UOC Chancellor: Cross procession-2021 is dedicated to fidelity to Orthodoxy
The forces that legalized the Ukrainian schism are forming their own version of Orthodoxy, so the idea of loyalty to authentic Orthodoxy is crucial, noted Met. Anthony.
On the eve of the celebration of the 1033th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, the Chancellor of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, said that the Cross Procession, which is slated for July 27 in Kyiv, will be dedicated to the idea of fidelity to Holy Orthodoxy, newsoneua.tv reports.
“This aspect is very sensitive to all of us, Ukrainians. Indeed, our identity, our collective and state consciousness has been formed in the struggle for the Orthodox faith and its upholding,” stressed the UOC hierarch.
Metropolitan Anthony recalled how throughout Ukrainian history, certain forces tried to erode Slavic identity, make Ukrainians a part of another nation, rule over the country not only externally, but also internally, and the main attack was always targeted against the Orthodox Church.
“After all, it was believed that if we abandon it (the Orthodox faith – Ed.), then we can be successfully assimilated. In fact, it was not only about spiritual, but also political, cultural re-coding of the consciousness of the Ukrainian people. Our ancestors understood this perfectly and therefore fought for the faith to the end. That is why we now have to do our best to preserve and protect what the previous generations of Ukrainians sacrificed, including their lives," added the UOC Chancellor.
According to him, Ukrainians are now facing a more serious task, since the church schism sown in Ukraine has spawn enmity and conflicts into Ukrainian society and threatens to destroy canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine.
“Moreover, at this stage, they are trying to replace the actual UOC with the schismatic structure, forgetting that it is impossible to replace clean water with dirty water without harming the spiritual health of the whole nation. That is why the issue of fidelity to Holy Orthodoxy is so important. If we fall away from it, if we succumb to the temptation of replacing God with a new golden calf, behind which various political and ideological concepts are looming, then we are doomed to becoming a dry branch, torn off from the life-giving vine, which is Christ. And, as you know, a dry branch has only one, very unenviable, fate,” said Metropolitan Anthony.
The Chancellor noted that the forces that legalized the Ukrainian schism are creating their own version of Orthodoxy, hence the idea of loyalty to Orthodoxy is now very relevant.
“Moreover, this version is truly frightening, since it oozes the cold not only of great pride, but also of falling away from the true faith ... Against the backdrop of these and other steps of Phanar, a natural question arises – where will the Patriarchate of Constantinople lead the Ukrainian Orthodox believers, if in many respects it already denies explicitly the foundations of the Orthodox faith? I am sure that everyone understands the rhetoric of this issue and why the idea of loyalty to Holy Orthodoxy is so urgent now,” he added.
As the UOJ previously reported, Bishop Victor (Kotsaba) noted that by participating in the cross procession on July 27, the Ukrainians would reaffirm their true faith.
