Greek monk hospitalized after monastery clash linked to decades-old dispute

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THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — An Orthodox Christian monk was hospitalized following a violent confrontation at a monastic sanctuary in northern Greece, authorities said Friday. The incident is tied to a decades-old religious dispute.

Hospital officials said the monk is being treated in Thessaloniki for cuts and bruises to his face and upper body, after being transferred from Mount Athos, located about 175 kilometers (110 miles) to the east.

Mount Athos is a self-governed monastic territory in Greece, home to centuries-old monasteries where monks live in devotion to prayer and spiritual life. Women are banned from entering the area.

At the center of the ongoing conflict is Esphigmenou Monastery, whose brotherhood continues to defy court and church orders to vacate the premises. They refuse to recognize authority over them by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the spiritual home of the Eastern Orthodox Church based in Istanbul, Turkey.

This religious rift has led to repeated violent clashes, legal battles, and supply blockades between members of the defiant brotherhood and church-appointed replacements. The controversy, which began in the early 1970s, was compounded by court decisions against the rebel monks, who are sustained by donations from outside groups of supporters.

According to monastic authorities, the latest incident occurred late Thursday, when a monk from the officially recognized brotherhood was attacked by rivals wielding gardening tools during routine groundskeeping work at an administrative building.

Father Bartholomew, abbot of the new brotherhood, told The Associated Press that the young monk sustained facial and rib injuries from punches and blows with a wooden object. He added that a description of the alleged attacker was provided to police and that a Thessaloniki public prosecutor had also been formally notified.

“What is the point of having these decisions (to expel the monks) if they are not enforced? They must be implemented,” Bartholomew said.

In an online statement, the breakaway brotherhood denied the accusations.

“It is a well-known tactic for these perpetrators to play the victims," it said. "They feigned injury in a performance worthy of an acting class.”