UOC hierarch tells about fatidical words of Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan)
10 years ago, Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) predicted difficult times in the life of the Church, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) said.
Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) of Kyiv and All Ukraine uttered the words 10 years ago that became prophetic, said the Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich). This is written by Vzgliad publication.
“I remember the words of the late Metropolitan Vladimir, when we, young bishops, would gather together 10 years ago. He would say to us, "Now everything seems simple, easy, but believe me, you will face a very difficult period in your life." These were the prophetic words of the late Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir. Nevertheless, I couldn’t even imagine our life to develop in such a way that over the past six years they’ve been trying to destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to create a surrogate, to attribute the canonical semblance to it, to give it an abbreviation and even force some Local Orthodox Churches to recognize this structure,” said Metropolitan Anthony.
The hierarch noted that believers always know what forces win in the struggle between good and evil.
“The struggle between good and evil never stops. Who is the winner? In this regard, everything is clear for worshipers. Despite the temporary defeats, Christ conquers death and any evil. In the historical perspective, we should always be on the side of good. The Church of Christ, the clergy, the episcopate, by virtue of their calling, their conscience, must always testify to the truth,” Vladyka emphasized.
The UOC hierarch concluded that “the world is complex. Unfortunately, the world, which is lying in evil, fights with the Church of Christ and finds its followers who try to defeat the Church of Christ. But this is unreal! Of course, we’ve been facing a very difficult period. It may not be the most difficult one in our history, but it is difficult in terms of expectancy.”
As the UOJ reported, earlier Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) stated that Christianity is the destiny of strong and courageous people, while humility is valuable in the eyes of God and is gifted to the human for a brave heart.
