An "Open Letter" from Athonite Fathers to the Holy Community of
the Holy Mountain of Athos is calling for an immediate convocation of
the governing body of Mt. Athos in order to condemn the "false council"
of Crete and cease the comemoration of the Patriarch of Constantinople
on Mt. Athos.
OVER 60 Hieromonk and monks, with a disciple of Saint Paisios, Elder
Gabriel of the Kelli of St. Christodoulos (Holy Monastery of
Koutloumosiou) at their head, have written an open letter to the Holy
Community of Mt. Athos calling upon the Abbots to reject the Council in
Crete and stating their intention to cease commemoration of the
Patriarch of Constantinople on account of his leadership in the "false
council" at which the pan-heresy of ecumenism was given a green light
and bolstered in word and deed.
Read the rest here.
I would not get overly excited about this... yet. There are a lot more than 60 monks on the Holy Mountain. Still the more conservative wing in the Church is certainly not thrilled with the Council. We will have to wait and see where this goes.
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The same 60 monks would probably not permit Orthodox converts who weren't re-baptized to receive Communion, or even an Orthodox funeral. What's my point? Let's not look to the most extreme individuals all the time for guidance.
"The same 60 monks would probably not permit Orthodox converts who weren't re-baptized to receive Communion, or even an Orthodox funeral."
That's pretty much standard practice on Athos.
So perhaps they are a bit extreme? Thus, when only 60 of them are condemning something, that thing might not be too bad.
Why is it that non-Orthodox baptisms considered not valid be an extreme position? Because you know better?
Chris, you should probably contact your priest or bishop about the issue.
Archbishop Kallistos Ware has said though he has been welcomed to concelebrate at the altar on Mt. Athos often, most likely they would insist on rebaptising him before he would be accepted as a monk there. So as he puts it in a podcast, "...as a bishop whose offering of the eucharist has been deemed acceptable on one hand, how is it that they could accept the eucharist from his hand, but think a bishop should as convert have to be rebaptised to reside as a monk at their monasteries...". Explains the effort to come to some sort of consensus.
Not exactly necessary. The council was invalid anyway because it was not pan-Orthodox. The absences of the Churches of Antioch, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Russia render it moot. Any conclusions reached are not canon. Patriarch Bartholomew does not have some magical Papal power, and so the Liberals within the church will have to try again next time.
Mt. Athos should calm down and strengthen their ties with the Russian patriarchate. No need to create more drama.
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