Bishop Eirineos: Monasticism as Answer to Secularization
The historic Gouverneto Monastery in Chania, Crete, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, celebrates its feast on Bright Saturday. Thirteen monks live there under the leadership of Bishop Eirineos of Evmenia, who serves as abbot. Most of the monks are young men who have completed or are near completing higher education in Greece and abroad.
In an interview, Bishop Eirineos said the Orthodox Church and the world have never needed coenobitic monasticism more than today. He identified secularization as the removal of the sacred from life and society, the reduction of faith to mere religion, the distancing of the Church from its ecclesial identity, and the Protestantization of Orthodox theology.
He described modern societies as increasingly self-centered and materialistic, pushing the spirit to the margins and ignoring the soul's thirst while banishing God beyond the clouds. He listed consequences: addiction, depression, suicide, abandonment of life's struggles, and ultimately nihilism and resignation. Monasticism, he said, offers an alternative way of life and is Christianity's most authentic expression of itself.
Bishop Eirineos also remarked that Greek-Americans remain the most authentic expression of Hellenism beyond the borders of Greece, despite generations since the first settlers.
Main points
- Gouverneto Monastery is a historic patriarchal and stavropegic monastery in Crete with 13 resident monks.
- Bishop Eirineos of Evmenia serves as abbot and says the Church and world need coenobitic monasticism more than ever.
- He defines secularization as removal of the sacred, reduction of faith to religion, loss of ecclesial identity, and Protestantization of theology.
- He links modern self-centered materialism to addiction, depression, suicide, and nihilism.
- He calls monasticism Christianity's most authentic expression and Greek-Americans the truest Hellenism abroad.