Elder Parthenios Agiopavlitis, the abbot of the Athonite Monastery of Saint Paul, recently raised concerns over the dangers that mobile phones and the internet pose to monastic life.
Reflecting on nearly 50 years as abbot, Elder Parthenios recounted incidents in which monks, who had left the world for a life devoted to God, fell prey to modern technology’s temptations.
Elder Parthenios highlighted how the intrusion of mobile phones and internet access has caused significant harm to monks. “These devices are hazardous,” he warned, “Many monks have been deeply affected by mass media and the internet.”
He recounted the story of a young monk who sought his guidance after experiencing temptations in his cell. Upon inquiring, Elder Parthenios learned that the monks at this hermitage regularly used mobile phones. “They would stay up all night on their phones,” he explained, “which disrupts their focus on prayer and distances them from the core purpose of their monastic life—communion with God.”
Elder Parthenios emphasized the spiritual danger of bringing such distractions into a monastic setting. “It’s perilous to leave the world, go to the monastery or the wilderness, only to then turn to a computer or the internet. This behaviour is more than misguided—it’s destructive. When a monk encounters these distractions, his mind will wander to them even during prayer.”
He also noted the detrimental impact of mobile phones on laypeople, especially youth, and advised monks against using them entirely. He recounted the case of a monk who received a mobile phone and soon became enmeshed in its use, neglecting his prayer life and failing to wake for services.
“Such things should not be,” Elder Pathenios concluded, underscoring the importance of focus and discipline in monastic devotion and the spiritual risks posed by technology when it distracts from the monastic calling.
Photo: O chilie Athonită
