The Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon

St. Panteleimon (Feast Day - July 27)

St Panteleimon was born about 284 AD in the city of Nicodemia. His father, Evstorgios, was an idolater while his mother, Evoulis, was a devout Christian. She raised her son, whose real name was Pantoleonta, in the Christian way of life. She passed away while her son was still young.

Initially Pantoleonta was educated in his native tongue and then in Greek. His father sent him to study under the famous physician, Evfrosinos. Quickly he surpassed the other students. He was handsome, soft spoken, humble and all who spoke with him felt true happiness and peace. Because of these virtues, he became well known in Nicodemia. One day he went with Evfrosinos to the palace and it was here that the ruler, Maximian, first saw him. He instructed Evfrosinos to educate Pantoleonta to the utmost so that he could be appointed royal physician.

At that time, St Ermolaos, the head of the Church in Nicodemia, lived in a house with other Christians. He watched Pantoleonta every day as he went to his studies and finally asked him about his religion. Pantoleonta told him that while his mother was alive he had been a Christian, but now his father had made him follow the pagans. Ermolaos told him that if he believed with all his heart in the true God he would be able to cure anyone with His help. Pantoleonta acknowledged everything he was told and from that time on, he went to Ermolaos for counsel and began to accept Christ with all his heart.

Time passed, and one day, with the grace of God, Pantoleonta saved a child from certain death after being bitten by a viper. He needed no further proof that Christ was the true God. Ermolaos baptised Pantoleonta, gave him Holy Communion, and instructed him in the Sacraments of the Holy Church. He remained for seven days with this holy man, and during this time he became completely acquainted with the teachings and practices of the Church.

Soon, Pantoleonta was working towards his father's conversion to Christianity. This was finally achieved when he saw his son cure a man of his blindness. By the grace of God, the man regained his sight, not only physically, but also spiritually, for before this time he was an idolater. Pantoleonta took the man and his father to St Ermolaos who baptised them.

Pantoleonta distributed his wealth among the poor and then proceeded to cure all who came to him. The only payment the St would ask was that the healed person believe that Jesus Christ was their true healer. The other physicians became very envious and wanting to betray the Saint to the Emperor, a group of them went to Maximian and told him that the doctor that he himself had educated was healing Christians and that the idolaters were converting to Christianity. As proof, the blind man who was cured was brought before the Emperor, who tried to convince him that the gods had cured him and not Christ. But it was futile. Maximian realised that everything the doctors had told him was true. He ordered that the man be beheaded. The Saint secretly took the man's body and buried it in a Christian place.

Pantoleonta was ordered to appear before the Emperor, who described the charges that were brought before him and ordered Pantoleonta to sacrifice to the gods. The Saint refused. The false-priests and doctors begged the Emperor to execute him so that Christianity would not gain in popularity among the people. Unable to change his beliefs, Maximian ordered that the Saint be tortured. First they tied him to a board and tore his skin with iron claws. Then, the soldiers burned him with their torches. The Saint prayed to God to give him strength to withstand the torture. Next the Saint was taken and placed in a kettle but the tar remained cool around him. The Emperor considered the miracles to be magic tricks performed by Pantoleonta. Continuing with his efforts he had a boulder tied to the Saint and thrown into the sea. The boulder became light and the Saint floated on the water. Maximian still refused to recognise the power of the true God. Next the Saint was placed in the stadium but the wild beasts peacefully walked towards him and licked his feet. The crowd cheered and together praised God and Pantoleonta. Maximian was enraged and had all the animals butchered. The miracle served to honour the Saint and to show others the way of righteousness.

The Saint was submitted to even more tortures. He was tied to a wheel and then rolled down a hill. The purpose was to tear the Saint's Body to pieces. Instead, it rolled over several idolaters and killed them. The Saint again suffered no harm.

Pantoleonta decided to bring St Ermolaos to the people, since his words could convert even more pagans to Christianity. Ermolaos and two other men, Ermocratis and Ermippon, were brought before the Emperor who tried to convince them that they believed in a false God. Unable to make them renounce their faith they were tortured and finally beheaded. The bodies were secretly taken by some Christians and buried with honour.

The defeated Emperor passed final sentence on the Saint. He was to he beheaded and his body was to he cremated. The Saint was taken and tied to an olive tree. As the soldier raised his sword to behead the Saint, the sword melted as if it were made of wax. The soldiers fell to their knees and admitted their beliefs in Christ. The Saint prayed for them and forgave them for their sins. A voice came from heaven, saying to Pantoleonta that all he had asked for had been granted and that from this time on he would he known not as Pantoleonta, but as Panteleimon (All-merciful). He forced the soldiers to behead him so that he could receive the crown of martyrdom. After kissing the Saint, the soldiers beheaded him. St Panteleimon gave his life for Christ on 27 July 304 AD. It is said that the olive tree to which he was tied, immediately bloomed and brought forth fruit. Hearing of this, the Emperor ordered that the tree be cut down and that the body be burned. The soldiers, however, did not return to the palace. They and other Christians, took the holy body and buried it. The body was anointed with myrrh and buried outside of the city in the Place of the Scholar Adamantinos.

St John of Damascus informs us that the remains were transported to Constantinople, however, in the 12th century they were removed by the Crusaders. St Panteleimon is often asked by faithful Christians to aid them in times of sickness. He is believed to take special interest in those who are crippled. He is considered equal to the Benevolent Saints Kosmas and Damianos.

Apolytikion in the Third Tone

Panteleimon, saintly champion and healer, intercede with our merciful God to grant our souls remission of sins.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the First Tone

O Champion and Martyr of God, imitating the Merciful and bearing from Him the grace of healing, cure our spiritual ills by your prayers, and set free from the temptation of the eternal enemy those who ceaselessly cry out, "Save us, O Lord."

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The Church and the Olympic Games

The following article was written in 2002 when Greece was preparing to host the 2004 Olympics. It contains some interesting evaluations of the Olympics to consider as we begin the Summer Olympics of 2012.

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios (June 2002)

The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens are a top world event and our country is preparing feverishly because the whole world will be watching Greece, the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

The Church of Greece was faced with the problem of whether the Church should participate in the preparations for this great sports event. The Church had two options. The first was to not participate at all, because the Olympic Games, the way they are held today, have lost their purpose and their mission, because instead of cultural events they have been transformed to commercial enterprises of extravagant magnitude. The other view was that the Church should participate in this event because, among else, it has the opportunity to give a meaning to it.

After discussions in the Synod committees, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece leaned towards the second view, risking taking a decision that could be considered utopian. In what follows I will present some of my views supporting the decision of the Holy Synod.

Of course, I am not naïve to ignore the present state of sports events and the fact that the Olympic Games have been entangled with economic interests and a commercialization of sports. At their best, sports are infused by humanism. At their worst, they are related to a drug mentality with self-destructive consequences for each athlete. Even the change in terminology demonstrates the great problem; from athletic contests, that is, events associated with the words “athlos” and “ego” in Greek, i.e. a struggle for the improvement of one’s personality, to “games”.

However, I argue that because the Olympic Games will be held in Athens, the seat of the Holy Synod, the Church of Greece can not abstain from this top world event, despite its possible disagreements over the way these Games are held. There are theological and other reasons supporting this view.

1. Orthodox theology, which is the voice of the Church, is not an abstract ideology, is not impregnated and inspired by monophysitism and manicheism. This means that Orthodox theology does not deal with ideas but with life and in particular with man who lives in a specific place and time and seeks his salvation. Furthermore, the Church does not deal with one side of human life, i.e. the soul, the spirit; it cares for the whole man who consists of soul and body. Therefore, we Orthodox are driven neither by idealism and manichaism -- a neglect of the body, of nature, etc. – nor by idolatry -- a worship of the body and of nature.

2. In Orthodox theology we refer to the skin coats that man put on after his fall and were blessed by God. One may argue that the skin coats, which according to the teaching of the Fathers of the Church are corruption and mortality, are everywhere in nature. The entire life, as it is today, is a post-fall effect which the Church is asked to transform. Art, culture, marriage, science and in general all human behavior are placed in this context. Sports are placed in this context too. Can anyone imagine sports, as they are today, in a pre-fall state?

So, the task of the Church is not to deny the fallen state but to transform it. The Church, with its theology and the whole therapeutic method, with its asceticism, seeks to transform the irrational to rational, to give purpose to the full existence of man, the after-the-fall one, to give meaning to his life. Actually, the birth of sports, as encountered in the bull-fights, which consists of the transcendence and transformation of the irrational element, man’s domination over the passible and the bestial element, may also be the object of church life.

3. As mentioned above, the modern Olympic Games have lost their original purpose, because the Games held in ancient Greece were associated with the holy -- sacrifices and theater, both of which, as well as the Games, were placed in the perspective of man’s purification and the search for God. Today, the Olympic Games have been divorced from religion and culture and have been linked to a sterile humanism and to commercial enterprises. Nevertheless, the Church, which has a dynamism, life, has the potential to transform and alter everything and to bring sports back to their true purpose.

Of course, it is not easy to change the framework and the structure of the organization of the Olympic Games. However, as the history of the Church illustrates, it may achieve the greatest changes through man’s rebirth, while also participating in the social process. Those reborn by the divine Grace offered within the Church abolish slavery, change institutions, transform social forms, alter the civilizations they encounter and create new ones with a superior meaning and purpose. According to scholars, Byzantine iconography originated from the portraits of Fayum and the divine Liturgy was modeled on the dramaturgy of ancient theater.

Similarly, today, we can change many things through the rebirth of the athletes. Even if we are not able to change the framework of the Olympic Games, we have the obligation to assist in many ways the athletes participating in them and to orient correctly those wishing to be involved in sports.

4. The hosting of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens poses many challenges to the Church, and the Church can not ignore or neglect them. The pastoral care of the Church knows no limits, the Church converses with the whole world in order to transform it, without, of course, being adulterated itself. I would like to mention some of these challenges.

The first is that during the Olympic Games many Orthodox from all over the world will come to Greece. The Orthodox Church should meet them in an atmosphere and a spirit of love and hospitality.

Another challenge is that, apart from the Orthodox, many people will come interested in learning the history of this land. So the Orthodox Church will have to demonstrate that there is a continuous tradition over time, which did not stop with the conquest of Greece by the Romans in 146 BC.

A third challenge is that some paganistic traditions might show up, trying to claim that they are the successors to Hellenism, that Christianity is related to Judaism and not to Hellenism, and that the Orthodox Church only cares about securing paradise and not man’s life.

A fourth challenge is its publishing activity. It must present its teaching about the body, asceticism, exercise and show its cultural wealth through the publication of books, pamphlets, etc.

There are other great challenges which cannot be included in this short article. The fact is that the Church cannot remain pastorally inert in front of the challenge of history, despite the well-known problems of the Olympic Games.

5. If the Holy Synod had decided not to deal at all with the Olympic Games, I am sure there would have been many theologians, especially those who now seem to be concerned about the participation of the Church in this organization, who would have accused the Church of pietistic mentality and fundamentalism. This is so because they would consider it misguided for the Church to deal only with the salvation of the soul and leave the other life out of its activities and its transforming power.

It has not been possible to present in this short article all the reasons justifying the participation of the Church in the organization of the 2004 Olympics in our country. Despite the reservations we may have about the methods of championism today, and the way of organization of the Olympics, it would have been worthwhile to set a Synodical Committee on Olympic Games even if only because the Church has to address pastorally the arrival of thousands of athletes, officials, spectators and tourists, which poses various positive or negative challenges.

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St. Paraskevi Appears to Elder Damaskenos

Elder Damaskenos (+2001) (Spiritual Father of the Monastery of St. John the Forerunner, Megara) writes:

“We have the Saints and all the heavenly world dancing with us and celebrating with us. The Saints, with their love, capture our minds, so to speak... Every instant they communicate with us, because they are found amidst the light of God, and they are no longer burdened by material things. Therefore, they closely follow us continuously, and when we call upon them, immediately they visit us and save us from from many temptations, and the nous rejoices.”

“You see that the Saints leap to come to us, and they want us to leap towards them, that we might be friends. We should return this visitation, for they desire it unbelievably. And what if the visible world is separated from the invisible? We must embrace the love of Christ, and make the leap!”

In the spring of 1988 (March 17th), the Elder, together with three sisters of the Monastery set off by car to work on the then dirt road, which had become impassible due to the rains. At the same time they would cut grass for the Monastery's cows. A short distance before the outdoor icon-stand of St. Paraskevi, at Stampola's field that was filled with wild flowers, they saw a woman wearing a kerchief, and dressed in dark clothing, moving slowly and bending down. She looked as if she were searching for something. She suddenly lifted her head and gazed intensely on the Elder, as if she wanted to talk with him. Her wholly-radiant and white face, along with her large almond eyes made a great impression on everyone. They passed her, however, without speaking with her.

After about an hour, as they were returning, they again met this strange sight, as she moved in the same way at the same place. The sisters were curious and asked:

“Papou*, what a strange thing! What is this woman doing by herself for so long here? She doesn't look like she is gathering plants.”

“Thus the Saints appear”, Papou replied in simplicity.

At that instant, the woman turned around and gazed at the Elder with great emphasis, however, this time the sisters asked:

“Papou, stop so we can ask her who she is.”

But he, without stopping, repeated the words: “Thus the Saints appear — suddenly!”

Then the sisters thought that maybe this appearance was supernatural, and lamented that they didn't stop to investigate this unusual presence.

After a few days, at the end of the Divine Liturgy of Holy Saturday, one sister saw this same strange woman in church going to get antidoron from Papou. Astonished, she thought with joy: “Now you won't escape. I'll ask you who you are.” And she tried to catch her. As soon as she got closer, however, she disappeared before her eyes. She looked for her inside and outside of the Church, but she was gone! It was certain, furthermore, that her presence was supernatural.

Later Papou confessed that the sight of her and her appearance had filled his soul with a divine exultation and informed them that she was St. Paraskevi. Besides this, for a while, he refused to accept this event as the Saint's appearance, as he feared being deluded. Because of this he tried to convince himself that this must have been an ordinary woman gathering plants. Of course, Papou would not accept all supernatural things as Divine, untested. For a long time, therefore, he repelled the spiritual sweetness that he sensed while remembering this meeting, thus protecting himself. However, as he said, his soul did not find rest in this state of denial, and in the end, he lost peace in prayer. Thus he understood his mistake to not accept this blessing of God.

Later he confirmed to us: “As I stare into the eyes of St. Paraskevi, I greatly sense a river of Grace within me. I see that it raises me to a greater fire of Divine love. If I left my nous to work out the issue of the appearance of the Saint, I would have been wounded greatly! But I maintain that: 'Who am I [to be worthy of such a vision]?' For there is always the danger of delusion.”

Later a spiritual child of his from Megara revealed: “I saw in a dream a woman who said: 'Go tell Damaskenos: Three times I appeared to you. What else do you want?'”

“And who are you?” I asked her.

“I am she whom your mother honors and fasts for since she was a small child. I Am Paraskevi!”

* Papou: Greek word for "Grandfather", used as a term of endearment by the nuns towards their spiritual father.

Source: Biography of Fr. Damaskenos Katrakoules (+2001). Published by the Holy Monastery of St. John the Forerunner, Makrynou, Megara 2006.

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The Sultan and the Oil Lamp of Saint Anna

Saint Anna is considered the patron saint of childbirth and maternity. Many are the tales of the monks of the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos of couples who had lost all hope for childbearing, and became parents with the help of St. Anna, having fled to her with reverence and faith and asked her aid. Typical is the following story:

The Sultan of Lemnos and his wife could not bear a child, and for this reason he was very upset. He heard from the inhabitants of the island, who would visit Mount Athos and the Skete of Saint Anna, about the miracles of the mother of the Panagia and the help she offered to childless couples in order to give them a child. Being convinced of the stories that circulated, he sent gifts with pilgrims that were travelling to the Skete, in honor of St. Anna, and asked to bring back holy oil and holy water from the Saint. Christians, because the Sultan was of another religion, threw away the gifts and brought him back nothing. The Sultan was insistent and once again sent gifts in honor of St. Anna, asking once more for holy oil and holy water, and even threatened the Christians with severe sanctions if they did not fulfill his order.

The monks of the Skete, because the Sultan was not a Christian, and due to the sanction, sent him drinking water, not holy water, and regular oil, not holy oil. Saint Anna, because of the faith and perseverance of the Sultan, helped him and gave him a healthy boy, and out of gratitude to St. Anna he gifted her with an oil lamp that hangs before her icon today to fulfill his vow. Because the manufacturer stole part of the precious material, the Sultan added to the bottom the egg that appears, that his vow may be complete.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Basil the Great: On the Intelligent Design of Creation

By St. Basil the Great

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1

I stop struck with admiration at this thought. What shall I first say? Where shall I begin my story? Shall I show forth the vanity of the Gentiles? Shall I exalt the truth of our faith?

The philosophers of Greece have made much ado to explain nature, and not one of their systems has remained firm and unshaken, each being overturned by its successor. It is vain to refute them; they are sufficient in themselves to destroy one another. Those who were too ignorant to rise to a knowledge of a God, could not allow that an intelligent cause presided at the birth of the Universe; a primary error that involved them in sad consequences. Some had recourse to material principles and attributed the origin of the Universe to the elements of the world. Others imagined that atoms, and indivisible bodies, molecules and ducts, form, by their union, the nature of the visible world. Atoms reuniting or separating, produce births and deaths and the most durable bodies only owe their consistency to the strength of their mutual adhesion: a true spider's web woven by these writers who give to heaven, to earth, and to sea so weak an origin and so little consistency! It is because they knew not how to say "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". Deceived by their inherent atheism it appeared to them that nothing governed or ruled the universe, and that all was given up to chance.

To guard us against this error the writer on the creation, from the very first words, enlightens our understanding with the name of God; "In the beginning God created". What a glorious order! He first establishes a beginning, so that it might not be supposed that the world never had a beginning. Then he adds "created" to show that which was made was a very small part of the power of the Creator. In the same way that the potter, after having made with equal pains a great number of vessels, has not exhausted either his art or his talent; thus the Maker of the Universe, whose creative power, far from being bounded by one world, could extend to the infinite, needed only the impulse of His will to bring the immensities of the visible world into being.

If then the world has a beginning, and if it has been created, enquire who gave it this beginning, and who was the Creator: or rather, in the fear that human reasonings may make you wander from the truth, Moses has anticipated enquiry by engraving in our hearts, as a seal and a safeguard, the awful name of God: "In the beginning God created" — It is He, beneficent Nature, Goodness without measure, a worthy object of love for all beings endowed with reason, the beauty the most to be desired, the origin of all that exists, the source of life, intellectual light, impenetrable wisdom, it is He who in the beginning created heaven and earth.

From the Hexaemeron, Ch. 1.

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Saint Anna's Chapel in Dumont, Colorado

Saint Anna's Chapel in Dumont, Colorado is on land in the Colorado mountains that was a private donation to the Greek Orthodox Church. They built the chapel around the natural rock fomation that you see in the photo. This mosaic is hand-created. It depicts the Grandmother of God with the Virgin Mary. Saint Anna's retreat was named after the benefactor, who bears the same name as the Grandmother of God. A sign at the chapel declares, "nothing is more sacred than motherhood."

This retreat is peaceful and the spirit of God is present. Besides the chapel, there are trails which lead to other sacred icons besides rippling streams. One can rest by the Virgin Mary icon to reflect, pray, and be still. All are welcome to visit. The retreat is located a mile west of Idaho Springs, Colorado. Exit at Dumont and go north on Old Mill Creek road for two miles.

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Elder Paisios: "The Church is Like a Ship"

The Church is like a ship.

One person is sleeping, while another is just hanging around.

The ship proceeds on its course.

Another person is struggling, fighting above with the waves.

All together they move forward.

It is enough that you are within the Church. For this reason see that you are at the services. Do not be absent.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Letter of the Archbishop of Athens on Taxation and Payroll of Clergy

Letter of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Ieronimos, regarding the issues of taxation of the Orthodox Church of Greece and of the payroll of Its clergy to Greek PM and the leaders of the EU

Prompted by repeated publications in a part of the European Press regarding the issues of taxation of the Orthodox Church of Greece and of the payroll of Its clergy, and whose authors, in violation of any notion of ethics, avoid addressing relevant questions to the competent Press Office for their complete information, we are obliged to proceed to the following clarifications in order to restore the truth:

A. Taxation of the Church. The latest tax exemptions in favour of the Orthodox Church as well as in favour of all known religions in Greece with no exception, were repealed on April 23, 2010 by law No. 3842/2010. Henceforth, the legal entities of the Orthodox Church have been disbursing : (1) a tax on their real estate, and indeed at a tax rate three times as high as the one applying to the rest of the public organisations of the country; (2) a tax on the rents they receive each year from their real estate at a tax rate of 20% of their value, namely higher than the one applying to private individuals; (3) a complementary tax on their revenues from edifices and leased lands at a rate of 3%; (4) an advance payment of tax for the following year at a rate of 55% of the value of the aforementioned complementary tax; (5) a tax on inheritance and donations at a rate of 0.5% of their value; (6) a stamp duty fee and Agricultural Insurance Organisation rights at a total rate of 2.40% on each pecuniary contribution from the faithful to the Holy Churches by reason of sacred practices. Moreover, the aforementioned legal entities of the Church withhold and pay to the Greek Government all taxes which private tax payers are also obliged to withhold and pay in their transactions with third parties (tax on salaried services, VAT etc.). In accordance with tax law, only spaces used for worship and public benefit purposes by all religions and denominations with no exception are exempted from the tax on real estate. Thus the Central Service of the Church of Greece, the Holy Metropolises, the Parishes, the Holy Monasteries and the Ecclesiastic Foundations paid for the year 2011 a total amount of 12,584,139.92€ in taxes.

B. The payroll of the clergy. The payroll of the clergy is disbursed by the Government in compliance with a contractual obligation of the latter, assumed by it as of the year 1833 vis-à-vis the Church, since 65% (i.e. two thirds) of the rural and urban real estate property of the Church at the time came to the State. Henceforth and up to this day 96% of the remaining aforementioned property has also come to the State — either unilaterally (through a number of laws passed by the Greek Government) or through donations offered by the Church. The largest mass land concessions by the Church to the State took place in order to assist the refugees of the Asia Minor Disaster (1922) as well as the landless cultivators after 1945. Furthermore, the most significant public edifices of the capital (housing academic institutions, hospitals etc.) have been erected on real estate conceded by the Church free of charge for this purpose.

Today the largest part of Church property consists of forest extents, with regard to which, in accordance with the Greek Constitution, no change of their purpose and use is permitted, and of a few urban estates, upon most of which urban planning compulsory purchase has been imposed by the State so that they may be turned into communal spaces, without, however, the Orthodox Church legal entities’ having been compensated for them, due to the lack of financial resources of the relevant Municipalities. It is worth noting at this point that the salaries of the Deacons and of the Presbyters of the Orthodox Church are stipulated by the same law as those of Public Servants and are subject to the same cuts and tax allowances.

C. The revenues of the Church. The revenues of the Church derive from the rents of Its remaining real estate, the dividends from bank shares and voluntary contributions from the faithful. It should be noted that, as of 2008, paying dividends to bank shareholders has been suspended by law, while the real estate market is also going through a severe crisis. Despite all that, in October 2010 the Church of Greece supported the Greek economy by partaking of the share capital increase of the National Bank of Greece with the amount of 27 million euro, derived from bank borrowing. Today these shares, apart from the fact that they yield no dividend, have almost zero resale value. It should be emphasised that the Church of Greece has no revenues from commercial ventures or business activities in general.

D. The social work of the Church. Ever since the establishment of the Modern Greek State and up to this day, uninterruptedly, and of course these days in particular, when our people is suffering, Holy Metropolises, Holy Parishes, and Ecclesiastic Foundations have developed a large number of actions and charitable initiatives for the relief of those in need. Today the Church of Greece operates: 2,325 funds for the poor (Philoptocha), 10 nursery schools, 10 kindergartens, 19 hospices for the elderly within the Holy Archdiocese of Athens and a further 66 in the Holy Metropolitanates, 13 healthcare clinics for persons with chronic diseases, 8 foundations for persons with special needs, 10 hospitals and medical centres, 7 mental health hospices, 6 hostels for the homeless, 1 hostel for the accommodation of patients’ relatives, 36 boarding schools and orphanages, many foundations dedicated to child protection, over 200 free food distribution centres, with the number of portions of food offered constantly increasing, social supermarkets, free distribution points for clothing and foot ware, and student boarding houses.

The number of persons hosted in all the aforementioned forms of social infrastructure of the Church for the year 2011 (accommodation, boarding, medical and pharmaceutical healthcare) rose to 5,862. Moreover, 54 camping centres are operated, where more than 15,000 children are hosted each year. Furthermore, there is a special service operated by the Holy Synod for the reception of immigrants and for the provision of legal assistance to them, should they wish to submit asylum requests. Finally, it should be taken into account that daily pecuniary aid is provided to the destitute, and academic scholarships are granted to Greek and foreign students. In total, for the year 2010, all agencies of the Orthodox Church of Greece spent on their charitable and social work the amount of 96,234,510.47 euro.

It should be taken into consideration that the aforementioned data do not regard the Monastic Community of the Holy Mount, the Church of Crete or the Holy Metropolitanates of the Dodecanese, which constitute administratively independent ecclesiastic jurisdictions (and distinct from the Church of Greece) in accordance with Greek law.

We deem the dispatch of the present to be appropriate so that things may be put back in their right perspective; so that the irresponsible reproduction of erroneous and stereotypical information as well as the creation of distorted impressions at the expense of the Orthodox Church of Greece may cease, being obviously aimed at serving unfathomable expediencies.

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The Myth of Only Seven Ecumenical Councils

By Fr. John Romanides

I. The cure of the sickness of religion and the Nine Roman Ecumenical Councils

and the General Church Councils since 1453.

1. Religion is a neurobiological sickness with a specific cure which has been handed down by the prophets and apostles of the Old and New Testaments and preserved by the Fathers of the Church whose tradition of cure was defended by the Nine Roman Ecumenical Councils. These Councils were convened by the Roman Emperor, beginning with Constantine the Great, in coordination with the Roman Patriarchates of Elder Rome, New Rome, Alexandria, Antioch and finally Jerusalem by 451. These Councils are (1) Nicea 325, (2) Constantinople 381, (3) Ephesus 431, (4) Chalcedon 451, (5) Constantinople 553, (6) Constantinople 680, (7) Nicea 786/7, (8) Constantinople 879 and (9) Constantinople 1341. We have here Eight Ecumenical Councils which were promulgated as Roman Law by the signature of the Emperor after their minutes had been signed by the Five Roman Patriarchates and their Metropolitans and bishops. Then we have the Ninth Ecumenical Council of 1341, whose minutes were signed by only Four Roman Patriarchates and countersigned by the Roman Emperor. Gone was now the Patriarchate of Elder Rome which had been forcefully captured by the Franks, Lombards, Germans and with the help of the Normans. This struggle began in intensity in 983 and was consummated in 1009-1046. After 1045 the Popes of Rome, except for Benedict X (1058-9), were no longer Romans, but members of the Franco-Latin nobility who enslaved the Roman population. At the time of the Revolution of 1789 the Gallo-Roman slave population of France was 85 % of the total.

2. The leadership of the Roman Empire had come to realize that religion is a sickness whose cure was the heart and core of the Christian tradition they had been persecuting. These astute Roman leaders changed their policy having realized that this cure should be accepted by as many Roman citizens as possible. Led by Constantine the Great, Roman leaders adopted this cure in exactly the same way that today’s governments adopt modern medicine in order to protect their citizens from quack doctors. But in this case what was probably as important as the cure was the possibility of enriching society with citizens who were replacing the morbid quest for happiness with the selfless love of glorification (theosis) dedicated to the common good.

3. The current idea among many Orthodox that an Ecumenical Council becomes finally official when it is recognized by a subsequent Ecumenical Council has no basis in Roman Law. Each such Council became Roman law the moment when its minutes were signed on the spot by the participating Patriarchal and Metropolitan Synods and countersigned by the Emperor himself. Heretics and their heresies were condemned on the spot and not at a subsequent Ecumenical Council. Their Creeds and Horoi became Roman law on the spot. The Creed of 381 became the Orthodox Creed on the spot in 381 and not in 431 which simply repeated the Creed of 381 as did each subsequent Ecumenical Council.

4. The Emperor convened these Ecumenical Councils in conjunction with the Five Roman Patriarchates of a) Elder Rome, b) Constantinople New Rome, c) Alexandria, d) Antioch to which e) Jerusalem was added in 451. But between 1009 and 1046 the Franco-Germans created a serious crisis in this Roman tradition when they captured and took over the Patriarchate of Elder Rome during a struggle which began in 983 and was consummated in 1009. The Patriarchate of Constantinople New Rome was obliged to take the place of Elder Rome in the order of "Seniority of Honor" which she held legally anyway since 451 "equally with and after Rome," having become New Rome in 330.

5. There are no primacies nor primates according to Roman Orthodox Canon Law, but only bishops with "Seniority of Honor" since all bishops are doctrinally equal. The Franco-Latin and Protestant translations of "Seniority of honor" by "primacy of honor" is theirs, not ours.

II. Charlemagne condemned the Roman Empire as heretical and Greek in 794 and 809. His so-called Greek Empire was made over into a Byzantine Empire by the British, French and Russian Empires as part of their plans for Balkanization of the European part of the Ottoman Empire still being called ‘The Land of the Romans’ i.e. Roumeli.

6. Charlemagne condemned the Romans as heretics on the question of Icons and as "Greeks" (the latter meaning pagan at the time) at his Council of Frankfurt in 794, indeed in the presence of the legates of Pope Hadrian the staunch supporter of the Seventh Ecumenical Council on Icons. Charlemagne repeated his condemnation of the Romans, now being called "Greeks," and still meaning pagan since 794, at his Council of Aachen in 809. Believe it or not, this illiterate barbarian had the gall to condemn the Romans as heretics for refusing to accept his Filioque which he had added to the Roman Creed which had been composed at the Roman Second Ecumenical Council by some of the greatest Fathers of the Church in 381. At the time Charlemagne’s so-called specialists knew not one Father of an Ecumenical Council. They knew only the writings of Augustine who had never studied a Father of an Ecumenical Council. However, the Filioque of Augustine, like that of Ambrose, is in any case Orthodox. But it cannot be used in the specific creed of 381 because there the term ‘procession’ means the hypostatic individuality of the Holy Spirit, whereas in the West Roman Orthodox Filioque ‘procession’ of the Holy Spirit from the Father and Son means ‘communion’ of the uncreated common essence. In the Creed of 381 the term ‘procession’ means only ‘hypostatic individuality.’

III. Roman Orthodoxy after 1453

7. After the Roman Emperor and Empire fell in 1453 the Four Roman Patriarchates of Constantinople New Rome, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem continued to convene Church Councils which continued the tradition of the Ecumenical Councils. The only reason why these Councils are not called "Ecumenical" is simply that this title means "Imperial" since the decisions of these Ecumenical Councils became part of Roman Law. In other words the decisions of the Roman Councils after 1453 are part of Church Law, but no longer part of Imperial law. There was no longer a Roman Empire and Roman Emperor to enact Roman law. So these Nine Ecumenical Councils are at the same time both Church Law and Roman Law. The Councils convened after 1453 are part of Church Law and with no less authority than Ecumenical Councils, except in the imagination of modern Orthodox misled by the Russian Orthodoxy of Peter the Great.

8. So there are now Orthodox who even called themselves the Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. Most Orthodox are in a state of limbo about the Eighth and Ninth Ecumenical Councils. The Eighth Ecumenical Council of 879 simply condemned those who either "add to" or "subtract from" the Creed of 381 and also those who have not yet accepted the teaching of the Seventh Ecumenical Council about Icons. The Franks condemned were not mentioned at the time in order to allow them to reconsider.

9. The Ninth Ecumenical Council of 1341 condemned the Platonic mysticism of Barlaam the Calabrian who had come from the West as a convert to Orthodoxy. Of course the rejection of a Platonic type of mysticism was traditional practice for the Fathers. But what the Fathers of this Council were completely shocked at was Barlaam’s claim that God reveals His will by bringing into existence creatures to be seen and heard and which He passes back into non existence after His revelation has been received. One of these supposed creatures was the Angel of the Lord Himself Who appeared to Moses in the burning bush. For the Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils this Angel is the uncreated Logos Himself. This unbelievable nonsense of Barlaam turned out to be that of Augustine himself (see e.g. his De Tinitate, Books A and B) and of the whole Franco-Latin tradition till today.

10. The legal acts of Ecumenical Councils were taken within the context that religion is a sickness with a specific cure. The political aspect of the decisions of Church Councils can be compared to what modern states are doing with medical science and related fields. Within such a context heretics are to be compared with quack doctors who promise cure but do not produce. From this perspective heretics are simply quack doctors. The reason that Catholics and Protestants do not understand this Roman tradition is that they are quack doctors themselves like most Orthodox today. For these three groups heresies are supposedly teachings which are not biblical simply because they do not agree with their prevailing Augustinian understanding of Scripture and Tradition. Unfortunately this is true about many, if not most, Orthodox so-called Biblical scholars today.

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The Incorrupt Relics of Fr. Ilie Lacatusu (+ 1983)

Fr. Ilie Lacatusu (†1983) was born on December 8, 1909 in the village of Crapaturile, Valcea, Romania. He was the second child of seven in his family. They were simple country people, but had strong faith in God. His father was a Church singer, and this fact played an vital role in bringing the future Fr. Ilie closer to the Church, while he was still in his early years. Following his conscience, after he finished school, he went to the "St. Nicholas" Theological Seminary, from which he graduated with Honors (1923-1930). He then enrolled in the Bucharest Theological Faculty (1930-1934).

On July 5, 1931 he married Ekaterina Popescu, a Romanian teacher. He was ordained priest in September 1934, serving in the Osica de Jos parish, of the Caracal district, and then in the village of Buicesti, Valcea.

For the years to come the life of Fr. Ilie would flow quietly, as he took care of his family. Together with his wife, they had 5 children.

In 1952 a wave of communist arrests among the priests sent Fr. Ilie to a forced labor camp, at one of the biggest Romanian construction projects at that time. Within a year, because of the deterioration in his health, he was moved to Targu-Ocna. We must say that compared with the Pitesti jail where there were many victims among the prisoners, the religious life in the Targu-Ocna jail reached high levels of spiritual enrichment. This was due to the extreme sufferings and the difficult, harsh and oppressive times in the communist jail. But for the strong ones, these conditions were good for prayer, good for getting themselves closer to God. During this time, Fr. Ilie also helped the other prisoners - this would be a period of intense spiritual enrichment for him.

He was released in 1954, but in 1959 the communist persecution apprehended him once again and sent him to another forced labor camp, this time to the Periprava camp. His health continued to deteriorate. During the 1959-1964 period he was forced to stay in Bolintin, where he was obliged to work as a brick mason. He would serve the Holy Liturgy again in 1965 in the villages of Gardesti, Teleorman and Rasuceni, Ilfov. Retiring in 1978, he said later that if he did not die by July 22 in 1983 then he would live another two years. However he reposed on July 22, 1983 exactly, after asking his loved ones to bury his wife next to him in the cemetery, if she passes away 15 years later. And indeed, 15 years later his wife would pass away!

It was September 22, 1998 when the grave of Fr. Ilie was opened and his body was to be found incorrupt, with the scent of myrrh permeating the area. The news quickly spread throughout the region and many came to venerate his holy relics, both faithful and clergy, and all await the day of his official canonization.

Fr. Ilia's incorrupt relics rest today in the Chapel of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Giuleşti, Bucharest.

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Holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb

Saints Boris and Gleb (Feast Day - May 2 and July 24)

Boris and Gleb were the younger and much beloved sons of Grand Prince Vladimir, the ruler of Kievan Rus, who in 988 brought his subjects to the waters of Holy Baptism. The two brothers were also baptized at which time they received the Christian names Romanus and David. The older of the two, Boris, was very gifted and learned to read and write. He shared with his brother his knowledge of the Scriptures and the lives of the Saints whom they both strove to emulate. Indeed, by the time they came of age to rule their respective patrimonies, the territories of Ryazan and Murom, they had already cultivated in their hearts Christian virtues of mercy, compassion and kindness, traits still rare in a land freshly converted from barbarous paganism.

Boris was particularly esteemed among the people and the soldiery. His popularity provoked bitter jealousy in his eldest brother Svyatopolk (known to history as "the Accursed") who scorned the laws of the newly adopted Christian religion, so dear to his younger brothers, in favor of satisfying his unbridled ambition. He saw Boris as a rival for the position of Grand Prince, and when Vladimir died Svyatopolk wasted no time in plotting his brother's murder.

Boris had been sent by his father to fend off an anticipated raid by the Pechenegs. He was returning to Kiev when he was met by emissaries sent by Svyatopolk, from whom he learned of his father' s death and his brother' s self-willed accession to the throne. The latter, knowing that the people would rather have Boris as ruler and desiring to forestall any opposition that this news might stir up, bade his messengers assure Boris of his fraternal goodwill and his intent to increase Boris' domain.

Boris was well aware of his brother's long-standing hatred for him and recognized in this message the kiss of Judas. The young prince knew that his life was threatened. His immediate concern, however, was not the adoption of some military strategy--whether offensive or defensive--but how to act in such circumstances as befits a Christian. Reflecting upon the words of the Gospel: "If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar," and "Love thine enemies," he firmly rejected the advice of his father's retainers who urged Boris to oust the unpopular Svyatopolk, pledging their support to such a plan, "Be it not for me," he replied, "to raise my hand against my brother. Now that my father has passed away, let him take the place of my father in my heart."

Knowing that armed resistance would only provoke needless bloodshed, Boris sent away his soldiers and remained alone where they had encamped on the bank of the Alta, together with a few servants, it was Saturday evening and he retired to his tent to recite the vigil service. As he read the Six Psalms, the cry of the Psalmist echoed in his heart: "O Lord, why are they multiplied that afflict me, Many rise up against me..." (Ps. 3:1). Informed that his murderers were approaching, the Prince turned to an icon of the Saviour and prayed beseechingly: "Lord Jesus Christ, Thou didst accept Thy Passion on account of our sins; grant me al so the strength to accept my passion. I receive it not from my enemies but from my brother, Lord, lay not this sin to his charge."

As the murderers burst into the tent, Boris' faithful servant George, a young Hungarian, placed himself between the prince and his attackers in an attempt to save his master's life. The servant was killed at once, while the Prince, grievously wounded by the thrust of a lance, was bound up in the tent canvas and taken on a cart to Kiev. But he never reached the city. When Svyatopolk learned that his brother was still alive, he sent two Varangians to consummate the bloody deed, which was accomplished when one of them plunged his sword into Boris' heart.

Svyatopolk's next victim was Gleb. He sent word to the guileless prince that his father was very ill and was calling for him. Always obedient to his father, Gleb set off at once with a small retinue. Near Smolensk, where his route took him by boat down the river Smyadyn, he was met by emissaries from his brother Yaropolk bearing a letter of warning from their sister Predislava: "Do not come,' she wrote. "Your father has died and Svyatopolk has killed your brother."

But the warning had come too late. The murderers hired by Svyatopolk caught up with Gleb on the river. He knew that he alone was the object of the pursuit and, like his brother, Gleb urged his company not to offer armed resistance, as they were outnumbered and all would perish. After a momentary weakness in which he begged his assassins to spare his young life, he calmly accepted his fate in the understanding that the voluntary suffering of the innocent is a direct imitation of Christ. Gleb was killed by his own cook who, terrified into compliance by Svyatopolk's henchmen, seized the headof the young prince and cut his throat. His body was thrown onto the shore and covered with brush.

Five years later, when Yaroslav finally succeeded in overthrowing the treacherous Svyatopolk, the bodies of the two royal martyrs, discovered to be incorrupt, were laid to rest together in the church of St. Basil in Vyshgorod, Yaroslav' s residence near Kiev. Their tomb immediately became a place of pilgrimage, and the many miracles which took place before their relics persuaded Church authorities to consent to Yaroslav's request and canonize the two brother-princes.

Although Boris and Glob were not martyred for their faith (they are properly called 'passion-bearers' rather than martyrs), their voluntary and meek sacrifice for the sake of averting the suffering of others and preserving the Christian ideal, had a profound effect on the subsequent development of Christianity in Russia. Whereas in Byzantine Christianity God was often depicted as Pantocrator--stern and all-powerful, in Russia the emphasis was on Christ as the sacrificial Lamb Who 'opened not his mouth before his shearer'. Russian piety came to be characterized by a tender humility and an acceptance of suffering following the example of Christ. In this century Russia's New Martyrs offer a supreme testimony to the enduring influence of this otherworldly orientation which that country first witnessed in the exploit of the two youthful brother princes and passion-bearers, Boris and Gleb.

Apolytikion in the Second Tone

Righteous passion-bearers and true fulfillers of the Gospel of Christ, chaste Boris and guileless Gleb, you did not resist the attacks of your brother, the enemy, when he killed your bodies but could not touch your souls. Therefore, let the evil lover of power mourn while you rejoice with the angels standing before the Holy Trinity. Pray that those who honor your memory may be pleasing to God, and that all Orthodox Christians may be saved.

Kontakion in the Third Tone

Today your most glorious memory shines forth, noble participants in the passion of Christ, holy Boris and Gleb, for you call us together to sing praises to Christ our God! Praying to Him before your sacred images, we receive the gift of healing by your prayers, for you are indeed divine healers.

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The Mystery and the Process of Death

An interview with Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios by Pavel Chirila, Professor and Doctor at St Irene’s Hospital in Bucharest (Romania).

1. Question: Tell us something about death, something that comes spontaneously to you, something you consider extremely important.

Answer: What comes spontaneously to mind is that death is a terrible mystery, as we chant in the Funeral Service, which is a poem by St. John Damascene. This is related to the fact that the soul is violently detached from the harmony of its union with the body. It is also a sad event, because it is related to man’s corruptibility and mortality which is manifested in all life.

In addition, it brings to my memory the Service of the Resurrection of Christ, which we Orthodox celebrate with splendour. We hold lit candles in our hands and sing triumphantly the hymn of victory: “Christ is risen from the dead, by death He has trampled down death, and on those in the tombs He has bestowed life”. This beautiful image shows our attitude towards life and death. We are corruptible and mortal, but we possess the “medicine of immortality”, which is the resurrected Christ. Employing modern terminology, we may say that by the incarnation of the Son and the union of humanity with the divine nature in the person of the Logos, a “spiritual cloning” has taken place, our mortal nature has been united with the life of God. This is why death has changed its name and is now called "dormition" (falling asteep) and the places where the departed ones are buried are called "cemeteries" (“dormitories” in Greek, where people sleep), not burial grounds.

So, when I see people holding a lit candle and chanting “Christ is Risen” on the night of the Resurrection of Christ, I understand better that we should regard death as a process of passing from the “land of Egypt” to the “land of Promise”, from death to life, which takes place in Christ, and as a hope for our resurrection which again takes place in Christ. It would be very fortunate if we were to anticipate death in this position, holding the candle of the Resurrection and chanting “Christ is Risen”. After all, we are “ strangers and pilgrims” in this life; our true country is elsewhere. I am always impressed by the words of St. Nicholas Cabasilas (14th century), that while we live here on earth we are like an embryo in our mother’s womb, and at the moment of death we are born, we get out of that womb. This is why in the Orthodox Church the saints are celebrated on the day of their dormition or their martyrdom, not on the day of their physical birth.

2. Question: We understand from Holy Scripture that there are two kinds of fear: a holy fear, which is fear of God and the beginning of wisdom according to the psalmist, and another kind of fear inspired by demons, which is pathological fear. To what category does the fear of death belong?

Answer: Indeed, there is a fear of God which is an energy of the grace of God and the beginning of salvation, that is, man fears/respects God and starts obeying His commandments, and there is a fear inspired by demons which causes anxiety and anguish. However, besides these two fears there is also another fear, so-called psychological fear, which is related to a person’s insecurity and emotional inadequacy.

The fear of death means something different for each person. For secular and atheist people it is related to the course to “nothingness”, that is, they think that they leave the only existing world and end up in the nothingness of non-existence. This is something that does not exist for us Orthodox. For Christians, the fear of death is related to the soul’s departure from the world they know, their friends and relatives, and its entry into another world they do not know yet. They do not know how they are going to live, what will happen with God’s judgment which follows death. This is why hope and proper preparation is needed.

Of course, those Christians who have reached the illumination of the nous and deification and have been united with Christ transcend the fear of death, as exemplified by the life of the Apostles, the Martyrs and in general the Saints of the Church. In reading the Synaxaria we see phrases like: “On this day saint (so and so) is perfected in peace” or “is perfected by the sword”, etc. It has to be underlined that in Greek the verb “teleioutai” means “is perfected”, is led to perfection, and differs from the verb “teleionei”, which means “ceases to exist”. We may also say that the life of the senses (“vios”) is terminated by death, while life (“zoe”) is perfected but not terminated.

What is important is that, with the spiritual life we live, we should defeat the fear of death and feel death as a path towards an encounter with Christ, the Panagia and the saints.

3. Question: We know from the Holy Tradition that at a person’s death angels, saints as well as demons are present. What can you tell us about this?

Answer: From the teaching of Christ and the whole tradition of the Church we know that both angels and demons exist, and they are not personifications of good or evil, but individual beings created by God. Demons were angels who lost communion with God. Many saints proved worthy to see angels, as well as demons of temptation, while in this life.

According to the teaching of our Fathers, angels and saints, often even Christ and the Panagia, appear to those about to die in order to support them, to strengthen them to avoid the fear caused by death. The demons also appear, especially when they are able to influence certain people because of their passions, and they demand power over their souls. We are reminded of this in the prayer to the Panagia in the service of the Compline (“Apodeipnon”): “At the hour of my death, care for my miserable soul and drive the dark faces of evil spirits far from it”.

From the teaching of the Church it is well known that each person has a “guardian angel” protecting him, and this is why there is a special prayer to the guardian angel in the service of the Apodeipnon. Fr. Paisios, a monk on the Holy Mountain, used to tell me that he would often see his guardian angel beside him and embrace him. He used to say that we must strive to reach salvation, so that our guardian angel, who has been to so many pains to protect us and help us in our life, may not go empty-handed to God, if we are not saved due to our indifference.

I remember with emotion that my father, when he entered the church, would go to the northern gate of the Holy Altar and kiss the icon of Archangel Michael and ask him to receive his soul in due time, when he had repented, protect it from evil demons, and lead it to God. Perhaps this prayer, among everything else, helped him have a good dormition and a happy, smiling face in the coffin.

4. Question: We read in Holy Scripture that mercy has exceeded judgment. Does this mean that almsgiving absolves a multitude of sins?

Answer: We have to see what mercy means. In reality, mercy is the feeling of divine grace, the love of God. When we pray saying “Lord have mercy”, we ask God’s mercy, God’s grace. He who experiences divine grace is generous to his brothers with all sorts of charity, expressed by prayer, theological words, material contributions, and thus puts into practice the beatitude “blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). In this sense it can be said that the feeling of God’s mercy and almsgiving transcends judgment.

He who has been transformed spiritually and has been united with God does not fear judgment, for what Christ said applies to him: “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears My message and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).

According to the teaching of the Fathers of the Church, there are three judgments. The first occurs throughout our life , when we are faced with the dilemma of whether to follow the will of God or to reject it, when we have to choose between a good and an evil thought. The second judgment takes place when the soul exits the body, according to St. Paul’s words “people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The third and final judgment will be at the Second Coming of Christ. The first judgment is important.

St. Symeon the New Theologian says that, when a person is united with Christ in this life and sees the Uncreated Light, then the judgment has already taken place for him and he does not wait for it at the Second Coming of Christ. This reminds us of the words of Christ I mentioned above.

At this point I would like to repeat the saying by St. Basil the Great and other Fathers of the Church that there are three categories of those who are saved, that is, the slaves who follow the will of God in order to avoid hell, the wage-earners who struggle to earn Paradise as a reward, and the sons who obey God’s will out of love for God. So, throughout our life we must advance spiritually and pass from the state of the slave to the state of the wage-earner and from there to the mentality of the son. This means to pass from fear and recompense to love. To love Christ, because He is our father, our mother, our friend, our brother, our bridegroom and our bride. This way we transcend the judgment.

5. Question: Tell us something about sudden death.

Answer: The assessment of sudden death depends on each one’s viewpoint. For secular people, sudden death is good, accepted and desirable, because they will not suffer and they will not be tormented by illnesses and old age. For believing Christians, though, sudden death is bad, because they are not given the possibility to prepare better for their encounter with Christ and the heavenly Church. When someone visits a high-ranking official, he prepares accordingly. We should do the same with respect to our encounter with Christ.

Preparation, by repentance, is essential. This is why Father Paisios of everlasting memory used to say that cancer is a saintly illness because it has filled Paradise with saints, meaning that a long illness prepares people with prayer and repentance. According to the teaching of St. Maximus the Confessor, pain cures pleasure.

In any case, death is the most certain event. We see it around us, everything dies, all living creatures, our friends, our relatives. What is not certain and is unknown to us is the hour of death, when death will come. It may happen while sleeping, while walking, while travelling, while working, while entertaining ourselves, etc. This is why we should pray to God daily, as the Church does: “For the completion of our lives in peace and repentance, let us ask the Lord” and “For a Christian end to our lives, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good account before the awesome judgment seat of Christ, let us ask the Lord”.

In the teaching of the holy Fathers we come across the truth that one of the greatest gifts a person can have is the daily “memory of death”. When this is maintained with the grace of God it leads man not to despair, hopelessness, or psychological fear, but to inspiration, to prayer, creativity, even in human affairs, because he tries to finish his tasks and prepare properly. When we live each day as if it were the last day in our life, then even sudden death will find us ready.

6. Question: Which is the correct expression: "the hour of death" or "the moment of death"?

Answer: This depends on how one interprets the words “hour” and “moment”. In speech we often use the word “hour” meaning the moment. But I understand that your question refers to whether death is a process or a moment.

What can be said is that there is a process of death, that is, long illnesses lead man gradually to death, but the separation of soul and body takes place at a specific moment by the will of God.

This moment is important, because man’s mode of existence changes and we cannot know how it will be from then on. We know the state where the soul is attached to our body, which communicates with the creation through the senses. We do not know by experience what is going to happen then and how we will be. At present we usually see the world created by God, people, friends, the beauty of earth, not angels and demons. Then, however, the soul will not see through the senses of the body but will see what is presently invisible. This is why the saints want to be conscious and pray during the process of death, in order to leave this world with prayer and to have the strength and grace of God accompanying them.

We have to say that the privilege of being able to pray during these hours and receive communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, in order to be surrounded by the grace of God when the soul leaves the body, is eliminated in our days with so-called life support eguipment in Intensive Care Units. From a Christian viewpoint, the hour and moment of death requires an appropriate preparation, that is, Confession, Holy Communion, Holy Unction, prayer by family and friends, our own prayer. However, in Intensive Care Units it is impossible to such an ecclesial-pastoral ministry. Thus, because of existing modern techniques and drugs, in our days more and more people die not being conscious of what goes on at that hour and moment. This is an important problem. Modern medical methods pose a dilemma: “Prolongation of life or obstruction of death?”. With everything that is offered by medical science the question is: is our life prolonged so that we repent and devote it to God or is death obstructed, which creates a lot of pain, physical and existential?

In any case, it is a great blessing from God for someone to die surrounded by his beloved ones who pray and, above all, to die living in the Church, with Holy Communion, prayer, the blessing of his Spiritual Father, the grace of God and the prayers of the saints. Our permanent wish should be a death like the one depicted in the icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos, with her in the middle surrounded by the love of Christ, the Apostles, the Hierarchs.

7. Question: Some people die unexpectedly. Is it true that God takes someone when his probability of salvation is at the maximum?

Answer: We Christians absolutely believe that we have been created by the God of love and that God directs our life, He gives life to us and He takes it when He considers it to be the right moment. We also know that God loves man whom He created and wants his salvation. Therefore, it is certain that God allows each man’s death to occur at the most appropriate moment.

Of course, God’s love does not abolish the freedom of man. Man has the ability to act positively or negatively, to respond to the love of God or to reject Him.

Since you said that some people die unexpectedly, I would like to remind you, that we should remember death continuously, we should not feel that we are going to live eternally on earth, because this is a spiritual sickness. There is an alternation between life and death, similar to the alternation between day and night. Modern molecular biology stresses that death is inextricably linked with life, because among the genes there are the genes of aging, which are found in the mitochondria. So, from the moment of our conception, death exists in the DNA, and we see death in our body with the death of cells and, generally, with aging, the passing of years, wrinkles, illnesses, everything which theologically is called corruptibility and mortality. We should not be myopic and behave like an ostrich.

In this process we should know that God did not create us to die, that death is a consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve, and that God loves us and cares for us. He is our affectionate father. It is not correct on the one hand to pray with the “Lord’s Prayer”, the well-known “Our Father”, and call God “Father”, and on the other hand to live as orphans.

8. Question: The Orthodox faith attaches particular importance to repentance. We thank you Lord for giving repentance to us. Can repentance at the time of death be so great that a man is saved, even though he is burdened by great sins?

Answer: In our Orthodox Tradition it is known that sin is not somethimg moralistic, it is ontologically something, namely, the course from life according to nature to life contrary to nature. Thus, repentance is man’s return from life contrary to nature to life according to nature. With sin man lost his communion with God, with his brother and with the creation. With repentance he acquires this communion once again. So, repentance is associated with a progression in man’s liberation from everything enslaving him. The Fathers described this progression in three words: purification, illumination, deification, and this is what is called therapy. This happens throughout life. Therefore, salvation is related to therapy. The physician of the body examines us, makes a diagnosis and recommends an appropriate therapeutic method which we should apply. The same holds true for the illness of the soul.

A confession at the time of death opens for man the way to salvation. If he did not have time to be cured spiritually, then the Church with its prayers helps man to salvation, bearing in mind that perfection is endless, it is a dynamic not a static state.

Throughout our life we must have this “spirit of repentance”. We should consider how we were created by God and the point we have reached because of sin. If we read carefully the book of Genesis, according to the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, and see how Adam and Eve lived and what they became afterwards because of sin, then repentance will develop inside us.

So, someone who has the “spirit” of repentance throughout his life feels this repentance at the hour of death, and actually he feels it to a great degree. On the contrary, when he lives his life without repentance it is difficult to show repentance at the last moment.

My Geronda, of everlasting memory, the Metropolitan of Edessa Kallinikos, lived continuously with the memory of death. When he was told by the doctors that he has a tumor in the brain, he confessed right away, he wrote his will, he prayed and had absolute faith in God, saying: “Perhaps God said to me 'stop'. I don’t need you any more”. He would pray continuously saying “your will be done”. He gave himself up to God and had a peaceful and saintly end, similar to his whole life.

Therefore, even though there is a possibility for someone who had some spark of love for God in him to repent at the hour of death, we should repent when we are healthy, so as to have the ability to be cured, that is, to proceed from self-love to the love of God and love of men, to reach selfless love out of selfish love.

9. Question: After man’s death, what are the links between the soul and this world?

Answer: Although the soul is separated from the body, man’s hypostasis still exists. As we see in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the rich man is conscious of his state, of his relatives who are still alive, and he cares for them. Thus, after death, men care for their beloved ones and ask God for their salvation. All our prayers to the saints are based on this truth. Of course, this link between the soul and living persons is spiritual, not material.

In the book of the Revelation of St. John which describes the celestial Divine Liturgy, one can see these relations of the saints with us and their prayer for all people living on earth. This is why our Fathers depicted in the Divine Liturgy this uncreated Divine Liturgy which takes place in the Heavens, in the uncreated Temple. In the Divine Liturgy we live the atmosphere of the heavenly Liturgy and we anticipate it.

We ourselves often feel the love and protection of the saints, as well as of those close to us who have departed from this world, and wish to meet them. A spiritual child of mine was very happy at the hour of death, because, as she said, she would meet this heavenly Church.

Therefore, the soul continues to live after its exit from the body, it is not led to non-existence. If a person lived in repentance during his life, then his soul after exiting the body will enter this heavenly Divine Liturgy and will pray, like a spiritual priest, for the whole world, and will wait for the resurrection of the body. Then the soul will enter the body so that the body too participates in this heavenly Pascha celebration.

10. Question: What advice should we give to those close to us regarding our attitude to a person about to die on the day, or at the hour or at the moment of death?

Answer: The process of death is very important for each man, because in front of him is the road to salvation or the road to eternal perdition. Unfortunately, in these circumstances, many people look only after the physical health of their relatives and friends without regard for their eternal course. This is why we should take care that a person who is about to die confesses, receives Holy Communion, receives the grace of God through the Sacrament of Unction and does everything that our Church has available. In particular, we should live the last moments of the life of our beloved one in prayer. We should consider not simply that we are losing our relative, our friend, but that he is moving from one way of existence (with body and senses) to a different way of existence, without body. So, intense prayer is what is needed at that time.

I remember the last moments of my Geronda, I was beside his bed and could not offer anything else; I just prayed to God for his soul to be received by angels. An aunt of mine who was present thought that I was sad, as I concentrated and prayed. But I was just praying, because that moment is holy and crucial.

Overall, we must experience daily, as St. John Chrysostom says, that the present life is an “inn”. We entered this inn, we live, but we must take care to depart in good hope, without leaving anything here in order not to lose what is there. Furthermore, all of us Christians should realize that death has been defeated by the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ, that communion with Christ is a continuous transcendence of death and of the fear of death, that the exit of the soul from the body is a course towards the heavenly Church and the encounter with Christ, the Panagia and the saints, that the soul will return to the body, and the body will be resurrected and live eternally, according to the way it lived on this earth.

St. Maximus the Confessor writes that from the moment of death, and especially after the Last Judgment, there are two possibilities: those who are in communion with Christ will live in “eternal well-being” and the rest in “eternal woeful being”. So, everyone will enjoy "eternal being". The difference is between “well” and “woeful”.

Therefore, our advice to the relatives and friends of those about to die is to have faith in Christ and confidence that we are not just citizens of this world, but we are travellers guided to our true country, which is heaven. Our citizenship is above in heaven. The desire for the heavenly land should overwhelm us.

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