A ‘safety net’ for Mount Athos

With the storm over the planned legislation for same-sex marriage having subsided - at least on the surface - the tranquil monastic community of Mount Athos welcomed its new civil administrator at the start of this week. All the proper honors were observed with utmost formality as Anastasios Mitsialis officially took office on his inaugural visit to Karyes.

According to the charter governing the operation of the self-governed community, the civil administrator is responsible for areas like law and order and healthcare, while spiritual and ecclesiastical matters come under the purview of the Holy Community (a body of representatives from the monasteries), its executive arm, the Epistasia, and the individual monasteries.

With very few exceptions, relations between the community and the civil administrator have always been harmonious, and especially so under Mitsialis'...