October 22, 2005
Dear Mr.
Skandalakis,
The world is
watching and will continue to watch the attempted eviction from their monastic
home, of the monks, of the Esphigmenou Monastery, simply because, they have a
different opinion.
In our day and
age, it is an outrage to persecute anyone, and harm them, simply because they
disagree with your point of view, in this case, the unorthodox actions
and statements, which are condemned by the Orthodox Church's
teachings, of Patriarch Bartholomew.
The monks of
Esphigmenou are correct in their assessment, that the Patriarch is teaching
heresy and is playing politics, with our Orthodox Faith.
Giving Holy
Communion, as he and some of his accomplices have done on many occasions,
to non Orthodox, is strictly forbidden by the Orthodox Church.
Praying together
with unrepentant heretics, over and over again, is also not approved.
The Church, as
all disciplines, has rules by which they must abide.
A surgeon does
not perform surgeries, over and over again, without anesthetic or without the
proper tools. If he does, he is removed from that profession's official list of
surgeons, and if he persists in his folly, the state steps in and incarcerates
him to protect the public.
Patriarch
Bartholomew is such a surgeon, only in Church terms, and he uses his position,
to contaminate the
They want to be
Orthodox in Faith and this has been a thorn in the side of Mr.
.Bartholomew and his predecessors, with the difference being, that Mr.
Bartholomew, wants to harm the monks and in doing that, he will also
spiritually harm all those persons, who empower him to accomplish this evil
act, that is you and all those in the Greek government who may help him.
Disputes, any
kind of disputes, and especially religious differences, in our days, and
especially in the European Union, which prides itself with "religious
freedom, and protection of Human Rights etc.." are solved through
dialogue and not through the use of the state’s "police forces" to
impose, a "wrong" upon those who only seek the perpetuation of our
Orthodox Faith, the monks of Esphigmenou.
The Greek
government, will be making a "grave" error, if they continue the
course of harming, evicting and depriving the monks of their rights, both
"civil and religious."
The Patriarch
who talks about his rights in Turkey and how the Turks should respect them, is
now, with the help of the Greek government, callously and unchristian,
attempting to spiritually kill, over 100 monks whose only "crime" is,
that they want to be True Orthodox Christians.
Don't we all
aspire to that, Mr. Skandalakis? To be True Orthodox Christians, to our
ability?
There are
thousands of non Greek Orthodox Christians, who know Orthodoxy much better
than, cradle orthodox, like you and me, and upon learning of what is being
attempted at Esphigmenou, have been, scandalized to no end. From their readings
of the Holy fathers of the Orthodox Church, they know the Faith and the rules
better than we do.
We are not
dealing with ignorant Orthodox Christians, who do not care about the Faith or
their personal salvation, and who blindly follow what the person with the
"big" title says, because "he" is the one in charge.
People these
days, discern the Truth and honest people defend it, even with their lives. In
the past, people who did this became the "saints" of our Church. St.
Dionysios the Areopagites of Athens, was such a person, who knew our LORD
CHRIST and gave his life for HIM, not at all thinking of his lofty position in
the society of his time. St. Demetrios of
The Esphigmenite
monks are doing the same thing today and must be supported not persecuted.
I have seen your
picture in the Greek American newspapers and how you have been good friends
with some of the former clergymen from this country (
The Esphigmenite
monks have done nothing wrong. All they want is to be left alone to pray.
So stop the
persecution and do not support people who look Orthodox but teach heresy, as in
the case of Patriarch Bartholomew and some with him.
The Church is
not governed by diplomacy, but by CHRIST HIMSELF, to whom, you and all of us
will answer for our words, deeds and actions, on that frightful day, when only
the right deed, decisions, actions and words will be our only defense
before HIS throne.
The Saints of
the Orthodox Church were ascetics, as the Esphigmenou monks are.
The world killed
St. John The Baptist. He was put to death by the then government, so was our
LORD CHRIST, was tried and put to death, "legally" by a
"robber" -Lystriki- synod of Hierarchs, the
"Sahedrin" who were the power brokers of the day, who convinced
the Roman governor Pilate (you are in Pilates place today) to put CHRIST to
Death, legally, just like you are attempting to do today with the
monks, but today, we know, who was "right" and who was
"wrong." And today, the world, thank GOD for the Internet,
everyone, throughout the World knows who the Esphigmenou monks are and
what they believe and who is "right" and also have seen, read
and witnessed their adversary and his government friends (who of course, are
doing this for "national" reasons) his unorthodox words,
actions and deeds and know who is "wrong."
No matter what
you do, unless you chose to stop this unlawful persecution, you will not
convince anyone that your wrong decisions against the monks are correct. This
issue will not die unless resolved justly and the monks are left alone and in
their monastery, where they have lived all their life.
Wrong decisions
and actions by anyone are never certified as correct by History.
With respect,
John Rigas
Teacher of
History and Orthodox Theologian