PRAVMIR. June 21, 2012, Archimandrite Ephraim of Vatopedi has commented for the first time on his acquittal, agionoros.ru reports.
“Eighty per cent of the charges against us have already been dropped. It will soon become obvious that the remaining twenty percent are nothing more than libel and conjecture. The Lord and the Most Holy Theotokos have helped the truth to shine forth. We were unfairly accused, maligned, and badly treated. But that is not important. I believe that the truth will prevail. The Theotokos will help us,” he said in an interview given to the Athenian newspaper Eleftheri Ora.
When asked about how he had endured his trial and imprisonment, Fr. Ephraim replied: “The most unpleasant thing is slander… I do not bear grudges against anyone, but our duty is to fight for the truth, for the good name of our monastery. We will continue that fight in court… We have acted, and will act, with full awareness of our responsibility and with faith in the monastic order and our calling. I give thanks to God for showing the truth.”
Translated from the Russian
