St. Paisios the Athonite
“I come from Chiliomodi, Corinth. I am a retired officer, a squadron leader. Due to various circumstances, I also became a taxi driver in Athens. In my life I had many encounters with Elder Paisios. On July 8, 1974, I visited Elder Paisios in his cell. We sat together for many hours, almost the whole afternoon. We spoke about many topics. At the end he began to speak to me about the imminent Turkish landing in Cyprus. He was so clear. He saw things as if they were happening at that moment. That is, he saw the Turkish ships approaching the port of Famagusta, and the disembarkation of the armored vehicles on the beach. He saw the Turkish army and vehicles advancing, he saw the villages that the Turks occupied emptying. He saw the Turks killing Cypriots and doing various evils.
He narrated them in such a way as if he were present. It made a tremendous impression on me. When he saw that hand‑to‑hand fighting was happening with the Cypriots, when the first blood was shed, the Elder raised his hands to heaven and with tears in his eyes said: “Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.”
When the day of the Turkish landing in Cyprus came, July 20, 1974, we saw and read in the press everything, Elder Paisios had described to me ten days earlier, with the prophetic gift that distinguished him. Truly, on July 8 he was revelatory.”
- How did the Elder feel seeing these events beforehand?
“The Elder at that moment spoke with his lips, but his heart was in pain. He knew that God permitted this evil to happen. The Elder was a man who foresaw and foretold many events. He saw future things as present. He was a holy man, with the Holy Spirit. He was a soul that suffered and cared for the whole world. He did not distinguish categories of people. For him, all had the same value. I realized that when he told us something and we did not do it, he was very saddened. I, by the grace of God, have many experiences. Whenever I listened to him, I progressed. When I disobeyed his words, everything went wrong for me.”
- Mr. Christos, when you had this dialogue with the Elder, were other pilgrims present?
“No, it was just the two of us. I had known the Elder since 1969. As a military man I did not have much free time. Whenever I went to see him, I had the blessing to stay with him alone, and I was very pleased.”
- Mr. Christos, do you remember if the Elder said anything about Cyprus, whether we would take it back and when?
“No.”
This excerpt was translated by The Holy Wisdom. Below you will find the relevant source of the words of St. Paisios the Athonite.
Christos Tsetos, retired Air Force squadron leader, Thessaloniki, Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite (1924–1994), Volume 1, pages 261–263.