Monks of Mount Athos urged not to allow hegumens who received the head of the OCU to worship

The monks of Mount Athos called for a ban on holding divine services, as well as the excommunication of hieromonks and hegumens of monasteries who hosted the head of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) Epiphany (Dumenko). This was reported on October 17 by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ), with reference to the appeal of the monks of the Athos monasteries.

"Most of the Holy Athos monasteries that did not concelebrate with the schismatic heretic Mr. Epiphanius (Dumenko) are obligated by duty of honor to excommunicate all Athos hegumens and hieromonks who participated in this," the text of the document says.

The clergy called Dumenko's visit a "spiritual fall" for the Holy Mountain. They stressed that several monasteries had allowed a representative of the schismatics to concelebrate, despite the fact that the majority of the Holy Kinot had not given their blessing to the official reception.

Church value: the Russian Federation is ready to raise the issue of persecution of the UOC again

The Ukrainian authorities intend to start a trial in the case of the termination of the organization's activities.

Robert Amsterdam, an international lawyer representing the interests of the Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), told Izvestia on the same day that the leaders of the UOC were being persecuted, arrested and charged under false articles. He noted that the Ukrainian authorities should be ashamed of their actions in seizing churches. The UN has recently condemned Ukraine for its actions against the Orthodox Church, the lawyer recalled.

On October 1, the UN stated that attempts to ideologically justify the dissolution of religious organizations in Ukraine risk criminalizing freedom of thought, religion, and beliefs.

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