tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822404966113722781.post9139332058503621094..comments2012-01-27T09:12:43.433-05:00::Sylvia::http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975937388439766126noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822404966113722781.post-50344184307345294822012-01-27T09:12:43.433-05:002012-01-27T09:12:43.433-05:00Sylvia,<br />Please remove my two previous comments labeled Anonymous.<br />Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822404966113722781.post-54141765959013480892012-01-25T12:48:02.328-05:002012-01-25T12:48:02.328-05:00I&#39;m in Greece and have been reading about this scandal for a couple of years now. In my mind, those involved have done wrong.<br />I can understand your concern, but there&#39;s no need to worry about the funding of Vatopedi Monastery. It&#39;s the richest monastery on Mt Athos. They have acquired public lands worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The public lands were swapped for very little even though their actual value is very high because of politicians who facilitated the deals for their own profit. These transactions have done serious harm to the economy of Greece who as we all know has a huge debt and may default.<br />Yes, when the house you own increases in value in the U.S. or anywhere else, the capital gain is yours. But, this situation is not the same. &quot;Greece&quot; was not asked how much they wanted to be paid because dishonest politicians arranged these transactions to be profitable only for themselves and the monastery. The value of the lands did not appreciate later, after the transactions. It was there all along which is why the monastery turned around and sold the land right away in most cases. Much has been written about this, but Wikipedia has a succint and objective overview at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatopedi_monastery#Land_deal_controversyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822404966113722781.post-53269835753149513042012-01-24T09:39:53.552-05:002012-01-24T09:39:53.552-05:00Andrew, I agree. And it is certainly always possible. Look what the Patriarchate did to St. Nektarios! Throughout history, certain hierarchs have sold their souls, so to speak. <br /><br />However, I believe this case to be very different. I don&#39;t know every detail about the case, but I was under the impression that Mount Athos receives no funding from Greece. And, Geronda Ephraim&#39;s character should speak for itself. Which is why he accepted God&#39;s will and was punished unjustly and is now ministering and confessing the inmates! But that doesn&#39;t mean that since the Lord said we would be persecuted that we should stand by and allow this. <br /><br />You are right, these matters require a lot of prayer. May the truth be exposed! Thanks for your thoughts!<br /><br /><br />Anonymous, Yes, the facts do speak for themselves but I think people are hearing what they want from them. <br /><br />Since when did it become illegal to sell land at a high price? From what I understand, the government wanted the land for the Olympics and agreed to the price. The fact that they changed their minds later is irrelevant. I was also under the impression that someone donated the land in the first place. And I see no wrong in the monastery making as much off of the property as they could to support themselves. It&#39;s a huge monastery and is not funded by Greece. When real estate sky rocketed in the States and homes were sold for 2 and 3 times their value, no one was imprisoned, right? I don&#39;t see a difference. If Greece didn&#39;t want to pay that much they shouldn&#39;t have agreed!::Sylvia::http://www.blogger.com/profile/14975937388439766126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822404966113722781.post-54898386658027787582012-01-24T07:56:34.142-05:002012-01-24T07:56:34.142-05:00The facts of the case speak for themselves. Public land was swapped for the monastery&#39;s &quot;lake&quot; and then sold at a high price by the monastery. The only injustice here is that Efrem was singled out because he certainly did not pull this off alone. His partners in public office got off scott free.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822404966113722781.post-50804311947233919912012-01-14T11:16:22.794-05:002012-01-14T11:16:22.794-05:00No, offense...but what if he is guilty? The problem with the Church in Greece is that it receives funding from the State. In other words, the Church hierarchy is often &quot;in bed&quot; with the government. We have seen that the government is rife with corruption and nepotism (as are many in Greek society...not paying taxes for example). Perhaps the abnormally harsh response to this alleged crime reflects the desire for an end to corruption. Look, I love the Greek people and the Church but lets not full ourselves and think that the Church is not beyond reproach. Pray for all involved...that the truth may come out. If he is innocent, well Our Lord said that part of being his follower is to face unjust persecution. If his is guilty then hopefully this experience will help him repent.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822404966113722781.post-83883142230006542902012-01-05T21:54:03.306-05:002012-01-05T21:54:03.306-05:00How extremely sad...I still cannot believe it. and YES it does sound like Fr. Arseny....Glory be to God for all things. <br />Praying that he is released very soon.Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07414087603289563298noreply@blogger.com