"Our battle is for truth and the true orthodox way of life, which the patriarch is attempting to silence." Abbot Methodios, AP/CNN.
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ESPHIGMENOU MONASTERY - MOUNT ATHOS iera monh esfigmenou - agion oros |
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Under Persecution! |
UPDATE: April 2008
In continued, non-stop harassment and vicious persecution of Esphigmenou by the Government of Greece, Patriarch Bartholomew and the imposter brotherhood on Mt. Athos, 7 Monks from Esphigmenou Monastery are to be put on trail this May in Thesaloniki, Greece for illegally occupying their own monastery.
These 2 Esphigmenou Monks are the latest deaths in a Greek Government blockade that is killing innocent monks.
Esphigmenou Monastery still under severe persecution, continue their daily prayer services.
Items under embargo:
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All food deliveries.
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Medical Supplies.
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Physician's visits prohibited (monastery has diabetic monks and heart patients).
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Fuel for heating, cooking etc.
Other inhumane actions by Ms. Bakoyannis Greek government:
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Monastery's fishing boat has been refused fishing rights and threatened with seizure by Greek Authorities.
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Monastery's telephone line has been cut to prevent outside world of learning of this human rights abuse.
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Electricity in Monastery's small dairy farm has been cut off.
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Monastery's Farm Tractor used to till the land has been seized by the Greek Police.
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Greek Special Forces Police in numbers exceeding 200 men were deployed, on two separate occasions, to violently remove monks from the Monastery, but both times the plans were foiled when the world was alerted by this website to the Greek Government's plan.
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Greek Police chief of Mount Athos has yet to arrest any of the well known, marauding gang sledgehammer wielding men who have TWICE attacked the fathers of Esphigmenou Monastery, with crowbars and sledge hammers, sending seven fathers with serious injuries to the hospital. Instead of arresting the men responsible, who are under the blessing of Patriarch Bartholomew, the Greek government prosecuted the victims, the monks of Esphigmenou and sentenced them to two year prison terms.
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Vendor with truck, attempting to sell food to the Esphigmenou monks and provide a living for himself and his family, was arrested by Greek police and banned from entering Mt. Athos again, for a period of 5 years. This not only denied food to the monks, but deprived the vendor's family of its ability to earn a living.
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Greek area fishermen, who take refuge during storms at the Monastery's dock, are fined by the Greek Coast Guard 100- 200 Euros for taking refuge at the Monastery.
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Patriarch Bartholomew, in violation of the Mt. Athos Charter, created an imposter brotherhood with the same name "Esphigmenou". The impostor brotherhood has tried to confuse the outside world by writing letters informing the general public and foreign governments that all is well at Esphigmenou Monastery. The letters are signed by the impostor and illegally elected Abbott Chrysostomos.
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The above are glaring violations not only of the Mount Athos Charter, but also numerous Articles of the U.N. Charter on Human Rights, the European Union Charter on Human Rights and a number of International Treaties dealing with basic human rights, to which the Greek Government is signatory to and is now violating.
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PLEASE CALL WEEKLY and fax often, these Greek officials who are responsible for, and can stop, the persecution of the monks, and ask that all rights of the Monastery be restored. Please continue to check back and do not stop your actions until this persecution stops. Ask them to end the blockade, stop the State District Attorney's V. Florides Court harassment and intimidation trial of the monastery scheduled for November 2007 in Thessalonika's Criminal Court; ask them to disband the imposter Esphigmenou brotherhood of Archimandrite Chrysostomos Katsileris who has been empowered by Patriarch Bartholomew and the Greek Government to confiscate the monastery's bank accounts, food deliveries, vehicles, the retirement checks of monks, and engage in a host of other abominable actions unfit for men of the cloth, and unfit for men who call themselves Christians: CALL NOW, pick up the telephone and speak to them in English. Tell them, the World is watching. The European people, The Russian people and the authorities are watching, as well as the Americans, the English, the Australians, and countless others around the World are watching to see if Greek Justice has improved from the last Court Case of the Thessalonika Court, where the evidence presented in Court, did not matter. There is no need for any further embarrassing Greek Court Trials. |
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1 |
Mr. Kostas Karamanlis |
Prime Minister of Greece |
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| Private office tel: +30-210-338-5491 | Fax: +30-210-323-8129 | ||
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2 |
Ms. Dora Bakoyannis |
Foreign Minister |
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| Tel: +30-210-368-1800 | Fax: +30-210-368-1433 | ||
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3 |
Theodoros Kassimis |
Deputy Foreign Minister |
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Tel: +30-210-368-2571 |
Fax: +30-210-368-2410 |
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4 |
Vasilis Florides |
District Attorney | |
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Telephone: +30-697-388-5888 |
Fax: +30-2310-510-188 |
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Patriarch Bartholomew |
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| Tel: +90-212-635-4022 or +90-212-531-9670 | Fax. +90-212-5349037 |
May 17, 2007 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Police and the Coast Guard used intimidation and physical force to prevent more than 150 Greek citizens in Ouranoupolis, a port town outside of Mt. Athos, from visiting Esphigmenou Monastery. The crime? Their papers were not in order.
Authorities said pilgrims at the port of Ouranoupolis were stopped from boarding a boat to the Orthodox Christian sanctuary of Mount Athos, where they were traveling to Esphigmenou Monastery.
The coast guard said the pilgrims were not carrying "permits" required to enter the monastic sanctuary. This is all too familiar theme, from the long and storied chapters of Greek Government harassment, which has continued, unabated against the monastery, its supporters, or anyone trying to visit Esphigmenou Monastery for years. The Greek Government has taken an extremely hard line, filled with religious abuses, reminiscent of the Cold War era, embracing Stalinist tactics at will against anyone who opposes them.
See story from May 16, 2007, International Herald Tribune
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| March 5, 2007 - In a continuation of the government's official campaign of harassment, the Greek government police chief on Karyes Mt. Athos, Mr. Demetrios Kondos, has demanded that the monastery remove their vehicle from Mt. Athos. This is the same police chief who up until this very moment, has not arrested or filed charges against the marauding gang of violent individuals who have repeatedly attacked the monks of Esphigmenou, sending seven monks to the hospital with critical injuries in their most recent vicious attack. While Mr. Kondos ignores violent criminals, he persecutes the peaceful monks of Esphigmenou who seek only to be left alone to pray in peace in their monastery. Please call Ms. Dora Bakoyannis at +30-210-368-1800 and demand that she fire Mr. Kondos as the police chief in Karyes and put in a police chief who will protect the monks of Esphigmenou from their violent attackers. It's no wonder Transparency International recently rated Greece behind Botswana and just above Namibia in its annual government corruption perception index. Tell Ms. Bakoyannis to end this disgraceful kind of governance she has brought to her post as Foreign Minister and which she someday hopes to bring to all of Greece as Prime Minister. Demand that she fire Mr. Kondos as a first step to restore international integrity to the reputation of Greece which she is dragging through the mud with her Turkish style persecution of these Orthodox Christian monks. |
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January 29, 2007 - In another escalation of the Greek Government's official campaign of persecution, harassment and intimidation against the monks of the Holy and Sacred Monastery of Esphigmenou, Greek prosecutor Vasilis Floridis of Thessalonica, has trumped up charges of embezzlement against the monks. Click hear to hear the BBC interview with George Dalacouras, the Greek governor of Mt Athos, which totally exposes the prosecution's case as baseless, and another act of persecution against these peaceful and defenseless monks. |
Mt. Athos Open letters of Protest to Patriarch Batholomew by 20 Monasteries and Sketes
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December 31, 2006 - Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Head of the External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, wrote a letter to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, warning it "not to take any senseless actions and use force...." against the monks of Esphigmenou. The Moscow Patriarchate is the largest Orthodox Church with over 150 million members. Photo to the left: His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrill, of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Head of the External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate |
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Update- December 26, 2006- After an outpouring of your calls, emails, letters and prayers the Greek Government has backed down from its plans to forcibly remove the monks from Esphigmenou this past weekend. Abbott Methodios and the monks of Esphigmenou Monastery thank you for your support and ask that you continue to contact the Greek Government to end the brutal embargo of food, medicine, heating fuel, mail and visitors in place since 2003.
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It's no wonder Transparency International recently rated Greece behind Botswana and just above Namibia in its annual government corruption perception index. Greece has also been added to the list of countries that condone torture, by The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. Her solution was to immediately dispatch heavily armed Greek police to finish off the monks and remove this thorn in the side of Patriarch Bartholomew, so she can please him, and turn over this property to his violent followers - a group of five men who have repeatedly attacked the defenseless Esphigmenou monks. Apparently Ms. Bakoyannis, has forgotten her oath of office and instead seeks only to please Patriarch Bartholomew, a Turkish citizen, who is already exporting violent religious extremism from his Muslim homeland to the previously peaceful and idyllic monastic community of Mt. Athos, Greece. Please call Ms. Bakoyannis (+30-210-368-1800) and demand that she stop the planned attack of the monastery building, and that she PROTECT the monks of Esphigmenou, who are Greek citizens. |
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DECEMBER 20, 2006 ESPHIGMENOU MONKS ATTACKED, HOSPITALIZED
Mount Athos, Greece - In a brutal an unprovoked attack, members of Patriarch Bartholomew's brotherhood launched a pre-dawn assault on the Esphigmenou administrative headquarters building in Karyes, breaking down the door with sledge hammers, and assaulting the defenseless Esphigmenou monks inside, sending four to the hospital. Fathers Cleopas, Mardarios, Chrysostom and Ambrosios were hospitalized at Polygero Hospital, 500 miles north of Athens, after having been attacked with crowbars and sledgehammers. According to the attending physician, Dr. Athanaseos Papageorgiou, Fr. Ambrosios, has multiple bodily injuries including a fractured skull and remains hospitalized in serious condition. The
attackers have been emboldened by the direct, personal support they enjoy
from Patriarch Bartholomew. Bartholomew
has anointed these men who
embrace violence and launched the attack as his chosen brotherhood to
replace the peaceful and defenseless monks who have resided in the
monastery for over 1500 years. In
another example of his backwardness, and his departure from Orthodox
Christian teachings, Patriarch Bartholomew refers to the violent attackers
as his children those that the Esphigmenou monks they have attacked and
brutalized with violence, as “rebels”.
Already over five “rebel” monks have been sent to their graves
during this siege, and now four more have been sent to the hospital.
You do not need to be a theologian to understand that Patriarch
Bartholomew has totally abandoned a Christian mindset and has embraced a
crusader-like mentality that views violence as a means to an end.
The true orthodox church always has, and always will, reject
violence as a means to an end. It
is not the "rebel" monks of Esphigmenou who need to return to
the fold, as they have never departed from Christian teaching, it is
Patriarch Bartholomew and his followers who embrace violence who need to
return to the fold of Orthodox Christianity.
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 An Esphigmenou monk is transferred to the
hospital by
ambulance following the violent attack by individuals supported by Patriarch
Bartholomew of Istanbul (AP
Photo)
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NOVEMBER 29, 2006 - The monks have sent a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew and to the Holy Community on Mt. Athos which does his bidding, asking them to lift the blockade of food on the monastery. They have told Esphigmenou they will not lift the blockade of food, unless the monks agree to receive the food as private individuals rather than who they are, the monks of the Holy and Sacred Monastery of Esphigmenou. Patriarch Bartholomew has ignored this request, as he has ignored every other request by the monks for dialogue. |
Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis |
OCTOBER 21, 2006 - The Greek government has backed down as the Deputy Foreign Minister Theodoros Kassimis overruled the local prosecutor who had called in over 200 Special Forces Police, and ruled out any aggressive action this weekend. The Police cut the lock to the gate of the Esphigmenou property, and allowed Patriarch Bartholomew to enter the Esphigmenou lot adjacent to their building to do a holy water service and save face for his imposter brotherhood. Thank you for all of your phone calls and e-mails, which shows the Greek government is at least somewhat responsive to the pressure that you have brought by contacting them from all over the world to protest the horrendous actions they were about to take. |
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OCTOBER 23 - The day we celebrate the blessed memory of the martyrs of Zografou Monastery on Mt. Athos. Like the monks of Esphigmenou, they resisted their Patriarch who sought to bring the Orthodox Church under papal rule. As Orthodox Christians we fervently desire that the Roman Catholic Church return back to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, which has never lost the Truth or its unity. But Patriarch Bartholomew, like Patriarch Bekkos, does not share this mindset. The monks of Zografou paid for their beliefs with their lives and were burned alive in the tower of their monastery on Mt. Athos where they had locked themselves in. This was done at the hands of the Patriarch of Constantinople, John Bekkos. Much like the current Patriarch, he enjoyed all the rights, privileges and honors of being Patriarch of Constantinople, and used that power for his own political purposes. Patriarch Bekkos, the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among equals, he who sat in the Phanar, was, of course condemned for heresy. What awaits this Patriarch? Click here to read more about Zografou |
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OCTOBER 20, 2006 - The Greek government deployed over 200 heavily armed Special Forces Police to Mt. Athos in preparation to forcibly remove the monks from their monastery home. Unwilling to wait for the Esphigmenou monks to have their case heard before an appeals court, the Greek government, acting as the private army of Patriarch Bartholomew, wanted to clear out the monks before the Patriarch visits. The local prosecutor, Vasilis Florides (tel: +30-697-388-5888), threatened "grave actions" against anyone who protests the Patriarch's actions. Mr. Florides has threatened the assistant abbot of Esphigmenou that "we will finish you off in 10 minutes." Click here for Press Release |
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OCTOBER 13, 2006 - An open letter from Bishop Stephen, primate of the Italo-Greek Orthodox Church, asking in filial love, the Patriarch to end his persecution of his fellow Orthodox Christians, the monks of Esphigmenou. “Your treatment and
persecution of the monks of Esphigmenou is a scandal to the Church and an
embarrassment to all Orthodox Christians throughout the world. It sullies
the good name of the Orthodox Church . . . Such behavior and acts are barbaric
and take us back to the Dark Ages and for this Your All-Holiness should be
deeply ashamed” |
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October 11, 2006 - Thessalonica, Greece. A dark day for religious freedom in Greece as the government sentenced each of the monks to TWO YEARS in jail. Against all supporting evidence, the court found the monks guilty of the absurd charge of "disturbing the peace" a |