I am sure that persecution of Archimandrite Ephraim is a precursor of things to come. Modern Western society - of which Greece now is part - is becoming increasingly anti-Christian. The ruling classes of the West gradually tighten their grip on our throats. The godless rulers of the EU hate Mount Athos and what it stands for. They want to kill it spiritually, to turn it into a vulgar tourist attraction. The horrible slander and judicial persecution of a venerable Athonite elder reminds me of how Russian bolsheviks treated St Patriarch Tikhon. I do not know what will happen to Father Ephraim here on earth, but I am sure that in the Kingdom of Heaven he will be one of the confessors or martyrs for Jesus Christ, a great luminary. We should fear not so much for him, for he is a citizen of Heaven, but for ourselves. What will we do, what will our children do, when anti-Christian forces start persecuting us, rank-and-file Orthodox parishioners? Will we stand this test? They are targeting our leaders today, but tomorrow they may come for us.