SERBIAN CHURCH STANDS WITH THE PERSECUTED UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Belgrade ~ August 23, 2024
His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije and the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church sent a fraternal letter of support to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine as the Ukrainian state continues to ramp up its persecution of the Orthodox Church.
On Tuesday, August 20, Ukrainian Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of Bill 8371, which is aimed at the banning of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church across the country. According to the bill, 9 months after it is signed into law by President Zelensky, courts can begin shutting UOC churches and monasteries.
The banning of the Church “repeats the Golgotha scenario and crucifies it on a new cross of suffering, while returning Ukrainian society as a whole to the time of Roman persecutions of the Church of Christ” His Holiness writes.
The Serbian Orthodox Church reports:
In the Synodal letter, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije emphasizes that he not only has an obligation but also a strong personal need to inform his brother and co-celebrant, His Beatitude Onuphry, that the news of the Ukrainian Parliament adopting a law providing for the prohibition of the autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been received with deep bitterness in the Local Church of St. Sava.
Given that in not-so-distant history, during World War II, the Serbian Orthodox Church was banned and persecuted, we experientially feel the truth of the sacred words of the Apostle Paul in your case that if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (1 Cor 12:26), Patriarch Porfirije reminded and emphasized that the work and mission of our Church was then prevented by an openly totalitarian, criminal regime of a puppet fascist creation, while, to make the tragedy greater, today the sister Church in Ukraine is being persecuted by a declaratively democratic government made up of its own compatriots, which makes the situation difficult and incomparably more absurd.
With anxiety in our hearts, dear brother in Christ, we feel that on the example of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a new totalitarianism is being introduced in which not even the maxim of St. Constantine the Equal-to-the-Apostles applies, which is one of the basic generally accepted social principles by which we live, and which states: Let each one believe as his heart desires, Patriarch Porfirije conveyed and concluded that it is clear that the degradation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to a banned organization further legalizes the already permanent persecution, arrest, and harassment of its sacred hierarchy and faithful people, enables further seizure of its property or, more accurately, repeats the Golgotha scenario and crucifies it on a new cross of suffering, while returning Ukrainian society as a whole to the time of Roman persecutions of the Church of Christ.
Our prayers, our hopes, our thoughts, but also our sincere wishes that those in authority turn away from their folly to the knowledge of justice and truth, as well as for peace, brotherly love, and harmony to reign again in your homeland, are constantly raised before the face of the Lord from every heart of the Serbian people, always loyal to you, in whose unreserved support and help you should never doubt. With hope for the most favorable and just resolution of the difficult situation and with prayer to the greatest Sufferer in all worlds, our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you and the fullness of our beloved Ukrainian Orthodox Church strength, faith, love, and patience to carry your cross until the Paschal dawn, we send you brotherly greetings and the love of our hearts, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia emphasized at the end of the letter to his brother and co-celebrant in Christ, Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
Source: Orthochristian.com
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US Secretary of State Blinken and schismatic "bishop" Epiphany | US Secretary of State Blinken and schismatic "bishop" Epiphany |
THE U.S. INTERFERES IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND INSTIGATES A SCHISM (1)
In its history, it was Kievan Rus which was the center of the Russian people. St. Prince Vladimir brought the Orthodox Christian faith to the Russian people, and the Russian people were baptized en masse in 988 in the Dnieper River in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was granted independence and self-governance according to the Resolution of the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church which took place in October, 1990. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is thus an independent and self-governed Church with broad autonomy rights. Her autonomy has always been recognized by the Patriarch of Constantinople and all of the canonical autocephalous Orthodox Churches in the world. In recent times, under pressure from the U.S. government, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople no longer recognized the canonical status of Metropolitan Onufriy and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and instead established a rival and schismatic non-canonical “Orthodox Church of the Ukraine” (OCU), headed by “Patriarch” Filaret, a clergyman who had formerly been deposed by the Moscow Patriarchate for acts of immorality, and whose deposition was formerly recognized by Patriarch Bartholomew. This was finalized in 2019. Why did the U.S. interfere within the ecclesiastical sphere of the Orthodox Church, initiate a schism, and facilitate the creation of a new puppet church? The U.S. wanted to curb what it believed to be was the use of the Ukrainian Church by Russia as a conduit for political influence in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is now undergoing persecution by the Ukrainian government, and its legal properties and churches are being seized by the Ukrainian government and being handed over to the non-canonical schismatic OCU. Clergy of the UOC are being brutalized and arrested with the sanction of the Ukrainian government. It is to be noted that the majority of the canonical autocephalous Orthodox Churches in the world do not accept the OCU, but continue to recognize the autonomous UOC, under Metropolitan Onufriy, as the only canonical Orthodox Church in the Ukraine. Among the churches which do not recognize the status of the OCU is the autocephalous Orthodox Church in America. Despite dialogs and attempts at resolution initiated by the Moscow patriarchate, the Russian Orthodox Church had no choice but to cease commemorating Patriarch Bartholomew in the diptychs of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches. This situation continues to this day.
The great Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, in a speech given at the unveiling of the Pushkin monument in Moscow on June 6, 1880, said, “the purpose of the Russian man is undoubtedly pan-European and worldwide. To be a true Russian… means… to become the brother of all people, a universal man…” The destiny of Russia and of Russian culture is “to find resolution of European yearning in our pan-human and all-uniting Russian soul, to include within our soul by brotherly love all our brethren. At last it may be that Russia pronounces the final word of the great general harmony, of the final brotherly communion of all nations in accordance with the law of the gospel of Christ!”
Footnote: See the “Statement of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Situation in the Ukraine” and “Response of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of All Russia to His Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople (12/31/2018)”. Both can be found on the internet.
See the Russian television program “Church and world” (in Russian), “Церковь и мир,” interview with Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, entitled “The Independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and schisms in the churches,”
See the “Archpastoral Letter in Reference to Recent Developments Regarding the Orthodox Church in Ukraine” by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA), September 26, 2018, at OCA.org
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UKRAINIAN FAITHFUL DEFEND CANONICAL UOC CHERKASY CATHEDRAL FROM VIOLENT SEIZURE
Cherkasy, Cherkasy Province, Ukraine, October 1, 2024
The Orthodox faithful of Cherkasy in central Ukraine responded to the call to come defend their cathedral from violent seizure on Sunday night.
“Right now, people in camouflage are gathering near our CATHEDRAL to capture it. Come to protect our holy site!!!” the diocese called. The faithful responded, gathering outside the cathedral in prayer. In particular, they read the Akathist to the Archangel Michael, the cathedral patron.
Yesterday morning, the diocese published a video from His Eminence Metropolitan Theodosy of Cherkasy, thanking those who defended their church.
Camouflaged men gathered at the church in groups of 20-30 but were unable to attack the church thanks to the Orthodox faithful.
“I thank each of you for your prayers, for not sleeping today, standing in the cold, praying, for asking the Mother of God and the Venerable Martyr Makary [the patron of Cherkasy, whose relics lie in the cathedral—OC] to protect us. Thank you for not only loving your church but also being ready to defend it if necessary,” His Eminence said.
Later on Sunday, documents were published showing that, according to the usual scheme, the schismatics of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” registered falsified documents to attempt to build a “legal” foundation for their seizure of the church.
Mayor Anatoly Bonarenko of Cherkasy openly supports the attacks on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its cathedral. According to a court ruling in March, the UOC was already deprived of the land around the cathedral.
Earlier this month, the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Kanev, also in the Cherkasy Province, was seized from the Orthodox Church by court order.
Source: Orthochristian.com
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SCHISMATICS EVICTING PRIEST WITH FOUR YOUNG CHILDREN
Mytintsy, Khmelnitsky Province, Ukraine, September 9, 2024
Again manifesting their disdain for their fellow Ukrainians, the schismatics of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” created and backed by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, are working to evict a young priest and his wife with their four minor children.
One of the children is also disabled, reports the Khmelnitsky Diocese.
The schismatics captured the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Mytinstsy, Khmelnitsky Province last year, and now they’re trying to make sure the canonical priest, Archpriest Oleg Tsaruk, and his family suffer as much as possible.
The Tsaruk family has been in the house since 2018 and has all the documents to prove that they own it. Nevertheless, the schismatics managed to convince the electric company to cut off electricity to the Tsaruk house.
An order of eviction was also issued by the chairman of the local village council. Fr. Oleg appealed to representatives of the local authorities but has yet to receive an answer.
The diocese notes that “unfortunately, this situation is no exception, and such things are unacceptablein a state that claims to be called democratic.”
Source: Orthochristian.com
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