During his visit, he will travel to Karyes, the spiritual and administrative center of Mount Athos, where he is scheduled to meet with the abbots and representatives of the peninsula’s 20 monasteries, as well as the Holy Epistasia, its governing ecclesiastical council.
The monks are expected to formally welcome him with a ceremonial gathering known as the Festive Extraordinary Double Holy Assembly, followed by a shared meal.
The itinerary also includes visits to four prominent monasteries: Iviron, Vatopedi, Simonos Petra, and Xenophontos. However, the visit unfolds against a backdrop of tension and discontent from within the Athonite community.
A number of monks have voiced strong objections to recent policies of the Greek government, particularly those related to social legislation such as the legalization of same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples—moves they argue are incompatible with Orthodox Christian doctrine.
These concerns came to a head during a session of the Holy Community, where logistical details of the visit were finalized. The meeting, based on a proposed schedule reportedly coordinated by the Civil Governor of Mount Athos, Alkiviadis Stefanis, in cooperation with the Prime Minister’s office, quickly turned contentious. Representatives from at least seven monasteries—believed to include Philotheou, Konstamonitou, Karakallou, Dochiariou, Grigoriou, Koutloumousiou, and Agios Pavlos—publicly declared their opposition to the visit. They announced they would not participate in the welcoming ceremony, citing the government’s decisions as an affront to the faith and beliefs of Orthodox Christians.
Their absence from the central reception at the Protaton—the most symbolically important site on Mount Athos—casts a shadow over the visit. The decision by senior monks to stay away, combined with the possibility of protest banners and black flags being displayed at some monasteries, underscores the depth of the rift between the government and parts of the conservative monastic community.
