In the second interview, Fr. Ioannis Meggoulis talks about his encounter with St. Paisios at the time he and his young friends were converted to Hinduism and were influenced by the Indian guru Sai Baba. This is the testimony of a direct witness. Fr. Ioannis is now an Orthodox elder at the Holy Metochion of Taxiarch Archangel Michael of the Holy Monastery of Saint George of Examili, Greece.
Video source: Gus Tsin, 2019
Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Milesi, Greece
Watch here the first part of the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixVEY3XIDD8
Interview with Ioannis Meggoulis, elder at the holy metochion of Taxiarch Archangel Michael of the Holy Monastery of Saint George of Examili (former Hindu monk):
Archangel of the Lord Michael “encompass us beneath your wings”
Christ is Risen!
Thank you very much for the second chance to speak about this so serious issue.
The rock that was shred into pieces with the blessing and the sign of the cross that St. Paisios did; something I, myself, witnessed as well as some other monks and George Dialinas.
Regarding my background, in short, I will tell you that I was a member of these religions, Hinduism due to a research I had done, due to a comparative research of different religions, I ended up converting to Hinduism.
Within Hinduism, things are completely different from what we today know and have absolutely no relationship with the Orthodox faith.
This might cause questions among people, but let it be blessed.
We will speak on these questions and try to answer them.
I, George and hundreds of other kids that were and continue to be members of these heresies…
It is different … we serve the demon and 32 million “gods”, that is demons, are under our service and they help us achieve certain things.
For example, when we think about gold and say the relevant mantra …. just like Saibaba and others can make rings of gold or silver out of thin air … or, other things, such as to be able to cause local rain or to be able to make snakes appear and many other things …
All these were not thanks to our powers but due to the powers that we derived from demons and spirits.
We found ourselves in a completely different situation [when we went] to Mt. Athos and visited a number of fathers in order for them to help us.
This effort was organized by the Committee on Heresies of the Church of Greece under father Antonios Alevizopoulos along with the aid of Kyriakou Tsourou who, today, is a member of this Committee.
We discussed with a lot of fathers. Of course, the first meeting was with Saint Porphyrios who helped me a lot.
I could even go as far as saying that “I owe” my existence to him.
Because he prayed so much for me with the prayer rope, he hugged me and I witnessed his help so many times at a time of my life while I was trying to come back to my senses.
At Stavronikita monastery they suggested us visiting todays’ Saint Paisios. Two monks guided us there.
There, with our inflammatory and demonic language we were trying to persuade and challenge Saint Paisios.
Especially, George, I, myself, was in an uncertain condition, I was not sure whether I believed or not.
—“Do you remember what George was telling him [St. Paisios]?”
—Really terrible things, terrible words, it’s difficult to repeat them on camera. But I can say that he was extremely provocative.
Since we could perform some “miracles” from our side, we challenged Saint Paisios.
Among others, George said that he has the mantra, he has the secrets of his own god, some semi-god, to be accurate, one of the 32 millions … to even break the rock.
Saint Paisios was trying hard to convince us. I was standing on the right and was watching … George was extremely negative. He did not accept anything at all.
Despite the kind words of elder [Paisios], he was trying to break the rock.
“—He was challenging [Saint Paisios] telling him that he does not have the power?”
“[Yes, he was telling him] you do not have the power, if you are able do this and that, break the rock … I have the power; I have the secret mantra to break it…”
Then, Saint Paisios was almost begging us, he was talking to us about Christ, about Panagia and the power of the Holy Trinity and that there is nothing else but the love of Christ.
Of course, he [George] did not accept it …
George tried to break the rock as he tried to make other things appear.
However, elder [Paisios] with his prayer-rope and with all the things he said,
[George] was not able to do anything.
I was standing closely and watching all these things unfold. I was watching these things from the standpoint of Orthodoxy for the first time, while I have already experienced the other standpoint a lot of times, be it in Greece, Italy, India and so on.
Then, in order to help us, in order to show us how close to us is Christ, how much Christ loves us and given that George had turned red and he was in an extremely bad condition …
Saint Paisios signed the rock with the sign of the cross three times “In the name of the Holy Trinity…”
“—Did Saint Paisios tell him something to show him that he has no longer any power? What did he say to him?”
–Saint Paisios, with love of Christ and with a good manner he tried to bring us to our senses. He said there is no other power before Christ.
Thus, in a calm way, he signed the rock with the sign of the cross [saying]
“In the name of the Holy, Consubstantial and Undivided and Life-Giving Trinity”
He was always looking at us, even while making the sign of the Cross on the rock and was saying “My children, you will see, the power of Christ, the love of Christ ….”
Of course, we did not accept anything, especially George who was enraged and was saying a lot of bad words as he could not accept not one word about the love of Christ.
And the rock was shred into pieces, as if it exploded into a lot of small pieces.
“—This happened before your eyes?”
“Of course, before my eyes and [before the eyes] of the monks and some other people who were there and crossed themselves.”
“I was sitting there, I was shocked from the whole thing. It was breathtaking, I cannot describe how I felt at the moment. The only thing I can say about George is that he was in a really bad situation, enraged, he had turned red, he did not know what to say, he was panicked.”
This whole thing happened in front of me and in front of all the other people who, thank God, are alive and we can talk to them and invite them whenever we want to.
Already, some of them have called me after the [first] interview and we have talked.
What is important to remember is that neither Saint Paisios nor any other father of the Holy Mountain, of the church or of our faith is in need of a miracle.
We were in need of the miracle.
As regards George, he [St. Paisios] tried to bring him to his senses with love.
For me, [the miracle] helped a lot, because all the doubts I had in my mind dispelled.
In this way, I was helped a lot, I considered a lot of things and then I started looking into the event, itself, and all the rest.
And, glory to God, because I lived the rest of my life until today in the love of Christ. This is the most important and, glory to God, a lot of people have been helped.
The proof is that after many miracles that took place … I was chrismated again by father Irenaeus Pulovich, the Serbian Professor and other fathers that rushed to helped me. Again, with love in Christ they had no other reason.
Even Saint Porphyrios was telling me “go my child and I will be there with my prayer rope”.
We are talking about a lot of nights, a lot of torments, a lot of demonic temptations and so on.
The miracle with the Taxiarch [Archangel] Michael happened. He led me here. I abandoned my home, the placed I lived for so many years.
He [Archangel Michael] showed me this place, I made this church.
Taxiarch Michael is here everyday. I was convinced that much, nothing else remains.
From the love I experience daily and with the miracles that daily take place here
I became a monk to serve until the end of my live, God, the love of Christ.
And this is what I say to all the people that are coming as well as children who have been tormented inside these heresies.
Love of Christ whatever our place is, whatever our condition is …
I am the one who was roaming all the streets of Athens, Rome and elsewhere and what was I doing?
I was fighting Christianity. Still, Christ did not fight me back. He gave me love. No Christian fought me, they gave me love. That much love that it is difficult to bear all this great love of Christ.
And what is it that we should do?
Merely one thing! Glorify God, day and night. This is why I became a monk, I was tonsured into the Great Schema.
The only thing I ask is if I can help anyone in need, again with love in Christ, I owe this to our Christ, to help people, so that a soul might be saved and whoever has any doubt, I am at his disposal with love in Christ.
Let him come here, five times a day that we are inside the church during the services and the Divine Liturgy which is the creation of everything. For someone to be able to experience the Divine Liturgy because the life Christ gave us, the soul Christ gave us is one and only, it is ours and we are children of Christ.
Everybody should understand that.
Please, whoever wants any kind of help or information at your disposal.
Thank you very much! The blessing of Taxiarch Michael, my blessing now that I have become a Great-Schema monk and please pray so I can serve properly for the rest of my life.
“We thank you as well, father Ioannis”
“Christ is risen!”
“Truly he is risen!”