Persecution of Mount Athos' Esphigmenou Monastery by the EP

[ioannis]

Outcast monks try to heal Patriarchate rift

The 110 dissident monks of the Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos have taken the first step toward restoring relations with Patriarch Vartholomaios by writing to him, it was revealed yesterday.

The Esphigmenou monks occupy one of Greece’s oldest monasteries and have been locked in a dispute since 1972 with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul over its decision to improve ties with the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican.

However, the monks have written to Vartholomaios expressing their support for his efforts to be fully recognized by Turkish authorities regardless of the “spiritual differences” between the zealots and the Patriarchate.

“The patriarch has every right to protest against this breach of human rights and religious freedom,” the monks wrote. “We are also joining his just struggle.”

---

From reading between the lines one can seeing the point the monks are making.

[Priest Siluan]

Greek Government to try Monks for Heresy
Imposter brotherhood seizes monastery land

Mt Athos, Greece , August 14, 2006 – The monks of the holy and sacred monastery of Esphigmenou of Mt. Athos have been served papers to appear in Greek Court in Thessaloniki , to be tried for Schism and Heresy. The trial date has been set for September 29, 2006, in the Greek Government Criminal Court in Thessaloniki .

The charge of schism and heresy by a government against its own citizens, has not been seen in modern European history. That chapter of European history, where the Church accuses someone and then demands that the State apparatus move against them and confiscate their property unless they "repent", is coming back to life today in Greece.

The patriarch in Istanbul has leveled this baseless charge against the monks in order to confiscate their property and make an example to other Orthodox clergy who dare to question him. The monks have a spiritual disagreement with the patriarch and have sought dialogue with him to clarify the Patriarch’s departure from Orthodox teachings. Unlike western tradition, the Patriarch in the Orthodox Church is not infallible, and 23 Patriarchs have been deposed for heresy, some of them posthumously.

The Patriarch has refused any dialogue with the monks and has demanded their unconditional repentance rather than address their legitimate concerns regarding his teachings and practices which are in conflict with the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Instead he has moved to evict the monks from the only home they know.

The Greek Government has shamefully acquiesced to pressure by the Patriarch to use force to blockade and evict the monks. Greek Foreign Minister Ms. Dora Bakoyiannis, under whose ultimate authority Mt Athos resides, controls the apparatus of the Greek State in Mt. Athos , and it is under her ultimate authority that the blockade of food, medicine, heating oil, and medical care has been denied to the monks. The Inquisition that the Greek Church was spared in the Middle Ages, is now being lived by the monks in modern day Greece .

In an attempt to hide these actions against Esphigmenou monastery from public view, the Patriarch and his accomplices in the Greek government have established an imposter brotherhood, using the same name “Esphigmenou” and have begun to divert all mail, bank accounts and real estate belonging to the monastery to the new imposter brotherhood which they control. This is done while the true brotherhood is blockaded in their monastery and prohibited by the Greek police and coast guard from receiving deliveries of food, heating oil, or visits from doctors to care for sick and elderly monks. The monastery’s tractor has been seized by the police to prevent the monks from growing their own food, and their telephone lines have been cut to prevent communication to the outside world. Five monks have died without having received medical attention, as the police have physically prohibited doctors from entering the monastery to provide care.

Recently, monks of the impostor brotherhood have seized land belonging to the besieged Monastery of Esphigmenou and have begun clearing the area to set foundations for building, thereby attempting to gain legitimacy for their brotherhood, claiming that they are on Esphigmenou Monastery land and that their false abbot, Chrysostomos Katsoulieries, can claim to be abbot.

For further information please contact:

John Rigas in USA - 617-331-3412
or in Greece 011-30-6978792438
http://www.esphigmenou.com/

[尼古拉前执事]

Authorities on Mt. Athos refuse Emergency medical attention to
Esphigmenou monk with severe burns.

Mt Athos, Greece, July 17, 2006 -- A severely burned monk from the
Esphigmenou Monastery on Mt. Athos was taken into custody by local
Greek Police, while seeking emergency medical attention for severe
burns on his face and body.

When the monastery previously called for emergency medical services
they were denied any help. They then called the coast guard for help
ferrying the monk, but they also refused.

The monastery pleaded with the authorities to get critical medical
attention and they finally agreed to allow the monk to go to a
hospital, but the authorities would offer no assistance. When they
arrived at the port however, one monk was assaulted by the
authorities, all the remaining monks were detained and their vehicle
was seized.

Four monks have died since the start of the blockade, three from being
denied basic medical attention and one died in an accident trying to
avoid the blockade. These actions are yet another act, in a long line
of inhumane tactics, being used against the defenseless monks of
Esphigmenou Monastery.

The monks of Esphigmenou, the most populous monastery with 105
fathers, on the remote Greek peninsula Mount Athos, disagree with the
politicizing of their faith by patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
(Istanbul), and as a result, are under siege. The patriarch, obsessed
with quashing dissenting voices, has ordered the Greek police to
enforce a blockade, to starve the monks into submission.

More recently, patriarch Bartholomew pressured the Greek government
and local authorities to create an imposter monastery with the same
name, Esphigmenou in order to transfer all property, divert mail, and
transfer bank accounts to his new creation, while he starves the real
monastery of Esphigmenou. The creation of this shadow brotherhood
amount to an illegal taking of the Monastery�s property and also
violates the charter of Mount Athos since the new abbot does not even
meet the minimum qualifications set forth in the time honored rules of
the historic charter. Basic human rights laws and local laws are
being broken in order to appease the patriarch.

�No one should be treated like our monks and Monastery by the Greek
government�, said Abbot Methodios. �The denial of permits for our
Monastery, the blockade of basics needs, medical supplies and doctor�s
visits for emergency medical services, has resulted in the untimely
death of four monks. The cutting off of our emergency telephone lines,
the threat to confiscate our fishing boat if we venture to go out to
fish for our food, the embargo on fuel oil for heat, the unwarranted
confiscation of our farm Tractor and our building supplies, the
sanction, expulsion from Mt. Athos laborers found to be working at the
Monastery, certainly are Human Rights violations and Violations of
International Treaties to which the Greek government is signatory�
said Abbot Methodios. �Someone in the Greek Government has to be held
responsible for these lawless acts against us.�

Mount Athos is a semi-autonomous region of Greece, the power of the
state is vested in the Foreign Minister, Mrs. Dora Bakoyianni .The
chain of command authorizing the use of Greek Police and Armed Forces
to blockade food, medicine, doctor�s visits and heating oil ultimately
resides under her authority.

The Esphigmenou monks live a life of spiritual tranquility in the
unbroken tradition of the brotherhood in the monastery which was
established over 1500 years ago. Mount Athos is the spiritual center
of the Orthodox Church, where the monks are considered defenders of
the faith. Its remoteness and rugged natural beauty attracts pilgrims
and tourists alike, who come to see the art and architecture of the
Byzantine Empire.

The Monastery's library houses 372 original Christian manuscripts
codices and 8,000 books some dating back to the 4th Century. The
treasury includes numerous religious articles such as rare 13th
Century mosaic icons and relics of saints.

For further information please contact:

John Rigas, tel (USA): (617) 971-0091, fax: (617) 524-7142

On the web: WWW.ESPHIGMENOU.COM

[joasia]

http://www.esphigmenou.com

BREAKING NEWS - AUGUST 14, 2006

Greek Government to try Monks for Heresy

Imposter brotherhood seizes monastery land

Mt Athos, Greece , August 14, 2006 – The monks of the holy and sacred monastery of Esphigmenou of Mt. Athos have been served papers to appear in Greek Court in Thessaloniki , to be tried for Schism and Heresy. The trial date has been set for September 29, 2006, in the Greek Government Criminal Court in Thessaloniki .

The charge of schism and heresy by a government against its own citizens, has not been seen in modern European history. That chapter of European history, where the Church accuses someone and then demands that the State apparatus move against them and confiscate their property unless they "repent", is coming back to life today in Greece.

The patriarch in Istanbul has leveled this baseless charge against the monks in order to confiscate their property and make an example to other Orthodox clergy who dare to question him. The monks have a spiritual disagreement with the patriarch and have sought dialogue with him to clarify the Patriarch’s departure from Orthodox teachings. Unlike western tradition, the Patriarch in the Orthodox Church is not infallible, and 23 Patriarchs have been deposed for heresy, some of them posthumously.

The Patriarch has refused any dialogue with the monks and has demanded their unconditional repentance rather than address their legitimate concerns regarding his teachings and practices which are in conflict with the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Instead he has moved to evict the monks from the only home they know.

The Greek Government has shamefully acquiesced to pressure by the Patriarch to use force to blockade and evict the monks. Greek Foreign Minister Ms. Dora Bakoyiannis, under whose ultimate authority Mt Athos resides, controls the apparatus of the Greek State in Mt. Athos , and it is under her ultimate authority that the blockade of food, medicine, heating oil, and medical care has been denied to the monks. The Inquisition that the Greek Church was spared in the Middle Ages, is now being lived by the monks in modern day Greece .

In an attempt to hide these actions against Esphigmenou monastery from public view, the Patriarch and his accomplices in the Greek government have established an imposter brotherhood, using the same name “Esphigmenou” and have begun to divert all mail, bank accounts and real estate belonging to the monastery to the new imposter brotherhood which they control. This is done while the true brotherhood is blockaded in their monastery and prohibited by the Greek police and coast guard from receiving deliveries of food, heating oil, or visits from doctors to care for sick and elderly monks. The monastery’s tractor has been seized by the police to prevent the monks from growing their own food, and their telephone lines have been cut to prevent communication to the outside world. Five monks have died without having received medical attention, as the police have physically prohibited doctors from entering the monastery to provide care.

Recently, monks of the impostor brotherhood have seized land belonging to the besieged Monastery of Esphigmenou and have begun clearing the area to set foundations for building, thereby attempting to gain legitimacy for their brotherhood, claiming that they are on Esphigmenou Monastery land and that their false abbot, Chrysostomos Katsoulieries, can claim to be abbot.

For further information please contact:
John Rigas in USA - 617-331-3412
or in Greece 011-30-6978792438

[Myrrh]

http://www.esphigmenou.com

The monks of the holy and sacred monastery of Esphigmenou of Mt. Athos have been served papers to appear in Greek Court in Thessaloniki , to be tried for Schism and Heresy. The trial date has been set for September 29, 2006, in the Greek Government Criminal Court in Thessaloniki .

The charge of schism and heresy by a government against its own citizens, has not been seen in modern European history. That chapter of European history, where the Church accuses someone and then demands that the State apparatus move against them and confiscate their property unless they "repent", is coming back to life today in Greece.

The patriarch in Istanbul has leveled this baseless charge against the monks in order to confiscate their property and make an example to other Orthodox clergy who dare to question him. The monks have a spiritual disagreement with the patriarch and have sought dialogue with him to clarify the Patriarch’s departure from Orthodox teachings. Unlike western tradition, the Patriarch in the Orthodox Church is not infallible, and 23 Patriarchs have been deposed for heresy, some of them posthumously.

The Patriarch has refused any dialogue with the monks and has demanded their unconditional repentance rather than address their legitimate concerns regarding his teachings and practices which are in conflict with the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Instead he has moved to evict the monks from the only home they know.

The Greek Government has shamefully acquiesced to pressure by the Patriarch to use force to blockade and evict the monks. Greek Foreign Minister Ms. Dora Bakoyiannis, under whose ultimate authority Mt Athos resides, controls the apparatus of the Greek State in Mt. Athos , and it is under her ultimate authority that the blockade of food, medicine, heating oil, and medical care has been denied to the monks. The Inquisition that the Greek Church was spared in the Middle Ages, is now being lived by the monks in modern day Greece .

In an attempt to hide these actions against Esphigmenou monastery from public view, the Patriarch and his accomplices in the Greek government have established an imposter brotherhood, using the same name “Esphigmenou” and have begun to divert all mail, bank accounts and real estate belonging to the monastery to the new imposter brotherhood which they control. This is done while the true brotherhood is blockaded in their monastery and prohibited by the Greek police and coast guard from receiving deliveries of food, heating oil, or visits from doctors to care for sick and elderly monks. The monastery’s tractor has been seized by the police to prevent the monks from growing their own food, and their telephone lines have been cut to prevent communication to the outside world. Five monks have died without having received medical attention, as the police have physically prohibited doctors from entering the monastery to provide care.

Recently, monks of the impostor brotherhood have seized land belonging to the besieged Monastery of Esphigmenou and have begun clearing the area to set foundations for building, thereby attempting to gain legitimacy for their brotherhood, claiming that they are on Esphigmenou Monastery land and that their false abbot, Chrysostomos Katsoulieries, can claim to be abbot.

For further information please contact:

John Rigas in USA - 617-331-3412

or in Greece 011-30-6978792438

Also, passing on a post on this:

Dear brothers and sisters in Holy Orthodoxy:

After the new incidents and the ongoing persecution of the Esphigmenou
Monks on the Holy Mount Athos, it's our duty as brothers in the
Orthodox faith to support these holy Athonite monks.

Kindly send your strong PROTEST email message to Ms. Dora Bakoyiannis.
She's the Greek Foreign Minister.

Steps how to send your email:

1. Visit the Esphigmenou Monastery web site. It's in English.
   The web site is: www. esphigmenou.com

2. If you pay attention, you will see on paragraph 5 the following
   underlined words in blue ink: "Greek Foreign Minister Ms. Dora
   Bakoyiannis". Click on it and start typing you email.

3. Please type a STRONG MESSAGE expressing your concern for the
   physical well-being of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou monks.
   kindly emphasize on the respect for human rights and freedom that
   all Greek citizens enjoy in their country and these holy monks are
   being deprived of their own monastic housing and UNFAIRLY EXPELLED
   from the Holy Mountain Athos. State that the Patriarch of
   Constantinople Bartholomew is persecuting UNFAIRLY these holy monks
   and therefore he is breaking the SELF-RULING of the Holy Mount Athos.

On your message express the whole world is aware of the fate and
persecution of the Esphigmenou monks from the Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew. Don't forget to tell her that the Esphigmenou monks by
not commemorating the patriarch's name on their divine services are
not "schismatics" or "heretics" as the patriarch wants them to be
tried at the end of September, 2006 in a Court House in the city of
Thessaloniki. The patriarch is acting as a DICTATOR and is not showing
any respect towards these holy monks.

Don't forget to tell your friends to send their messages too, so our
voice will be heard by both the Greek Foreign Minister and the
Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Thank you so much, dear brothers and sisters in Holy Orthodoxy.

God bless you all!

Chris

[Myrrh]

Thanks, I didn't think to look here.

Myrrh

[jckstraw72]

Hey this monastery is being discussed over at www.christianforums.com and some questions have come up. What jurisdiction is the monastery? Is it under the EP? Someone thought it was a GOC monastery but another guy said it was under the EP. I saw in one of the letters posted here that the EP declared them as schismatics, and not that they schismed themselves. So anyone have the skinny on this? Thanks.