Some Thoughts About the Current Situation

in the Orthodox Church and in the World 

By Father Kosmas

2021

PART ONE: Conspiracy Theories in the World

Conspiracy Theories in the World that Later Turned Out to be True

We have all probably seen, at one time or another, articles and videos which present us with information that may have seemed to be based on fantasy or paranoia, or simply on misinformation. Without any investigation, this information was probably dismissed as “just another conspiracy theory” by those crazy “conspiracy theorists”. However, each person has the responsibility to themselves and their family not to easily dismiss such “theories,” but to investigate whether there is any truth in what is being circulated. This can only be done when people have access to uncensored information.

Considering the events taking place in the world in the last year or so, it is becoming apparent that some of these past and current so-called conspiracy theories are proving to be true. Although we do not agree with all of the content on the website Winter Watch, they have put together 20 “conspiracy theories” now widely accepted as fact. We encourage the faithful to investigate these theories
for themselves.

What is Meant by the Terms “Conspiracy Theory” and “Conspiracy Theorist”?

At this point, I think it is important that everyone understands what is meant by “conspiracy theory” and “conspiracy theorists”. Many Orthodox Christians would benefit from a more detailed explanation.

Conspiracy theory can mean one of two things. Firstly, it can refer to an event or situation that is believed to be part of a secret plan, usually by powerful people or groups. The secret plan is always illegal and often designed to do harm to people. Secondly, conspiracy theory can also refer to how those in power use this term to suggest that their secret plan does not exist and that those who believe it does exist – that is, conspiracy theorists – are crazy, deceived, misled, ignorant, of low intelligence, or have a personal agenda, etc.

It should also be noted here that not all theories about secret, illegal or harmful plans are true, as many can be based on bad research, lack of evidence or unstable minds; and yet the point to consider for our particular purpose is that conspiracy theories might also be true; and this will be demonstrated below. Throughout this talk, people are asked to keep in mind that where “conspiracy theory” and “conspiracy theorist” are used from hereon, it is generally done so to refer to the damaging labels placed on ideas and people by those in positions of power. These labels can be highly effective when used as a powerful weapon to silence anyone who is truly exposing corruption.

Now that we have a better understanding of what is meant by conspiracy theory and conspiracy theorists, we can proceed with the rest of the talk.

Who is Using the Label “Conspiracy Theorist” and Why?

What we need to know is that those who do not want the truth to be exposed will do whatever they can to stop this. Therefore, should any doctor, scientist, health care worker, academic, government worker, journalist, investigator, politician, military staffer etc. try to tell others the truth, those in power must keep them silent, and the most effective way is to discredit them by dismissing and labelling them as conspiracy theorists. Western civilisation prides itself on free speech and encourages the free exchange of ideas and a free press; however, when it comes to the corrupt being exposed, then suddenly those who are exercising these freedoms are labelled as “deceived,” “enemies of democracy,” “conspiracy theorists,” “the lunatic fringe” - to name only a few – as the list of insulting labels grows daily.

Opposition to the COVID-19 Mainstream Narrative: The Latest “Conspiracy Theory”

A growing number of people today do not believe the mainstream narrative regarding COVID-19. As such, an enormous amount of information is circulating, claiming that the COVID-19 crisis was planned for evil purposes, including population control through sterilization and death, globalization, New World Order, etc. This has resulted in people not only being censored and labelled as conspiracy theorists – or to use the latest label, “spreaders of fake news” - but also in an all-out persecution against anyone who dares to speak out against governments who are attempting to mandate vaccines and strip their citizens of their human rights and freedoms. For example, some doctors, scientists, government workers, etc., who were held in high esteem before COVID-19, have now lost their jobs and their credibility, and have even been banned from television interviews, de-platformed from social media, and prohibited from publishing their valuable articles in medical journals, all because they dared to expose what is turning out to be, as many are now saying, the worst evil ever perpetrated on the world.

As such, certain videos and articles have been added to our website that we would never have uploaded previously, out of fear of being labelled spreaders of conspiracy theories. However, the current situation in the world has forced us to openly denounce this evil, for the sake of our fellow Orthodox Christians.

In the past, we all might have mocked or disbelieved those who spoke of world domination, population control, mandatory vaccines, the restriction of movement, digital IDs, total government surveillance, microchips, censorship etc., and yet when we now consider the nightmare that is unfolding before our eyes, we may not be so quick to judge those who have warned us. 

How Can a “Conspiracy Theory” make People Sick and Die?

In the past, when something was labelled a conspiracy theory, the truth was not always clear, and for this reason, it sometimes took many years before a conspiracy theory was accepted as fact. This is not the case with the current “conspiracy theory” that COVID-19 vaccines are causing people to become sick and even die in great numbers. Unlike other conspiracy theories, this particular one has caused many renowned and eminent doctors and health professionals to speak out and confirm the dangerous truth regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. This can be verified by looking at Section Two of our Videos & Articles webpage.

The fact that governments, the mainstream media, the medical establishment, the World Health Organisation, CDC, GAVI, NIH, FDA, etc. persist in calling this a conspiracy theory, despite it obviously being a fact, only demonstrates that these people have a demonic plan that they are determined to carry out, having allowed themselves to become instruments of the evil spirits. But, these deluded people do not understand that God has permitted them, for a time, to do what they are doing because of our sins and He can destroy their plans with one nod. And God will do so when the people of the world offer Him their repentance. But what will move God the most, will be the repentance of Orthodox Christians who have been given the truth and have rejected it. (This will be covered later.)

PART TWO: Conspiracy Theories in the Church 

Our Orthodox Saints and Holy Elders were also Called all Kinds of Names

If calling people of the world (who are trying to expose the truth) conspiracy theorists is not bad enough, what is worse is that our own Orthodox saints and holy elders have been, and still are, disdained, persecuted and called all kinds of names - including conspiracy theorists, backward, ignorant, deceived, crazy, fanatical or the lunatic fringe - when they have spoken up against heresies, immoralities, corrupt governments and, in general, all evil. We read about this throughout the lives of saints, and what is terrible, is when this is committed by Orthodox bishops, priests, and monastics.

Who Labelled Saint Paisios the Athonite a Conspiracy Theorist?

St. Paisios the Athonite was one of many such Orthodox who voiced numerous concerns about matters like this and several examples of his warnings can be found in various books. It is interesting to note that, even during the saint’s lifetime, there were those - including some fellow Athonites, bishops, priests and monastics in Greece - who believed that the saint was too focused on conspiracy theories and should not have been spreading them far and wide. Some of these people even believed that the elder, though spiritual, lacked the proper theological qualifications to express anything publicly at all. In other words, the saint’s foreknowledge of coming dangers was somewhat mocked and dismissed as the misguided beliefs of a simple monk, or even of a conspiracy theorist. Yet, we have arrived at a time that much of what the saint was saying is happening before us.

A Prophesy by Saint Paisios Regarding Vaccines

During his lifetime, the saint warned of the following:

“Now a vaccine has been developed to combat a new disease, which will be obligatory, and those taking it will be marked.” Saint Paisios of Mt. Athos (†1994)

Spiritual Counsels II: Spiritual Awakening (page 204)
Publisher: Holy Monastery of St. John the Theologian, Souroti, Thessaloniki, (December 2008)

The following is another translation which has been widely used but we do not know where it
comes from.

“They will find a disease for which they will make a vaccine, which will be mandatory, and which will be the beginning of the sealing.” 

These spiritual counsels were produced using live recordings of the saint and these recordings, we are told, still exist. While some do not believe in their existence - and that much of what is written in the volumes of Spiritual Counsels are not the saint’s exact words - what is known for certain is that the Greek version of the above book was published in 1999, 20 years before we had ever heard of COVID-19 and mandatory vaccinations. Also, if these recordings do exist (which we believe they do), and Saint Paisios reposed in 1994, this means that the prophesy happened no less than 28 years ago, depending on when the saint actually said it.

Saint Paisios was Not the Only Saint or Elder Who Spoke About These Matters

There are many other things which Saint Paisios said about what is happening in the world today, and with God’s help, we will try to add these to our website. It is important to note that Saint Paisios was not alone in these kinds of teachings. Other saints and holy elders in Greece and in other countries, including those who are still alive, either taught or still teach the faithful similar things, even though they have been called fanatics, conspiracy theorists or deceived. For more information about some of the teachings of these saints and holy elders, please see Sections One and Four of the Videos & Articles page.

A Holy Athonite Elder Foresaw the Wearing of Masks in Church

One elder who spoke prophetically about what is happening in the Church today was Elder Basil of Kafsokalivia, Mount Athos, who said in 2009:

“They will legally introduce carnivals [mask-wearing]* in the Church with a law. Whoever does not participate in these carnivals will be persecuted! You will witness many shameful and foolish things! You will travel miles to find a good priest and spiritual father.” Elder Basil of Kafsokalivia,
Mount Athos (†2015)

* By carnivals, the Elder is referring to sinful celebrations in Greece before Great Lent, known as carnivals, where people disguise themselves by wearing costumes and masks so that they can freely sin without anyone knowing who they are.

Read more on masks and Elder Basil of Kafsokalivia, Mount Athos here.

Elder Ephraim of Arizona Foresaw Clowns Serving Liturgy in Church

Protopresbyter Stephanos Anagnostopoulos is a well-respected and traditional married priest of the Orthodox Church of Greece. He is 91 years old and father of seven. He was a very close spiritual child of Elder Ephraim of Arizona for many decades. He first met him in 1961. Many consider Father Stephanos to be a holy priest. He is the author of numerous books. Some of which are “My Elder Ephraim”, “My holy elder Joseph the Hesyschast”, “Where are we going?”, “I am at fault, are you?”, “Do you know who you are?”, “Experiences During the Divine Liturgy”, “The Symbol of Faith as knowledge and life”, “The “Prayer” in the world”, “Knowledge and Life of the Orthodox Faith”. For more titles click here.

The following is an excerpt from a sermon that Father Stephanos gave in January 2021.

“A third correction concerning the prophecy of Elder Ephraim, and which is now final. I got in touch yesterday by phone with Athonite abbots who are close to us and two other monks who affirmed that they have heard from the mouth of the elder, in the decade of 2000-2010, in Arizona, the same prophecy, but with a different take. In other words, he said that there will come a time when the priests will be serving as clowns, and as clowns they will be serving the Divine Liturgy and let me not mention here one by one the other sacraments that he referred to. This is what he said, and he also added that blessed are those simple priests who uphold the Orthodox Church today with their simple holy life and will not succumb to the pressures. They will be counted by God as confessors and martyrs.” Protopresbyter Stephanos Anagnostopoulos

Listen to his sermon here.

Elder Savvas Achilleos of Athens Spoke of a Manufactured Virus

Another elder, Father Savvas Achilleos, spoke about a future flu and vaccine. In his lifetime, several bishops, clergy and monastics in the Church of Greece believed that Elder Savvas was deceived, a deceiver, mentally ill, and a conspiracy theorist. He was even persecuted by his own bishop! The following was taken from a sermon given by the holy elder on 11 October 2007.

“They are warning us that the flu is coming. How do they know this? How do they know? Tell me, how? It is because they themselves will manufacture it and release it. Possibly, this will not be a common epidemic form of the flu, but a flu that will come when they themselves will bring it upon the world. A manufactured disease right from the United States of America. What causes this new disease which looks like the common flu? It is caused by a pathogenic mycoplasma. These are the medical terms. It will be transmitted through an anti-flu vaccine. This is the point where we must be very careful. The world will feel the need to receive the anti-flu shot, yet this vaccine will contain a cruel illness in and of itself and will not contain anything that will prevent people from contracting the virus. It is highly recommended to not proceed to any vaccination.” 
Elder Savvas Achilleos (†2016)

Read more on Elder Savvas Achilleos here.

Elder Justin Parvu of Romania Warns Against Vaccines

Another elder, a Romanian priest-monk, Father Justin Parvu, also spoke about vaccines. It would seem that he was speaking about the vaccines during his time, but when you read the whole text, it becomes apparent that he must have been speaking about vaccines in the future as well; for what he revealed was said at a time when vaccines were somewhat safer and not mandatory, unlike the COVID-19 vaccines which are proving to be more dangerous and deadly. Regardless, one thing can be certain; this God-bearing elder was against vaccinations, especially the vaccination of children.

“Fathers will give up their sons, mothers, their daughters, unto death. Behold, we witness the fulfillment of this prophecy. If the mother will let the child be vaccinated, it's as if giving him over to die….. So, do not receive this vaccine or anything that the new political powers bring you today.” 
Elder Justin Parvu (†2013)

When considering whether to listen to this holy elder or to the hierarchs and priests who are pushing for vaccinations - many of whom are ecumenists, modernists and anti-traditionalists - the faithful should keep in mind that Elder Justin's body, after his death, began to give off myrrh. As much as it is impossible to squeeze water from a rock, it is also impossible for the bodies of ecumenists, modernists and anti-traditionalists to give off myrrh at their deaths. To date, the bodies of these enemies of the Orthodox Church have never shown any signs of holiness, nor have they performed one miracle - and they never will. Amen.

Read more on Elder Justin Parvu here.

PART THREE: Ignoring the Counsel of the Elders and Consulting the Academics 

Are Many Orthodox Clergy Ignoring the Saints and Holy Elders?

At this point, and turning our attention more specifically towards leaders in the Church, many will ask the following important and fearful question: If Saint Paisios’ teachings have been translated into many languages, and there are also many other prophesies and teachings available regarding vaccines and masks, why are there so many bishops and priests unquestioningly going along with the dominant, secular narrative about COVID, by forcing the faithful to get vaccinated and wear masks in church? One possible answer is that these clergymen are unaware of the prophesies made by St Paisios and others. But this could not be true, and these clergymen have no excuse, because there are many Orthodox Christians today, including clergy and monastics all over the world, that are speaking out against vaccines and masks, and using many saints and holy elders, including those above, to back up their concerns. These clergymen have been bombarded with telephone calls, emails and letters denouncing them for their obedience to governments and their total trust in science and doctors, rather than God. They also have access to the vast amount of alternative information circulating on the internet regarding vaccines and masks, both from spiritual and medical perspectives, and yet they continue their mission to use their authority to force people to be vaccinated and wear masks.

Orthodox Bishops and Priests Pushing for Vaccines and Masks

We are continually hearing examples of how certain bishops are threatening their clergy with ecclesiastical sanctions if they do not receive vaccination. They are demanding that the laypeople listen to the doctors; and if they do not get vaccinated, they will be considered irresponsible and lacking love for their fellow neighbour, and will need to repent for the rest of their lives. Yet don’t the pro-vaccination and pro-mask wearing clergymen ask themselves how the abovementioned saints and holy elders could have known what was going to happen if they had not been grace-filled and enlightened by God? Why would these clergymen be forcing millions of Orthodox Christians all over the world to go along with these things –to the point of even wearing masks in church - knowing very well about the prophesies of the saints and holy elders?

A Prophesy of Abba Pambo About the Clergy of the End Times

Perhaps Abba Pambo, a 4th Century holy desert father, a disciple of Saint Anthony the Great, can enlighten us with his prophesy about the clergy of the end times. All should be amazed with the accuracy of what this holy father predicted over 1600 years ago. It is up to each person to decide whether what Abba Pambo describes about the clergy applies to many clergymen of today.

“In those days, the love for God in many souls will grow cold and great distress will fall upon them. There will be conflict between nations, migrations of peoples, unstable Kings, rulers will be corrupt, the priests will become prodigals, and the monks will live negligently.

The clergy will be indifferent concerning salvation, as much for their own souls as for the souls of their flocks, and they will despise any such concern. All of them will show eagerness and energy for every matter regarding their dining table and their appetites. They will be quarrelsome, lazy at their prayers, but eager to criticize, and ready to accuse.

They will neither want to imitate nor listen to the lives and counsels of Elders, but mostly, they will be all talk and say: “If we had lived in those times, we would have behaved in a similar way.

The bishops of those times will be subservient [obedient and compliant] to the powerful of the world, and they will make decisions according to the gifts they receive from everywhere, and consulting the rational logic of the academics.” Abba Pambo (†375)

PART FOUR: How Rationalism has Caused Many Problems in the Orthodox Church

Logic and Rationalism have taken Priority over God

Before we proceed, I feel that there is a need to make sure that all the faithful understand the terms rational, rationalism and rationalists. After this, we will be in a better position to understand what Abba Pambo meant by “The bishops of those times … will make decisions … [by] consulting the rational logic of the academics.”

Firstly, let us see what the definition of these words are, then we will read what Saint Paisios the Athonite says about rationalism.

Rational: Rational decisions and thoughts are based on reason rather than on emotion.
Other words for rational: logical, intellectual

Rationalism: the belief that your life should be based on reason and logic, rather than emotions or religious beliefs.
Other words for rationalism: reasoning, logic

Rationalist: a person whose beliefs are based on reason and logic rather than emotion or religion.
Other words for rationalist: atheist, disbeliever

The following are a footnote and extracts from:

Spiritual Counsels I: With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man (pages 244-246)
Publisher: Holy Monastery of St. John the Theologian, Souroti, Thessaloniki, (December 2008)

Footnote: When Saint Paisios refers to logic and reprimands it, he does not mean by this term the
gift of reason with which God has honoured human beings, but rather rationalism, or, as he calls it “afflicted reason”, the logic that is void of faith in God, rejects divine Providence and denies the possibility of miracles.

Saint Paisios: I said to a Catholic, a man with a good disposition, who came to see me and was in tears, “Among the most important differences that we have with you, is that you put the mind first, whereas we put faith. You have developed rationalism and, in general, you stress the human factor. This way you limit the power of God, because you put divine Grace aside.”

Question: In other words, Geronda [Elder], what has happened is that logic and rationalism have taken precedence over God?

Saint Paisios: Could it be that what we are talking about is not logic but pride? Because you see, this kind of logic is actually impaired rather than sound reason. Pride is reason that is impaired, full of egoism, harbouring demons. When this sort of logic is involved in our actions, we grant rights to the devil to intervene.

To read the full text of the above, click here. 

We now understand that logic (reasoning) is a gift given to humans by God and is therefore not something that is opposed to the spiritual life. People use logic in their daily lives, and without it they would be unable to function. However, logic becomes a problem when it is used in the spiritual life without faith in God. Miracles and God’s Providence cannot be explained logically, as the rationalists continually try to do. Miracles and God’s Providence can only be explained by putting faith before logic. When this does not happen, an Orthodox Christian can eventually become an unbeliever by denying the existence of the spiritual world.

Abba Pambo’s Prophesy - Is he Describing Our Times? 

Let us now return to the prophesy of Abba Pambo. There are two points, among many, which stand out about his prophecy. The first point is where the saint says that the clergy of the last times will not want to listen to or imitate the lives and counsels of grace-filled holy elders – those men who were granted the gift of discernment by God. This is important as it is now evident that many of today’s clergymen, especially bishops, could not be seeking or listening to the guidance of holy elders, because if they were, they would not be forcing the faithful and pious clergy to wear masks and receive vaccinations. Furthermore, they would not be imposing on the churches other unholy, uncanonical, blasphemous, sacrilegious, and atheistic practices, which cannot be found anywhere in Holy Scripture, the Holy Canons and the lives of saints. 

The second point is where the saint says that the bishops will be “consulting the rational logic of the academics”. This is what is happening today. They are listening to anti-Christian governments, scientists, and doctors who they consider to be higher than God Himself. “But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’” (Acts 5:29). The apostles said this to the secular authorities who were demanding that they disobey God by ceasing their preaching. This can also apply to the clergy and the faithful towards their bishops: better to obey God rather than bishops that have gone astray.

The following example, taken from an open letter, is typical of many of today’s Orthodox clergy who prefer, as Abba Pambo puts it, “consulting the rational logic of the academics” rather than the God-bearing elders: “As vaccination is a medical issue, the views of those undoubtedly expert in prayer life, such as Athonite elders, should not override the medical views of immunologists and epidemiologists. Our spiritual elders have not acquired medical expertise overnight.” Of course, rationalistic statements like this are blasphemous because they would mean that God cannot speak through His chosen ones on topics other than prayer, spiritual life and what they have actually studied. This belief is contrary to the lives of saints and prophets, as we will see.

Examples of “Uneducated” Saints who had Knowledge of Topics Never Studied

An excellent example is from the life of a recently canonised saint of Greece, Saint Porphyrios. Although the saint had only gone to school for a couple of years, doctors would often let him sit in on their meetings with patients and would ask his opinion and diagnosis, which turned out to be correct because, as a God-bearing elder, he was enlightened by the Holy Spirit. He often surprised and amazed scientists, doctors and academics by being able to discuss topics on their level that he had never studied.

We also read in the life of Saint Paisios the Athonite that he only completed elementary school
and yet:

“He was knowledgeable about everything, though without occupying himself with everything.
He knew about the things of the world while living in the desert. Though far from everyone, he
was spiritually with all, and he loved the entire world. He knew many things without having studied. He associated comfortably with scientists and other distinguished people, speaking with them easily and without any feelings of inferiority. On the contrary, the worldly wise consulted him…. He could, with one descriptive hand gesture, communicate information about a person or an entire situation.”

Book: Elder Paisios of Mount Athos by Hieromonk Isaac (p682-683)

The Rationalists want us to Blindly Follow the “Medical Experts”

Those who deny that God can speak through those who have attained a high level of holiness, tell us that we must not consult God’s saints, but rather those who have medical qualifications. Would that mean, then, that the rationalists would like us to not question the minds of “medical experts” who promote things like euthanasia, abortion at any stage of pregnancy (including the murdering of children after birth), hormone therapy for transgender youth and gender re-assignment for even little children, to name only a few out of a long list?

Having medical qualifications does not make someone infallible and therefore above criticism. There are so many doctors over the last decades that have committed anti-Christian acts that would shock even Josef Mengele, if that were possible.

It is our God-bearing elders who, for centuries, expressed the Mind of God during times where there was confusion and deception among the clergy and laity regarding difficult issues, whether of the spiritual or the worldly kind.

Rationalism Not Only Leads to Deception but also to Heresy 

This rationalism of spiritual matters can also be seen with regard to the Fourth Ecumenical Council. Many “Orthodox” rationalists are of the belief that the decision of the holy Fathers of this Council to anathematise those who did not believe in the two natures of Christ, but only in the divine nature (Monophysitism), was a mistake which came about due to the language barrier. They blasphemously assert that the Greeks and Monophysites were unable to communicate properly because of the difference in language and that the Holy Spirit, Who inspired the holy Fathers, therefore made a mistake. In other words, they are saying that God was unable to enlighten both sides to understand each other to avoid a major schism.

The fact that Saint Ephraim the Syrian, who knew no Greek, was able to speak to Saint Basil the Great in fluent Greek (even the exact dialect) is of no interest to those who put themselves above the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council. Furthermore, regardless of the language problem, the miracle by Saint Euphemia at this Council confirmed, without question, that the dogma of the Monophysites was heretical.

Read about the miracle of Saint Euphemia at the Fourth Ecumenical Council here.

In our own times, we have the wondrous examples of how Saint Paisios the Athonite, who knew only Greek, was able to communicate with foreigners in English, French, etc; yet, despite these examples and many more in the lives of saints, the Orthodox rationalists stubbornly persist in believing that God cannot enlighten His saints to know languages they have not learnt or to have knowledge they have not acquired through study, and to express God’s will for the benefit of Orthodox Christians.

It should be noted that the Coptic, Syrian, Ethiopian and Armenian Churches of today do not accept the dogmatic definition of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, that is, they oppose the Orthodox teaching of the two natures in Jesus Christ, the Divine and the Human natures (in one Divine Person). These Churches belong to the Oriental Orthodox Churches and are not in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church. There can be no unity with the Oriental Orthodox Churches until they renounce the heresy of Monophysitism and accept the Fourth to Seventh Ecumenical Councils. These Churches only accept the first three Ecumenical Councils.    

To read another article by Father Kosmas, please click below:

For the Orthodox Faithful who are Confused About Covidism