Mt. Athos, October 20, 2025
Xenophontos was among the Athonite monasteries that allowed the unordained schismatic Dumenko to serve. Photo: pomisna.info
Athonite abbots and hieromonks who celebrated with the schismatic Epiphany Dumenko during his recent visit to the Holy Mountain should be cut off from concelebrations with the monasteries who remain firm in Orthodoxy until they repent, say a group of monks representing the cells of Mt. Athos.
The Holy Mountain is home to twenty ruling monasteries, each of which has a series of smaller sketes and cells under their authority.
During its four-day visit, the schismatic delegation visited six of the twenty monasteries: New Esphigmenou, Iveron, Stavronikita, Xenophontos, Pantocrator, and Simonopetra.
In their new statement, the cell monks emphasize that Dumenko and his group are schismatics, outside the Church, and thus it violates the canons of the Church and the ethos of Mt. Athos to celebrate with them, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
“The schismatic-heretical Uniate Mr. Epiphany Dumenko, celebrating Liturgy (at the Chapel of the Most Holy Theotokos) on Mt. Athos... oh... what spiritual degradation...!!!” the monks write.
They emphasize that the majority of the Sacred Community (the monastic body that represents Mt. Athos) voted against formally receiving Dumenko (as is customary for Orthodox primates), as evidenced by the handful of people that came out to welcome him when he arrived on the Holy Mountain. However, those that did greet him and serve with him committed an impermissible sin and bear responsibility for bringing his “spiritual contamination” to the holy site.
They will have to give an account before the Dread Judgment seat of Christ, the monks write.
The statement informs that the capital of Mt. Athos, Karyes, was sealed off by secret security services because they feared that monks would come and protest the visit of the graceless schismatic. This fact also refutes Dumenko’s claim that he came “as a simple monk,” the Athonites write.
Moreover, he is a blasphemer, the monks write, who blesses the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the desecration of holy relics.
Dumenko and his affiliates act like “NEO-NAZIS,” the monks state.
Thankfully, the majority of Athonite monasteries and monastics refused to have anything to do with Dumenko, but now they are “duty-bound to place all the Athonite abbots and hieromonks who participated in excommunication. They should not be received at any Athonite service until they show practical repentance,” the cell monks exhort, recalling that Christ will spit out the lukewarm.
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