The refusal of the representative of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Fr. Makarios, to commemorate Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, obscured the festive atmosphere of the procession of the Axion Esti icon on Easter Monday in the Athonite State.
The procession began on Monday morning from the Temple of the Protaton and the icon of Panagia Axion Esti passed through a large number of delegations of the Monasteries in Karyes.
In the delegation of the Monastery of Panteleimon, which was the last in a row, the icon was welcomed by its head, Fr. Makarios, who in his prayer refused to commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch, as required by the Charter of Mount Athos.
As reported by Voria.gr, voices of protest followed by the monks who were in the procession, but there was no follow-up to the incident, which is however expected to be discussed at the Synaxis of the Holy Community that will take place on Monday, May 2. According to the formality, in each delegation, the representative welcomes the icons of the procession and performs a prayer, in which he commemorates the Ecumenical Patriarch and the abbot of each Monastery.
Monks who entered the delegation of the Panteleimon Monastery saw a large flag of the Russian Romanov Empire (it was the flag of the Empire from 1858 to 1896) in black, yellow, and white color written on it by the Russian Orthodox Army and some of them resented it.
It is reported that the Holy Community does not want to give more scope to the issue, and there are several representatives of the Monasteries who have demanded that the Ecumenical Patriarch must be officially informed.
