Vatopedi Monastery declares support for Constantinople and Patriarch Bartholomew

Mt. Athos, August 20, 2021

Photo: athonian.gr Photo: athonian.gr     

The recent statements about the Patriarchate of Constantinople, against the background of the Ukrainian crisis, from a monk who formerly lived at Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos do not reflect the views of the monastery itself.

On August 16, the Odessa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church published a video interview with Archimandrite Nilos (Adezi), a disciple of Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, who now serves in Italy. Fr. Nilos spoke of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine as God’s gift to Ukraine and as a hierarch greatly beloved on Mt. Athos, and also criticized the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s self-understanding and its misguided actions in Ukraine.

However, Vatopedi Monastery announced yesterday that Fr. Nilos has not been a monk of Vatopedi for a long time and is no longer counted as a monk of the monastery.

Further, “His recent statements to the media, which we condemn, do not in any way reflect the views and positions of the Holy Monastery.”

The monastery is under the spiritual oversight of the Holy Synod of Constantinople, the statement reminds, and it “supports and respects the canonical prerogatives and actions of the institution of the Mother Church of Constantinople and the venerable person of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.”

Recall that Abbot Ephraim of Vatopedi was among those selected to represent the Patriarchate at the enthronement of the schismatic “Metropolitan” Epiphany Dumenko in Kiev in February 2019, though under severe pressure. Arriving in Kiev, he suffered a heart attack and did not participate in the service, though another hieromonk of Vatopedi still concelebrated.

A delegation of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” visited Mt. Athos later that month, where it was turned away by several monasteries, and received by others, including Vatopedi, where they were allowed to serve the Divine Liturgy.

In a talk in December, Abbot Ephraim declared that Mt. Athos is powerless to influence the Ukrainian conflict, for which he was severely criticized by His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who said the abbot has chosen comfort over Christ.

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8/20/2021

See also
Mt. Athos fresco depicts St. Anthony of Kiev Caves with schismatic tomos of “autocephaly” Mt. Athos fresco depicts St. Anthony of Kiev Caves with schismatic tomos of “autocephaly” Mt. Athos fresco depicts St. Anthony of Kiev Caves with schismatic tomos of “autocephaly” Mt. Athos fresco depicts St. Anthony of Kiev Caves with schismatic tomos of “autocephaly”
The fresco of St. Anthony of the Kiev Caves can be found at New Esphigmenou Monastery, which was founded by Patriarch Bartholomew in 2005 and is among the few Athonite monasteries that recognizes the schismatic OCU. Constantinople’s Archons run article with false accusations concerning Ukrainian Church Constantinople’s Archons run article with false accusations concerning Ukrainian Church Constantinople’s Archons run article with false accusations concerning Ukrainian Church Constantinople’s Archons run article with false accusations concerning Ukrainian Church
The article contains a number of serious inaccuracies about the Ukrainian Church, the most serious of which is the incendiary charge that “The UOC-MP has been repeatedly rebuked and criticized for not officially condemning (and instead even supporting) Russia’s occupation of Crimea and eastern Ukrainian regions.” Schismatics and those who pray with them will not be saved—Elder Gabriel of Mt. Athos, disciple of St. Paisios Schismatics and those who pray with them will not be saved—Elder Gabriel of Mt. Athos, disciple of St. Paisios Schismatics and those who pray with them will not be saved—Elder Gabriel of Mt. Athos, disciple of St. Paisios Schismatics and those who pray with them will not be saved—Elder Gabriel of Mt. Athos, disciple of St. Paisios
The “priests” of the OCU are sacrilegious, and “many hierarchs pray and concelebrate with heretics,” the Elder said.
Comments
+MOINE JEAN8/22/2021 10:56 pm
NOUS SOMMES DEVENUS L EGLISE DU CRIME ET DE LA HAINE QUANT AU MONT ATHOS JE VOUS SIGNALE QUE DANS LE REFECTOIRE DE ST PANTELEIMON LA OU POUTINE ET LE P.CYRILLE VONT TRONAIT LA PHOTO D HITLER QUE LES ATHONITES LOUAIENT COMME DEFENSEUR DE LA CHRETIENTE CONTRE LE BOLCHEVISME ATHEE DE STALINE.ATTENTION CAR NOUS AVONS DEJA PEUT ETRE COMMIS LE PECHE CONTRE LE SAINT ESPRIT.LE MONDE SLAVE ET LE MONDE GREC NE SE COMPRENNENT PLUS COMME UN PIRE 1054.GOSPODI POMILOUI
Sandor Bronn8/21/2021 11:24 am
@Peter: My Orthodox brother (and all others reading this), note the following in the context of what you wrote: "First, the Athonites clarify that it is erroneous to say that Mt. Athos “tacitly agreed with the criminal policy of the Phanar on the recognition of the schismatics of the OCU,” but rather, it is appropriate to speak only about the position of specific monasteries. "There has as yet been no clear position from the Holy Mountain, because only the Sacred Community, consisting of one representative from each of the 20 ruling monasteries, can officially speak for Mt. Athos by consensus, and no consensus on the matter currently exists. When the discussion became deadlocked, it was decided that each monastery would proceed as it deems fit. "However, the monks recall that the Sacred Community denied Pat. Bartholomew’s request to send a delegation to the enthronement of Epiphany Dumenko as “Metropolitan” of Kiev in February 2019. Iveron, Stavronikita, Pantokrator, Xenophontos, and New Esphigmenou were in favor of sending a delegation, the Great Lavra and Koutloumousiou refrained from expressing any opinion, and the other 13 monasteries were unequivocally against sending any monks." From https://orthochristian.com/138878.html, "ATHONITE MONKS CLARIFY HOLY MOUNTAIN’S STANCE TOWARDS UKRAINIAN SCHISMATICS", 23 April 2021
Peter 8/20/2021 3:48 pm
Good to know what monasteries to avoid when I get to go to Athos
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