Greek Politician Warns of “Trap” Threatening Mt. Athos Monks
Greek politician warns that government registration measures may threaten Mt. Athos’s monastic independence.
MT. ATHOS, GREECE — Greek politician Nikos Papadopoulos has warned of what he describes as a “great trap” being set by state authorities around Mt. Athos, alleging that government registration procedures threaten the autonomy and spiritual integrity of the monastic republic.
In an interview with UOJ-Greece, Papadopoulos claimed that Athonite monks are now being compelled to include their monastic names in municipal records as part of the rollout of new digital ID cards and personal numbers. He suggested the authorities’ ultimate goal is to document a “discrepancy” between a monk’s spiritual and civil status, potentially creating leverage to interfere in monastery affairs.
Papadopoulos criticized attempts by politicians, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to secure symbolic concessions from monasteries during official visits. He warned that these actions aim to humiliate the monks and diminish the authority of Mt. Athos, which he called Greece’s last spiritual stronghold.
Previously, the UOJ reported that four Mt. Athos monks were injured in a Greece highway accident.
