The Metropolitans of Didymoteicho and Alexandroupolis, Damaskinos and Anthimos, and the Civil Governor of the Athonite State, Alkiviadis Stefanis, speak to “Orthodoxi Alitheia” about religious policy and international relations, on the occasion of a recent event in Thrace
By SOTIRIS LETSIOS
“Mount Athos is the bulwark of our Orthodoxy and its Beacon. It is a workshop of holiness and love, but also a pillar of strength.” So states the Civil Governor of Mount Athos, Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis, speaking to “Orthodoxi Alitheia” following his recent lecture in Alexandroupolis on the role the monastic state of Athos plays today.
More specifically, the important and enduring role of Mount Athos worldwide has come back into the spotlight on the occasion of Mr. Stefanis’s lecture at the Spiritual Center of the Metropolis of Alexandroupolis. Before a large audience, Mr. Stefanis developed the topic “Religious Diplomacy and Mount Athos,” and the warm response of those present confirmed the keen interest of the local community in issues linking the Orthodox spiritual tradition with contemporary international developments.
Referring to the conditions prevailing internationally today, Mr. Stefanis stressed: “The first thing we see changing, compared with the past, is that war is now holistic and touches all pillars of power. We live in an age of asymmetric wars, combined with military and political means. The second change is that we live in an intensely toxic era, accompanied by great uncertainty and insecurity. And the more these characteristics dominate, the more persistently people will seek answers. Orthodoxy, and Mount Athos in particular, is well placed to provide those answers!”
Particularly significant is Mr. Stefanis’s observation that the Mountain is visited not only by Christians from Europe and the rest of the world, but also by people from the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. “Under pressure from the terrible things happening on our planet today, all of them are seeking calm, peace, and answers to a series of critical questions,” Mr. Stefanis notes, and adds: “The influence of Mount Athos in this period is impressive, not only nationally but worldwide. For over 1,000 years, the same tradition has been observed on the Mountain with precision, without being altered, and this is what all those who approach the monastic state seek and find.”
STABILITY
Mr. Stefanis regards it as especially encouraging that the Greek state understands that Mount Athos can play a pivotal role internationally today through the exercise of religious diplomacy, and become a factor of stability in a turbulent world. “The Athonites understand this more than anyone, because the holy monasteries, regardless of the monastic way of life they follow, can live together while maintaining a remarkable balance between tradition, hesychastic life, and outreach and positive influence on the world,” Mr. Stefanis emphasizes, and he refers to the valuable, yet little-known to many, contribution of the Mountain: “Regardless of their monastic life, the monks participate in and feel the influence that the Mountain exerts.
“This is also evident from the presence of the Athoniada School, in which many students of foreign origin are enrolled. When these children graduate, they become the best ambassadors of Greece and Orthodoxy abroad. It is also worth noting that a large number of monks travel abroad to take part in various cultural events (e.g., painting exhibitions, musical performances, lectures, etc.), to celebrate divine liturgies, and to hear the confessions of the faithful who wish it. An old saying holds that ‘the monk is separated from all and ultimately united with all!’ The holy fathers, although far removed from everything worldly and secular, nevertheless demonstrate through their actions that they are very close to suffering humanity. Conferences, symposia, lectures, and so on, with the participation of monks, are continuous, and people have embraced them, thereby expressing their love.”
Metropolitan of Alexandroupolis: “A thousand years ago, the Mountain had an organizational and administrative structure similar to that of today’s E.U.”
Metropolitan of Didymoteicho: “The presence of the Church, in the chaos prevailing on our planet today, can bring positive results”
“Mr. Stefanis’s lecture was an excellent event for our city, which is a geopolitical, geostrategic, and cultural crossroads. Mr. Stefanis is a very familiar figure to us, since he served for many years in the military units of our area,” says the Metropolitan of Alexandroupolis, Mr. Anthimos, speaking to “Orthodoxi Alitheia”.
The occasion for organizing the recent event in Alexandroupolis was a text written by the Metropolitan himself for the magazine “Achilleios Polis” of the Metropolis of Larissa, on the Orthodox Church’s position within Europe. This sparked a conversation with Mr. Stefanis, who proposed organizing this lecture. “The Civil Governor of the Mountain spoke about the history and the administrative functioning of the Mountain, and we were impressed that 1,000 years ago the Mountain had an organizational and administrative structure similar to that of today’s European Union and NATO! Each monastery on Athos retains its autonomy, and at the same time the whole Mountain can speak with one voice to the outside world, uniting Orthodox believers as well as other Christians.
“The spirituality of the Mountain must serve as a stable foundation as we ask the whole world to learn to coexist, to learn to walk together, with each keeping the spirituality it has received from the past. The way in which Orthodox monks from all over the planet live together in the monasteries of the Mountain should teach us how we, too, can coexist in harmony,” the Metropolitan of Alexandroupolis stresses.
THE RISK
He also does not fail to emphasize that Orthodox religious diplomacy can play an even stronger role today than that of the U.N., precisely because it harbors no self-interest and seeks nothing in return. All it seeks is a common journey, given the shared faith, the Orthodox tradition, and liturgical life. Asked what initiatives the Athonite community could take at the global level in the field of religious diplomacy, Metropolitan Anthimos gives his view, pointing out the following risk: “If the Athonite community develops any such initiative, it will come up against the monastic orders of the Catholic Church. In this way, whatever good intention exists on the part of the Mountain will be lost. However, the holy fathers of the Mountain can, through the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is a universally accepted institution and stands higher than the various monastic movements of Europe, propose a “modus vivendi”, that is, a supranational proposal for a way of life.”
On the occasion of his presence at the event, the Metropolitan of Didymoteicho, Orestiada, and Soufli, Mr. Damaskinos, spoke to “Orthodoxi Alitheia” and stated, among other things: “The Orthodox Church has always been a serious factor of peace, reconciliation, and civilization. Greek and Orthodox civilization has shed its light and has prevailed throughout the world through many initiatives and actions.” He adds: “Undoubtedly, in this process the monastic community of the Mountain has played an important role. In his lecture, Mr. Stefanis made a significant point based on what is recounted in the “Alexiad” of Anna Komnene: we learn that each emperor would first send priests and missionaries to carry the spirit of Orthodoxy to other peoples. So today, too, it is necessary to carry the spirit of Orthodoxy to the whole world, because in this way many things will change. The role of the Church is to create bridges of understanding between people, quietly and creatively. The mere presence of the Church amid the chaos prevailing on our planet today can bring positive results.”
At the same time, the Metropolitan of Didymoteicho acknowledges that Mount Athos also offers much in the field of culture, as well as in education through the Athoniada School, since it gives many children from all over the world the opportunity to learn the Greek language along with the Orthodox faith. He concludes by putting forward the following proposal: “Reconciliation and harmony among the Orthodox churches, as well as the other Christian churches, must come about as soon as possible. This would constitute a victory for religious diplomacy!”
*Republished from the newspaper “Orthodoxi Alitheia”
