Athonite monastery on Pope’s visit to Phanar: A new fall of Constantinople
The monks of Esphigmenou Monastery believe that the service at the Phanar attended by Pope Leo amounted to a betrayal of Christ.
On November 30, 2025, the Athonite monastery of Esphigmenou declared that the visit of Pope Leo to the Phanar was a new fall of Constantinople, reports Vima Orthodoxias.
The statement reads that the monks of Esphigmenou “with sorrow and deep pain inform the faithful of Orthodox Christianity that yesterday and everything that took place (during the pope’s visit to the Phanar) will go down in history as a new fall (of Constantinople), with the only difference that yesterday’s event was organized and carried out by ecumenists disguised as the ‘Church’ and ‘Her Body.’”
The monks write that “yesterday our Christ was betrayed once again. Thirty pieces of silver were enough for the foundational principles of our faith to be forgotten – the Ecumenical Councils and the sacred canons of the Holy Fathers of our Church.”
The monks of Esphigmenou also believe that those who participated in the service attended by Pope Leo “separate themselves from the Church; they no longer have the strength to ‘wound’ Her.”
They emphasize that “‘economy’ in itself cannot become the faith, just as deviation from the faith cannot become the rule. Such an approach would certainly satisfy the enemies of the Orthodox faith, but we will not grant them such a ‘concession.’”
“Even on state television, programs have appeared featuring theology professors who publicly attempted to persuade us that Papism is not a heresy (filioque, papal primacy, infallibility, unleavened bread, uniatism, the Immaculate Conception, and more). In Orthodox Christianity there is no room for distorted interpretations or explanations offered ‘as one pleases.’”
“Fortunately, the Holy Canons are clear – they are firm foundations that professional betrayers of the faith cannot shake. They weren’t even ashamed to declare that ‘…we continue with firm resolve along the path of dialogue, with love and truth (see Eph. 4:15), toward the long-desired restoration of full communion between our sister Churches.’ But our Orthodox faith is Christ-centered, not bishop-centered… and God is merciful. May He forgive them if He does not enlighten them,” the monks of Esphigmenou concluded.
Earlier, the UOJ quoted a UOC cleric saying that the aim of the meeting with the pope was to present the Phanar as the head of Orthodoxy.
