On 7 March 2018, Vassula presented her book “HEAVEN IS REAL BUT SO IS HELL” at Ianos Bookstore in Athens. The book was translated into Greek from the original English “HEAVEN IS REAL BUT SO IS HELL”. Vassula was scheduled to come to Athens on March 6th, but due to technical problems she arrived on the morning of March 7th.

With the announcement of the presentation of the book, there was no lack of strong reactions in the media. In the morning show of Kambouris “All in front”,  father Tsakalos was a guest who spoke against Vassula with false accusations and slander calling her a false prophet saying also that she is paid and that in her speeches there is a ticket.

The newspaper ESPRESSO was published with the cover “The new ATHANASIA of Aegaleo”. On Facebook there was a page warning Orthodox believers not to go to her speech calling her a “deceiver”.

For these reasons, therefore, three Security people had been put in place to prevent any trouble. The main speakers were 4: Georgia Papadopoulou, Father Theodoros Kontidis, a Catholic priest, theologian and director of the magazine “OPEN HORIZONS”, the Athonite monk Vasilios and Vassula Ryden, the author of the book.

invitation for HIR Book presentation in Greek

Georgia Papadopoulou began by saying that Vassula has no financial benefit from her book and that all proceeds will be donated to Beth Myriam, The House of Mary, and to the republication of the book. She then briefly presented Vassula’s story from the beginning. She said that she was born in Heliopolis, Egypt to Greek parents and that she had no catechism and that she was first approached by her Angel and then by Christ.

Father Theodoros Kontidis then began to speak and gave his personal testimony. When the book of True Life in God came into his hands, the first thing that struck him was the spirituality of the Messages and the manner and sweetness of Jesus. How intimate he was and how much he cared about people and their problems. He was also very impressed by how willing God is to forgive us for our sins and lift us up to Him. What he most wanted to investigate was whether these Messages were theologically correct. So in reading them, as he said, he did not find a single theological stumbling block; on the contrary, they were all in accordance with the teaching of the Church. Christ as Saviour, the Virgin Mary, the Saints, the sacraments of the Church, the spiritual life, the temptations, the spiritual struggle of man. He concluded by saying that if he wrote such a book, at most he would write 5 or 10 pages and perhaps there would be some mistakes there too. In this book of messages where it is hundreds of pages, he did not find the slightest theological error. It is, as he said, theologically flawless! This woman didn’t know how to make her Cross and suddenly she started writing tons of books, theologically sound. This can only be accomplished by divine intervention. He also mentioned the issue of the Unity of the Churches and the Lord’s desire and said that who better than him can understand the importance of this issue since he grew up with an Orthodox father and a Catholic mother.

The panel of  HIR Book Presentation

Fr. Theodoros talking about the Book

Then the Athonite monk Vasilios took the floor and referred to the Book of Messages as a warm message aimed at the heart of man, coming from the Love of God. He thanked the Holy Monastery of Patmos and the abbot he had at that time. He supported him when he got hold of the book of True Life in God. He said he gave him permission to teach the children in Sunday school. All of his talks at that time were inspired by the TLIG’ Messages. In this book, he continued, all the Bible is condensed and to find all this on Mount Athos takes many years of research and daily study. He is deeply moved, he said, by the way God approaches man. It may, he continued, appear unorthodox to some, but the Spirit and Love of God are one and the same for those who know Him and possess Him.

Finally, Vassula spoke, saying that her Greek is not good and that she went to an English school, so Jesus speaks to her in the language she understands best. After thanking the previous speakers she said that the book she is presenting today is her autobiography. In it she writes her story. The Book of Messages has been written for 33 years. So it is important for someone to know the person who wrote it and how God reached out to him.

Vassula referred to the way in which she hears the Voice of God inwardly and clearly. Before she began, as she says, this gift, she lived a worldly life, never going to church, never seeking God. All she remembered was the Lord’s Prayer and that was because she had learned it in school. Even that she never said. It all started in 1985 in Bangladesh, she recounts, where she lived with her husband who, because he was in the diplomatic service, at the United Nations, moved from country to country. Her life was all worldly with fashion shows and tennis tournaments, where she had won the championship. The last thing on her mind was God.

Vassula speaking about her autobiography