ESFIGMENOU MONASTERY PRESS RELEASE

[Maria]

Most important, notice that the hand of the monk is obviously in motion hence the fuzziness, but the bottle is very clearly pictured. This has to be photoshopped.

This website in Greek (use automatic translators) list all elements proving a forged picture :

Here is the list of elements proving the forgery :

1. The peaceful and lowered gaze and relaxed stance of the body does not go with throwing a bomb. Where is the bottle being thrown towards and where is the monk gazing at?

2. The hand is in a position where something is not being gripped, but instead it is just in a simply Greek gesture of "what's up".

3. The liquid in the bottle is not a the correct angle.

4. The flame (numbers 4 and 7) is not only on the wick, but also "dangerously" running over the neck of the bottle showing that the flammable liquid is escaping. But in that case the flame would surround the neck of the bottle and not instead of growing along one side of the bottle. The wick does not continue into the bottle. If the wick was just caught on to the lid then it wouldn't burn.

5. With such a great flame and a flame that is also caused by leaking flammable liquid, if the contents were alcohol then this should have exploded in the monks hand. If the liquid is oil or petroleum based, it should be smoking.

6. All around the dependency houses are reporters with cameras and only this photo? Where was the bomb thrown? Were did it land? No photos of the explosion? The bomb then disappeared

http://tsoutsouneros.arvanitis.eu/archives/38623

[Matthew]

This is so terrible a thing they are doing to these peaceful monks. I lived there with them and know Father Savas personally. They are all very good men and such actions are entirely below them, and they are not so foolish to resort to that kind of thing knowing that it would only erode their position legally and weaken the generally very strong moral support that Esphigmenou has among the majority of practising traditional Orthodox Greeks of both the Old and New Calendar synods.

[Alexandros]

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Monk Arrested For Bringing Food to Esphigmenou Monks

August 2, 2013 In the light of recent events, including the years of siege,
as well increasing the presence of Greek police, and the attacks on the Karyes Office of Esphigmenou
(which including a serious injury given by Greek government officials to an older Esphigmenou monk,
and the accusations that an Esphigmenou monk attempted to stop this behaviour),
one would hope things could calm down.
However, it seems this is not the case. Even monks from other monasteries on the Holy Mount
(monks from monasteries that are actually commemorating Constantinople)
are actually taking some form of pity and compassion on the persecuted brotherhood of Esphigmenou.
But, the Greek government will not stand for this.
No, sir, if you are a monk of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
and you show the least amount of mercy and compassion as an Orthodox Christian should, you will be arrested.
While we are not grateful for the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek government in the murders,
and assaults on the brotherhood of Esphigmenou,
we are grateful that some information is coming out from Friends of Esphigmenou.
Below is one such account of the recent arrest of a monk from Philotheou monastery,
posted on the Friends of Esphigmenou website.
The Phanar has all the time in the world to meet with Atheist Marxist leaders,
to present gifts of Qu’rans to heads of major global corporation,
to host events with prominent abortion/population control exponents,
to himself give his glad assent to promotion of the pro-abortion position,
go to ecumenical prayer services with the Pope and while having the Pope visit in an official capacity at divine services,
commanded that the Pope be commemorated in the Services as a Bishop of the Church
(as well as the Ecumenical Patriarchate making it standard practice to have
the Pope’s name on the Diptychs as if he were an Orthodox bishop!),

and to do just about everything he shouldn’t be doing.

http://nftu.net/monk-arrested-bringing- ... nou-monks/

[Matthew]

Lord have mercy! This kind of brutality and fierce dictatorial madness will only drive the freedom loving Democratic Greek monastics of the EP controlled Athonites away from supporting them anymore. So, maybe this is a good thing.

I remember one protestant pastor who said, "The good thing about sin is that it always gets worse!" Meaning that as time wares on, people can only become more and more aware that what they have is not good, and that they need to forsake it.

[Barbara]

The monks might get to the point of living like desert-dwellers, not having any bread or cooked food.
Having to live on roots and grass ?

[Jean-Serge]

So, when is the translation coming?

[Barbara]

Are you sure it is REAL ?

Wouldn't the brothers there have had a translation done already so as to be able to release
both in Greek and English simultaneously ?

Or, am I completely wrong ?

I have been wondering, too, what Abbot Methody has explained. As the text is quite long.

Of course, if it is Alexandros who must translate, that is a big burden.
Sorry.

We will wait patiently, then. Of course, we are eager to hear !