The recent reports about the alleged departure of Russian, Ukrainian, and Moldovan monks from the Vatopedi Monastery that have been published in the last few hours by several media are not confirmed.
Orthodoxia News Agency confirms that the monks who left the Monastery after the Ukrainian delegation’s visit to the Holy Mountain, had been staying in the Monastery as visitors and they decided to return to the St. Panteleimon’s Russian Monastery.
As far as the Ukrainian delegation is concerned, St. Panteleimon’s Monastery did not allow them to enter the Monastery and therefore it has closed its gates to them.