Archimandrite Bartholomew, the abbot of the Stauropegic Monastery Esphigmenou, filed another complaint regarding the Russian “invasion” of Mount Athos. He drew attention to the raising of the Russian flag by the Russians on Holy Mountain.
According to a posting on the monastery’s Facebook page, Archimandrite Bartholomew states that “despite the complaint filed in April 2022 and the related attempted appeal by various individuals, the Russians continued to ‘canonically’ raise Russian flags on Mount Athos.”
Mount Athos is an area on the Halkidiki peninsula in Greece that stretches across 335 square kilometers and is home to more than 20 monasteries under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Mount Athos has the status of an autonomous monastic state, which means that it has its own legislation, government, and judicial system. This area is a site of pilgrimage for millions of Orthodox Christians from all over the world and is considered one of the holiest places for the Orthodox Church.
It should be recalled that the Archbishop of Salerno presented the Ecumenical Patriarch with a piece of the relics of the Apostle Matthew. Also, the archbishop of the Ecumenical Patriarchate took part in the coronation of Charles III.
