Monk Theodolos, guardian of the Holy Sepulchre

Maria Yachnaki: Now I would like you to tell me, let's go back a little while ago when there was an incident with an interview that Bishop Armenis had given at the Holy Sepulcher, in the context of an interview of an Israeli-Jewish team, about the Holy Light. What exactly had happened that day? You had a shift at the Holy Sepulcher, didn't you? Monk Theodoulos: Yes. I was a morning watchman, this happened in the morning hours. I would like to begin my speech in this way and tell those who listen to me that Christ said in the Gospel that he who is not worthy to be given a little is not worthy to be given much and he who does not deserve to be trusted by the little ones, is not worthy to be trusted by the big ones either. I will also make an addition: the one who told the little lie outside the Holy Sepulcher when he entered the Holy Sepulcher also told the big lie. And what do I mean? This bishop, Samuel, is the abbot of the Armenians. As you know, in the Holy Sepulcher there are Orthodox, Catholics, and Armenians. The Copts, who, however, have no rights inside the Holy Sepulcher. Each fraternity has its abbot who is a person respected by the rest and accepted. He is the abbot of each brotherhood. So this despot came, Father Samuel the abbot of the Armenians, he came with the canal. ... We know that in order to let a channel shoot footage inside the Temple, it must have permission from all three Patriarchates, written permission. He comes and tells me that they have permits from all three Patriarchates, they have papers, and they want to take pictures inside the Holy Sepulcher. I trusted him because he is the abbot of the Armenians. But they didn't have permission. He lied to me. Because I, if he didn't tell me and I asked for the permits and saw that they didn't have them, I wouldn't let them enter the Kuvouklio to do an interview. Maria Yachnaki: So they entered. Monk Theodoulos: So come in. He told me this lie and then entered the Holy Sepulcher and started saying all these impious and blasphemous things about the Holy Light. This miracle of Orthodoxy over the centuries has also been written in history. You know the miracle that is in Colonna coming out of the Holy Sepulcher, in which the Armenians have been put to shame and written in history. And not only these. We also have the Muslim who was on the minaret at that time, who saw the miracle, he confessed that the true God of the Christians is Jesus Christ, I believe in Jesus Christ, they caught him, and beheaded him. He was baptized in his blood and was martyred and became a saint. We have his remains in the Monastery of Megali Panagia. He is Saint Tunom. Well, all this is written in history. In 1579 during the reign of Murat II these happened. Maria Yahnaki: So you heard him say that there is no Holy Light. Monk Theodoulos: I heard him say, I left him for a while to see where he will end up. Then I couldn't stand it either. ... We are the guardians, the protectors of Kouvuklio, the Holy Sepulcher, the Orthodox, and a heretic comes in who even claims that three times he tried to see the Holy Light and did not see it. But of course he cannot see it because he is a heretic. How will he see it? The Holy Spirit does not bless heresies. The Holy Spirit blesses the Truth and those who remain faithful to the Truth. So hearing him tell all these lies, I too got fed up and stopped him. Of course I didn't have much time to restore and say many things about the truth. I only said that our Patriarch prays inside the Holy Sepulcher, Armenis sits outside in the Chapel of the Angel - that's where Armenis stands, he doesn't go inside the Holy Sepulchre. And while the Patriarch is praying, reading the Wish of the Holy Light, the Holy Spirit descends in amazement, lights the torches of the Patriarch and later the Patriarch gives it to Armenis. The Armenian gives it to his people - the Armenians have their own hole, you know, you know - and then our Patriarch comes out first from the Holy Box. Because for the sake of the Orthodox Patriarch, the Holy Light descended, for no one else, not for an Armenian, not for a Copt, not for a Protestant, for no one else. Only for the sake of the Orthodox Patriarch who preserves the truth of the doctrines, which the Orthodox Church has not deviated from over the centuries. So our Patriarch comes out first, he proceeds towards the Catholic Church to enter the Sanctuary, and then the Patriarch of the Armenians comes out. Second, tail. Therefore the truth is with us, those who come out first.

And I want to say the following, the Orthodox Church has a self-sufficient prayer. We do not need someone to support us in our prayer to bring out Holy Light or for a miracle to happen. Our prayer has self-sufficiency because we have remained faithful to the doctrines of the Gospel and the Fathers unsullied. I haven't