2002 saw an increase of persecutions of Christian communities.  The most publicized was the occupation of the Orthodox portion of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by moslem terrorists and the ensuing siege by israeli authorities.   One side befouled the church while the other set part of it ablaze.  Considering the sources, that was not surprising.
What should shock and appall is the escalation of the siege upon Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul and its supporters both secular and quasi-religious.   The reason is the refusal by that community to commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch.

It should be kept in mind it has been the norm to refuse to commemorate apostate Patriarchs on Athos and most Athonite communities have done so on several occasions in the last hundred years.  Most notable was 1924 when the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul changed their calendar to follow the secular form.  Athos discontinued the commemoration until a promise was made that the matter would be brought before a Pan-Orthodox Council. It is of interest that this is the same promised council that is supposed to settle the canonical issues of multiple jurisdictions in the Americas and elsewhere.  It is unlikely that a true church council will occur under the current style of leadership at Istanbul.

This was obvious to the Athonites by the 1950's, but what makes Esphigmenou different is that after some time of patience they actually did something.  They again discontinued the commemoration and hung out a banner proclaiming "Orthodoxy or Death".    Reasons for maintaining that stance are abundant: the apostasy of  Athenagoras I in his recognition of the rogue heretical Roman Patriarchate; the establishment of a policy of recognition of  even more doctrinally divergent creations through the World Council of Churches by Demitrios I; and further overtures to, and acceptance of groups outside of the Body of Christ by Bartolomeos I.

It is evident that rather than having an interest in a council of Orthodox Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has continued the interest in joining with non-Christian groups.  If a "Pan-Orthodox" council should ever occur with an Ecumenical Patriarch at the helm, it is likely that True Christians will be marginalized while heretics and allies of the anti-Christ hold sway.

I digress, but the point is that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is about to exile another ancient Christian monastic community because it has protested apostasy.   This would be the second such action in ten years.

God the Son came into the world.  He accepted our humanity.  We celebrate Our Lord, Jesus Christ's incarnation in the Flesh at Christmas.   We remember that He was born for us and died for us.  We remember that He offers His Body and Blood to us.  We also remember that we are His Body, the Church.  The Church acknowledges this unity: the Church as Community IS the Body of Christ; the Eucharist that is Offered IS the Body of Christ.
Any real Christian community acknowledges this.  Moreover any real Christian community knows that the Body of Christ, the Eucharist,  cannot be administered outside of the Body of Christ, the Church.   Therefore administration of the Eucharist to those outside of the Orthodox Faith is  very dangerous both to the Priest  and the  participant.  Neither properly discerns the Lord's body in the Eucharist and both are in danger of being guilty of the Lord's death (I Cor 11).   For that reason, no Orthodox clergy will ever consider administration of the Eucharist to non-Orthodox.

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