One night when I happened to take Elder Porphyrios to Tourkovounia, we sat outside his house until late and he talked to me about various spiritual topics, some of which I understood and others not.
I remember him telling me that we should tell everything in confession and not to just anyone, but only to the priest who is a spiritual father.
He then told me the following:
“A woman was talking to someone else about confession. She revealed to her that she doesn’t go to a priest, but to a woman who gathers many women and confesses them. As soon as I heard this, I said to her:
'Hey, bring her here, so we can save her.'
'And she is very well known,' she answered me, without revealing who it was who gathered them.
I remember him telling me that we should tell everything in confession and not to just anyone, but only to the priest who is a spiritual father.
He then told me the following:
“A woman was talking to someone else about confession. She revealed to her that she doesn’t go to a priest, but to a woman who gathers many women and confesses them. As soon as I heard this, I said to her:
'Hey, bring her here, so we can save her.'
'And she is very well known,' she answered me, without revealing who it was who gathered them.
She was deluded and had various icons in her house and the others believed her. Do you understand?
We should tell everything to the priest and not elsewhere. Listen, is it possible? A woman priest? Huh? Is it possible? What are we, Protestants? Never a woman priest. Never! Do you understand? Some are deceived and deceive others. Do you understand?"
Source: From the book by Paraskevas Lambropoulos, My Experiences with Saint Porphyrios by Metamorphosis of the Savior. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
Source: From the book by Paraskevas Lambropoulos, My Experiences with Saint Porphyrios by Metamorphosis of the Savior. Translation by John Sanidopoulos.
