Why priests of the UOC join the OCU: Part two, 'moral' aspect
The main reason why priests leave the Church has to do with moral and ethical issues.
In the first article on why priests switch to the OCU, we discussed the so-called "savior syndrome". In this case, a person may feel that he could "save the world" rather than a few grandmothers in his parish, that he is not appreciated, and that there are "great goals" ahead of him, which he cannot achieve in the UOC.
However, not so many priests in our Church suffer from the "savior syndrome". Even fewer "saviors" go to the OCU. Much more often, one can trace other reasons why people decide to join the schismatics. Unfortunately, these are mostly moral reasons.
Traitor Syndrome
From conversations with priests and bishops, as well as from personal experience, we can confidently say that the overwhelming majority of traitors to the canonical Church betrayed their faith in God long before receiving the "blessing" of Dumenko. There are more than enough examples.
Let's start from the "top leadersip".
Former Metropolitan of the UOC, Alexander (Drabinko), while still in the Church, did things that should be shameful even for a non-church person: non-transparent expenditures during the construction of the UOC Cathedral, the notorious abduction of the abbess of the Intercession Monastery, car scams, and the personal life peculiarities of the hierarch (which became known during his stay with Dumenko). Naturally, after several scandalous stories, the departure of Metropolitan Alexander to the OCU did not surprise anyone.
One can also recall the activities of Protopriest Georgy Kovalenko, who held the position of sacristan and head of the parish council of the building of the still unconstructed Kyiv Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ from 2008 to 2012. In 2017, still in the UOC, Father Georgy participated in a very strange project of the "1+1" channel called "Secret Code of Faith". There, he, along with journalists from an openly anti-church channel, did not popularize the Gospel teachings of Jesus Christ (which a priest should normally do) but investigated the details of the sexual life of Ukrainians. Here is a completely wild example of what Father Georgy was engaged in shortly before joining the OCU:
Or another associate of Drabinko and Kovalenko, former archpriest of the UOC, Andriy Dudchenko. An active participant in two Maidans, in 2004 and in 2013, one of the most prominent propagandists of internal and external liturgical reform of the Orthodox Church, who celebrated Christmas according to the new calendar as early as 2015 (by the way, with Kovalenko and defrocked Kirill Govorun). Later, it turned out that Father Andriy not only supported liturgical reform but was also married for the second time, which, according to the canons of the Church, does not give him the right to be a priest. The solution? Conversion to the OCU, of course...
The most telling example of recent times is Archimandrite Avraamiy from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. This person enjoyed great trust from Metropolitan Pavel, was a cellarer of the Lavra, received awards and promotions for his service, lived in excellent conditions, and then betrayed everyone who supported him, most importantly – betrayed the Church. Moreover, as it turned out, Avraamiy had a "sin" – theft, and he left for the OCU not empty-handed but with a precious pectoral cross and holy vessels.
We could continue our list for a long time, remembering not only those who went to Dumenko but also those who left the Church much earlier to join the UOC-KP. Among these people are alcoholics, fornicators, fraudsters (the story of "Archimandrite" Vikentiy Misko is worth mentioning), and banned pedophiles. All of them found "shelter" in the Kyiv Patriarchate. The situation has taken on such a blatantly strange character that the words used by Filaret Denisenko himself regarding the "hierarchy" of the UAOC – that it is a "sewer where all impurities flow" – can now be applied to Dumenko and his "church." Why does this happen?
Why do people betray the Church?
The thing is, the betrayal of the Church is already the final, 'visible' result of a whole series of less noticeable betrayals.
Let's remember that Apostle Judas was a treasurer entrusted by the Lord to carry the box for donations. Judas often used the funds from this box for himself. Therefore, in the Gospel of John, he was openly called a thief (John 12:6). In other words, betrayal had its precursor.
The departure of a person from God does not happen immediately. Initially, they betray their principles, then close their eyes to 'minor sins', justifying themselves by saying 'everyone does it', lowering moral standards for themselves. Next – they no longer consider deviating from canons as a sin and, ultimately, from faith. It all ends with open hostility against the Church.
Moreover, this is not only about church people but also ordinary citizens, politicians, philosophers, and so on.
For example, the Lviv region, whose governor proudly reports the destruction of the UOC, turned out to be the most corrupt in Ukraine. In the online space, there are often news stories that another official, who not long ago fervently fought for the OCU, received awards from Dumenko and then turned out to be a typical corrupt official.
In other words, almost always a person with serious moral problems, in an attempt to justify themselves, attacks God and the Church, not hesitating to use lies, slander, and anything else that, in their opinion, should somehow prove the 'rightness' of their choice and abandonment of faith.
At the same time, we do not want to say that all those who remain in the UOC today are saints and sinless. No, the Church is a hospital for those who need treatment. After all, all the people mentioned above once "belonged to us" (1John 2:19). The question is different – why did some refuse the Church while others are willing to die just to remain in it?
And here lies the watershed: as long as a person understands that they are sinful and as long as they try to become better through repentance, to cleanse themselves for the meeting with Christ, they have a chance for salvation. By rejecting repentance, by refusing to improve, they lose this chance, embarking on the path of betrayal.
Of course, we would like all the heroes of our small article, as well as all those who "changed jurisdiction" and joined the schism, to realize this simple truth, repent and thus return to the Mother Church. But we are realists and understand that this is unlikely to happen. Therefore, all that remains is to wish these people: if you are leaving – go! Do not aggravate your betrayal with the mud you throw at the Church. This mud does not hit the Church but sticks to you, after all.
The implication of any betrayal is that you won't be able to cleanse yourselves either in this age or in the age to come.
