St. Paisios the Athonite
1- “And Elder, they sit and occupy themselves with the Antichrist and the mark, and they do not occupy themselves with Christ.”
“Not to fear and stress about it, but to be informed. Lest we find ourselves sealed without realizing it, and then nothing can be done.”
2The Elder went into his cell and brought out the identity card of a Greek‑American. It had a barcode at the top and a photo beneath. He showed it to them and said:
They should keep their old identity cards and resist if authorities try to give them such new ones. He explained that “identity card” means identification, it represents who a person is.
3In 1986 he asked the Elder whether they should accept the new identity cards.
The Elder replied that authorities would try many times to impose them, but ultimately they would not succeed, because a war would break out before that.
4In 1986 he went urgently to Mount Athos because of the issue of “666” on identity cards. He asked the Elder what they should do.
The Elder answered: “Taking the identity card is not yet the actual “mark,” but it is the introduction to the mark. Therefore, they should not accept them.”
5During the term of Minister Koutsoyiannopoulos (1984–1987), a law was passed to include “666” on identity cards. Anagnóstou visited the Elder and told him: “I am sinful, but I want to die an Orthodox Christian. I do not want to take an identity card with 666.”
The Elder replied: “Michael, my child, shocking events will occur, and you will not end up taking those identity cards.”
Later, the minister died, and the next government attempted to apply the same law, but that minister also died, and the law was never implemented.
6In the summer of 1987, he met Elder Paisios at Panagouda. Having recently read the Elder’s text on the “Signs of the Times,” he asked whether people would actually witness those events with their own eyes.
The Elder, while pouring water into their glasses, lifted his head and said sternly:
“Don’t talk, you will see! They will line you up and seal you like cattle!”
The next year, Kikilis met him again and mentioned various clergy who rejected the Elder’s views on electronic identity cards.
The Elder replied: “I know them. Where are the archimandrites? What are they doing? Are they waiting for married priests to speak? Married priests have families and children, they are afraid. But the archimandrites have nothing to fear. Yet they want to become bishops… Where is so‑and‑so (now a metropolitan)? He also wants to become a bishop. All of them are only good for parades! When things get difficult, they hide, but when the spiritual struggle ends victoriously, they are first in line for the parade!”
Kikilis then mentioned a certain spiritual father who was spreading the claim that Elder Paisios was “deceived” regarding electronic identity cards. The Elder’s face immediately became sorrowful, and he said with pain: “I know, blessed one. I even sent him a message that if he does not change his mind, he will end up demon‑possessed.”
7“Do not take that one, because that one will be connected with the sealing.”
The ever‑memorable Elder Paisios, in a related discussion we once had, mentioned to me the following revealing and very enlightening words for our days: “They will give you cards so that you get used to them. But when, at some point, they gather everything together (he meant: identity card, passport, health card, driver’s license, etc.) into one card, do not take that one, because that one will be connected with the sealing.”
And now, behold, his words are being fulfilled with the “Citizen Card”.
Publisher’s note: The similarity of the above position with that of the ever‑memorable Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios, a gifted interpreter of the divine word, is striking, and for this reason we deem it appropriate to present it.
In July of 2000, together with the theologian Mr. Papanikolaou Vasileios, I visited Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios in Stomio, Larisa.
After the Divine Liturgy, we stayed to receive the Elder’s blessing, as did many other people. We were the last ones. Mr. Papanikolaou knew Fr. Athanasios personally and introduced us. After we became acquainted, I addressed to him a question that particularly concerned me.
“Father,” I said to him, “I would like you to tell me about this notorious insurance card that everyone is talking about and which has already begun to be sent to people’s homes.”
“Were you not informed about it in your parish?” He asked me.
“No,” I replied. Then the Elder said to us: “These simple cards that they send us and continually promote, we may, by economy, take them, because we must live; otherwise we will not be able to cope with daily life. But they will also send us a ‘smart’ card that will replace the previous ones. Do they think, perhaps, that they are smarter than us Christians, and that we do not know what is hidden behind it? This ‘smart’ card we will not receive! For this one, it is worth even fleeing to the mountains, if necessary, because we will be doing it for the love of God, and we will have His Grace upon us. As for survival, do not worry, because that is God’s concern. This card we will not take, because whoever takes it will not escape the sealing (The Mark) that follows.”
8- The New ID Cards Geronda. Someone said, we use the 5,000 drachma currency note which bears the number 666, don’t we? It’s just going to be the same with the new identification cards.
“The 5,000 drachma note is currency, and the English gold sovereign bears the image of Queen Victoria. This doesn’t bother me. Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. But this is about my identification card. It is something personal. It is not a mere currency note. Identification means what the word says. A person is identified personally by what that card states. The card contains the devil and I sign that I accept it. How can I do that?”
- Geronda, what is the relationship between the ID card and the seal?
“The ID card is not the seal. It is the introduction to the seal.”
- Geronda, people are asking what to do about the new ID cards.
“When people ask you, it is better to advise them to consult with their spiritual fathers and to be patient. Until this, we see how the church responds to this matter. Many are asking questions, but few understand the answers. Since I have written about this clearly in the pamphlet The Signs of the Times, let each act according to his conscience. A few people have said, of course, well, that is the opinion of one monk. It is not the church’s position. But I did not express my own opinion. I simply stated the words of Christ, of the gospel, because our opinion must be subject to the will of God as recorded in the gospel. Others, who say the opposite of what I said, claim that Father Paisios said it. Still others who hear such things, seeing that they are such very serious matters, do not bother to ask if that is what I really said, but just believe whatever they hear. I am not afraid to speak the truth openly. Some people come to my kalivi and throw sixes in the box. That is nothing after all. But once they threw a sign outside my door. I thought someone had come and not found me and had written a sign, he’s out, so others would see it. Then I looked and saw the most abusive words, which I had not heard even as a layman. This whole present situation will be swept away, but first we will go through stormy times. People are roused, and we, too, must rise up with much prayer. Some people are concerned over the matter of the ID cards, while others are exploiting the issue in order to create problems. The church must take a correct position. She must speak out and explain to the faithful so that they will understand that, if they accept the new ID, it will amount to a spiritual fall. The church must also ask the state to at least not make the new ID cards obligatory. If the church takes a serious position and the state respects the freedom of choice of the faithful, then whoever wants can have a new ID card, and those who want to keep the old one can do so. In this case, the strong-willed who keep the old card will have to endure the abuse of the many who will oppose them. Most people will just go about their business. Those who wish to be served will have the new cards, and the other people, the devout, will have the old identification card and will have to endure hardships.
Now that the minister has promised not to place the 666 on the new ID cards, visibly or invisibly, that too is something. We’ll be patient and things will clear up in time. It is something even to say that they will not put the 666 on the cards. They themselves deny it, but we’ll see what they do in the end. By the time the new ID cards come out, it is entirely possible that we may have the wrath of God upon us. After all, it is not likely that everyone will have to have a new ID card within 24 hours. Let’s wait to see the first ones that come out. They will be examined, and if the minister reneges on his word, then the struggle will be a righteous one. If we continue the demonstrations now, they will claim, look, they are shouting and creating trouble without reason. A dog, if it is a good guard dog, will bark when the thief comes. When the thief leaves, the dog stops barking. If it continues to bark, then it is not a good guard dog.”
- Geronda. It was also said by the authorities that since we have religious tolerance in our country, the religion of each person should not be written on the new ID cards.
“Yes, this does not interest them, but it certainly interests me because this is what identifies me. The card must state where I am from and what I am. If religion is not included in the card, there will be problems. For example, someone will go to the town hall for a marriage license. If his ID card says Orthodox, regardless of how good a Christian he really is, then it will be all right. But if it does not state the religion, how can they give out a marriage license? For the church, this will become a complicated issue. Now, if religion is stated on an optional basis, this would also be a sort of confession. Europe is Europe. Here things are different.”
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.
Father Paisios Told Me, page 141.
Testimony of Christos Kourtésis, Retired PPC Employee, Kozani, Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 2, 2nd Edition Improved & Expanded page 221.
Testimony of Sofoklis Zisópoulos, Retired Military Employee, Thessaloniki, Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 2, 2nd Edition, page 375.
Testimony of Georgios Kourkouliotis, Retired ELTA Employee, Corinth, Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 2, 2nd Edition, page 153.
Testimony of Michail Anagnóstou, Retired ELTA Employee, Epanomí, Thessaloniki, to be published in Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite 1924–1994, Volume 3.
Testimony of Dr. Panagiotis Kikilis, Kalymnos, Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite , page 61.
Testimonies of Hieromonk Gregory Papasotiriou, Spiritual Father of the Holy Hesychasterion “St. John the Forerunner”, Metamorfosi, Halkidiki, and of Elder Athanasios Mitilinaios, Testimonies of Pilgrims: Elder Paisios the Athonite, page 62.
Saint Paisios, The Athonite, Spiritual Awakening, Volume 2, page 206-209.