St. Paisios the Athonite
1A monk from Mount Athos conveyed to us the following words of Elder Paisios: “Turkey is like a fox. It is always doing cunning things. When it realizes that traps have been set to catch it, it begins to jump with all four legs, and thus it gets caught with all four. This is what will happen to Turkey.”
2When I reminded him of the Turks’ threats, he said: “Let them talk. They cannot do anything to us. They cannot harm us. God is with us, so do not be distressed. Whatever they say, they will always be in a much worse state than we are.”
3- Elder, what will happen after that? What will become of the Turks?
“They will be destroyed. Truly, they will be erased from the map, because they are a nation that did not arise from the blessing of God. They will vanish as a nation, and the entire expanse of Turkey will be a vast desert, where, in order to meet a person, one will have to walk seven hours!”
4Then I asked him about the continuous intransigence and provocations of the Turks. He grabbed me by the shoulder and with great seriousness answered: “Do not worry, my child. I am preparing to fall asleep (to die), and I will not be here, but I will be watching from above, because here we are all temporary. Turkey will be partitioned into 3–4 pieces. The countdown has already begun. We will take our own lands, the Armenians theirs, and the Kurds theirs. The Kurdish issue has already been set in motion. These things will happen, not now, but soon, when this generation that governs Turkey passes away and a new generation of politicians takes over. Then the partition of Turkey will occur. Very soon, the prayers that are made beneath the surface of the earth will be made above the earth, and the candles that are lit below will be lit above. (The Elder was referring to the Greek crypto‑Christians of Turkey.) You will see these things, my child. Faith and hope in God must exist, and many will rejoice. All these things will happen within these years. The time has come.”
5“…the Turks are a barbaric people… Pa, pa. When they slaughtered the Armenians, for three days the whole city smelled like a slaughterhouse… The Greeks were shut inside their homes, no one dared go out into the street, they were screaming, killing… three whole days.”
- Who, Elder? The Turkish army?
(With emphasis) “Not only the army, but the people, the Turks, even the old men. You see, one would go and slaughter his neighbor, with whom he had lived side‑by‑side for so many years… A barbaric people… they have done many things… that is why they will pay, the spiritual laws will operate, they have their funeral wheat at their belt.”
6Regarding Turkey, he proclaimed with certainty: “It will be dissolved, and the great powers will give us the City. Not because they love us, but because God will arrange things so that their interest will be for us to have it. The spiritual laws will operate. The Turks have much to pay for, from what they have done. This nation will be destroyed, because it did not arise with the blessing of God. They have their funeral wheat at their belt (meaning their end is near). Saint Arsenios said before the Exchange: ‘We will lose our homeland, but we will find it again.’”
7Soon other visitors arrived and diverted the discussion to other topics, to the great distress of the brother. However, the Elder managed to say a few things about the Turks.
Many Greeks fear the Turks because their population numbers many millions. But this has no significance. What matters is who has justice on his side, because he also finds God as his helper. With our enemies, however, the same thing happens as with wolves:
A wolf, when it approaches a flock of sheep, comes slowly so that they do not notice him. And although he is wild and strong, because he feels guilty, at the first bark, even of a small puppy, he becomes startled and runs far away. The awareness of his guilt makes him fear even the bark of the small, weak puppy. The same happens with the Turks. They too feel guilty. Because the lands are not theirs, they are easily frightened. And in a war, fear, low morale, and guilt are the greatest enemies. He even said that the Turks do not have many days left. He added verbatim: “The Turks have their kollyva (The wheat for their memorial service) tucked in their belt!”
All these excerpts were translated by The Holy Wisdom. Below you will find all the relevant sources of the words of St. Paisios the Athonite.
Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 1, page 66.
Testimonies of Pilgrims, Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 1, pages 87–88.
Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 1, page 286.
Testimony of Dimitrios Lamaris,Paphos, Cyprus, Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 1, page 297.
Father Paisios Told Me, page 164.
Life of Elder Paisios the Athonite, page 699.
A Chosen Vessel, page 87.