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Pastoral announcement of the Diocese of Samos for the Church of Pentecosttranslated

July 11, 2026 · 1 min read

On the occasion of the circulation of leaflets advertising the "Christianity" Radio Station of the Apostolic Church of Pentecost, on the islands of the Holy Metropolis of Samos, Ikaria and Korseon, a pastoral notice was issued in which the attention of the faithful is drawn. The Pastoral Announcement of the Holy Metropolis of Samos

Because leaflets advertising the "Christianity" Radio Station of the Free Apostolic Church of Pentecost were recently released in our critical islands, as part of our pastoral responsibility we wish with great love to draw attention to every well-intentioned Orthodox Christian, as the Pentecostals, as a Protestant movement, rely unilaterally on the Holy Bible while simultaneously rejecting the Holy Tradition of the Church, i.e. the Ecumenical Synods and in general the teaching of the Fathers.

Apart from the fact that they do not accept all the books of the Holy Bible, but only 66 out of 76, they believe that the Holy Spirit enlightens each individual believer to understand the Holy Bible, a fact which in practice leads to subjective interpretations, with all that this entails.

They also reject the honor to the Virgin Mary and the Saints and do not...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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هلا عبود

Thanks for this ad. I heard about these banners that they distributed in Samos and Ikaria, and really what they said about their rejection of traditions and ecumenical councils and honoring the Virgin and the saints makes one beware. I always tell my neighbors that the Bible without the fathers and tradition becomes a personal interpretation, and this is dangerous.

Ruth Thomas

Thanks for sharing this announcement. Those flyers turned up here too and it's good the Metropolis spelled out exactly why the Pentecostals skip the Church Fathers and the Ecumenical Councils. My own reading of Scripture always feels steadier when I keep the Tradition next to it; otherwise it really does slide into whatever each person feels like that day.

Людмила Шевчук

Thank you for this pastoral clarification. It is especially memorable that they take only 66 books out of 76 and believe that the Holy Spirit tells everyone individually how to read the Bible. In our parish, we always say that without the Fathers and Councils it is easy to slip into our own fictions. It is good that the metropolis is not silent.

ريتا حداد

Thank you, Hala. I heard about the same fliers that they distributed here in Samos. Indeed, what you mentioned about personal interpretation without fathers is dangerous. I always tell my family that traditions are what protect the book from distortion. Have you tried asking one of them why they reject the Septuagint?

طوني معلوف

Yes, hello, I also read the ad and I completely agree with you. What scares me the most is that they say that the Holy Spirit reveals to each individual, meaning that each family may come up with a different interpretation. Have you tried asking a neighbor about their position on the cross or icons?

Олександр Савченко

I agree, Lyudmila, these two points are the most striking. In our parish, after the Sunday Liturgy, we often read the interpretation of John Chrysostom, so as not to be left with only "our own opinion". And tell me, have you come across people in the Sicheslav region who started going to their meetings after receiving such postcards?

Іван Коваленко

Yes, Ivan Chrysostom saves from these "personal enlightenments". Here in the Sicheslav region, after such postcards, several people became interested, but, thank God, they quickly returned when they heard about the rejection of icons and the Mother of God. Do you often distribute pamphlets against sects in your parish?

Світлана Ткаченко

Yes, Alexander, the very reading of Chrysostom after the Liturgy helps to keep the mind in the common tradition, and not in one's own inventions. We also had cases in Poltava Oblast after such leaflets, but people usually returned when they learned about the rejection of the Sacraments. And what do you think, should the parish talk about it separately at meetings?

Сергій Шевченко

Yes, Svitlana, Chrysostom helps precisely because it is not about personal inventions, but about what the Church has always taught. In our parish, after such leaflets were also distributed, but people quickly understand when they hear about the rejection of the Eucharist. Do you often hold such meetings in Poltava Oblast, or do you talk more after the service?

Ольга Бойко

Yes, Serhiy, Zlatoust helps precisely because of tradition, without it it is easy to slide into subjectivism. In our parish, after such leaflets were also distributed, and then at the weaving meeting, together with the grandmothers, they discussed how it is possible without the Eucharist and veneration of saints at all. And in Poltava region, do you often have such conversations after service or more often at meetings?

Сергій Лисенко

Yes, Serhiy, it is precisely because of the rejection of the Eucharist in Poltava Oblast that people start asking after such postcards. We speak more after the service than at individual gatherings, because on Sunday after the liturgy it is easier to explain why there is no Church without the Body and Blood. And in your parish, Chrysostom is often mentioned in such conversations?

Петро Мороз

Yes, Serhiy, here in Poltava Oblast too, people ask about the Eucharist after such postcards. After the liturgy, we often talk about Chrysostom and his words that without communion there is no salvation, because it is easier to explain than at the meeting. And in your parish, how often is Ikaria or Samos mentioned in such conversations?

Ірина Бойко

Yes, Olya, Zlatoust without Tradition is really like a compass without a map. In our parish, after such postcards, the father briefly mentioned the 76 books and how without the Eucharist, faith becomes just a conversation during the Sunday sermon. And do you often knit with your grandmothers or more in the kitchen after liturgy in the Kyiv region?

Наталія Марченко

Yes, Peter, we are also often asked about the Eucharist after such postcards. Grandma Maria and I always remember Chrysostom's words after the Sunday service that there is no salvation without communion, because people remember this better than long explanations. And tell me, do you in Poltava Oblast often talk about them rejecting icons?

Юрій Марченко

Yes, Natalia, here in the Kharkiv region, people often talk about icons - people ask why we honor them, if the Bible allegedly forbids them. My wife and I usually answer that these are not idols, but simply reminders of living saints, like family photos on the shelf. And with you, after such conversations, does Grandma Maria often take communion on the same Sunday, or does she postpone it?