Monasteries have always been distinguished by their own way of life and isolation from the outside world. Many people go to them to avoid worldly problems and completely devote their lives to serving the Lord.
Often monasteries were used as towers or places of exile for persons disliked by the authorities. For example, Archpriest Avvakum was recently placed in the casemates of the Borovsky Monastery in the Kaluga region. But still, the lion's share of the inhabitants of such secluded places are simple monks.
Archimandrite Ephraim of Vatopedi (in the world Vasilios Koutsu), abbot of Vatopedi and confessor of the monks living there
Probably the most famous monastery of Orthodox Christianity was and is Mount Athos. More precisely, it is a conglomeration of monasteries located on Holy Mountain in Greece. Each monastery has its own abbot, belongings and territory.
All of them belong to the Patriarch of Constantinople, who nominally remains the head of all Orthodox Churches in the world.
The Constantinople Orthodox Church has approximately 40 clergy members and 2-3 thousand parishioners.
The Vatopedi Monastery is one of many Athonite monasteries with its own complicated history. Today it is headed by Archimandrite Ephraim of Vatopedi. He was born in Cyprus, but having met Elder Joseph, he followed him to Athos.
Here he became a monk and quickly rose to the rank of hieromonk, and then abbot of the monastery. After Joseph's death, he took his place as the spiritual mentor of the monastery. In 2011, trouble happened to the holy father and he was accused of illegally transferring church land, but 6 years later he was acquitted.
Hegumen Ephraim flees from the Turks, graduates from theological seminary and goes to Mount Athos
In the world, the abbot of Vatopeda was called Vasilios Kutsk. He was born in 1960 on the island of Cyprus in a city called Famagusta. The monk's family was not small. In addition to mother Vasiliki and father Sotiris, there were six more brothers and sisters. Moreover, two are from their father’s first marriage, which ended in tragedy.
Elder Joseph of Vatopedi played a key role in the life of young Ephraim, inviting him to become a student
The family took the education of their children seriously. Vasilios is first sent to study at the gymnasium, and then he enters the seminary of St. Barnabas in the city of Nicosia. The unexpected prevents a full-fledged education.
The island of Crete becomes the target of an armed invasion by Turkey.
Everything happens so suddenly that many residents do not have time to escape. At the same time, the Turks behave very inhumanely towards the local residents.
The family of the future archimandrite also becomes refugees and flees from the Turks.
When escaping from the Turkish troops, Vasilios's father and older brothers are captured.
Crete is still divided between Turkey and Greece. Despite the fact that both countries are in the NATO bloc, the dispute cannot be resolved. Armed clashes regularly occur on the common border, sometimes with the use of military equipment and automatic weapons.
In the fall of 2021, Turkish air defense forces shot down a combat aircraft belonging to the Greek Air Force. Every year the tension between the countries increases and there is no end in sight.
The future abbot of Vatopeda receives further education at the Theological School of the University of Athens. Time of study from 1972 to 1978. After receiving his diploma, young Vaslios goes to his native island, where he got a job as a teacher at the same seminary of St. Barnabas in the city of Nicosia.
Work as a teacher continued until 1979, when the young man met Elder Joseph of Vatopedi. Vasilios then visited the monasteries of his native Cyprus, and the elder turned out to be a Cypriot. On the island, the elder lived in the Hiereon monastery in the city of Paphos after the death of his spiritual mentor Joseph the Elder Hesychast.
Ephraim is greatly imbued with the speeches of Elder Joseph, and decides to join the monastic brotherhood and goes to Athos.
The young man is greatly inspired by Joseph’s speeches and decides to join the monastic brotherhood. After some time, he becomes the elder’s disciple and later moves with him to Athos.
1982
this year Ephraim of Vatopedi goes to live in New Skete
At the very beginning they live in the Kutlunush monastery, but in 1982 they go to live in New Skete.
Vasilios becomes Hieromonk Ephraim and Abbot of Vatopedi
1982 was a significant year for Vasilios. Having moved to New Skete, he was tonsured a monk. A year later, in 1983, he successively became a hierodeacon and a hieromonk. All this time he continues to listen to the wisdom of the teacher and pray furiously. Fortunately, the atmosphere of the Athos monasteries is ideal for this.
Athos monastery Vatopedi. Archimandrite Ephraim is its rector, otherwise abbot
It is worth noting that not only Ephraim and his teacher moved to Athos. Under the leadership of Elder Joseph there was a whole brotherhood of monks and monks. Therefore, in 1987, Joseph of Vatopedi and his brothers were tasked with restoring spiritual life in Vatopedi.
The Patriarch of Constantinople personally blessed the brotherhood for this holy cause, and in 1989 the brotherhood moved in full force to the revived monastery.
March 8, 1990
on this day Hieromonk Ephraim becomes the first abbot of the Vatopedi monastery
Hieromonk Ephraim in 1990, on March 8, became the first abbot of the Vatopedi monastery. The choice fell on him after a general vote of the monks. A couple of months later, in April, Ephraim was solemnly elevated to the rank of archimandrite and initiated to the position of abbot of the monastery.
The ceremony was attended by the Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos, the pro-epistatis of Athos - Elder Theoclitus and many other significant clergy and civilians.
In 2009, great grief occurs. At an advanced age, Elder Joseph of Vatopedi died of old age. This was a great loss for the monks of the Vatopedi Monastery.
Joseph by that time had already been the confessor of his brothers for many years. It did not take long for the new confessor of Vatopedi to be chosen; the most obvious and preferred candidate was Archimandrite Ephraim.
Symbol of faith
Farewell to the Athonite brethren The rector of the Athonite Vatopedi monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim, was arrested and taken from the territory of the Holy Mountain, a representative of the monastery told Interfax on Tuesday. “We don’t know where exactly the Greek law enforcement officers took Father Ephraim,” the agency’s interlocutor said. Earlier on Tuesday, the chairman of the Radonezh Orthodox Society, Evgeny Nikiforov, who is well acquainted with the situation in the monastery, told Interfax-Religion that Father Ephraim agreed to follow the court decision on his arrest.
“Archimandrite Ephraim, under pressure from Greek law enforcement agencies, decided to go to prison. From this evening he will be in custody,” said E. Nikiforov. He also noted that Orthodox public organizations in Moscow will hold protests at the Greek Embassy.
Let us recall that Archimandrite Ephraim underwent an operation to transplant pancreatic endocrine cells about a year ago and he suffers from a severe form of diabetes. His lawyers are counting on the leniency of law enforcement officers and, pending a court decision, recommend that the rector remain free on bail. Lawyers sent a request about this to the courts. The abbot of the Athos monastery of Vatopedi (Βατοπέδι) for the first time in the history of Orthodoxy, brought to Russia one of the greatest Shrines of all times, the belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brought in a difficult time, when the Russian People need Faith and the Holy Spirit like a breath of air to a hanged man. As soon as the abbot of Vatopedi, Archimandrite Ephraim, descended to the soil of Greece, he was taken into custody on trumped-up charges.
Liturgy in Vatopedi before the arrest of Archimandrite Ephraim
Background
Everyone knows that the bringing of the Holy Belt of the Mother of God to Russia strengthened and showed the Orthodox faith to the whole world. This event is important for all peoples, because where there is faith in Christ, there He himself abides with all the virtues, mainly peace and love, thanks to which society is improved. These virtues of Christ are also taught in Vatopedi, a monastery dedicated to the Mother of God, which the gifted abbot, Archimandrite Ephraim made exemplary. Many people from all over the world visit the monastery to take its blessing. He devotes all his time to prayer and serving the people of God, never having anything of his own - neither money nor anything else. In 1990, he became the abbot of Vatopedi, and the monastery itself became a cenobitic church. From that time on, he took care not only of restoration work and the restoration of shrines and relics, but also of preserving the property of the Monastery, which the state tried to take away. Indeed, in different legal ways, from 1991 to 2008. Thanks to his efforts, various governments recognized the rights of the Monastery to the courtyard of Lake Vistonida, in Thrace, eastern Greece. Having ancient documents - titles (here: certificates of legal ownership of land), in 1924 the Monastery transferred another 3,800 hectares of land in Chalkidiki to the state so that by recognizing these titles again, the state renounced any claims to the lake. Unfortunately, the Greek state repeatedly created problems until 1998, when the attitude towards the matter changed and by 2008 the rights of the Monastery were again recognized. Such processes of recognition of rights are observed in all countries; even Erntogan recognized Christian farmsteads and adopted a law on their return. In 2008, a group of PASOK (socialist party) deputies from the opposition of Kostas Karamanlis, the then Prime Minister of the country, using the media, through various kinds of slander and lies regarding the lake case, began a strong campaign against the Monastery, with the goal of overthrowing the government. They succeeded due to the fact that the ministers and the prime minister himself were stunned by such a noise-scandal in the media.
Farewell to the abbot by the Athonite brethren
Various commissions were created in parliament, they checked the accounts of everyone involved in the case, but nothing illegal was found. Taking advantage of the noise created and not being able to cause more damage to the ministers of the Karamanlis government, they turned their arrows on the Monastery, which found itself without any protection from the people. Those who created this imaginary scandal and want to justify their actions, having the Ministry of Justice in their hands, are trying to present Vatopedi as a monastery where they are not interested in spiritual life, but only in money. So Justice turned against Abbot Ephraim and monk Arseny, a member of the Council of Elders. They accused everyone who participated in the case and at different times recognized the rights of the Monastery to their courtyard. Before bringing the Holy Belt to Moscow, Fr. Arsenia. The accusation read: “knowing that the lake courtyard did not belong to the Monastery, he persuaded ministers and [other] officials to recognize the rights of the Monastery to the lake.” There were other, lesser charges. They had a different goal: when the state recognized the rights of the Monastery, some political figures pushed the government to ensure that the Monastery was expelled from its grounds. And this goal was achieved: the state kept the lake for itself, transferring real estate to the Monastery in other parts of the country. But the main accusation, as mentioned, was that Abbot Ephraim and Fr. Arseny “knowing that the courtyard did not belong to the Monastery, they defended their [imaginary] rights to it.” It was also added to the abbot that he abused his spiritual authority as abbot of the Monastery, convincing the ministers. Before interrogation Fr. Arseny was told everywhere that the interrogator would have dealt with it in the strictest way and would have imposed punishment on Fr. Arseny large bail or even pre-trial detention (since the topic is political, now those who started all this against the Monastery and against the Karamanlis government must be acquitted). After interrogation, from Fr. Arseny was asked for a deposit in the amount of 200,000 (two hundred thousand) euros, giving him the right to leave the country. But he must come to the police station from time to time. There was no talk of pre-trial detention. Immediately upon returning from Russia, November 29, 2011, Abbot Ephraim himself was supposed to appear for interrogation. Without any reason, the interrogator demanded his pre-trial detention. This required the consent of the prosecutor. This latter did not agree, imposing bail on the elder in the amount of 200,000 euros and prohibiting him from leaving the country. Since there was no agreement between them, the matter must be decided by the Judicial Council. The said prosecutor will make a preliminary report, and three judges will decide the dispute between the interrogator and the prosecutor. Those who, fleeing from justice due to serious crimes committed, are usually subject to pre-trial detention and are likely to flee the country. Abbot Ephraim should not be affected by this, because he has already left Greece many times over the past three years, always returned and was precise in observing his duties to justice. Pre-trial detention is a measure for those dangerous criminals who may repeat a serious crime.
Police cordon
All this cannot concern the elder. What is the reason that he is so maligned? He accepted the Vatopedi Monastery in a deplorable state, soon restored it, began spiritual life there and filled it with monks. Today there are approx. 120. Vatopedi is the largest monastery in Greece. This could not but arouse envy. Some metropolitans and monks of other monasteries slandered Abbot Ephraim, including to PASOK deputies, who, for their part, wanted to overthrow the Karamanlis government. The monastery became a center of attraction for many people, both simple and great personalities. Many will come to know Christ here. This causes the envy of some wearers of the cassock, but also irritates some centers who feel that the strengthening of peoples' faith in Orthodoxy prevents them from spreading throughout the world. From a spiritual point of view, thanks to his dispassion (=no passions) and holiness, the father abbot becomes a target just like all virtuous people of all times and Christ himself.
The case of the Vatopedi monastery
Svyatogorsk Monastery of Vatopedi (hereinafter: Monastery, Abode) owns Lake Vistonida or Buru, which is located near the city of Xanthi (prefecture of Xanthi, eastern Macedonia, Thrace). The rights of the Monastery to this lake and adjacent lands are based on the chrisovuls of the Byzantine emperors, certified by the Sultanic firmans of the Ottoman Empire, approved by the patriarchal and synodal charters of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In May 1920, when Western Thrace was returned to Greece, the Greek State appropriated the lake and its fish cages and questioned the Monastery's ownership of it.
The boat with Archimandrite Ephraim is heading to Thessaloniki
In 1922 the Convent filed a lawsuit against the Greek State demanding recognition of its rights. In response, an agreement was adopted according to which the State took 3,800 hectares of land of the Monastery in Chalkidiki, and in return gave the lake, recognizing the Titles (“τίτλοι”, building: documents, certificates of legal ownership of land plots) of the Monastery in the form in which they were mentioned in its lawsuit This became the Introductory Act, which was followed by the ratification of the agreement by Legislative Decree (“νομοθετικό διάταγμα”). By this Decree, issued on April 8, 1924, the Greek State recognized the rights of the Monastery to the lake and renounced any possible claims to it. But only two conditions were mentioned as the basis for this decision: a) the transfer by Vatopedi to the State of 3,800 hectares of land in Chalkidiki for the resettlement of refugees from Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor; b) the obligation of the Monastery to support the Athonias School with income from the fish cages of the lake. The decree also envisaged the conclusion of a subsequent Treaty on the return of the lake. It should be noted that before this, in 1922, professors from the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens, with two expert opinions, confirmed the rights of the Monastery to own Lake Vistonides. It should be noted that these people were the most outstanding representatives of jurisprudence in Greece at that time. Later, the Land Services of the Nomes of Xanthi and Rhodope issued appropriate Titles to these territories, which prompted the Advisory Council of People's Property and Exchangeable Property to absolutely legally and unanimously recognize the ownership rights of the Monastery. This recognition is recorded in four (4) opinions adopted at different times, by different compositions of participants and under different governments in the period from 1998 to 2004. Unfortunately, the State deceived the Monastery by violating the terms of the agreement. Having received 3,800 hectares of land, the lake did not return to the Abode. Then the Monastery turned to the State Council for help and was acquitted. It was decided to finally sign the Agreement provided for by the Decree of 1924, on the basis of which the lake would be returned to the Monastery. But the Minister of Agriculture, signing the Agreement and distorting the provisions of the Decree, forced the Monastery to also pay a percentage of the fishing business to the State, despite the fact that the Decree did not provide for any other conditions other than the above two. Thus, important points of the Agreement were drawn up contrary to the Decree of 1924 to the detriment of the Monastery. But this was not enough. 1935 The State, through a compulsory law, arbitrarily abolished those terms of the Agreement under which the Monastery was granted rights and left only those clauses under which 3,800 hectares of land were taken from the Monastery. Thus, we are dealing with a unilateral violation of the Agreement!!! The monastery tried to rehabilitate the Decree of 1924 and achieved this by issuing an interpretative Decree in 1941. But after 1950, she could no longer defend her rights, because in the Monastery, as well as throughout the Holy Mountain at that time, due to the war of the forties and subsequent internal unrest in Greece, there lived an extremely small and weak brethren. In 1990, Monk Joseph and his brethren (including the future abbot of the Monastery, Hieromonk Ephraim), who had previously labored in Nea Skiti (“New Skete”), moved to Vatopedi. In 1995, the State, trying to also take away the island located on the lake, demanded that the Monastery provide the appropriate Titles. As a result, after an investigation that, in accordance with the laws, government services carried out in 1999, the Monastery was finally acquitted. The work of restoring justice according to the Decree of 8/10 April 1924, which is still in force, continued until 2003, when the Monastery was finally acquitted by the government of the PASOK party, and later by the government of the Nea Dimocracy party. But some figures, pursuing their personal political and other interests, did not like the presence of the Abode within the lake. Since 2004, attempts have been made to force the Government to exchange the lake for other real estate. By 2008, the exchange took place. We emphasize that this exchange took place on the initiative and decision of the Government of the Nea Dimokratia party, and not the Monastery. The Greek State entrusted the assessment of the exchanged land plots and the lake to an independent state authority, “Σῶμα Ὁρκωτῶν Ἐκτιμητῶν” (“Soma OrkotŌn EktimitŌn”, property valuation specialists). The assessment itself was carried out on the basis of international and European standards. The monastery did not take any part in this process. It would seem that after 13 years of proceedings (i.e., from 1995 to 2008), the case should have been closed. But some decided to use it to create problems for the Holy Mountain and the then Government. So in 2008, a dirty campaign against the Vatopedi Monastery began, and continues to this day, the likes of which have never existed in the history of the Svyatogorsk monasteries. The media presented the above exchange as black entrepreneurship and accused the monastery and its Abbot Archimandrite Ephraim of deceiving a number of government officials and ministries. The monastery, for the sake of preserving peace and love, again made concessions, offering to return the property that it received as a result of the exchange, but the Government did not accept the offer, because it was not interested in the possibility of damage to the State (the whole matter was false, feigned), but wanted take advantage of the case for political and other understandable purposes!.. In our opinion, the slanderous accusations brought against the Monastery pursue the following goals: a) Creating a precedent for ignoring the historical Titles, and therefore the property rights of the ancient Orthodox Patriarchate secured by them (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem).
With hopes and prayers
b) Ignoring the Agreement between the Monastery and the State and the Decree of 1924, as a result of which the Monastery is ultimately left without property. To achieve these goals, some journalistic tricks were invented: a) As if the lake is only water and has no price. This deliberately ignores the fact that there are fish cages, fish production, fish hatching centers, areas suitable for cultivation, pastures, etc. The fiction about water is repeated by the media to this day. b) As if the State's real estate was undervalued. While the property was assessed by the State Services and their assessments were later re-checked. In addition, secondary control proved the legality of the procedures. But, unfortunately, the control results were deliberately hidden from society! c) That in the exchanged territories there are places that are of archaeological value. But according to the law, this is not a problem for exchange or sale. d) Allegedly, the forests were transferred as forest plots. But even if this were so, the price of real estate does not change. All accusations are fabrications of journalists without scientific or legal support. The former Prosecutor of Ariya Paga, Mr. Sanidas, joined the case, who in a completely curious way penetrated into the civil part of the case and turned it into a criminal case (!), arguing that it was not the Decree of 1924 that should be in force, but the Treaty of 1930. , according to which the State takes away essentially all the property of the Monastery, i.e. 3,800 hectares in Chalkidiki and a lake (since, according to him, monasteries should not have property at all!!!). So he passed the verdict before the trial and leaked it, which he shouldn't have done, to the media. Also, court documentation was transferred to the media, although this is prohibited by law! Two and a half years have passed. All sorts of controls were carried out, which did not reveal any trace of bribery, nor the personal accounts or personal property of the monks. However, not only the money and property received as a result of the exchange were illegally seized, but also all the accounts of the Monastery, which had nothing to do with the matter of the lake or the exchange at all. The media vilify the Monastery and the Holy Mountain, presenting the Monastery as a gathering worse than a gang of robbers or drug dealers. The money of the Sacred Monastery, obtained legally and through transparent procedures between the State and the Monastery for as long as 13 years, is called black money laundering! In reality, this money would have been spent on the restoration of temples, historical monuments, libraries, museums of the Monastery, which all together amount to approximately 100,000 sq.m. built-up area. Until now, less than ¼ of the monuments have been restored. Also in need of repair are half the buildings of the Monastery, the monasteries of St. Andrew, St. Demetrius, Kolitsa and dozens of cells. More than 400,000 relics, which are the property not only of Orthodoxy, but also of universal culture, also require restoration. Due to the economic blockade, the monastery is finding it difficult to conduct charitable activities and receive pilgrims. And while the State presents the monks as deceivers, they pray 8 hours a day in the temple, and devote the remaining hours to free service and solitary prayer. From 1995 to 2008, ministers of both governments recognized the rights of the Cloister and signed the statutory expert opinions of the respective Advisory Bodies. Therefore, it is puzzling that representatives of only one Government are accused. It is believed that the Monastery put pressure on them (moral incitement) by asserting their rights in the process. The people reverence the Holy Mountain and respect its monks because they know that the monks of the Holy Mountain strive to acquire virtues. This natural veneration of the Holy Mountain residents greatly worried some officials. So, if someone, asking for a blessing, touches the hand of a monk, this, in their opinion, is the greatest moral incitement (this is exactly the wording used by the chief prosecutor, Mr. Sanidas, in the Interrogation Commission of the Parliament (Η Εξεταστική Επιτροπή της Βουλής) ). This alleged “incitement” served as the basis for talk about the possible preliminary detention of the Abbot and the monks who were involved in this. The Vatopedi case is essentially persecution. An atmosphere is purposefully created in which it is difficult to draw correct conclusions about the matter. Although economic control showed that the Monastery had done nothing illegal, the Monastery’s bank accounts and property are still under arrest. Requests were made to open certain accounts that were not relevant to the case, but they were rejected without reason. We emphasize that it is unacceptable to identify monks with a gang of robbers. Monks are non-covetous and sacrifice themselves to their neighbors, selflessly caring for the preservation of unique spiritual traditions, historical monuments and relics of universal Orthodoxy. The monastery, to its own detriment, repeatedly made concessions, thereby proving its peaceful disposition. The state, for its part, must finally complete the matter, stop the persecution and open the illegally seized accounts of the Monastery.
More on the topic:
The detained abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim, was brought to Athens
Statement by the brotherhood of the Vatopedi monastery
Message from Patriarch Kirill to the President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias
Metropolitan Paul of Siatista: “The decision of the judicial council offends common sense”
Like
SocButtons v1.5
Archimandrite Ephraim was arrested in 2011 after returning from Russia
In December 2011, Abbot Ephraim participated in the celebration of the bringing of the Belt of the Mother of God, which took place in Russia.
After returning to his homeland and arriving on Athos, the archimandrite is handcuffed and taken to the nearest police station. The police do not pay attention to the fact that the old man is sick and is shivering from a high temperature.
December 28, 2011
on this day Archimandrite Ephraim is escorted to Athens and temporarily imprisoned
On December 28, he was escorted to Athens and temporarily detained in Korydallos, a prison in the suburbs of the capital.
Efrem is charged with illegally transferring property without the consent of the legal authorities. I remember the case when the leadership of the Vatopedi Monastery transferred Lake Vistonida and its surroundings to a piece of territory worth 100 million euros.
It is worth noting that since 890 the lake was the property of Vatopedi, and then it was illegally taken away by the Greek authorities. The story is more than muddy. Hegumen Ephraim officially declares to journalists and authorities that the past deal was official.
Lake Vistonida, because of which the whole story began with the arrest of Abbot Ephraim of Votopedia. All litigation ended with the complete whitening of the name of Ephraim
The accusations against such a respected clergyman outraged the public. At first, Greek confessors and Russian confessors stood up for the abbot, and then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation intervened.
The Greek authorities turned a deaf ear to them and continued to keep the archimandrite in custody. Moreover, Ephraim was placed under preliminary arrest, which, according to the laws of Hellas, lasts up to one and a half years.
The most interesting thing is that the Patriarch of Constantinople, who has all the rights to the lands of Athos, sharply asked not to interfere in internal affairs and to stop making a fuss about this matter.
March 29, 2012
on this day the court replaced the detention with house arrest
On March 29, 2012, the abbot's lawyers filed a request to the appellate court to replace the detention with house arrest with bail. The court cooperated and Ephraim was escorted to the Vatopedi Monastery. He was given a written undertaking not to leave Athos; his lawyers are paying a bail of 300 thousand euros for him.
This whole difficult case ended in March 2021, when the court completely acquitted the abbot and annulled all charges.
By leaving a comment, you accept the user agreement
Arrest of Father Ephraim.
– Dear Lord, you have just returned from the Athens prison of Korydallos. The abbot of the Vatopedi Monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim, was imprisoned there on December 28. How is Father Ephraim feeling and in mood?
– I followed all the events that unfolded around the personality of Archimandrite Ephraim from the very beginning. When I learned about the decision regarding Geronda's imprisonment, it shocked me. I immediately called him and made sure that he was in excellent psychological condition. I spoke with him the next day too, i.e. on the eve of Christmas.
During this conversation, I felt (probably due to evening fatigue) that he was confused and did not know what to do. Typically, at such moments, different people begin to give different advice, and confusion occurs. The weather was bad, and the ship could not go to sea to pick up the abbot from the Holy Mountain. And he already began to go down the road from Ksir, with great difficulties, to surrender into the hands of the police. He was persuaded to return to the monastery. There was no reason to leave so hastily, especially without an official statement from law enforcement agencies! Father Ephraim agreed. Returning to the monastery, he awaited the arrival of the police and the announcement of the arrest. This and diabetes mellitus caused health problems. It's amazing that all the doctors tried to support him. And even the police did not put much pressure on him. When Father Ephraim was supposed to be transported to Athens the day before yesterday, he was allowed to call me from a car, an ordinary one, not a police car; he was transported without handcuffs or similar devices... I was waiting for him in Athens and together with him I went to the head of the State Security Service, who treated the situation with full understanding. The police also treated the elder in an exceptional manner, with great respect. Together with him we stayed until late evening in the central police building in Athens. No one could understand how and why everything happened? Higher military officials approached Father Ephraim for a blessing, some brought their children, who were crying. Only those who signed the decision to arrest him believed in Archimandrite Ephraim’s guilt.
– Many of us have seen the footage filmed on December 27 on the streets of Athens: people greet Archimandrite Ephraim, chanting “axios”, “axios”... Were you present at this?
– I saw everything with my own eyes! People from the Internet found out where and what time Father Ephraim would be brought and came out to support him! It was very touching! Many cried, sang the Mother of God chant “It is worthy to eat”, shouted “axios”...
Father Ephraim went up to the central police building. I was inside along with high-ranking military officials who accepted Father Ephraim as the Svyatogorsk Geronda. He spent the night in the office of the head of the state security administration, a senior official who arranged the room for the old man in the best possible way! The next day, the police took care of him as their spiritual father and prepared him to go to prison.
The moral state of Archimandrite Ephraim was very good. In our conversation with him, I told him that the glory of the Church is prisons. And Christ was imprisoned, and the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle Paul, and other apostles and martyrs spent a long time in prison. Russia, which Geronda visited shortly before these events, brought holy people out of prison dungeons. I spoke about this on the SKAI TV channel. I reminded Father Ephraim that Saint Luke of Crimea revealed his holiness in the Lubyanka prison. And that these days, for the third time, Archbishop John of Ohrid is serving his imprisonment, being kept in terrible conditions - they took off his cassock, placed him in a cell with 30 criminals and treated him very disdainfully. While Elder Ephraim was taken to the place of his imprisonment, the Korydallos prison, “in the arms” of the police (the Bishop smiles...). Now Geronda has a separate cell in which he is alone. Of course, in conclusion there was little joy, but they tried to create as favorable conditions as possible for him. Today I visited him and thought that I would meet him depressed after the first night spent in prison. But again I found him in good spirits. With pain in the heart, but with patience, dignity, faith. And prayer.
Some of his friends and brethren were admitted to him today. Among them were the fathers from Vatopedi, the lawyer and me. Tomorrow the abbot of the Simonopetra monastery, Archimandrite Elisha, will go. I think that this is a huge test for the elder, the deepest sorrow and pain for us. But the Lord will not abandon the one who has a clear conscience, a good relationship with God and the support of the people. I hope He won’t leave us either!
