+
Bartholomew +
By
the mercy of God, Archbishop of Constantinople and
New Rome
(in Byzantine
Scroll)
Protocol
Number 1110
Reverend
overseers and representatives of the
Holy
Mountain
, beloved children of my Humbleness in the Lord, grace be upon your Reverends
and peace from God.
My
Humbleness and the Holy and Sacred Synod with me are duty bound by fatherly
concern for the good order and canonical functioning of the Sacred Royal and
Patriarchal and Stavropegial Esphigmenou Monastery on the Holy
Mountain. For
thirty whole years the uncanonical seizure of Esphigmenou Monastery has defamed
these Scared Grounds and set a bad example for both those in (the monastery) who
may be living a life of asceticism and for those Christians living outside.
Therefore they have been notified of our Patriarchal and Synodal decision which
has been forwarded to them. In this decision we refer by name to those who are
arbitrarily in possession of the said Holy Monastery. We state that those who
are illegally presenting themselves as the members of the brotherhood are
schismatics, cut off by their own will from the communion with the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church. Further, we inform them that we have
imposed upon them the Canonical punishment of excommunication and that they have
been cut off from the ecclesiastical spiritual communion and relations with the
canonical Orthodox Church until their sincere repentance and return.
This
official decision which defines these persons as schismatics entails grave
consequences. Let be known that Article 5 of the Charter of Mount Athos and the
105 (Article) of the Greek Constitution denies them the right to live on the
Holy
Mountain
. Therefore, we urge you our beloved Reverends, to act in consort with all the
state assets and those in charge of Mount Athos and elsewhere, to move against
them, and to discreetly expel them from this place and require them to turn over
to you any papers they may have in their possession which would permit their
return and which would allow them to enter and stay on the Holy Mountain.
May
God’s grace and infinite mercy be with your Reverends.
December
14, 2002
O Constantinopoleos, fervent prayers to God.
(Scroll
writing)