Vatopedi abbot serves on Mount Athos with OCU cleric who raided UOC temple

Hegumen Ephraim (second from left) and Vasyl Lilo (last from right). Photo: fosfanariou.gr

On October 15, 2023, Hegumen Ephraim of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos concelebrated with the cleric of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Vasyl Lilo. A photo from the service in honor of the Odigitria Icon of the Mother of God, held at the Xenophontos Monastery on Mount Athos, was published on the fosfanariou.gr website.

In the photo, it can be seen that during the Divine Liturgy, Hegumen Ephraim of the Vatopedi Monastery, along with Xenophontos Hegumen Alexios, Pantokrator Hegumen Gabriel, and other monks and priests, participated in the service with "priest" Vasyl Lilo of the OCU.

Lilo is known for directly leading the seizure of a UOC church in Boyarka, during which raiders used tear gas, parishioners and a priest were beaten, and the presbytera suffered serious injuries.

Until October 15, 2023, Hegumen Ephraim had not been spotted concelebrating with representatives of the OCU.

In February 2019, he arrived in Kyiv to participate in the enthronement of Epifaniy Dumenko. However, he was urgently hospitalized due to a heart attack.

Earlier, Hegumen Ephrem had asserted that "the entire Holy Mountain accepts and recognizes only the canonical Ukrainian Church led by Metropolitan Onuphry." Regarding the Ukrainian schism, he stated, "Those who have gone into schism must understand – they are already outside the Church's fold. We here, on Mount Athos, grieve deeply because of the Ukrainian schism initiated by Filaret. Therefore, we ask all our brothers who have left the canonical Church, we address them, asking them to return to the bosom of the canonical Orthodox Church."

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The day after the incident, supporters of Dumenko called the police, frightened by the UOC faithful praying near the seized sanctuary.