UOC Synod: Initiators and executors of church raids are enemies of Ukraine

On September 25, 2023, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church named the initiators and perpetrators of raider seizures of UOC churches as enemies of Ukraine.

In the address of the Holy Synod, it is stated that during "the trials for the Ukrainian people, our Church, like a loving mother, envelops all her children with prayer and mercy."

"Just as a mother loves all her children, regardless of whether some of them listen to her guidance while others defiantly disregard maternal care, likewise the Ukrainian Orthodox Church never divides its flock based on political or social preferences. Ukrainian society is viewed as consisting of those who remain faithful and those who have forgotten the place of their baptism, the place where their fathers and ancestors were baptized, and who now find it acceptable to blaspheme the Church of God and vilify the shepherds by whose priestly hands these people were once immersed in the baptismal font for eternal life," the document says.

The Synod emphasized that the Church prays for the entire Ukrainian state, calls for respect for its laws, and performs daily social and volunteer service for all those in need, not just for those who adhere to it. This, as taught by the Lord Himself, is because He said, "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" (Matthew 5:46).

The Synod explained that by the word "Church," they mean not only the clergy and monasticism but also all the believers who, together with their spiritual shepherds, share the burden of the trials of the modern period in the existence of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

The hierarchs emphasized that this people of God are being poisoned without any remorse with anti-church propaganda, intimidation, and seduction.

"However, common prayers and worship that unite thousands of believers of our Church around Orthodox shrines testify that coercion and slander cannot divert the people of God from the path determined by their religious convictions," highlighted the Synod.

The UOC believes that this becomes particularly evident when one sees that the churches taken over, which means taken away from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church believers, remain empty even during major holidays. This situation has arisen in the majestic cathedrals of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and other shrines, noted the Synod.

"Holy places, where fervent prayers were offered daily for the Ukrainian state, its authorities, army, and people, have been locked behind large barn locks following the so-called change in denominational allegiance," the Synod stated.

The hierarchs recalled the words of the Psalms, which say, "Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain" (Psalm 126:1).

These words from the Bible, the Synod said, "during Ukraine's suffering from full-scale Russian aggression, expose the criminal actions of the instigators of church strife, as a result of which, in centuries-old churches, the celebration of the Divine Liturgy has ceased for the first time since the fall of the atheistic regime. Also, the prayers for Ukraine's defenders, for the departed, and for all those suffering, whose tears only God can wipe away, have ceased."

"The profanation committed against churches by people who, during violent takeovers, ruthlessly break doors and windows, destroy holy altars, and beat Christians, not only does not invoke God's blessing but also challenges God," the Synod said in its address.

The UOC considers it obvious to everyone that "the consequences of this challenge by so-called activists will be borne by those who tacitly approve of their impunity, those who turn a blind eye to blatant sacrilege imposed on Ukrainian society as a norm."

"It is necessary to call things by their names: the initiators and executors of church raiding are open spiritual enemies of the Ukrainian state, whose actions only exacerbate the destructive consequences of Russian aggression. For 'God is not mocked' (Galatians 6:7)," emphasized the UOC Synod.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Ilarion of Donetsk was removed from the composition of the UOC Synod.