Pro-American Underling in Greek Foreign Ministry Fucks Up… Denies Entry to Athos for Putin during Holy Week

President Vladimir Putin (1952- ) on a previous visit to the Holy Mountain 

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The Kremlin’s strongly dissatisfied with the Greek Government, after its refusal of the request of Vladimir Putin to visit Mount Athos and Vatopedi Monastery during Holy Week. In particular, Russian leader expressed his personal desire to make a quick day-trip to Mount Athos in Holy Week, and to see Abbot Ephrem of Vatopedi Monastery as part of his visit. In rejecting the application, however, the Greek government gave the Kremlin the excuse that the government of the country would be on holiday at that time. The Kremlin expressed its deep displeasure at the postponement of Putin’s planned trip due to this refusal by the Greek government.

Statement of Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Grigoris Delavekurasa:

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is always welcome in our country. Moreover, beyond the historical friendly links between our two countries, it’d be a distinct honour for Greece to be the first country to host Mr Putin after his recent election as President of the Russian Federation. We’ll be glad to welcome him, and we hope that he’ll visit our country as soon as possible, as early as Easter; he can officially go to Mount Athos or to anywhere else that he desires.

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The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stating that the Minister first learned of the planned trip to Mount Athos of PM Vladimir Putin from media reports. According to Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekurasa, they didn’t receive a request for a visit to Mount Athos from the Government of the Russian Federation, so, therefore, there’s no problem with any such request. The official also said that the Greek side would always be pleased to host the Russian Prime Minister and President-elect, according to the “Amen” news agency.

5 April 2012

Ρομφαια (Romfaia)

http://romfea.gr/epikairotita/12148-arnithikan-ston-putin-na-paei-sto-oros

Sedmitza.ru

http://www.sedmitza.ru/news/2900820.html

Editor’s Note:

This has George Stephanopoulos’ fingerprints all over it. All Russian Orthodox people in the diaspora know how he interfered in the ROCOR reconciliation in the early 2000s through the agency of his sister, who was a nun in the ROCOR (along with other US diplomatic types who intervened directly, such as Herbst). Obviously, he got some pro-American lickspittle underling to reject VVP’s application… and that underling is going to walk the plank, no doubt about it. Don’t cry for them, though… Langley will take care to see that they don’t starve or go without… after all, Langley has to show their patsies that the rightwing radicals are “better” than the Left. What’s interesting is that such people are cut adrift if the rightwingers win… you see, the bottom line’s important. You expected “conservatives” to show human feelings and gratitude… silly wabbit…

BMD

The Actions of the Greek Authorities Against Igumen Ephrem Disgraced Orthodox Greece

The god-pleasing Abba Ephrem of Vatopedi (1955- ) sits in a prison cell… the bum-kissing American-puppet politicians sit scot-free in the Canaries… what’s WRONG with that picture?

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The archpastors of the Local Church of Greece strongly criticised the decision by the Greek authorities to arrest Archimandrite Ephrem, the abbot of Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos. In the view of the Greek episcopate, the arrest of the well-known Athonite elder was only a trick by the authorities, who’re trying to cover up their crimes and to divert people’s attentions from the economic problems, thereby, dishonouring Orthodox Greece, RIA-Novosti reported. Last weekend, the cops arrested Archimandrite Ephrem on the orders of a Greek court, and confined him to his cell at the monastery, as the doctors with detected a viral infection, an aggravation of degenerative disc disease, and elevated blood sugar levels. The time limit on the enforcement of the warrant will expire on Monday afternoon.

On a broadcast of Skai TV, Metropolitan Nikolaos Hatzinikolaou of Mesogeia and Lavreotiki said, “I wondered… why should anyone consider [Igumen Ephrem] dangerous? Does he want to sell [the government] the lake a second time? Or, does he want to take the [Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God] and go with it to Russia, and never come back? You can’t see any logic in this decision by the court. I can see the intent in all of this. Firstly, they’re trying to cover the responsibility of those who brought us to the current tragic situation, and, secondly, to attack the concept of the Church in modern society by striking at the person of Fr Ephrem”.

Metropolitan Chrysostomos Sklifas of Patras believed that those who decided to arrest [Abba Ephrem] directed it against the Church itself. Romfea.gr quoted him as saying, “They struck at the credibility of the monks and the Church in a way that defied good-sense and religious feeling, especially during this holy season”. The Church of Greece celebrates Christmas on 25 December, but the Athonite monasteries, as well as Russia, continue to use the traditional Church calendar, and celebrate Christmas on 7 January. For his part, Metropolitan Andreas Trebelas of Dryinoupolis, Pogoniani, and Konitsa and Exarch  of Northern Epirus said, “These actions are mainly directed against the Church, and, of course, against Holy Mount Athos, to the delight of the Church’s opponents”. Vladyki Andreas pointed up that he didn’t know the exact content of the judicial decisions. Metropolitan Nikolaos Protopappas of Phthiotis stated, in his opinion, “The dark forces decided to strike at Athos”.

In an article on the site Romfea.gr, Metropolitan Pavlos Ioannou of Sisanion and Siatista wrote, in his opinion, the arrest of Igumen Ephrem was revelatory, as the police arrested none of the politicians responsible for numerous economic scandals. He said, “Was anyone arrested by the Greek judges for the ‘bubble’ on the stock exchange, for the bribes taken in the Siemens scandal, for the economic catastrophe in our country, for the international humiliation of its people? Finally, the Greek justice, albeit belatedly, found the guilty party, the one responsible for all the troubles… Igumen Ephrem”. Vladyki Pavlos related that with a bitter smile. Metropolitan Athanasios Nikolaou of Limassol, Amathous, and Kourion, of the Local Church of Cyprus, supports Igumen Ephrem, who’s a native of Cyprus. Metropolitan Athanasios, who formerly was a member of the brotherhood of Vatopedi Monastery, said, “It seems that Greece has solved all its other problems, but, now, there’s a threat from Elder Ephrem”.

The First Hierarch of the Local Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos Liapis,  Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, said earlier that although he wasn’t fully informed on the situation, however, he was “deeply concerned” by the arrest of [Igumen Ephrem] so close to Christmas. The Monastic Republic of Mount Athos isn’t under the omofor of the Church of Greece; nevertheless, it has close ties with it. The twenty ruling monasteries of Mount Athos are the under the EP’s canonical umbrella, which had no immediate comment on the situation. Greek television also cited in detail the negative comments from Russia concerning the arrest of Igumen Ephrem. For instance, the Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called, which sponsored the tour of the Vatopedi delegation with the Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God in Russia, said, “We believe that such actions can only be explained by the political perspective of certain circles in the Greek establishment, who wish to demonstrate to the West their willingness to deny the principles of spiritual life enshrined in the Greek constitution”. In response to this comment, an unnamed source in the Greek judiciary told Mega TV in Athens, “We must condemn the interference of third parties in Greek justice”.

Emilios Poligenis, the head of the Greek church news website Romfea.gr, told RIA-Novosti that, in the meantime, Fr Ephrem performs his monastic obedience in prison and carries out his priestly duties, saying, “Today, they brought his vestments to the prison, and, on Sunday, he’ll be able to serve in the prison chapel. The elder’s calm and in as good spirits as anyone can be in such trials. The prison authorities treat him very well. Whatever he needs, they give it to him”. He added that they allow Fr Ephrem to follow a special diet because of his diabetes. So far, [Abba Ephrem] doesn’t complain of any health problems, but he recently had a viral infection. According to Poligenis, Fr Ephrem didn’t resist his arrest, and he doesn’t comment on the progress of the case, referring his interlocutors to his lawyers. Metropolitan Nikolaos Hatzinikolaou of Mesogeia and Lavreotiki and Metropolitan Pavlos Tsaousoglou of Glyfada and Aexoni, of the Local Church of Greece, visited Igumen Ephrem in prison. The arrest of Igumen Ephrem provoked a series of protests in Greece and abroad. In particular, the RF MID and the MP expressed their concern over the detention of Fr Ephrem, and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all the Russias urged Greek President Karolos Papoulias to release him from imprisonment.

3 January 2012

Metropolitan Nikolaos Hatzinikolaou of Mesogeia and Lavreotiki

Pravoslavie.ru

http://pravoslavie.ru/smi/50756.htm

Metropolitan Amvrosios Lenis of Kalavrita and Aigialeia Sez: EP Behaviour Towards Igumen Ephrem of Vatopedi Disgusting and Spiteful… Filthy Lucre’s (What Else?) at the Root of It

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According to Metropolitan Amvrosios Lenis of Kalavrita and Aigialeia, the EP’s behaviour towards Igumen Ephrem’s just another example of its disgusting behaviour. As quoted by the Greek media outlet Romfea, Vladyki Amvrosios said, “we’ve already said this time and again, but I have to say it again, sometimes the EP behaves just like an evil stepmother! That’s right, in our humble opinion, that’s how she acted in this case”. In his opinion, the mere fact that the police arrested an abbot of one of one of the largest and most ancient monasteries of Mount Athos on the eve of Christmas spurred many individuals, both religious and secular, to speak in support of Fr Ephrem. Metropolitan Amvrosios went on to say, “The only exception to this was the discordant position of the EP, which used some of our weaker brethren amongst the bishops as their mouthpieces”. Vladyki Amvrosios pointed up that Vatopedi Monastery sends money directly to the Ecumenical Patriarch, yet, the EP refuses to support Fr Ephrem and the monastery, but it quietly enjoys the use of its resources and reputation.

As reported in December 2011, a Greek court ordered Fr Ephrem’s arrest in connection with an investigation of real estate transactions between Vatopedi and the Greek state in 2008. In late December, Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias wrote a letter to Greek President Karolos Papoulias asking for Archimandrite Ephrem’s release from custody, expressing surprise at his pre-trial incarceration as “[Fr Ephrem] doesn’t pose a threat to society and repeatedly expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation”. Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk, the head of the MP DECR, described the arrest of Fr Ephrem as an attack on Athonite monasticism in particular and on Orthodoxy in general. Previously, influential Russian politicians, the MP, the RF MID, as well as the Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called voiced support for Igumen Ephrem. This was in recognition of the fact that Abba Ephrem was part of the delegation from Vatopedi Monastery that brought the Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God to Russia for a stay lasting from 20 October to 28 November, going to various cities throughout the country, where nearly 3 million people venerated the relic, including top political leaders.

17 January 2012

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=43812

Igumen Ephrem Will Remain in Custody

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The acquittal of the Supreme Court of Greece (the Areopagus) in the case of Archimandrite Ephrem, the abbot of Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos, won’t result in his release from custody. On Thursday, a spokesman for the Russian Society of Friends of Vatopedi told Interfax-Religion, “This decision relates to the decision of the Court of Appeal of Rhodope, but not the Athens Court of Appeal, according to whose decision Elder Ephrem was taken into custody. The Areopagus acquittal’s another positive step in the development of the Vatopedi case, but it doesn’t cancel the order for the pre-trial detention of Archimandrite Ephrem”. Thus, our contact continued, “[Igumen Ephrem] remains behind bars and still needs our support”. The Areopagus overturned the verdict of the Court of Appeal of Rhodope imposing a ten-month prison (with a three-year grace period) on Fr Ephrem and two other people. The case opened at the Rhodope court, like the case in the Athens court, looked into the circumstances of real estate transactions between Vatopedi and the Greek state, will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal of Thrace.

As reported in December 2011, a Greek court ordered Fr Ephrem’s arrest in connection with an investigation of real estate transactions between Vatopedi and the Greek state in 2008. In late December, Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev of Moscow and all the Russias wrote a letter to Greek President Karolos Papoulias asking for Archimandrite Ephrem’s release from custody, expressing surprise at his pre-trial incarceration as “[Fr Ephrem] doesn’t pose a threat to society and repeatedly expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation”. Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of Volokolamsk, the head of the MP DECR, described the arrest of Fr Ephrem as an attack on Athonite monasticism in particular and on Orthodoxy in general. Previously, influential Russian politicians, the MP, the RF MID, as well as the Foundation of St Andrew the First-Called voiced support for Igumen Ephrem. This was in recognition of the fact that Abba Ephrem was part of the delegation from Vatopedi Monastery that brought the Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God to Russia for a stay lasting from 20 October to 28 November, going to various cities throughout the country, where nearly 3 million people venerated the relic, including top political leaders.

12 January 2012

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=43748