EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). Since his installation as the new Civil Administrator of Mount Athos, Mr. Stefanis, a retired high-ranking military officer and former undersdecrtary of defense, has been accused of harsh tactics, including expelling certain monks from Athos. His position does not include such powers. Did his former friends and acquaintances in NATO give hime specific directions to “weed out” all supposedly “pro-Russian” monks? The “Russia, Russia, Russia hoaxes are all too popular in the West… Since last summer the monks expressed their disapproval very loudly…
BELOW REPORTS IN ENGLISH AD IN GREEK
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Athonite monks speak out against governor over expulsion of monastics
The Athonite elders of the sketes issued an open letter opposing the authorities’ interference in the spiritual affairs of the monastic republic.
The elders of the sketes of the Holy Mountain Athos issued an open letter against the actions of political administrator Alkiviadis Stefanis, who initiated a process of persecution and expulsion of certain monks from the monastic republic, reports the UOJ on Athos.
In their address, the Athonite fathers emphasized that the governor’s decision to impose sanctions against the monks contradicts the centuries-old traditions of the Holy Mountain. They reminded that Athos is “not just a geographical point, but the domain of the Theotokos,” where monks serve Christ, not secular authorities.
“The tactics you, as the political governor on the Holy Mountain, have begun to employ to expel inconvenient monastics – to you and your superiors – are WRONG. We are not your soldiers, not your sergeants, not your officers, not objects to simply say ‘yes, sir’ and ‘at your command.’ We are free individuals,” the letter states.
The fathers pointed out that the political governor’s powers should be limited to overseeing public order and safety according to the Constitutional Charter of 1924, with no right to interfere in church and spiritual matters.
“As Athonite elders of the sketes, we accept and recognize the Holy Kinot as the highest administrative body on the Holy Mountain… We repeat to you: we are not afraid. We fear only Christ!” emphasized the Athonite monks.
This conflict raises serious questions about the boundaries between state authority and ecclesiastical autonomy on Athos.
Below is the full text of the Athonite Elders’ open letter:
Just as in the armed forces, of which you were once a member, there are established rules for their organization and proper functioning that everyone must follow, so too in the Athonite State, the holy fathers have established sacred canons over the centuries.
In our times, it has become commonplace for laymen to use inappropriate methods, violating established rules to climb to higher positions. Surely, from your own experience, you are familiar with the ways and methods necessary to rise in rank. However, do not forget that such approaches are unacceptable and inapplicable to the monks of the Holy Mountain.
On the Holy Mountain, monks are warriors of Christ, called to serve and protect what Christ Himself taught, whether certain HIGH-RANKING individuals like it or not. Do you realize where you are? You have come not to just any place, but to the Holy Mountain, the domain of the Theotokos. The Queen and Sovereign of the Athonite State is our Most Holy Theotokos, the Mother of our Christ. You have personally witnessed that our Lady is alive and powerful. As a commander of ground forces, you were honored to see the power of the Theotokos when she saved the mechanic of an army helicopter that crashed in Sarantaporo near Elassona (April 19, 2017). Have you forgotten this miracle?
The methods you, as the political governor of the Holy Mountain, have begun to employ to expel inconvenient monastics – to you and your superiors – are WRONG. We are not your soldiers, not your sergeants, not your officers, not objects to simply say “yes, sir” and “at your command.” We are free individuals.
As warriors of Christ, we possess freedom of religious conscience, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, courage, and faithfully follow the example of the God-Man Jesus Christ, who always spoke boldly before the rulers of this world.
The tactics of persecution – with vague slanderous accusations of “serious misconduct” – that you have begun to apply against the monks of the Holy Mountain are inappropriate. Perhaps such practices were common in the ground forces where you served. However, you and your supposed superiors are mistaken. You are not dealing with civilians or military personnel whose thinking and behavior are known to your advisors, making it easy for you to persecute them due to the predictability of their actions.
In the Athonite State, monks are warriors of Christ who do not obey your orders, do not belong to you, and do not fear you… for they fear only Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos, the Unconquerable Commander.
We would like to believe that during your short time in office as the political governor, you have come to understand this! If not, we believe you should come to this realization…
We want to inform you that just as you seek to learn the details of each monk’s life, be assured that we, too, with God’s help, are aware of all the details of the political governors’ lives and careers, including yours… And you would do well to understand this as well…
As Athonite elders of the sketes, we recognize the Holy Kinot as the sole highest administrative body on the Holy Mountain.
The competence of each political governor, as well as your own authority, must be limited to overseeing public order and safety (according to Article 3 of the Legislative Decree of 1926) in accordance with the Constitutional Charter (K.H.A.O. 1924)… without interference in church and spiritual matters…
We repeat to you: we are not afraid. We fear only Christ! It would be wise for you to fear the judgment of our Leader and Lord Jesus Christ.
Athonite elders of the sketes.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Holy Kinot of Athos appealed to the Greek authorities regarding digital documents.
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πηγή – tasthyras.wordpress.com
Ἅγιον Ὄρος : Διώξεις, σκάνδαλα ἀπό τόν Πολιτικό Διοικητή κ. Ἀλκ. Στεφανή γιὰ ἀπελάσεις μοναχῶν!
ΥΠΟ ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΩΝ ΚΕΛΛΙΩΤΩΝ ΠΑΤΕΡΩΝ
Ὅπως στὶς ἔνοπλες δυνάμεις τῶν ὁποίων ὑπήρξατε μόνιμο στέλεχος γιὰ τὴν ὀργάνωση καὶ τὴν εὔρρυθμη λειτουργία τους, ἰσχύουν θεσπισμένοι κανόνες ποὺ ὅλοι ὑποχρεοῦντο νὰ ἀκολουθοῦν, ἔτσι καὶ στὴν Ἀθωνικὴ Πολιτεία, οἱ ἀνὰ τοὺς αἰῶνας Ἅγιοι Πατέρες, θέσπισαν Ἱεροὺς Κανόνες.
Οἱ λαϊκοὶ στὴν ἐποχή μας, ἔχει καταλήξει σύνηθες φαινόμενο, νὰ χρησιμοποιοῦν μεθόδους ὄχι τοὺς ἐνδεδειγμένους, παραβιάζοντας τοὺς θεσπισμένους κανόνες γιὰ νὰ ἀνελιχθοῦν στὰ ἀνώτατα ἀξιώματα. Ἄλλωστε, ἐσεῖς ἔχετε γνώση καὶ ἐμπειρία ἀπὸ τὴν πορεία σας, μέχρι σήμερα στοὺς τρόπους καὶ τὶς μεθόδους ποὺ πρέπει νὰ ἀκολουθοῦνται γιὰ νὰ ἀνελιχθεῖτε. Ὅμως, ΝΑ ΜΗΝ σᾶς διαφεύγει πὼς αὐτὲς οἱ μέθοδοι δὲν εἶναι ἀρεστὲς, οὔτε μποροῦν νὰ ἰσχύσουν στοὺς μοναχοὺς τοῦ Ἁγίου Ὄρους.
Στό Ἅγιον Ὄρος οἱ μοναχοὶ εἶναι στρατιῶτες τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ταγμένοι νὰ ὑπηρετοῦν καὶ νὰ προασπίζουν ὅσα δίδαξε ὁ ἴδιος ὁ Χριστός, εἴτε αὐτὰ ἀρέσουν εἴτε δὲν ἀρέσουν σὲ κάποιους ΕΞΕΧΟΝΤΕΣ. Ἔχετε ἀντιληφθεῖ καὶ κατανοήσει ποῦ βρίσκεστε; Δὲν εἴσαστε σὲ ἕναν ὁποιονδήποτε τόπο, ἀλλὰ ἤρθατε στὸ Ἅγιον Ὅρος, στὸ Περιβόλι τῆς Παναγίας. Βασίλισσα καὶ Διοικητὴς στὴν Ἀθωνικὴ Πολιτεία εἶναι ἡ Παναγία μας. Ἡ μητέρα τοῦ Χριστοῦ μας. Καὶ ἐσεῖς προσωπικὰ ἔχετε γνωρίσει ὅτι ἡ Παναγία μας εἶναι ζωντανὴ καὶ δυνατή. Ὡς Ἀρχηγὸς τοῦ Στρατοῦ Ξηρᾶς ἀξιωθήκατε νὰ βιώσετε καὶ νὰ δεῖτε τὴν δύναμη τῆς Παναγίας μας, ὅταν ἔσωσε τὴν μηχανικὸ τοῦ ἑλικοπτέρου τοῦ Στρατοῦ Ξηρᾶς ποὺ ἔπεσε στὸ Σαραντάπορο Ἐλασσόνας (19-4-2017 ν.ἡμ.). Αὐτὸ τὸ θαῦμα τὸ ξεχάσατε ;
Ἡ μέθοδος-τακτικὴ ποὺ ὡς πολιτικός διοικητὴς στὸ Ἅγιον Ὄρος ἔχετε ἀρχίσει νὰ ἐφαρμόζετε γιὰ ἐκδίωξη τῶν ΜΗ ἀρεστῶν μοναχῶν -σὲ ἐσᾶς καὶ στοὺς ἐντολεῖς σας- εἶναι ΛΑΘΟΣ. Δὲν εἴμαστε οὔτε στρατιῶτες σας, οὔτε ὑπαξιωματικοί σας, οὔτε ἀξιωματικοί σας, οὔτε ἀντικείμενα ὥστε νὰ λέμε μόνον «μάλιστα» καί «διατάξτε». Εἴμαστε πρόσωπα ἐλεύθερα.
Ὡς στρατιῶτες τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἔχουμε ἐλευθερία θρησκευτικῆς συνείδησης, ἐλευθερία λόγου, ἐλευθερία ἔκφρασης γνώμης, θάρρος, καὶ ἀκολουθοῦμε πιστὰ τὸ παράδειγμα τοῦ Θεανθρώπου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μας, ὁ ὁποῖος πάντα μὲ θάρρος μιλοῦσε μπροστὰ στοὺς ἄρχοντες τοῦ κόσμου τούτου.
Ἡ τακτικὴ τῶν διώξεων – μὲ ἀόριστο συκοφαντικό κατηγορητήριο περὶ «βαρέων παραπτωμάτων»…- ποὺ ξεκινήσατε νὰ ἐφαρμόζετε ἐναντίον τῶν μοναχῶν στὸ Ἅγιον Ὄρος δὲν ἐνδείκνυται. Ἴσως στὸν στρατὸ ξηρᾶς ποὺ ἤσασταν νὰ ἐφαρμοζόταν. Ἀλλά, πλανᾶσθε καὶ ἐσεῖς καὶ οἱ πιθανοί ἐντολεῖς σας. Δὲν ἔχετε νὰ συνδιαλαγεῖτε μὲ πολῖτες ἢ στρατιῶτες ποὺ ἔχουν συγκεκριμένη νοοτροπία καὶ συμπεριφορὰ, τὴν ὁποία οἱ σύμβουλοί σας τὴν γνωρίζουν, καὶ ἔτσι καταφέρνετε νὰ διώκετε ἀνθρώπους εὔκολα, γιατί σὲ ἐσᾶς εἶναι προβλέψιμη ἡ συμπεριφορά τους.
Στὴν Ἀθωνικὴ Πολιτεία οἱ ἀφιερωμένοι μοναχοί εἶναι στρατιῶτες τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοὺς ὁποίους οὔτε ἔχετε ὑπὸ τὶς διαταγές σας, οὔτε σᾶς ἀνήκουν, οὔτε φοβοῦνται…διότι φοβοῦνται μόνον τόν Χριστό, καὶ τὴν Βασίλισσα τὴν Ὑπεραγία Θεοτόκο, τὴν Ὑπέρμαχο Στρατηγό.
Θέλουμε νά πιστεύουμε πὼς αὐτὸ τὸ μικρὸ χρονικὸ διάστημα ποὺ ἔχετε ἀναλάβει Πολιτικὸς Διοικητής, αὐτὸ τὸ ἔχετε ἀντιληφθεῖ!! Ἐὰν ΟΧΙ τότε νομίζουμε ὅτι καλὸ εἶναι νὰ τὸ ἀντιληφθεῖτε …
Θέλουμε νὰ σᾶς γνωρίσουμε ὅτι ὅπως ἐσεῖς φροντίζετε νὰ μάθετε λεπτομέρειες γιὰ ὅλη τὴν ζωὴ τοῦ κάθε μοναχοῦ, νὰ εἶστε πολὺ σίγουρος πὼς καὶ ἐμεῖς οἱ μοναχοὶ, μὲ τὴν βοήθεια τοῦ Θεοῦ, γνωρίζουμε ὅλες τὶς λεπτομέρειες γιὰ τὸ βίο καὶ τὴν πορεία τῶν Πολιτικῶν Διοικητῶν, ἔτσι καὶ γιὰ ἐσᾶς.
…Καλὸ εἶναι, ἐπίσης, νὰ τὸ ἀντιληφθεῖτε…
Ὡς Ἀγιορεῖτες Κελλιῶτες Πατέρες δεχόμαστε καὶ ἀναγνωρίζουμε ὡς Ἀνώτατη Διοικητικὴ Ἀρχὴ ἐν Ἁγίῳ Ὄρει τὴν Ἱερὰ Κοινότητα…
Ἡ ἁρμοδιότητα τοῦ ἑκάστοτε Πολιτικοῦ Διοικητοῦ, ὅπως καὶ ἡ δική σας θητεία νὰ περιορίζεται στὴν ἐποπτεία δημοσίας τάξεως καὶ ἀσφαλείας (ἄρθρο 3 τοῦ Νομοθετικοῦ Διατάγματος 1926 ) σύμφωνα μὲ τὸν Καταστατικὸν Χάρτη (Κ.Χ.Α.Ο. 1924)…
δίχως νὰ ἐμπλέκεται στὰ ἐκκλησιαστικά – πνευματικὰ ζητήματα…
Σᾶς ἐπαναλαμβάνουμε ὅτι δὲν φοβόμαστε.
Φοβόμαστε μόνο τόν Χριστό !!!
Καλό είναι να φοβεῖστε καί ἐσεῖς
τὴν Δικαιοσύνη τοῦ δικοῦ μας Ἀρχηγοῦ καὶ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Ἁγιορεῖτες Κελλιῶτες Πατέρες.
Nick, I saw this on UOJ. What are they talking about? Do you have details on this? What monasteries are affected? Is it only the monastery that went in schism or others as well? Please provide details if you know. This is very concerning for the heart of Orthodoxy to be hit like this.
I have no other details yet. We will keep asking to learn more. Stefanis’ pick was suspicious since day one. My personal take is that Bartholomew and Mitsotakis want to “clean” Athos of any monks they consider either pro-Russian or anti-globalist and anti-western. Being anti-western is so deeply rooted in Athos that they have no chance to succeed.
Thank you! Very sad that a patriarch would fall this low! Truly unbelievable that he is not concerned about God’s punishment in all this.
Sandy,
Just for some background and context, the letter appears to be signed by ΥΠΟ ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΩΝ ΚΕΛΛΙΩΤΩΝ ΠΑΤΕΡΩΝ, which means the “fathers in the cells” (sketes). While technically Mt. Athos is carved up into 20 jurisdictions belonging to each of the 20 “big monasteries”, and each of the “remote / independent cells” is technically “owned” by one of the 20 “big monasteries”, sometimes affiliation between the occupants of the “cells” and the large monasteries appears to be foreign / non-existent. However, short of blatant acts of heresy/blasphemy/criminal behavior, as long as a “cell” remains “continuously occupied and operational under the general monastic spiritual rules, and as long as a successor exists and takes it over when the elder dies, the “big monasteries” typically don’t get involved much with day-to-day operations of these “monks in the remote cells”…St. Paisios was in the “cell of Panagouda” during his final years on Mt. Athos, which belonged on the books to Koutloumousiou Monastery. Whenever a “cell” is abandoned, however, the “big monastery” takes over full jurisdiction and maintenance until it is “assigned” to a new hermit-monk.
Now, the interesting thing is, anywhere from 40-60% of Mt. Athos monks are residing outside of “major monasteries”, in these cells. This letter is signed by a group of them, and this same group has signed multiple other letters in the past, addressed to the Patriarchate or to the Greek Government. Whether or not the abbots of the major monasteries are aware in advance of the content of these letters remains a mystery, but in general it is quite “convenient” for this group of monks to speak up on behalf of Mt. Athos, at a time when all sorts of political pressures loom over abbots of the “big monasteries”.
And for the history of Bartholomew’s “vendetta” against the “rebellious hermit cell-monks that speak out”, in the past he has threatened any “cell monk” that speaks up against him with eviction from Mt. Athos, so these monks generally take that risk when they sign these documents or speak out on youtube videos. Also, a few years ago, during the “dog days of August” in sleepy Athens, the skeletal crew of “pro-Bartholomew” hierarchs that were “keeping the Synod open for business” passed an “emergency resolution” on their own, with when nobody else was around to “forbid Mt. Athos monks from preaching anywhere in Greece, without the express permission of the Synod of the Church of Greece. Obviously these stupid restrictions are intentional and retaliatory, because the Phanariotes don’t like the “voice of conscience” that these “monks from the cells” represent.
Also for the record though, a large percentage of these “hermitage-cells” have been taken over by the old-calendarist faction called Γ.Ο.Χ. which complicates the schism blueprint on Mt. Athos (maybe 30-40% by some verbal speculation that I personally was told by those who know greater details). The new calendar schism of 1924 caused problems on Mt. Athos with the persistence of Γ.Ο.Χ supporting factions of monks (mostly in the cells) that still manifest 100 years later. The infiltration of Γ.Ο.Χ. supporters into Esphigmenou is actually the biggest ecclesiastical problem to solve long-term with that sub-topic, and not so much the baseline criticism of the Patriarchal actions and interactions with the Vatican since “Vatican 2″…Nevertheless, this letter, (as well as previous ones) is not likely signed by the Γ.Ο.Χ. folks alone. However, it is possible that Mr. Stefanis may be focusing his efforts on evicting some of these individual “hermit rebel troublemakers” as easier soft targets (on behalf of and from the perspective of Constantinople), given that the early comments about Esphigmenou evictions created an uproar, provoking this open letter response. We shall see…
While it is true that there are some individuals on Mt. Athos who hide behind a monastic façade and shouldn’t really be there (polluting the mountain), it should ultimately be the monastic community that decides who stays and who goes. And fortunately, to date, the majority of this community has not consented to an eviction of the monks at Esphigmenou, not because there isn’t a real ecclesiastical problem going on, but more because of the precedent it would set.
At the same time, what happens when corruption and schism starts infiltrating the governing council of the mountain itself, creating “two camps” that oppose each other (remember the biblical phrase…a house divided against itself cannot stand)? What does “legitimacy” of one monk over another monk mean in those cases, depending on which “faction” of the “schism” has more votes on that council? And of course, by “schism”, we mean examples of 7 monasteries voting in favor of sending a delegation to Epiphanios’ “enthronement” and 13 voting against (followed by concelebrations with Epiphanios – violations of that vote by those “Athonite agents of Constantinople”) which resulted in some conservative monasteries to maintain a list of those athonite hieromonks “not worthy” to celebrate at their monastery (schism), as well as in recent prior years those monasteries that either “accepted funds from the EU” (possibly signing concessions we don’t know about to government officials / were involved in shady land deals with Cypriot offshore companies- e.g. Ephraim of Vatopedi’s well-known past legal troubles), or if they “resisted” any monetary assistance.
But even in past history there has been trouble on Mt. Athos with political undertones…we wrote in the past (and now there is actually a book about him) how Elder Daniel (the 1st original geronta of the “Δανηιλαιοι” monastics) was imprisoned by the corrupt Patriarch of Constantinople in the 1890s/early 1900s when he dared to complain about increasing arrival (and takeover) of St. Panteleimon’s monastery (and other areas of the Holy Mountain) by Russian “monks” who seemed more affiliated with the Czar’s military intelligence of the time, reportedly monitoring the movements of the Ottoman navy & military. Recall that Pan-Slavism was well rooted idea in those times. The “Russian government offices/consulates abroad” issued stamps in the early 1900s with an overprint of where each office was. One of those overprints (for stamp collectors interested) actually says “Mt. Athos” (in Western and Cyrillic), and it is clear that this was to prevent classified (“diplomatic”) letters from being opened by non-Russian hands along the way….
So “strong-handed” control of Mt. Athos has been high on government (and Patriarchal) agendas for a very long time, whether that control visibly involves forcing elders from Vatopedi to get on a plane to fly to a Schismatic’s “enthronement ceremony” in Kiev, or whether it potentially involves “kindly reminding” certain abbots of a past “haunting legal moment” that the Patriarch helped “smooth out” but for which the statute of limitations has NOT expired, so that they look the other way when Elpidophoros shows up to their monastery to visit, etc…
If in fact Mr. Stefanis is on the Mountain to head some sort of “intelligence gathering operation” is not certain, but it is also not the most important of details. Greece is a “small village”, and Mt. Athos is a “much smaller village”, so it’s very hard to keep your private business secret in general in small communities…you don’t need fancy spy operations to find out what you need in those situations…sooner or later you will know, whether you wanted to know or not. That’s why the most intriguing statement in the above article is this one:
Θέλουμε νὰ σᾶς γνωρίσουμε ὅτι ὅπως ἐσεῖς φροντίζετε νὰ μάθετε λεπτομέρειες γιὰ ὅλη τὴν ζωὴ τοῦ κάθε μοναχοῦ, νὰ εἶστε πολὺ σίγουρος πὼς καὶ ἐμεῖς οἱ μοναχοὶ, μὲ τὴν βοήθεια τοῦ Θεοῦ, γνωρίζουμε ὅλες τὶς λεπτομέρειες γιὰ τὸ βίο καὶ τὴν πορεία τῶν Πολιτικῶν Διοικητῶν, ἔτσι καὶ γιὰ ἐσᾶς.
…Καλὸ εἶναι, ἐπίσης, νὰ τὸ ἀντιληφθεῖτε…
It appears to be a clear, open hint/warning that the monks have obtained tangible information about some “private dirt” that can be used against Mr. Stephanis at any moment…should be interesting to see if “the buck stops here”, or if there is future escalation…
Thank you Markos….it seems the evil beast and noisome smell of masonry has popped its ugly head out again…. Truly a house divided. Many prayers to the monks who are soldiers of Christ and protectors of our Lady the Theotokos on Her holy mountain.
🌸☦️🌸