Thieves Should Be Put in Prison
Arkady Arseniev
2004
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Why aren’t the greasy pols in the slam, too? Is it because they could be useful to Langley in the future? Perspirin’ minds wanna know… oh, do note that the buzzard in the cage wears a tie, NOT a riassa.
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In Greece, the unprecedented happened. Abbot Ephrem of Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos is in solitary confinement in Korydallos Prison Complex in an Athens suburb. An appellate court found that the elder’s dangerous to society, since his monastery, a few years ago, made a deal with the state to exchange land belonging to the monastery for property in Athens. The court let off the Greek government ministers involved in court happily skip away scot-free. The statute of limitations for Greek officials is very short. Therefore, only Abbot Ephrem will face charges for this real estate deal. The situation is murky; the actions attributed to the Igumen took place from 2001 to 2008. However, the Greek court only acted after the return of Abbot Ephrem from Russia… the Igumen had accompanied the tour of the Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God to various Russian cities.
What is Abbot Ephrem accused of doing? The bone of contention is land near Lake Vistonida, long claimed by the Greek government. These lands belonged to Vatopedi since ancient times… the monastery has letters from New Roman emperors and Turkish sultans noting that its their property, recognised by the Greek State. However, the Greek government had its sights on these lands. Therefore, litigation concerning them started. After several years of proceedings, the court recognised the legitimacy of the ancient rights of the monastery to the land and its right to dispose of the land. After that, Vatopedi offered to exchange this piece of land for several house-lots in Athens for the needs of the monastery. A barter deal was struck. At the same time, Abbot Ephrem argued that those real estate transactions were, in fact, forced. Athens media sources quoted him as saying, “We didn’t care for these deals, but they were forced upon us by the then-government. Our lawyers convinced us that we didn’t have a choice; otherwise, there’d be long-term friction (with the authorities)”.
The new Greek Socialist government spotted possible discrepancies in this transaction that could cause cost the state budget 100 million Euros (4.08 billion Roubles. 127.26 million USD 82.45 million UK Pounds). In this case, five ministers of the former rightwing government signed the deal with the Athonite monastery. True, we know who the corrupt parties are, but because the statute of limitations as far it concerns the officials has expired, all five walked away scot-free. Nevertheless, they decided to punish the elder from Mount Athos for the deal. However, that’s not the point. Furthermore, there’s the fact that they decided to imprison Abbot Ephrem pending trial, that is, before they prove his guilt. It looks more like an act of intimidation. Don’t think that the Greek investigators, in fact, believe that the Igumen would run off and go into hiding. Moreover, you should know that Abbot Ephrem’s an ill man, he suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure; imprisonment could further undermine his health. However, common sense and humanitarian principles didn’t prevail in this case. Why? Our conclusion is that those commentators who said that this was a politically-motivated action are right.
It’s no secret that Greece has become closer to Russia in recent years. The reason is Orthodoxy. Many people requested the Vatopedi fathers to bring the Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God to their countries, but the elders of Vatopedi always turned them down, including those in the USA. Yet, they brought the Belt to Russia… millions of Russian believers venerated the relic. Abbot Ephrem only learned of the plans to imprison him upon his return from Russia. The RF Ministry for Foreign Affairs said, “…Taking into account the statements by Archimandrite Ephrem about his willingness to cooperate with the investigating authorities and the state of his health, we have deep concerns about the actions of the judicial authorities in Greece, for they don’t take into account the decisions and recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights on placing him in custody pending trial”. The Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called, who organised the tour of the Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God in Russia, reacted to the arrest of in abbot by using even harsher terms, “The consistency and perseverance exhibited by [Fr Ephrem] whilst under persecution suggests that this minor legal dispute involving Vatopedi Monastery with the Greek state has become a pretext to act against the basis of values of European society and an attack on the Orthodox Church, whose spiritual centre is Mount Athos”.
30 December 2011
Yelena Korotkova
Московский Комсомолец (Moskovsky Komosomolets: Moscow Komsomol Member)
As quoted in Interfax-Religion
Editor’s Note:
I had to wait awhile before writing this… I had to “cool down”. Here goes nuttin’… there’s NOTHING on the official websites of the OCA or the ROCOR stating their firm and undeviating support for His Holiness’ call for the release of Igumen Ephrem. NOTHING. They’re silent as fish… they say NOTHING… it’s as though it didn’t happen. His Holiness issued his “sorrowful epistle” on 29 December… a full week ago. These slugs have REFUSED to stand up behind their Ultimate First Hierarch. Through their silence, they support Langley and its machinations in Greece and the Phanar (they did topple an Ecumenical Patriarch and had their toadies replace him with the American lickspittle Athenagoras Spyrou). Today, the Western political machine threatens Holy Mount Athos, and where do we find the OCA and the ROCOR? They support the enemies of Orthodoxy via their silence! Here’s a description of the prison where Igumen Ephrem languishes:
Amnesty International and other human rights bodies such as the Committee for the Prevention of Torture have repeatedly expressed concern about the prison for its overcrowding and inhumane treatment of detainees. In 2007, a special committee composed of physicians of the Division of Health Inspections of the Prefecture of Piraeus and Piraeus Medical Association reported that the hospital and the mental clinic of the prison operate without even the minimum conditions of hygiene, with aging infrastructure and big shortages in medical and nursing staff.
I shall NOT mince my words! Such people as Lyonyo Kishkovsky, Victor Potapov, and Alexander Webster poorly serve Paffhausen and Hilarion Kapral… and I’m only naming those with direct government links. These men take Uncle Sugar’s shilling or participate in “think-tanks” that support American aggression abroad. Ergo, the official OCA and ROCOR are silent about this abomination. If we had to choose between believing “Vladislav” of the Night Wolves MC or believing Sophia Kishkovsky of the New York Times, I don’t believe that the choice would be hard for any of us. It’s time to STAND TALL for our Orthodox Faith! If you can’t stand for Athos and the Athonite Fathers, what can you stand for? Oh, yes… SVS and Vassa Larina laughed at the Mountain at the instigation of the Uniate poseur Robert Taft… that speaks volumes of them, doesn’t it?
Speak out for an unjustly imprisoned man! Here’s some contact information:
Greek Embassy Washington DC:
http://www2.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/embassyMailForm.aspx?UICulture=en-US&eID=001
Send them your protests! To think that Langley thinks that it can push the Church around… let’s show ‘em some “people power”.
LET FR EPHREM GO!
BMD
