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Тарас, православный, АААПЦ - 19:20 05.05.2003
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"Константинопольский Патриарх расширяет поиск с целью выселения несогласных монахов на Горе Афон."
2003.04.22 Esphigmenou:
Published by Esphigmenou , April 22, 2003
Patriarch of Constantinople widens search to evict dissenting Mount Athos
Monks
MT ATHOS, Greece, April 22, 2003 (Espohigmenou) -- Unphased by the recent
court ruling against him, Patriarch Bartholomew continues to suppress
dissent across Mount Athos by ordering new evictions. Bartholomew has put
pressure on the Mount Athos' governing body to identify and evict any
monks critical of his policies. Most recently, eviction orders have also
been issued to monks living in sketes dependent on Pantocrator monastery.
Unlike the monks at Esphigmenou, the other monks at the other 19
monasteries on Mount Athos do not have legal representation to respond to
their eviction notices.
Whoever does not agree with the patriarch and does not commemorate him,
is threatened with expulsion from Mount Athos said a monk living at one of
the other monasteries on Mount Athos, who requested to remain anonymous
because of fear of being expelled himself.
The continuation of the evictions has created a climate of fear on this
once tranquil monastic peninsula where monks spend their lives in prayer
and quiet contemplation. The measures which they have taken are
asphyxiating, and they have put us all in a state of agitation. We don't
have a place to say our prayers. This monk, who also does not commemorate
the patriarch, continued, We do not bother anyone. The only thing we
desire is to be left alone so we can be free to continue our monastic life.
The recent death of a monk who was subject to eviction has caused great
concern for the remaining monks. On February 8th, Tryfonas, a monk from
Esphigmenou monastery, was killed when the tractor he was driving went off
a cliff as he tried to dodge a police blockade.
Despite the fact that Greece's highest court ordered an immediate end to
the blockade of Esphigmenou monastery, Patriarch Bartholomew continues to
employ heavy-handed tactics. No visitors, including family members of the
monks are allowed to go to Esphigmenou Monastery. In addition, the funds
which are owed
to the monastery by the Greek government for expropriated lands are
still frozen. These injustices continue today, imposing daily hardships
on the monks.
In a recent announcement, the Monastery of Esphigmenou stated the
eviction orders by Bartholomew are unprovoked and unprecedented in the
history of the Orthodox church.
Many monks on Mt. Athos, the spiritual center of the Orthodox faith,
disagree with the patriarch's unorthodox teachings, particularly as it
pertains to unity with the Roman Catholic Church, and as a result are
facing his wrath. What the monks really protest is not dialogue with
other Christian denominations but the acceptance of an unreformed
reconciliation among Christian churches, creating a church with a diverse
and conflicting set of beliefs. They believe that Bartholomew is on a
path toward a new uniate church. The patriarch cherishes loyalty to
himself over faithfulness to Orthodox Church teachings. "Rather
than teaching the faith, he compromises the faith. Instead of persuading
others to come to the truth of Orthodoxy, he persecutes those who
disagree with his own ideas and innovations? said Methodios, Abbot of
Esphigmenou Monastery. The use of force to accept the faith is a concept
that is totally alien to the Orthodox Church. It is not just the
patriarch's teachings, but his actions which are unorthodox, and we cannot
accept this? said Methodios.
Professor George Metalinos, Ph.D. Professor of Theology at the University
of Athens said 'The monks have an obligation under church law to object to
what the patriarch is doing. According to the Protodeutera Ecumenical
Council 15th cannon, the monks had an obligation to cease commemoration of
the patriarch, since the Roman Catholic Church is a known heretical group
to the Orthodox Church, and has been declared as such by the holy synods
of the Church. The fathers of Esphigmenou correctly invoked the 15th
cannon'? The declaration of heresy of the Roman Catholic church can only
be lifted by another ecumenical synod, and cannot be done by any one
individual in the church, patriarch or otherwise. The patriarch can only
enforce church law, not his own personal beliefs. He is not above the law
and has no authority to re-create the faith.
Neither the Greek constitution, nor any Greek law gives the patriarch, a
Turkish citizen, legal authority over the monastery in Greece or over any
other part of Greece. These evictions not only violate church teaching
but violate due process and the human rights of the monks, some of whom
have been there for 50 years and have no other homes, having forsaken
everything to become monks. These humble monks of Mount Athos live a life
of spiritual and monastic tranquility in the unbroken tradition of over a
thousand years. Their ascetic life is widely respected on the holy mountain.
At a recent news conference in Athens, Abbott Methodios of Esphigmenou
Monastery said "We request a dialogue with the patriarch to end this
dispute. We want a peaceful solution to this standoff"? The patriarch
has not responded to the monks' call for dialogue. Rather, the patriarch
continues to this day to methodically plot to extinguish those who
disagree with him by expelling these monks from the only homes they know,
their monasteries and sketes.
Mount Athos is the autonomous spiritual center of the Orthodox Church,
where the monks are considered defenders of the faith. The Esphigmenou
Monastery established in the first millennium, is where the great St.
Gregory Palamas was abbot, and where St. Anthony left for Russia to
establish Orthodox monasticism. 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 over a thousand years the monastery
has provided a place of prayer and peace for those who chose the monastic
life. It is now threatened with extinction.
Photos and background info available on: www.esphigmenou.com
For further information please contact: John Rigas, tel: 1 (617) 971-0091,
fax: 1 (617) 524-7142
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