The Greek authorities refused to issue a visa to the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Varsonofia. This was reported to Interfax in the Office of Patriarchate Affairs.

"For many years Vladyka has been making a pilgrimage to Athos in the autumn, but this time the Greek visa was not obtained," the organization noted..

The interlocutor of the agency stressed that it was a question of a civil visa, and not about visiting Mount Athos, for which it is necessary to obtain a special permit.

In recent months, Russian priests have begun to experience difficulties with obtaining multiple visas to Greece. So, the rector of St. Tatiana's church at Moscow State University, Protopriest Vladimir Vigilyansky wrote on Facebook that in the summer, despite numerous trips to Greece over the past 20 years, he was given a visa for a month, and his wife - for three years.