The Apostle Barnabas and the Church of Cyprus

Saint Barnabas the Apostle (Feast Day - June 11)

Barnabas was born in Salamis, Cyprus and joined the Apostle Paul to spread the Gospel throughout Cyprus and Asia Minor. However, the two men split up over the objection to Barnabas' cousin John Mark coming along too. John Mark and Barnabas thus went on their own missionary journey throughout Cyprus without Paul.

In 57 A.D., the Jewish community in Salamis objected to his preaching in the synogogue, and had Barnabas dragged out, tortured and stoned to death. The Jews then had his remains wrapped in a sheet and hid them in some marshland, prior to being disposed at sea. The Apostle John Mark, who was a witness of this barbarous action, together with some converted slaves rescued the body of Saint Barnabas and buried it in an old tomb under a carob (some say cherry) tree to the west of Salamis. On the chest of Saint Barnabas his cousin placed a Gospel book of Matthew written by Barnabas. Hotly pursued by the Jews, who had discovered their plan, they escaped to Nicosia, where they managed to elude their pursuers and escaped to Egypt. The relics of Saint Barnabas, one of the first christian martyrs, remained hidden in this tomb for the next four hundred years unknown to anyone.

Saints Paul and Barnabas the Apostles

In 115 one of the most terrible events in the history of Cyprus occurred. A revolt arose by the Jews throughout the Roman Empire. In Cyprus, under the leadership of Artemion, the Jews slaughtered over 240,000 fellow-citizens. This revolt caused such prejudice against the Jews to spread, that it took centuries before another Jew was allowed to step on the island of Cyprus without being severely punished. The one positive outcome of this atrocity was that since the Jews were expelled from Cyprus, Christianity could flourish among the pagans.

A few of the Bishops who helped spread Christianity on the island were Lazarus the bishop of Kition (whom Jesus rose from the dead), Herakleidios the bishop of Tamasos, Avxivios the bishop of Soloi, and Theodotos the bishop of Kyrenia. Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker was bishop of Tremithous and represented Cyprus during the First Ecumenical Synod along with two other bishops of Cyprus (one historian says there were twelve bishops from Cyprus). Towards the end of the fourth century, Christianity had spread throughout the island. During this time Saint Epiphanius, the great defender of Orthodoxy, was Metropolitan. His seat was in Salamis, which was renamed Constantia.

The island of Cyprus had been part of the civil diocese of the East and administered by an official sent from Antioch. Since the jurisdiction of Cyprus was under Antioch on the civil and political level, it was believed by the Patriarch of Antioch that this jurisdiction should also be extended ecclesiastically as well. To gain the support of Pope Innocent I of Rome, a letter was written by Patriarch Alexander I of Antioch in which he made the unwarranted claim that his predecessors laid claim over Cyprus until things lapsed during the Arian schism of Eustathios. Without questioning the intentions of his fellow bishop, Innocent supported Antioch in its claim over Cyprus and ordered Cyprus to submit under Antioch. The Christians of Cyprus refused.

In 431 at the Third Ecumenical Synod of Ephesus, the Church of Antioch represented by Patriarch John tried to prevent the Church of Cyprus from gaining autocephaly, insisting it be under the jurisdiction of Antioch. The Church of Cyprus, represented by Metropolitan Rheginos, insisted on independence by claiming "ancient custom" be upheld in which Cyprus always ordained its own bishops and never was under the jurisdiction of Antioch. The same metropolitan also listed a series of grievances against Antioch for interfering in its election processes of bishops in the past and even harassing visiting Cypriot bishops to Antioch. The bishops of Antioch had no evidence to support their claims. The Fathers of the Synod ratified the autocephalous status of the Church of Cyprus in its seventh session on August 31st (some say July 31) with the third canon and prevented any further molestation by the Patriarchs of Antioch.

In c. 488 Peter the Fuller, the famous Monophysite patriarch of Antioch, appeared in Constantinople to renew the old claims for jurisdiction in Cyprus from Emperor Zeno. Peter, unlike John, asserted his rights to supremacy not on ancient custom, but on the belief that christianity originally spread from the apostolic foundations of Antioch to Cyprus. Antioch claimed as its first bishop the Apostle Peter. Bishop Anthemios of Salamis (Constantia) and Metropolitan of all Cyprus was summoned to the capital to give an answer. They knew they also had apostolic foundations in the person of Saint Barnabas, but the problem was that there was no proof to back up the claims of the Cypriot christians.

There is no doubt the claims of Peter the Fuller would have succeeded had not divine authority intervened. After Anthemios was called to Constantinople he began having dreams over a period of three nights. Saint Barnabas started appearing in the dreams of Bishop Anthemios directing him to his long forgotten tomb under a carob (some say cherry) tree. The bishop found the tomb exactly where the vision had indicated, complete with a skeleton clutching a copy of the Gospel of Saint Matthew written by the hand of the Apostle Barnabas. Theodoros Lector, a Church historian of those days, reports that both the relics and the gospel book were presented by Anthemios to Emperor Zeno who received them with great joy and had the gospel book covered in gold and jewels. Peter the Fuller was immediately dismissed after a synod was called by Patriarch Akakios of Constantinople confirming the independent status of the Church of Cyprus. Zeno also granted its bishop, Anthemios of Salamis, the status of Archbishop and ranked after the five ancient patriarchates, along with the so-called "three privileges" which have been zealously guarded ever since: namely 1. to sign his name in cinnabar, a red ink made vermilion by the addition of the mineral cinnabar which was only used by the emperor (this red ink was used when Archbishop Makarios signed the document granting Cyprus independence from Britain in 1959); 2. to wear imperial purple instead of black robes under his vestments; and 3. to hold an imperial sceptre instead of the regular episcopal pastoral staff.

The discovery of the relics of Saint Barnabas by Bishop Anthemios

Severus of Antioch mentions in his letter to Bishop Thomas of Germanicea that sometime between 496 and 511 he visited Constantinople and examined the Gospel of Matthew discovered in the tomb of the Apostle Barnabas, and mentioned it "was written in large letters, and was preserved with great honor in the royal palace". Severus also noted that it was free of certain falsifications that existed in the Gospel of Matthew commentaries of Saints John Chrysostom and Cyril of Alexandria regarding a purported passage that Jesus was pierced with a spear at the crucifixion (these two Saints confused the lectionary of the Church which interpolated various accounts of the Gospels, in this case the Gospel of John, with the singular Gospel of Matthew). The eleventh century Roman historian Georgios Kedrenos mentions that an uncial manuscript of Matthews Gospel, believed to be found by Anthemios, was then still preserved in the Chapel of Saint Stephen in the imperial palace. We are informed also that every Good Friday the reading from the Gospel of Matthew was done from this gospel book in the Chapel of Saint Stephen.

The tomb of Saint Barnabas

Saint Barnabas is considered the patron Saint of Cyprus. The fact that he appeared to Archbishop Anthemios at that particular time was seen as a divine intervention to halt the spread of the monophysite heresy into Cyprus. A monastery was established on the site of Saint Barnabas' tomb in Salamis in c. 488 with funds provided by the Roman Emperor Zeno and the rich members of the imperial court. Though the gospel book remained in Constantinople, Anthemios was able to bring the relics of Saint Barnabas back to Cyprus. However, the church was destroyed by Arab raiders in the seventh century, but it was rebuilt. The present church and cloisters at the monastery of Saint Barnabas date from 1756, and parts of the building reused columns from the ancient site at Salamis.

The Monastery of Saint Barnabas in Cyprus

The independence of the Church of Cyprus was confirmed by the Trullan Synod in Constantinople in 692. Attempts were made subsequently by the patriarchs of Antioch to claim authority over the Cypriot Church, the last as recently as 1600, but in vain.

Cyprus was saved in many ways by the discovery of the relics of Saint Barnabas. One historian, Kyprianos, remembering all these benefits, writes:

"I doubt whether any other Apostle so defended his native land and proved himself such a patriot as our Barnabas, who during his life freed his fellow countrymen from the abominable worship of idols by teaching them the true faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and after his death delivered the holy Church of his native land from the oppression of the ambitious and grasping clergy of Antioch, and raised it to such an eminence that it was the envy even of those of the highest rank in the hierarchy. Truly and without doubt the veritable Son of Consolation he, I mean Barnabas, fulfilled in all respects the injunction: 'Fight for faith and fatherland'. Under what an obligation then are we Cypriots to the deliverer of our souls, to the benefactor and originator of our Church's renown, let each decide for himself; and let us celebrate the patron and protector of his native land both in the present life and in the one to come."

The mausoleum of Saint Barnabas

A video of the Monastery of Saint Barnabas can be seen here.

Aerial-veiw of the Monastery of Saint Barnabas

A Parapalegic Walks to the Tomb of Saint Barnabas

A Miracle of the Apostle Barnabas in Recent Times That Left Muslims, Atheists and Doctors in Amazement

March 15, 2005

Two months after highly reported clerical scandals in Greece, on 15 March 2005, the following miracle occurred at the Monastery of the Apostle Barnabas in Cyprus.

The man himself, the Church, and even his doctors attribute his cure to a miracle.

All hopes had vanished for the parapalegic Mario and his doctors in Cyprus and Germany that he would never walk again. But a miracle happened after he venerated the tomb of the Apostle Barnabas.

Marios Stylianos, forty years old, from the Turkish occupied Ammochosto and who currently lives in Lefkosia, was left a parapalegic after surgery on his neck, for which he traveled abroad. He related himself that he had seen in a dream the Apostle Barnabas, who told him to write a book about his life and as soon as it was finished to go to his tomb and he would walk. Marios, following his dream, went to the tomb of the Apostle Barnabas in the occupied Monastery of the same name near Ammochosto, and after the Liturgy was finished at the tomb said that he saw the Apostle Barnabas approach him holding the Gospel and extending him his right hand. Then he made a cry and felt something like an electric current flowing through him, and he continued to get up from his wheelchair and walked, though supported.

Neurologist Michael Protopapas, who was caring for the parapalegic, related that both he and the German doctors who referred him to surgery believed with certainty the clinical picture which Marios Stylianos presented, and that he would not walk again. To the question if Marios Stylianos' paralysis could be attributed to psychosomatic causes, he said that all of the specific tests had showed that the spinal cord did not send any "signal" to Marios' foot. Having been asked whether he believes that his is a miracle, he replied: "Above everything is God. This I believe personally."

Marios Stylianos with Elder Gabriel, the last monk of the Monastery of Saint Barnabas

Moreover, the Church spokesman related that there was great concern whether the event should be disclosed. Eventually, he said, the view prevailed that this fact should be the property of the people.

Of course it is always important to approach these situations with caution.

However, the Church is being cautious about proclaiming the case a miracle. The Bishop of Arsinoe said the Church did not rule out miracles but would not jump to any immediate conclusions. Echoing his comments, Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos, who is acting head of the Church, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday he would prefer not to make any judgments, saying it had not happened on his “territory”. If he had, he said he would be more than willing to give a lengthy statement. “I believe in miracles but we should not accept them at a glance,” he said. “It needs analysis.”

Marios Stylianos taking his first steps after the miracle.

Translated from: http://www.apostolosvarnavas.org/Miracle.htm

Procession with the icon of Saint Barnabas in Cyprus on June 11, 2009

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Miracles of the Icon of "Axion Estin"

The miraculous icon of Axion Estin celebrated on June 11 (Karyes, Mount Athos)

The Theotokos is considered by Orthodox Christians to be the Abbess of all the monasteries on Mount Athos. She oversees the welfare of the monasteries as well as the monks who have dedicated their lives to imitating her through humility, obedience and purity. One way she has manifested her divine protection throughout the Holy Mountain is through her many wonderworking icons in the various monasteries and churches. The most famous and celebrated icon of the Theotokos on the Holy Mountain is without a doubt the icon known as "Axion Estin".

The church that houses the icon of Axion Estin is in Karyes, the capital of Mount Athos, in a church called Protaton. It is called Protaton because it was the first church built on the Holy Mountain in 843 AD by Saint Athanasios the Athonite ["Protaton" means "the first"]. The iconography of the church seen today was done in the 13th century by the renowned iconographer Emmanuel Panselinos.

To show that the Theotokos is the head of the monasteries of Athos, the icon of Axion Estin is seated on a throne of the church. It is named after the hymn we chant following the communing of the faithful of the Holy Gifts in the Divine Liturgy, but the initial lines of the hymn itself has an angelic origin that was revealed to a monk in the tenth century by the Archangel Gabriel himself. The miracle took place near the Skete of Protaton, in the vicinity of the Sacred Monastery of Pantokrator in the cell of a monk and his novice. The rest of this wondrous tale can be read here.

The miraculous appearance of the Archangel Gabriel revealing the hymn Axion Estin.

It was after this miraculous occurrence that the icon of the Theotokos was transferred to the church in Protaton. The cell where the miracle happened is known today by the name "Axion Estin" as well. The miracle took place on June 11, 982 on a Sunday. The miraculous brick on which was transcribed the hymn of Axion Esti was transferred to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and displayed for veneration by the faithful in the imperial palace Church of Saint Stephen. From then on the hymn Axion Estin became a staple within the Divine Liturgy and other services of the Church. The icon is especially celebrated with festivities and a procession on Bright Monday after Pascha and many miracles take place on this day.

The icon itself is a bit faded, but covered in a silver sheath to protect it. It has been recently restored and is now in good condition. It bears the inscription "Μήτηρ Θεού Καρυώτισσα" or "Mother of God Kariotissa". Its origins are probably from Constantinople and is of the Panagia Eleousa type first painted by the Apostle Luke.

On October 3, 1913 after an all-night vigil in the Protaton church, the self-governed region of the Holy Mountain became part of the Greek state after a decree was signed by the Abbots of the monasteries in the presence of and after doing a prostration before the miraculous icon of Axion Estin. This was done according to the international treaties of London (1913), Bucharest (1913), Neuilly (1919), Sèvres (1920) and Lausanne (1923). The Decree, "made in the presence of the Holy Icon of Axion Estin", stated that the Holy Mountain recognised the Kings of Greece as the lawful sovereigns and "successors on the Mountain" of the Roman "Emperors who built" the monasteries and declared its territory as belonging to the then Kingdom of Greece.

On the one thousand year anniversary of Mount Athos in 1963, the icon of Axion Estin left the Holy Mountain for the first time to be venerated in Athens by thousands of faithful. In 1985 it was brought to Thessaloniki aboard a military ship and received there with the same honors as a Head of State.

The icon of Axion Estin without its silver encasing.

A Miracle of a Copy of the Icon of Axion Estin

During the Greek Revolution of 1821, before the great catastrophe that took place on the island of Chios, the Turks pillaged the monasteries of the island of their wealth. One day a Turk happened upon two Greeks who were trying to save the treasures as he was holding an icon of the Theotokos. He told the Greeks: "Take this Mariam" (the Turks call the Virgin "Mariam"). The Greeks didn't understand why the Turk was giving them the icon. He went on to say: "I tried with my sword to cut this icon in pieces so as to throw it in the fire, but every time I went to chop it nothing would happen to the icon. I looked carefully at the icon and I noticed it smiled at me. I understood your faith is great and this icon should not be destroyed. Take the icon and put it in your church."

In tears the two Greeks signed themselves with the sign of the Cross and they took the icon and hid it in a bag taking it to their homeland in Reizdere, Asia Minor. They placed the icon in the Monastery of Saint Nicholas and it soon became known for its miraculous properties.

Of its many miracles, the following is told:

There was a sick woman who sought healing from the Holy Virgin and vowed an offering of her bracelets in return. She was healed. But she lived a distance from Reizdere and it made it difficult to go and make her promised offering. This thought occupied her conscience after the miracle.

One day the healed woman noticed her bracelets were missing. She thought someone stole them. At that time she left for the monastery and meant to give an offering of money for the worth of the bracelets. She told the abbess of all that happened and she lead the woman to the icon of the Holy Virgin. With amazement and tears she looked up at the icon and saw her two bracelets which were found in front of the icon a few days before. The Holy Virgin helped fulfill the vow on behalf of the woman.

The faithful Greeks did not abandon this icon neither during the exile of 1914 when they brought the icon with them to Chios, or even during the genocide of the Greeks in 1922 when they were permanently exiled to Greece.

During the Genocide of 1922 a man by the name of Barouma hid the icon in his furnace after he risked his life trying to save it. This Barouma became a monk on Mount Athos where he lived the rest of his life with the icon. Eventually the icon was brought to Chios and then Lemnos. Eventually the Greeks who had come from Reizdere wanted to bring it with them to Crete so they boarded the boat with their beloved icon. As they passed the Holy Mountain the monks requested that the icon stay with them, but the citizens of Reizdere could not part with their icon. It was brought with them to Ierapetra, Crete.

In Ierapetra the icon continued to work miracles for the inhabitants. Eventually a church was built in its honor named Panagia Eleousa. The story of this icon demonstrates the great faith of the Greeks of Asia Minor, the grace of holy icons, and the care the Theotokos shows to the needs of her beloved faithful.

"Axion Estin" chanted by the Choir of the Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi on Mount Athos


Axion Estin (Greek)
Άξιον εστίν ως αληθώς
μακαρίζειν σε την Θεοτόκον,
την αειμακάριστον και παναμώμητον
και μητέρα του Θεού ημών.
Την τιμιωτέραν των Χερουβείμ
και ενδοξοτέραν ασυγκρίτως των Σεραφείμ
την αδιαφθόρως Θεόν Λόγον τεκούσαν,
την όντως Θεοτόκον,
Σε μεγαλύνομεν.

Axion Estin (English)
It is truly meet
to bless thee, O Theotokos,
ever blessed, and most pure,
and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim.
Without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word.
the true Theotokos, we magnify thee.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Ye hosts of the Fathers of Mount Athos, gather today, and shout with a voice of jubilation, leaping for joy, and faithfully keeping feast: For, behold, the praise of the most pure Theotokos wondrously and awesomely is sung by the Angel; and therefore, as the Mother of God, we glorify her name.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
All of Athos keepeth feast this day in gladness; for it wondrously received from an Archangel's holy hand the hymn whereby thou hast ever been praised as the Mother of God, as is truly meet.

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An Audio Lecture of Elder Paisios the Athonite

An audio recording of the venerable Elder Paisios delivered from his cell on Mount Athos. The message is delivered in Greek, but has been translated into English and subtitled.

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Alleged Ghost Haunts South Carolina Business

[Looks legit to me. Seems more residual than intelligent though. - J.S.]

Caught On Tape: Alleged Ghost Haunts South Carolina Business

Chelsi Zash
6/8/2009
CNN

Anderson, SC -- Most cases of ghosts caught on tape can be explained away with closing some shades or cleaning a lens...but they tried all those!

Employees at a business center say they've seen a ghost every day for the past month.

Rob Colbert, a security officer says he first noticed the movement on a surveillance camera when no one was in the Credit Union office.

He says it's a white blur that looks like it walks over to a chair, sits down and then disappears.

The IT director for the building says he tried everything to fix the problem. They tried closing the blinds, but that just make the spot look clearer than before.

Employees say they haven't noticed any problems. They've even named the ghost, Claire.

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A Myrrh-Streaming Icon of Saint George in Israel

Liquid is seen dripping down from a painting of St. George, at a church in Ramle, central Israel on Tuesday, June 9, 2009. Christians have been flocking to this heavily Muslim suburb of Tel Aviv for two days to see what local Christians are calling a miracle, streaks of what looks like oil mysteriously dripping down an icon of St. George, at a Greek Orthodox church named for the early 4th century martyr. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

[Glory to God in his Saints! Another miraculous icon has revealed itself. I have long believed that icons stream myrrh either to reveal the miraculous nature of the person depicted or as something prophetic. In regards to the former, Orthodox Christians have long known of the miraculous powers of Saint George. The people of Ramla, near Lydda which contains the actual tomb of Saint George, know of the miraculous power of Saint George. Regarding the latter, only a prophet can truly interpret a prophetic sign, and if there is no prophet to interpret the sign then we should consider this sign as a call to pray and be more vigilant.

What I found interesting in this story, however, was the silence of the clergy in interpreting this phenomenon. Though I agree with the advice, it none the less urged me to do some quick research on what is going on in this town in Israel and its recent history.

In July of 1948 there was a tragic event known as The Exodus From Lydda and Ramla or The Lydda Death March. This was during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War when 50,000-70,000 native Palestinians (both Christians and Muslims) fled or were expelled by Israeli troops from the cities and nearby villages. Around 290–450 Palestinians and 9–10 Israeli soldiers were killed during the battle to take Lydda, and in violence that followed. The death toll in Ramla is unknown but presumed much lower because the city surrendered immediately. Palestinians taken prisoner were executed in the Dahmash Mosque. The people were forced to leave the town, usually without most of their belongings. Some who were slow to hand over valuables to the Israeli soldiers were killed. As it was a very hot summer, 350 had died of thirst or exhaustion. Today just 20% or so of the population in this area are Palestinian. More information on this tragic event can be read here and here.

What I found interesting regarding the Church of Saint George in Ramla is an incident that happened on July 12, 1948. Israeli troops had ordered the Palestinians of Ramla to go to Barriya holding a white flag of surrender. A 12 year old boy, Khalil Wazir, described the events of that day as follows:

"I will never forget that day. The men had gathered together. And they were saying that the Jews were going to do to us what they had done in Deir Yassin. That they had surrounded the town and were about to enter it. ... And then my mother and my sisters and I went to the church. The whole village went to the church. ... I remember the archbishop standing in front of the church. He was holding a white flag. ... Afterwards we came out and the picture will never be erased from my mind. There were bodies scattered on the road and between the houses and the side streets. No one, not even women or children, had been spared if they were out in the street. ... Then they put us in the bus ... [After the bus], we spent four days walking."

Could the weeping of the icon have some connection to these events and its present day implications? Is it possible that the reason the Patriarchate of Jerusalem requested the silence of interpreting this miracle so as not to incite any further violence? It's all just speculation, but something I find interesting none the less. - J.S.]

Oil-streaked Icon 'Miracle'

Jun 9, 2009
By JOSEPH MARKS
Associated Press

RAMLA, Israel (AP) - Christians have been flocking to this dusty Israeli town to see what locals are calling a miracle: streaks of what looks like oil mysteriously dripping down an icon of St. George at a Greek Orthodox church named for the legendary third century dragon slayer.

Worshippers said Tuesday that the more than two dozen streaks might represent God's tears or the Christian rite of baptism. The church priest, Father Nifon, first saw the streaks while preparing for Sunday morning services, they said.

"He kissed all the icons, and when he reached that one, he took down the picture and he cleaned it," said Aida Abu el-Edam, an English teacher and longtime church member. "After 20 or 25 minutes, he looked again and he saw the oil again and said, 'This is a miracle.'"

El-Edam, 47, said she was convinced the streaks were a miracle in part because of a strange smell emanating from the icon. She said it reminded her of her visit as a teenager to the site of a miracle in Ermysh, Lebanon. There, she said, the odor came from a recently deceased woman whose Christian faith was legendary.

"It's a special, holy smell," she said. "It's not ordinary, like olive oil. It's something strange that comes from God."

The Greek Orthodox patriarch inspected the painting Sunday, el-Edam said, and the church has sent a sample of the oil to a laboratory.

Father Nifon said the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate had asked him not to speak publicly or to answer questions about the streaks, so that believers could draw their own conclusions.

About 50 Christians crowded around the icon Tuesday, some from near Ramla and others from other parts of Israel. They were joined by curious Jews and Muslims, some snapping cell phone pictures. Ramla, a mixed Jewish-Arab town of 65,000, is in central Israel between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The icon hangs near the front of the church, hidden from most pews by a small gold chandelier. A nun dressed in black was rubbing the bottom of the icon with cotton balls, which she handed to the faithful who sometimes smelled them before clutching them to their chests.

"People these days, they've forgot God and this is a sign to tell them, 'I'm still here,' said Edith Fanous, 31, who works for a local trucking company and said she has been attending St. George's since she was a little girl.

Fanous said she was singing in the church choir when the oil streaks appeared Sunday. She guessed as many as 1,000 visitors had been to the church since then. She dismissed the idea that the streaks could just be paint running on a hot day.

"This icon is 114 years old," she said. "It passed through so much weather, hot and cold. And now that we have air conditioning in the church it's started to melt? I don't think so."

Kosty Tannous, 33, an Israeli customs worker, said he thought the streaks may have appeared now because God sees trouble in Israeli society.

"There's war and discrimination," he said. "I see a lot of discrimination against Arabs here in Israel, and maybe this is a good lesson for everybody to love each other and live with each other with equal rights."

The Church of Saint George in Ramla and the Grand Mosque

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Obama's Lost Opportunity to Address Coptic Persecution

By: Joseph Puder
Monday, June 08, 2009

The chairman of the American Coptic Association tells us what Obama should have said in Cairo.

President Obama's trip to Cairo gave him an opportunity to confront the persecution of Egypt's ancient Christian community, an opportunity he apparently passed up. The American Coptic Association had planned a demonstration in front of the White House during the June 4th meeting between President Obama and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Dr. Monir Dawoud, chairman of the American Coptic Association, is an Egyptian native who has since retired as a heart surgeon. He said he would ask President Obama: "Where is the change you promised during your campaign? Do you realize that by announcing that you will speak to the Islamic world from an Islamic country you are blessing the continuance of human rights violations against minorities in Islamic nations?"

According to Dr. Dawoud, president Obama's emphasis on Egypt as a "Muslim" country is "depriving Egyptian Copts of their basic human rights, and this will give the Muslim Brotherhood and other fanatical and radical Muslim groups the license to force the application of Shari'a (Islamic) laws upon them."

Dr. Dawoud pointed out that the Coptic community hopes "Obama will make the change he spoke of in his campaign towards democracy and not racism." However, he is disheartened because attempts at outreach have been disregarded by Obama's many Muslim advisors who seem to deliberately "hide the discriminatory actions of Muslim governments against Christians besides their injustices towards women, children, members of the Bahai faith, and other non-Muslim or non-Arab minorities." Why, Dr. Dawoud asked, hasn't the Obama administration hired people who would focus on the absence of rights among Christians and other minorities in the Muslim world?

Dr. Dawoud wants to sound an alarm about what he sees as the gradual Islamization of the USA, which he sees as part of a larger plan to Islamize the whole world. Speaking for the Coptic community he says, "They think that you (President Barack Obama) will let this happen because of your Islamic roots."

In a direct appeal to President Obama, Dr. Dawoud says, "We know that you are an American president and that you will work for America and will not allow this country to become Islamic. We are not against any religion but we oppose the barbaric behavior of fanatic Muslims, and we do not want another 9/11 attack on our beloved USA. We encourage more aid to Egypt, but, as taxpayers, we do not want our money to be used against our own people." Dr. Dawoud then added, "We disagree with your bowing down to the Saudi King even if you consider that an individual gesture. It is an insult to our country albeit through your innocent behavior. The Muslim media used that to announce that Islam will dominate the world!"

Dr. Dawoud said he would have told President Mubarak: "Mr. President, don't you see what is happening to the lives of your Christian subjects, their properties and dignity? We know that you are unhappy that we are demonstrating against the violations of the human rights of the Copts and other minorities, but a peaceful march is part of our human rights in accordance with international conventions, and is also acknowledged in Egypt's constitution. You cannot blame us for expressing our concern for our persecuted people.

"There is not a single case of Swine Flu in Egypt, and it is not spread through pigs. The destruction of pigs in Egypt is therefore an intentional way to crush the Christian community economically. It also confirms the deal you made with the Muslim groups to allow your son Jamal to become the next president, in return for actions to demolish the Copts.

"More than 50 Coptic-Christians were murdered while your government is appeasing the fanatical Muslims at the expense of Copts. Why do you not establish justice, security, safety and equality at home first? You are trying to make peace everywhere and forgot your duty to serve your own countrymen. No Muslim is punished for killing Christians, and young Christian girls are being abducted and forced to become Muslims. There are no leadership positions allowed for Christians at all levels of public life. Discrimination in jobs, education, media presentations and Parliament is an apparent fact.

In today's Egypt, many under-aged children are awarded to the father's custody if he converts to Islam. The courts in Egypt apply these kinds of verdicts by relying on Sharia law, and that is one reason the Coptic community is angry."

Part of the reason for that anger is the fact that the Copts, who lived in Egypt centuries before the arrival of Islam, have not been allowed to be counted properly. Noted Dawoud: "The Copts real number is about 20% and the government never permitted an honest census. Indeed, we are the true Egyptian citizens as we are the descendants of the Pharaohs who had the first civilization more than 7,000 years ago!

"The plight of the Copts is little known in America because of many factors. Most important is that the Egyptian media is owned by the government that instructs them to hide the facts and bar foreign reporters from looking into the Coptic situation. Copts in the Diaspora are trying to expose this reality but the Islamic nations use billions of petro-dollars to control the US, and all Western media. Also, many Copts abroad may be rich but are afraid to disseminate the truth about Coptic persecution in Egypt because they fear that their relatives in Egypt would be harmed. It is also the reason why no support has come from rich Copts for a strong Coptic lobbying organization."

Asked about religious freedom in Mubarak's Egypt, Dr. Dawoud replied, "Yes, freedom of religion exists but only for one religion - Islam. The second article of the Egyptian constitution," he said, "acts as a sword applied against the necks of non-Muslims." He provided examples of lack of religious freedom:

-- Copts are still governed by an Ottoman decree known as the "Hemayoun Line" issued by el-Ezzabi Pasha, the Interior Minister in 1860. It is applied to stop alleged sectarian strife in Egypt. This measure has served to prevent Christians from building new churches or repairing damaged ones.

-- Administrative courts in Egypt are loaded with over 2000 cases of Copts who had converted to Islam and now seek to return to their original faith -Christianity. Appeals presented by Muslim lawyers refer to them as apostates and therefore subject to the death penalty.

-- Earlier this year, a Muslim mob of more than 3000 attacked the Church in Ain Shams, Cairo, alleging that it was a factory and not licensed to be a Church. This kind of intimidation is sanctioned by the Egyptian government.

The Copts have been marginalized and there are only a handful of Coptic representatives in the Shurr'a council or the National Assembly. Dr. Youssef Botross Ghali was a token Copt in the Egyptian government.

Given the substantial foreign aid that Egypt from U.S. taxpayers, all Americans - not only Copts - should demand that Egypt respect its Christian minority, and that equality under the law, freedom of religion, and basic human rights be guaranteed to the Christians in Egypt as a condition for continued U.S. support. When in Cairo, it would have been nice if President Obama had remembered that.

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Saint Panagis Basias of Kefallonia

Saint Panagis Basias (Feast Day - June 7th)

Saint Panagis Basias was son of the pious and wealthy couple Michael Typaldos-Basias and Regina Delaporta. He was born in Lixouri, Kefallonia in 1801.

Because his wealth afforded him an excellent education, Panagis received very good theological and philosophical training and learned to speak Italian, French and Latin besides his native Greek language. At the age of 20 he began his career as a grammar school teacher due to his linguistic skills. Soon he became inspired by the radical preaching of Kosmas Flamiatos and Eusebios Panas, two men of the Church who believed that the British occupying the Ionian Islands at the time were essentially tyrants attempting to undermine the population's Orthodox faith with Protestant teachings. As a result, he left his official teaching post, and continued his mission by giving lessons privately at home.

At the age of 26 Panagis, following his father's death, felt a natural inclination as well as the influence from the character of the great ascetics of Kefallonia Saints Gerasimos and his neighbor Saint Anthimos, to leave everything behind and go to the tiny island Vlahernon off the coast of Livathos. This monastery was used as a place of exile for clergymen by the British rulers. Exiled on the island at that time was the famous cleric Nikolaos Kantounis from Zakynthos. However, his widowed mother's and orphaned sister's pleas forced him to cut short his stay at Vlahernon. He returned to the world but his entire life proved to be a continuous ascetic striving and adherence to the monastic existence he had chosen. He returned to Lixouri in 1828-9 and soon thereafter was ordained a Reader.

In 1836 he was ordained as a deacon and a priest by the Archbishop of Kefallonia, Parthenios Makris. Upon his ordination he was given the name "Paisios". He then served as priest at the Monastery of Saint Spyridon in Plati Gialo near Lixouri where he originally intended to serve as a monk. There he liturgized and preached on a daily basis, spending the remaining time of his day visiting the homes of the faithful who were in need of comfort, charity, spiritual guidance, relief and compassion. He was an exceptional confessor who impressed the image of Christ upon the souls of the faithful.

Throughout his life Saint Panagis gave himself over to charity work and ministry towards the sick and suffering, even distributing his entire wealth to the needy.

God had granted him the gift of prophecy which he used to foretell future events to those around him, something that is mentioned in the proposal for his sainthood. Reflections of his many miracles, prophecies and accounts of his devout life are still with us. With his gift of clairvoyance he was able to read the hearts of the faithful and expose their private sins so as to gently lead them to repentance.

His widespread fame as a miracle worker forced him to claim mental illness ten years after his ordination in 1846 though in reality he became a "fool for Christ's sake", embracing what many saintly men before him had in order to avoid the fall into arrogance and egotism. During this time he was tortured by a nervous breakdown and was deprived of sleep walking the streets at night and shouting out loud, among other things. When he would come back to his senses it was as if he was in terrible fear and weakness. However his biographer and contemporary, Father Zisimos Typaldos, informs us that the faithful understood this to be a test and were not bothered by it. During these times the faithful would still come to him and with devotion kiss his hand. They knew this was a test many Saints of the past had endured for a life of humility, what Saint Paul called "a thorn in the flesh"(2 Cor. 12:7).

On May 21, 1864 he experienced the joy of the Union of the Ionian islands with Greece, a goal he had worked hard for by preaching and cultivating the Orthodox tradition during a period of political and social turmoil.

Father Basias had lived with his widowed sister in Lixouri until 1861 when she passed away. Before this and after he lived with his cousin Andreas Typaldos-Basias during which time he was given money by insurance to be taken care of (1864). The devastating earthquakes of Palliki in 1867 destroyed his house and forced him to live as a guest from then on, "poor but enriching others" and "having nothing and having it all", in the house of his cousin John Geroulanos (he was the father of the famous surgeon Marinos Geroulanos). This John was the son of the sister of Father Paisios' mother Regina. In return for the kind hospitality of his cousin John and his family, Father Paisios became a protector of the household and aided them with his prophetic and healing gifts (he had saved John's life when he was sick years earlier and near death and even married John to his wife). John considered the hospitality he was giving as if he was giving it to the Lord Jesus himself. Among his prophecies was that he foretold to John that his son Marinos would become "a great, great man" and often repeated this. The Geroulanos family highly honored the Saint and to this day their descendants pay special reverence to him. The son of Marino, John, was born in 1904 and became the care-taker of the Church of Saint Spyridon, where Father Paisios liturgized following his departure from the Monastery in Plati Gialo , and the tomb of the Saint. They allow the faithful to this day to visit his memorable house and the room (or what the faithful refer to as his "cell") he stayed in for the rest of his life.

Home of the Geroulanos family (top) and the cell of Saint Panagis (bottom)

Between 1882-1887 he remained prostrate and confined to his bed, during which time many visited him to receive counsel, confess their sins and seek his prayers. He endured this trial with patience and perseverance. Day and night the door to his cell was always open by his request so that anyone could come to him at any time as was needed.

He passed away peacefully on June 7, 1888 at the age of 88 years old in Lixouri. At a massively attended funeral service held over three days, the eulogy was delivered by the Metropolitan of Kefalonia Germanos Kalligas. Day and night the faithful came to pay their respects over a period of 50 hours or so without stopping, and many photos were taken of this event of which one is known to be preserved.

The falling asleep of Saint Panagis Basias

The Saint's praises were delivered by Archbishop Germanos Kalligas, Father Zisimos Typaldos (his biographer) and written by Amilkas Alivizatos, Father Elias Mastrogianopoulos, the Lixourian born Bishop of Trikki and Staggon Cheroubim Anninos and the Reverend Konstantinos Gellis.

The radiance of his personality was so immense that even the satyric poet Andreas Laskaratos, known for his anti-tradition and anti-clergy views, noted in footnote 6 of his book The Mysteries of Kefallonia that: "I have honored and loved virtue every time I found it in the clergy".

The Church of Saint Spyridon in Lixouri

His pious life and the repetitions of the miracles he performed remained alive in the conscience of devout Christians for the next 88 years, leading the son of Marinos, John Geroulanos, to request the transfer of his relics to the Church of Saint Spyridon in Lixouri. The Metropolitan of Kefallonia Prokopios Menoutis had his sacred remains transferred on June 6, 1976.

The procedure to recognize Panagis' official sainthood by the Ecumenical Patriarchate was delayed by unfortunate ecclesiastical problems in Kefallonia. After his enthronement, the new peacemaker Metropolitan of Kefallonia Spyridon, performed with full honors the sainthood induction ceremonies on September 7, 1986. The ceremonies, following the Patriarchal and Synodal Decree issued on February 4, 1986, were attended by representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Holy Synod, and a large number of bishops.

The tomb of Papa-Basias

The faithful have the opportunity today to honor and venerate the Saint's tomb and sacred remains, kept in a silver larnax in Saint Spyridon's Church in Lixouri. A portion of his relics is also displayed for veneration and celebrated at Holy Cross Theological School in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The relics of Saint Panagis Basias displayed on his feast day at Holy Cross Theological School

Miracles

- An epidemic of cholera inflicted the people of Lixouri. Fear spread to all the inhabitants and all the dead were taken to the cemetery of Saint Anna without a proper funeral. Father Basias however had no fear in light of the necessity to say the funeral prayers for the departed for their salvation. Even at night he would go to the cemetery and say prayers for all those who died from the epidemic saying the Trisagion Service for each of the dead. The police often saw him at night praying for the departed.

- There are various accounts that Saint Panagis was never affected by the rain, that is, he would not get wet.

On one rainy night Saint Panagis was spotted by police in the cemetery of Saint Anna. He was praying for the deceased by himself holding a lantern, though the police noticed the rain never touched him and his uncovered lantern never went out.

On another occasion a man named Evangelos Kokkolis reported how he had heard accounts of various miracles by Father Basias told to him by his uncle Dionysakis Razis, but did not believe them. He owned a store in Lixouri with his brother and one very rainy day Father Basias came to his store and just stood outside leaning against the outside wall without any worries of entering the store to escape the rain. Father Basias entered the store only when the rain stopped and immediately sat next to Evangelos. Evangelos had seen Father Basias standing outside his store in the pouring rain for hours and a strange curiosity came over him to touch the back of Father Basias as well as his sleeves. It was then that he noticed that Father Basias was completely dry. Immediately he left his store and ran to the house of his uncle Dionysakis Razis, and as he ran up his stairs was yelling: "I touched him, I touched him!" His uncle asked: "What's wrong with you? Who did you touch?" Evangelos replied: "Father Basias." He then related to his uncle all that happened.

- Spyros Mourelatos Tzamanis had a 10 year old child that suffered from epilepsy. He took his child to Father Basias, who did the sign of the Cross over the child and said: "Spyro, take the child. He is well." Anastasios lived another 80 years and never had a dizzy spell again.

- The following miracle was related by the grandson of protopsalti Vasileios Drakopoulos, a friend of the Saint, and took place as follows.

In Argostoli there lived a rich family consisting of a husband and wife and their two children. They were a very pious family, especially the wife who often performed good works. After a time the husband died and the woman was left widowed with two children. This event caused the widow to zealously perform even greater good deeds, helping those who suffered and the poor, visiting the sick and helping them in their homes, visiting the sick also in hospitals and those in prison, and lead many to greater faith in Christ.

When her oldest child reached 21 years of age, they were all seated at the dinner table when he felt a sharp pain in his head. They brought him to his bed and called the doctor while the mother sought refuge before her icon-corner and prayed all night for her son to the Theotokos. The next morning her son passed away.

Very mournful, the mother of the child continued performing her good christian deeds. After about a year had passed her other child also felt a sharp pain in his head at the dinner table and collapsed. They called the doctor and he informed the child's mother that there was no hope in saving his life. She again sought refuge all night before her icons in the saving power of God, the Theotokos and Saint Gerasimos. The next day the doctor informed her that her younger son died as well.

The woman had suffered enough. She became very angry at her situation and constantly cursed God and His Saints, forsaking as well all her good deeds she had been perfoming. She also became reclusive and refused visitors from entering her home. At this time she also gave two photographs of her sons to a good artist to reproduce, and placed these paintings in her living room on opposite sides of the walls. She also placed an oil lamp next to each photo and lit it once in a while and often spoke to her children through their paintings.

One day Papa-Basias travelled to Argostoli holding his cane and immediately went to the house of this sorrowful woman. He knocked on the door and she saw an unfamiliar priest from her window, causing her to swear at him telling him to leave. At his third knock he calmly asked to let him in because he had something to tell her, but she just swore at him again. Papa-Basias then said: "Either you open, or I'll open", and with his cane he made the sign of the Cross over the door and immediately the door opened on its own. Papa-Basias entered the house and began climbing the stairs, leaving the woman who saw this voiceless out of fright and unable to say a word.

Papa-Basias then headed for the living room and told the woman to follow him. He opened the door to the living room and told the woman to sit in the corner to see something she never expected. As Papa-Basias began to pray the two photographs came off the ceiling and became alive in the middle of the room. The two young men in the photos began to fire bullets at one another to the point where they both fell dead. Afterwards the portraits returned to their places as if nothing happened. This phenomenon frightened the woman very much.

Papa-Basias then explained to the woman: "My lady, God in his love for you saved you from seeing what you just saw, and took your two children away by a natural death instead. Your two children had fallen in love with the same woman, and they would have died in the same way as you saw. For this reason you should now repent and thank God and continue in your former christian way of life."

The woman indeed repented and performed even greater christian deeds than ever before with all the strength of her soul and body.

(The last story taken from the book Saint Panagis Basias (in Greek), by Protopresbyter Constantinos S. Geli, Athens, 1987.)

A letter bearing the signature of Saint Panagis

Prophecies

- During the time Saint Panagis was confined to his bed he had a visit from the new Metropolitan of Kefallonia Germanos Kalligas, whom he informed that he would eventually become Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. This came to pass as he had foretold.

- A woman by the name of Chrysanthi had a husband named Eustathios Typaldos-Alphonsatos. She was widowed at a young age with two children. Father Basias told her in his few words: "You will remarry...You won't change your name...One child...John...Me."

Chrysanthi Typaldos-Alphonsatos remarried after a few years to a relative of her deceased husband named George Typaldos-Alphonsatos. She was only able to bear one child with her new husband and had this child baptized by Father Basias who had him named "John". This prophecy was related to Metropolitan Procopios by Chrysanthi's grandson.

- There was a great debate in those years in theological and ecclesiastical circles regarding whether man was comprised of two properties (body and soul) or three properties (body, soul and spirit). Apostolos Makrakis had proposed the theory that man consisted of three properties. Archimandrite Eusebios Matthopoulos, founder of the Zoe Brotherhood, wondered over the truth of this matter which divided the theological thought of Greece.

One day Father Eusebios travelled to Kefallonia and arrived in Lixouri to preach and meet with the renowned elder Saint Panagis. As he was walking in Lixouri he noticed a short ascetic looking priest walking quickly towards him and without greeting him said to him: "Two, two - not three!" Upon saying this he quickly rushed off. These few words had a striking impression on Father Eusebios which he joyously interpreted towards his thoughts on the number of properties in man. That man is comprised of body and soul alone with the spirit merely being a property of the soul is the correct patristic anthropology of the Orthodox Church. Realizing that Kefallonia had a true servant of God, Father Eusebios spoke Saint Panagis' praises throughout his life.

- The sister of Vasilios Papadatos died while he was serving in the military. He loved her very much. In his dreams he saw his sister and she told him that they had mistakenly buried her alive. When he came back from his duties he wanted to dig up her grave, but he was stopped by authorities. Troubled he sought out the advice of Father Basias. Father Basias was paralyzed at this time, so when the soldier entered his room he was told by the Saint before he said anything: "Be at peace my child. Your sister was dead when they buried her." In awe of this wonder, Vasilios believed Saint Panagis and was at peace.

- Dionysakis Razis had a child who lived in Odessa named Gerasimos. It had been a while since he wrote his parents and they began to worry very much. One day Dionysakis went to church and would routinely sit in the stall near the chanters. He sat with deep thoughts running through his head regarding the well-being of his child. At that moment Father Basias entered the church holding in his right hand a piece of basil leaf with which he tapped the forehead of Dionysakis saying: "Letter! Letter on October 1st!"

Upon hearing this Dionysakis was filled with joy because he believed very much in Father Basias and highly held him up for honor and reverence. When the 1st of October arrived Dionysakis went many times to the Post Office to receive the promised letter, but there was nothing. Over dinner his wife began to mock his utter blind faith in Father Basias. But at 10:00pm there was a loud knock at the door by Mr. Sklavos who had come from Odessa with a letter from Gerasimos, saying: "Dionysaki, you have a letter from Gerasimo. I came by your house first, so take it quickly because I have to rush to Spartia to see my mother who I havn't seen in years." Mrs. Razis never doubted Father Basias again.

- Father Basias had a helper that was about 14 or 15 years old that believed in him very much. One day a family approached the boy asking him to bring Father Basias to their home so as to read prayers over a sick member of the family hoping for healing. The boy helped Father Basias get ready and as he tried to tie his shoes Father Basias continuously shook his legs. When he managed to tie his shoes they left for the house of the sick person, but on the way Father Basias said: "The place you're bringing me has a rotten bed", meaning that the sick person had died. When they arrived at the house, they saw the mourning neighbors entering the house.

- Saint Panagis at one time liturgized in the Church of the Virgin of Typaldaton. One night there was a sick man who had a desire to receive Holy Communion so he sent a relative to bring Father Basias so as to receive the Holy Gifts. On the way to bring Father Basias this relative instead saw him coming towards the house of the sick person holding the Holy Gifts. At this the relative of the sick man was in wonder how Father Basias knew to come at that moment.

- One day a man was eating sardines at a tavern in Lixouri on a Wednesday, which is traditionally held to be a day of fasting from fish among other things. Father Basias came up to him at the tavern and told him: "For all the sins you commit, today on Wednesday you chose to eat sardines." Father Basias then threw the sardines away.

- Mr. Foteinos Mourelatos travelled to Lixouri and bought some fish with other villagers. While the fisherman was packing the fish for him he found an opportunity to steal some fish and hid them in his handkerchief and mixed them with the other fish. When they left he told the others that his fish smelled bad and asked about theirs, to which they replied that theirs smelled very nice.

At the bridge they met up with Father Basias. Out of reverence as it was the common custom everyone got off their animals and reverenced him. Father Basias told Foteinos to unravel his handkerchief because his fish smelled, and proceeded to remove the fish that were stolen from the fish that he bought. He then told him that the fish he had stolen were the ones that smelled while the others were good. This caused Foteinos to repent and was the occasion to increase his faith.

- One day while staying in the house of his cousin John Geroulanos, a poor woman came to the house seeking a little bit of food to eat for her children while Father Basias was away. They gave her a bit of the leftovers, but the freshly made food they did not give since they were expecting guests that day. When Father Basias arrived home he took off his socks and threw them into the newly-cooked food and spoiled it, asking: "Why didn't you give from the fresh food for the mother and her children?" Fear and shame came upon the household, and after asking forgiveness made sure that something like that would never happen again.

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The Nature of Recent UFO Sightings

More than 100 orbs that seem to be intelligently maneuvering have appeared over the sky's of Britain and Holland over the past week.

[The following story appeared in headlines throughout the world last week that had people in Europe in a frenzy as to what was behind the mysterious appearance of over 100 orbs in the sky's of Britain and Holland. Skeptics have speculated these to be lanterns or some other natural phenomenon. Others believe they are UFO's. The grainy amateur photos don't offer much as far as clues go regarding the true nature of these lights, and I'm not about to offer my opinion until the evidence is properly examined.

However I found it interesting that also last week Popular Mechanics magazine published an article that tries to explain most UFO sightings as being unfamiliar aircraft of human origin. This article is also found below.

I've been studying the UFO phenomenon for many years and I would agree with the skeptics that the large majority of reported UFO's have a clear natural explanation such as unfamiliar military aircraft or lanterns or even hallucinations. But there are also a small number that cannot be explained away quite so easily.

Of course, I have opinions as to what these small minority could be, and my theories do not include what we traditionally know as aliens. What I do know however is that the simplistic explanations of the skeptics don't quite fit the model to explain away every reported UFO sighting and I just want people to be aware of this for now. More to come in the near future. - J.S.]

Stunned Onlookers Watch as Mysterious Orange UFO's Swoop Across Britain's Skies

By David Wilkes
04th June 2009

Darting silently in formation, the mysterious glowing orbs light up the night sky.

Some say these orange lights even weave in between each other with the precision of a synchronised flying team from some far corner of the universe.

Clusters of more than 100 have been spotted across Britain and even Holland, leaving onlookers with an eerie sense that, for all the mystifying beauty of the strange objects, they may have just witnessed an armada of invading UFOs.

The most recent sighting was on Sunday when they were seen in two locations, Merseyside and Lincoln. Days earlier a similar phenomenon was spotted over Cambridgeshire, where one witness claims each was as big as a house.

The sightings have prompted defence officials to check their logs and sent UFO fans into orbits of excitement. Engineer Paul Slight, 54, took photos on his mobile phone of the strange objects hovering over Lincoln at 10.30pm while he was cycling home after a day out with friends.

'There were 26 of them at first, dodging and darting in between each other like they were playing a game,' he said.

'After that, seven more arrived and weaved through the crowd of lights like strange kinds of aircraft. After five minutes of moving around, they hung in the air for a second then shot off into the sky and disappeared.'

A spokesman for nearby RAF Cranwell said the base was closed at the weekend so the lights could not be attributed to its aircraft. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence is examining claims that the Merseyside lights were connected to an exercise involving HMS Daring, docked in Liverpool.

An ex-military source claimed the lights were dropped by jets to simulate the path of a missile in order to test the warship's radar systems.

In Cambridgeshire, banker Scott Boswell, 37, said he saw more than 100 lights flying less than two miles above his home in Hinchingbrooke. The former soldier and experienced pilot said: 'I know they weren't aircraft – they were silent.

'And I was a soldier for a decade so I could immediately rule out flares or weather balloons. I really have no idea what they were.'

On the same night, May 27, at around 11.30pm guesthouse owner Auberon Hedgecoe, 40, of nearby Huntingdon, also saw the lights. 'There was no sound,' he said.

'They were travelling 15 at a time and every six minutes more seemed to be coming over the horizon. They were not planes. They were not balloons.

Each one was the size of a building.' Last night it emerged a woman has contacted her local newspaper to claim that the lights over Lincoln were Chinese lanterns – mini hot air balloons – set off at her wedding reception.

'They looked amazing, hope you all enjoyed the spectacle,' she said.

Nick Pope, the former head of the MoD's UFO Project, supported the Chinese lantern theory.

'I'm not disparaging the whole UFO phenomenon, but I'd say 99 per cent of UFO reports involving orange lights in the sky these days are attributable to these lanterns.'

Six Top-Secret Aircraft Mistaken for UFO's

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Popular Mechanics

By Phil Patton

Spy and stealth planes — some with bizarre, bat-shaped wings, others with triangular silhouettes that imply otherworldly designs — have long generated UFO sightings and lore. And official denials feed rumors that the government isn't telling us about alien ships.

The CIA estimates that over half of the UFOs reported from the 1950s through the 1960s were U-2 and SR-71 spy planes.

At the time, the Air Force misled the public and the media to protect these Cold War programs; it's possible the government's responses to current sightings of classified craft — whether manned or remotely operated — are equally evasive.

The result is an ongoing source of UFO reports and conspiracy theories.

Here are the Earth-built craft that likely have lit up 911 switchboards over the years.

1. RQ-3 Darkstar

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin/Boeing
First Test Flight: 1996
Deployment: None (it was canceled in 1999)
Declassified: 1995
Size: 15 ft long; 69-ft wingspan
Performance: 288 mph (cruising speed); 45,000+ ft (max. alt.)

UFO Link: The official life span of this unmanned spy plane was brief and disappointing, with a crash and a program cancellation after just three years. But in 2003, Aviation Week reported that a similar stealth UAV was being used in Iraq — fueling speculation that the government scrapped the craft publicly only to secretly resurrect it for clandestine missions.

2. U-2

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 1955
Deployment: 1957 to present
Declassified: 1960
Size: 49 ft long; 80-ft wingspan
Performance: 410 mph (max. speed); 85,000 ft (max. alt.)

UFO Link: Designed for high-altitude reconnaissance, the U-2's long, glider like wings and silver color would have been notable to observers on the ground and in the sky. In the 1960s the airplane was painted black to avoid reflections. The U-2 is also famous for being among the first classified planes to be flown from the Air Force's secret test facility at Groom Lake, Nev. — aka Area 51.

3. SR-71 Blackbird

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 1964
Deployment: 1966 to 1990, 1995 to 1998
Declassified: 1964
Size: 107 ft long; 56-ft wingspan
Performance: 2432 mph (max. speed); 85,000 ft (max. alt.)

UFO Link: The tailless spy plane has an even more unusual cross section than the U-2. This Area 51 alum was briefly reactivated in the 1990s, and rumors of a followup — the now-legendary Aurora project — have supplied both UFO believers and skeptics with a possible source of unexplained sightings.

4. P-791

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 2006
Deployment: Unknown

UFO Link: Plane spotters' photos and videos blew the top-secret cover off a 5-minute inaugural flight in Palmdale, Calif. The hybrid airship — it uses gas and a wing shape for lift — fuels speculation that classified airships quietly roam the night skies.

5. F-117A Nighthawk

Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin
First Test Flight: 1981
Deployment: 1983 to 2008
Declassified: 1988
Size: 107 ft long; 56-ft wingspan

UFO Link: This long-range stealth fighter, which could stay aloft indefinitely thanks to midair refueling, remained classified through much of the 1980s during test flights at Tonopah Test Field Range in Nevada, 80 miles from the legendary Area 51 Groom Lake facility. Along with the B-2 Spirit, the bat like F-117A was a perfect candidate for triangular UFO sightings.

6. B-2 Spirit

Manufacturer: Northrop Grumman
First Test Flight: 1989
Deployment: 1997 to present
Declassified: 1988
Size: 69 ft long; 172-ft wingspan

UFO Link: Although the long-range bomber was never a true "black aircraft," since it was displayed to the public approximately eight months before its first flight, an airborne B-2 is a UFO report waiting to happen. It looks like an alien craft from nearly any angle and specifically like a flying saucer when viewed head-on or in profile.

An RQ-3 Darkstar prototype on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

A U-2 takes off from an undisclosed location during Operation Iraqi Freedom in April 2003.

A U.S. Air Force Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird jet on a runway in 1995.


A screen grab of a civilian video of a 2006 test flight that revealed the existence of Lockheed Martin's P-791 lighter-than-air craft.


A U.S. Air Force F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter jet in flight in 1998.


A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth jet bomber, viewed edge-on in flight in October 2000.

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Plato's Allegory of the Cave and Christian Salvation

John 17:3-8

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."

I Corinthians 13:12
"Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face."

II Corinthians 3:18
"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

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Is Pentecost the Birthday of the Church?

It is a common misconception that Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. The following section from the Pentecostarion translated by Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, MA speaks of the actual significance of Pentecost and what it means for our ecclesiology.

Such, therefore, are the reasons for today's feast: the coming of the All-holy Spirit into the world, the completion of the Lord Jesus Christ's promise, and the fulfilment of the hope of the sacred disciples, which we celebrate today. This is the final feast of the great mystery and dispensation of God's incarnation. On this last, and great, and saving day of Pentecost, the Apostles of the Saviour, who were unlearned fishermen, made wise now of a sudden by the Holy Spirit, clearly and with divine authority spoke the heavenly doctrines. They became heralds of the truth and teachers of the whole world. On this day they were ordained and began their apostleship, of which the salvation of those three thousand souls in one day was the comely and marvellous first fruit.

Some erroneously hold that Pentecost is the "birthday of the Church." But this is not true, for the teaching of the Holy Fathers is that the Church existed before all other things. In the second vision of The Shepherd of Hermas we read: "Now brethren, a revelation was made unto me in my sleep by a youth of exceeding fair form, who said to me, `Whom thinkest thou the aged woman, from whom thou receivedst the book, to be?' I say, 'The Sibyl.' 'Thou art wrong,' saith he, `she is not.' `Who then is she?' I say. `The Church,' saith he. I said unto him, `Wherefore then is she aged?' 'Because,' saith he, `she was created before all things; therefore is she aged, and for her sake the world was framed."' Saint Gregory the Theologian also speaks of "the Church of Christ ... both before Christ and after Christ" (PG 35:1108-9). Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus writes, "The Catholic Church, which exists from the ages, is revealed most clearly in the incarnate advent of Christ" (PG 42:640). Saint John Damascene observes, "The Holy Catholic Church of God, therefore, is the assembly of the holy Fathers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, and Martyrs who have been from the very beginning, to whom were added all the nations who believed with one accord" (PG 96, 1357c). According to Saint Gregory the Theologian, "The Prophets established the Church, the Apostles conjoined it, and the Evangelists set it in order" (PG 35, 589 A). The Church existed from the creation of the Angels, for the Angels came into existence before the creation of the world, and they have always been members of the Church. Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome, says in his second epistle to the Corinthians, the Church "was created before the sun and moon"; and a little further on, "The Church existeth not now for the first time, but hath been from the beginning" (II Cor. 14).

That which came to pass at Pentecost, then, was the ordination of the Apostles, the commencement of the apostolic preaching to the nations, and the inauguration of the priesthood of the new Israel. Saint Cyril of Alexandria says that "Our Lord Jesus Christ herein ordained the instructors and teachers of the world and the stewards of His divine Mysteries ... showing together with the dignity of Apostleship, the incomparable glory of the authority given them ...Revealing them to be splendid with the great dignity of the Apostleship and showing them forth as both stewards and priests of the divine altars . . . they became fit to initiate others through the enlightening guidance of the Holy Spirit" (PG 74, 708-712). Saint Gregory Palamas says, "Now, therefore ... the Holy Spirit descended ... showing the Disciples to be supernal luminaries ... and the distributed grace of the Divine Spirit came through the ordination of the Apostles upon their successors" (Homily 24, 10). And Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Jerusalem, writes, "After the visitation of the Comforter, the Apostles became high priests" (PG 87, 3981B). Therefore, together with the baptism of the Holy Spirit which came upon them who were present in the upper chamber, which the Lord had foretold as recorded in the Acts, "ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence" (Acts 1:5), the Apostles were also appointed and raised to the high priestly rank, according to Saint John Chrysostom (PG 60, 21). On this day commenced the celebration of the Holy Eucharist by which we become "partakers of the Divine Nature" (II Peter 1:4). For before Pentecost,it is said of the Apostles and disciples only that they abode in "prayer and supplication" (Acts 1:14); it is only after the coming of the Holy Spirit that they persevered in the "breaking of bread,"that is, the communion of the Holy Mysteries-"and in prayer" (Acts 2:42).

The feast of holy Pentecost, therefore, determined the beginning of the priesthood of grace, not the beginning of the Church. Henceforth, the Apostles proclaimed the good tidings "in country and town," preaching and baptizing and appointing shepherds, imparting the priesthood to them whom they judged were worthy to minister, as Saint Clement writes in his first Epistle to the Corinthians (I Cor. 42).

All foods are allowed during the week following Pentecost until the beginning of the Apostles Fast the following week.

Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Blessed are You, O Christ our God, who made fishermen all-wise, sending upon them the Holy Spirit and, through them, netting the world. O Loving One, glory to You.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
When the Most High came down and confounded tongues of men (Babel), He divided the Nations. When He dispensed the Tongues of Fire, He called all to unity, and with one voice we glorify the Most Holy Spirit.

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A Guide to Russian Sects and Fringe Beliefs - Part 2 of 6

Cult leader Pyotr Kuznetsov

Russian Sects Part Two: Waiting for Doomsday in the Penza Region

06/05/2009

RIA Novosti

Robert Broadie

Moscow, Russia

(RIA Novosti continues its six-part series on Russian sects and fringe beliefs with an account of Pyotr Kuznetsov's Doomsday sect)

In late 2007 a small, reclusive community of Christians in a village deep in the Russian countryside became the focus of intense media scrutiny.

The believers, who saw themselves as followers of "true" Russian Orthodoxy, had spent half a year burrowing a network of tunnels into the side of a ravine outside the village of Nikolskoye in the Penza Region stockpiling rice, grain, water and fuel in preparation for a long, dark wait underground. They entered and sealed the enclosure in late October.

This strange story provoked public curiosity on all sorts of levels. Holed up in the dugout, waiting for the end of the world, were women and young children. There was their threat to blow themselves up if forced out, and a perceived extremism. There was their apparent longing for death, entombed in a ravine. And there was their gaunt, wild-eyed leader Pyotr Kuznetsov, known as Father Pyotr, a wandering evangelist who had recruited disciples from far-flung provinces of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Kuznetsov had chosen not to join his followers underground, and was soon arrested and admitted to an asylum.

Kuznetsov told his followers that the world would end in May or June - the accounts varied. Why did he believe this?

I travelled from Moscow to Nikolskoye in early April 2008, after most of the believers had emerged from the dugout, which had largely collapsed. Of the original 37, only 11 remained underground. It was easy enough to find the home of Vitaly Nedogon, who the papers told me was one of the more hardline members, terrifying rescuers by firing bullets through the dugout's ventilation pipes. He had spent almost half a year underground with his wife, son and two daughters.

In the garden outside the run-down wooden house on the edge of a forest was his 22-year-old son Sergei, standing behind a police cordon. He had just finished talking to some journalists from the Izvestia daily, who wanted a photo of the pet parrot that had survived with the group underground. While the seven women living in the house refused to speak to journalists, Sergei saw it as a God-given opportunity to spread the word.

We took a walk around the house, out of earshot of a police officer keeping watch, and Sergei gave me a detailed account of the group's beliefs, which seemed to be largely based on Bible texts that had been filtered through Father Pyotr's feverish mind. The spiritual leader had published several tracts, and distributed them to his followers and any locals who would take them.

"I read his books, and didn't believe them at first. But I opened the Bible, and then I believed - it's all correct, the numbers all match," Sergei told me.

I asked him whether they had really been ready to blow themselves up for their beliefs.

"If you look at the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, Christians never submitted to worldly powers when those worldly powers went against God's laws," he explained. "So those Orthodox Christians were ready to die to stay faithful to God, and to not submit to the devil with his three sixes. So yes, we would have blown up those canisters."

So how did Kuznetsov work out that the world would end in May 2008?

"There is this number in the Bible. After the church - our Orthodox Church - betrays Jesus Christ, 1300 evenings and mornings will pass. This could be either seven years if you count full days, and if you count half days, then three and a half, which would be spring 2008. Pyotr Kuznetsov took fragments from the Bible and proved all this."

I asked him what had been the great catastrophe three and a half years ago that signalled the fall of the Orthodox Church.

"The Orthodox Church took on a taxpayers' identification number. It began to depend on the state, to serve the anti-Christian state."

The main theme running through Kuznetsov's teachings appeared to be a fear and obsession over meaningful numbers - sevens, multiples of seven, twelves, triple sixes. Tax registration codes, passport numbers and bar codes contain the number of the Beast, so the followers burned all their documents and refused to pay taxes or buy goods with barcodes attached.

I hesitantly pointed out to Sergei that items he was wearing - a digital watch and a Nike baseball cap - probably came with barcodes.

"No, these are fake Chinese goods," he said.

Walking by the woods in the clean spring air and feeling a long way from Moscow's pollution, the whole story of Kuznetsov's sect felt like a pleasant joke. I drank some water from the well behind the Nedogons' house, birdsong echoing from the woods. There seemed to be an intensity and sincerity to Sergei's beliefs, and it was hard to see that the sect was doing any harm - they had rejected most modern comforts and discomforts and were living a pseudo-medieval existence, with no electricity and no running water, chopping firewood and catching fish.

So it was easy to forget the trouble Kuznetsov had caused. Two women had died underground - one of cancer, the other of starvation from an extended fast. Many of the believers had children back at home, who were understandably anxious, and were pressuring the authorities to drag the group out from their cave. Rescuers and police had been forced to camp in the ravine throughout the cold winter, with local officials and occasionally Orthodox priests visiting to try to coax the group out of the hole.

And there were children down there - Sergei's two sisters, aged 15 and 9, as well as an infant, 18 months old at the time she was carried out in late March, apparently in good health.

"People think we forced the children down there. I'll tell you what happened. My sister - who you saw just now - when we were sitting on the gas canisters because the Spetsnaz (special forces) had started to dig, she went up to our mother and said 'mamochka, don't worry, there will be an explosion and then we'll all be with God' - a little child calming her grown-up parents. That surprised everyone."

I suggested to Sergei that perhaps the planet was going to die through another means - the cars and coal plants are still belching out their greenhouse gases, the ice caps are shrinking.... Did Pyotr talk about this?

"Yes, of course. Man with his sins is destroying the Earth.... When God flooded the world, he produced a rainbow, and promised to never flood the world again. He said next time I'll burn it. And now it's burning."

I was surprised that this sect, feeding on obscure writings, counting holy numbers and avoiding television, were aware of anthropogenic climate change. I reassured him that scientists don't expect the collapse of the climate system to occur by Kuznetsov's alternative date for the apocalypse - 2011.

"Let them say what they want, people don't decide these things, God decides these things" was his answer. "It can happen in a single moment, he can destroy the world in a single instant. It's all written in the Bible."

At the time of my visit, Kuznetsov was in hospital with head wounds. He had been let out of the asylum as part of a deal made with several women in the dugout - they came to the surface on the condition that they could live with their leader in his house. The reports said he was found in the shack outside, severely beaten, a bloodied plank lying next to him. Local officials said he had been attacked by his own followers, but investigators called it an attempted suicide.

Sergei had a different view on the matter - the Inquisition had come to get Kuznetsov, and in fulfillment of the prophesies, he had died and risen.

"When they tried to kill Pyotr, they smashed him on the head seven times, and when the administration chief came, they found him dead. They took him to hospital and started to fill out the death certificate. My sister saw them writing it."

Father Pyotr was left for dead, but when they came for him in the morning, "he was lying there whispering something, praying... Pyotr was dead. And he rose from the dead. No one believes this, but in it is written that when the prophet is killed, no one will believe it. And this is what happened."

This apparent resurrection, which provided the sect with yet another sign that the apocalypse was approaching, seemed to have turned him from a mere prophet into Christ himself.

But the question of how the unimposing figure that was Kuznetsov, regularly pictured in the tabloids in a shabby coat, pyjama-like trousers and a beanie hat, managed to make such a powerful impression on this group of a few dozen people, remained unanswered.

Later that evening I hitched a lift to the nearest town, Bekovo, with a local couple. The woman in the front passenger seat, Maria, said she had been to school with Kuznetsov. I asked what he was like back then.

"He was a normal boy. A good kid, a bit of a joker - he would tell you these funny stories. I don't understand what happened to him," she said.

Born in 1964, Kuznetsov appears to have had an ordinary provincial upbringing. We drove past his father's house, where I was told his grandmother was still living at the ripe old age of 102. He studied construction and appears to have had a normal career and family, but at some point in his thirties found his true calling in life.

"He would go to church and meet people, and start to indoctrinate them. He wrote books, he would hand them out. I had some of those books, I threw them away," Maria told me.

"The relatives of those people sitting down there told us that that they were all living peacefully like everyone else before, but then he appeared, that Pyotr. He would go to people's houses, the rich houses, not the poor people's houses, and he had some kind of hypnotic power... They sold their homes, whatever they had, and gave all their money to him."

The next afternoon I paid a visit to the house of the holy man himself, which I found at the end of a dirt track called Poganovka, converted into a prayer house with a cross on the roof. Several of his followers, all middle-aged and elderly women, were living there. In the yard was a makeshift chapel, tidily put together with roofing and transparent plastic sheets, capped with wooden crosses and onion domes.

Having seen cheerful photos in the newspapers of these women in black headscarves sawing wood with a local official, and after the surprisingly open chat with Sergei, I thought there would be no harm in approaching the house. But unfortunately the occupants were less welcoming than Sergei - one of them barked angrily as soon as I stepped over the police cordon.

I walked over to the famous ravine, a few hundred meters away. I climbed up the slope, and in the distance I could see a police van and some tents near where I knew the entrance to the dugout was. It was a warm evening and the sun was beginning to set, and by this time my urge to follow the circus had waned, so I began the long walk back to the main road.

More than a month after my visit, having braved a long winter and the first months of spring in the dugout, the remaining 11 finally emerged squinting and jaundiced into the sunlight. There were no signs of God's destructive wrath.

Kuznetsov was charged with inciting religious and ethnic hatred, but was declared insane by psychiatrists and avoided a conviction. Last June, media reported that he had been issued with a passport, numbers and all, which he meekly accepted in his asylum room.

Pyotr Kuznetsov, the leader of a Russian doomsday cult, peeks out from behind the door of his house in the settlement of Nikolskoye in the Penza region March 31, 2008.

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