Holy Mount Athos, March 4, 2014
The Romfea.gr Greek portal, referring to its own reliable sources, writes that the Holy Kinot of Holy Mount Athos has received an extensive message from His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople recently, reports AgionOros.ru.
This document expresses his concern in connection with the attempts to over-build Mt. Athos and "change its look" through the uncontrolled and free influx of monks of non-Greek origin.
The Patriarchate of Constantinople informs that it will no longer grant permission to "non-Greek speaking monks" to reside in Greek-speaking monasteries.
The letter also contains a recommendation, according to which the total number of foreign monks must not exceed 10% of the total number of the brethren on Holy Mount Athos.
In fact, this decision means a ban on foreigners coming to live on Athos, as the number of monks of non-Greek origin at the moment exceeds 10% of the total number of monks.
Athonite monks stress that this message is raising many questions, particularly in a period "when the Phanar has announcing a struggle against philetism[1] in the Church".
"This statement (if the information regarding the message of the Patriarchate of Constantinople is confirmed) casts doubt on the universal nature of Holy Mount Athos, where for over 1000 years, Greeks, Serbs, Russians, Romanians, Bulgarians, and monks from all over the world have coexisted together harmoniously. The Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, during his recent visit, was astonished when he saw a Chinese monk in one of the Athonite monasteries."
Sources of Romfea.gr inform that the Holy Kinot of Holy Mount Athos intends to consider the Patriarch’s message after the first week of the Lenten fast.
[1] Nationalism.
So, the argument that Greeks should allow an influx of migrants to a sacred site does not hold water.
Can Greek migrants simply walk into any sacred site of any other national heritage?
I am female and can't visit, but I can study and worship Christ anywhere else.
There are places that were also deemed too holy for Alexander the Great to enter too.
It is about respecting a sacred ancient site and it's regulations.
It's up to the council to decide how they will run it.
As far as social justice is concerned, Greece has been asking for the Parthenon marbles back too.
The argument is perhaps about the preservation of the heritage of mount Athos.
They are not opposed to people of different heritage becoming Orthodox monks.
It's not a question of Orthodoxy being purely for the Greeks.
Mount Athos is not a town urging for population growth and cannot be compared to a cosmopolitan gathering of all nationalities, like perhaps NY.
Here the issue is of preserving an ancient heritage site, which is living and not merely stones and mortar.
I see it as one may have seen Delphi in ancient times - a sacred Greek site. Indigenous Australians would never allow a migrant Greek to walk on Uluru either.
It seemed that immigration to Athos was lower than the world . What ever happened to the greats of greek philosophy that saw nationality not coming from blood lines but from the psyche .
Wasn't this Alexander the greats Ideal.
The greeks can claim and quote their ancient ancestors but they can't live up to them.
As one monk once said to me about the Patriarch he is suppose to be our Bishop but he never comes here.
Should the worldly nations who take in immigration follow his lead and say it changes there country . REMEMBER MANY GREEKS WERE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO START NEW LIVES IN WESTERN COUNTRIES WITHOUT LEARNING THE LANGUAGE . SO WHY SHOULDN'T PEOPLE FROM SPIRITUALLY POOR COUNTRIES BE GIVEN THE SAME OPPORTUNTIES.
Should the worldly nations who take in immigration follow his lead and say it changes there country . REMEMBER MANY GREEKS WERE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO START NEW LIVES IN WESTERN COUNTRIES WITHOUT LEARNING THE LANGUAGE . SO WHY SHOULDN'T PEOPLE FROM SPIRITUALLY POOR COUNTRIES BE GIVEN THE SAME OPPORTUNTIES.
May I add to my previous comment about the true wisdom of limiting the number of non-Greek monks on Mount Athos, by saying that it is not a matter of fairness but a matter of service in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Great success has come in creating new Athonite monastic communities in America, France and England known as Athos outside Athos the purpose of which is to pray for the world and to gather Christians increasingly in need of solace and salvation.
The Agios Oros of Greece is an utterly unique physical and spiritual phenomenon impossible to recreate once diluted or lost comparable to the loss of Byzantium or the fall of Constantinople...
Thank you.
The monastic community of The Holy Mountain is a living and delicately balanced organism which has developed over generations of cultural and spiritual wisdom interwoven with the roots of the early Greek identity.
Diluting its unique ingredients will weaken it.
Let those who love Christ Jesus branch out to start new Christian Orthodox
Monastic communities much needed in all parts of our troubled planet.
Thank you.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate has much bigger problems than to create more problems for Mount Athos.
If Constantinople is not careful, Turkey will become an Islamist nation again and there might not be any more Ecumenical Patriarchate!
Deacon Joseph