of Greece (New Calendar) has taken «the public relations» of the «set-up» Brotherhood of the Holy Esphigmenou Monastery of Mount Athos by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in order to enforce it to the consciences of the faithful as the canonical one and the canonical Monastery (old brotherhood) as the occupant, comes the Magistrates' Council of Salonika with its Decree and refers five new monks of the «set-up» “new” Brotherhood.

According to correspondence by the date, June 17, from the Athens News Agency from Salonika:

«To trial in criminal court at Salonika are referred five monks of the new Brotherhood of the Holy Esphigmenou Monastery of Mount Athos.

According to the Decree of the Magistrates’ Council of Salonika, they face charges of threats and mere bodily injury.

The Court Case concerns an incident between members of the new brotherhood of Esphigmenou, which was set up by the Holy Community – the supreme governing body of the Monastic State of Mount Athos – and the zealot monks who refuse to leave the Monastery.

The incident occurred on December 20, 2006 at the Konaki (Representation Cell) of the Holy Esphigmenou Monastery in Karyes. As described in the Decree, the defendants, holding crowbars, bars and clubs, entered the Konaki occupied by the zealot monks with whom they clashed.

Result of the riots was to hurt at least four monks from the Old Brotherhood of Holy Esphigmenou Monastery and they had to be transferred to hospitals of Kalkidiki to provide them with first aid. »

"Orthodox Press" Athens, Greece

Translation from the original Greek: Christos,
The Old Calendarist List owner

[Priest Siluan]

Holy Esphigmenou Monastery : All those who beat up, let them pay

The ancient monastery of Esphigmenou in which about 100 besieged young and elderly monks give their own struggle of conscience for God and man ...

Seeing the mess of the times and remembering old prophecies about the coming of an era of persecution and even blood there in the holy places of refuge, we do not find what else to say and what to assume ...

"Judas taking the gang and with the servants of the High Priests and Pharisees, come here with the lamps, candles and weapons ..." says Saint John the Evangelist somewhere. Why so today, the crowbars, the bars, and the sticks?

Maybe all these things happened for the glory of Christ?

And should not be your Holiness the Patriarch of the New Rome the first, to conduct investigations since then, and to strictly condemn the perpetrators before all these things reach the criminal courts, to criticize the injustice even if you sympathize with those of the new brotherhood, appointed by you, who lost self-control, a trial of criminals?

Still however, your Holiness, you did not do this! You did not condemn then the culprits, leaving them to float the idea (hover) that "the beaten ones beat ..." And they would also be the beaten ones and the defendants, if the Greek justice did not finally intervene ...

www.kivotoshelp.gr/Pages/kosmosNea.htm # ESFIGMENOU

Translation from the original Greek: Christos,

The Old Calendarist List owner