Referring to the person of the Forerunner, Metropolitan Ignatios of Demetrias and Almyros, during Great Vespers on August 28th 2025, described him as “a model ascetic, a champion of the truth, who knew and served his mission.” He also observed that “his killing is the fruit of a lawless family relationship. Power sometimes feels so secure that it thinks it can exceed the laws and even the Law of God. Herod’s passion for power, Herodias’ grudge and Salome’s lack of education led to John’s death.”
Metropolitan Ignatios compared that lawless family with modern ones, “which experience violence at their core, which leads to crimes, and even crimes against women or even children. Ultimately, without God, man loses his humanity, his home becomes a prison, the equality of people is destroyed and life becomes hell. The same thing happened with the Prophet John. His death resulted from a family that did not operate according to the Divine Law.”
He further said: “Thank God, there are right families. The exceptions pain us and concern us. We need the pioneering presence, the truth of the Church, which teaches the sanctity of Marriage between a man and a woman. Nothing exists beyond this. Those who profess something else are consciously lying. Children who are called to live in false 'marriages' become objects of social projection and not fruits of love. Therefore, we must remain steadfast in our principles, to provide our children with the true unity of father and mother, which nothing can replace... The crime that happened to John should shock us and establish us in the unity that our Orthodox faith and tradition offer. To form families that will have children, because the population decline is dramatic. To create conditions for them to live with dignity and to realize that we will live together with others. We must not be afraid of coexistence, if we hold fast to our Orthodox faith. This Monastery* is a model of coexistence, where Nuns from so many different countries live united, with one soul, one faith. They are not divided by language, origin, or nationality. They are united by Christ, within the Church, and each one contributes, through its own cultural conditions, to the common faith, experiencing a monastic grandeur of which we all boast."
Notes:
* The Sacred Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner is a women's monastery located on the south side of Mount Ossa (Kissavos), four kilometers from the village of Anatoli, in Agia of Thessaly, at an altitude of 1080 meters. The monastery, formerly for males since the 16th century, is being restored as a monastery for women since the year 2000.
Source: Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
Metropolitan Ignatios compared that lawless family with modern ones, “which experience violence at their core, which leads to crimes, and even crimes against women or even children. Ultimately, without God, man loses his humanity, his home becomes a prison, the equality of people is destroyed and life becomes hell. The same thing happened with the Prophet John. His death resulted from a family that did not operate according to the Divine Law.”
He further said: “Thank God, there are right families. The exceptions pain us and concern us. We need the pioneering presence, the truth of the Church, which teaches the sanctity of Marriage between a man and a woman. Nothing exists beyond this. Those who profess something else are consciously lying. Children who are called to live in false 'marriages' become objects of social projection and not fruits of love. Therefore, we must remain steadfast in our principles, to provide our children with the true unity of father and mother, which nothing can replace... The crime that happened to John should shock us and establish us in the unity that our Orthodox faith and tradition offer. To form families that will have children, because the population decline is dramatic. To create conditions for them to live with dignity and to realize that we will live together with others. We must not be afraid of coexistence, if we hold fast to our Orthodox faith. This Monastery* is a model of coexistence, where Nuns from so many different countries live united, with one soul, one faith. They are not divided by language, origin, or nationality. They are united by Christ, within the Church, and each one contributes, through its own cultural conditions, to the common faith, experiencing a monastic grandeur of which we all boast."
Notes:
* The Sacred Monastery of Saint John the Forerunner is a women's monastery located on the south side of Mount Ossa (Kissavos), four kilometers from the village of Anatoli, in Agia of Thessaly, at an altitude of 1080 meters. The monastery, formerly for males since the 16th century, is being restored as a monastery for women since the year 2000.
Source: Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
