In this article I will try to collect the statements and words of relevant relgious leaders regarding the current war in Ukraine. Please feel free to submit any statements you cannot find on here in the comments section, with links please. Any highlights in bold are my own, and intended to point out key passages. Over these two months the list has become very long, and unfortunately Blogger does not provide tools to make it more user-friendly. All statements are published in order of date, so a helpful tip can be to click on the link to the hierarch below the one you want to consult, and scroll upward.
Neste artigo vou juntar as palavras e declarações de líderes religiosos relevantes sobre a actual guerra na Ucrânia. Agradeço que submetam quaisquer declarações em falta nos comentários, com links, por favor. Quaisquer destaques nos textos são da minha responsabilidade, com o objectivo de sublinhar pontos chave. Todos os comentários de líderes internacionais serão postados em inglês. Para compreender melhor as dimensões religiosas deste conflito, leiam este artigo. Ao longo destes dois meses esta lista tornou-se muito extensa e infelizmente o Blogger não tem ferramentas que tornem a pesquisa mais fácil. Todas as declarações estão por ordem de data, por isso uma dica útil é, caso queiram ler as mais recentes declarações de um hierarca, clicarem no seguinte e andarem para cima.
Excerpts of speech at ceremony in Babyn Yar
On such a day, in such a place, at such a
moment, one wants not to speak, but to remain silent. Be silent and listen. To
listen to what the Ukrainian land will tell us, what the land of Babyny Yar is
talking about today, when we remember the 81st anniversary of the great tragedy
that happened here. What is this place talking about today, what are these
trees making noise about? Today, this is what the words engraved on the
memorial tell us: "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to
Me." I invite all of you to be silent and listen to the voice of blood
that calls out from this earth to the Creator, the voice of the blood of our
brothers and sisters of the Jewish people – we must let this voice into our
hearts today and embrace all those who were innocently killed.
Today, the voice of blood from the Ukrainian
land rises to the heavens: the voice of the blood of those innocently killed by
the Russian occupier - children, women, old men, the voice of the blood of the
sons and daughters of the Ukrainian people, who today protect Ukraine from the
new misanthropic, essentially Nazi, ideologies that continue to kill. And
speaking, then only to God, listening to this voice of the Ukrainian land and
the voice of the blood of our innocently murdered brothers, fathers, and
sisters.
God of spirits and all flesh, You overcame
death and destroyed the devil, and gave life to Your world. You, Lord, rest the
souls of Your innocently murdered servants in a bright place, in a blooming
place, in a calm place, from where all pain, sadness and sighing have fled. And
all sins committed by them in word or deed or thought, as a good and man-loving
God, forgive. Because there is no man who would live and not sin. You are the
only one without sin. Your truth is eternal truth. And Your word is the truth.
For You are the resurrection, the life and the repose of Your departed
servants, Christ our God, and to You we send glory, with Your beginningless
Father, and with Your Most Holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit, now, and
always, and forever and ever. Amen. Eternal memory to them!
29/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Being yourself, being a person means having the
opportunity and the right to do good. This type of freedom-loving and
consciousness of calling to this freedom of the Ukrainian people has always
been something terrible for any tyrants, invaders who came to the Ukrainian
land. At one time, my great predecessor, Blessed Lubomyr, said the
following phrase that "dictators are less afraid of hunger riots in their
countries than free people, because the hungry can be bought, and the free can
only be killed."
(…)
The whole world is surprised – Ukraine is in
an unequal battle for the 8th month. Where does that power come from? Where
does that inviolability come from? During this war, communicating with our
soldiers, with those who were in Russian captivity, in Russian torture camps,
communicating with our refugees, immigrants, with our monks and nuns, I somehow
felt that there are certain principles and certain foundations of this
stability. Perhaps we still can't understand everything until the end. But
there is something that really gives us strength to stand. A fulcrum to lean
on.
We feel something that distinguishes the Ukrainian
character from the peoples of other countries. And here we are not talking
about any one ethnic group - we are talking about all residents of Ukraine. It
is that we all have an innate sense and desire to be free. This is the consciousness that we are
children of God, and not slaves of human illusions. And we understand that this
is also our Christian vocation, the path to real, true, complete freedom. This
is not about some kind of anarchy, the desire to do whatever one wants. This is
a deep national understanding that freedom is the ability and right to do good.
To be free for a person is to be a person. When someone steals a person's
freedom, he steals his humanity, and thus destroys his humanity.
Many of those who were in Russian captivity, in
Russian torture chambers, somehow felt that even they, being with their hands
tied and eyes closed, were freer, lived in a higher level of freedom than their
executioners. And that is why the Russian occupier hates a free Ukrainian
person, because this occupier is a slave. A slave to the human illusions of
their dictators. He understands this in the depths of his heart.
No one can take away a person's freedom.
Freedom, personal freedom, a person can only give himself. He can renounce her,
he can run away from her. Run away from responsibility without courage. The
Ukrainian people demonstrated that we have the courage to be free.
In those days, I remembered the phrase of a nun
with whom we had known for many years, since the days of Soviet persecution,
when we considered the free world in the west behind the Iron Curtain to be a
free world. And when she heard that today some of the world politicians or
various figures of the free world are so greedy for Russian money, and the
price of Russian energy carriers can sometimes be more valuable than freedom,
that nun said: "It seems the same is true among the rich in the West there
are more hungry people who are bought than free people who are ready to
appreciate and defend freedom”.
God, You gave us our freedom as a calling to
the fullness of the ability to do good. Help us fulfill this calling. God, help
us to have the courage to be free. God, help Ukraine today to stand in this
unequal battle. God, bless our Ukrainian army. God, grant our Ukraine freedom
and Your blessed heavenly peace.
28/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Today, the Savior himself is crucified in
the body of the Ukrainian people and from his pierced side reveals to us
the source of life, the source of the Sacraments of Christ's Church, the source
of eternal life. Today, Ukraine honors the sign, the symbol of victory over
evil, the devil and his servants, all those who bring death today - honors the
honest and life-giving Cross of the Lord and moves forward with its power.
27/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
The glory that now emanates from the honest and
life-giving Cross in Kyiv to the whole of Ukraine is something that we have not
yet fully understood, but which touches us to the core. Because today
Ukraine understands that the Lord's Cross is its sign of victory over the
enemy. The enemy is waging a colonial war against us. And today we say from
Kyiv that this is probably the last colonial war in Europe in the history of
mankind. They want to erase us from the face of the earth, deny our right to
exist as a people, just as the Romans once wanted to erase the very mention
of Jerusalem.
But it is the power of the honest and life-giving
Cross that will be the victory of Ukraine, the moment when the humiliated will
become exalted, when the Lord will dethrone the powerful and lift up the
humble.
27/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
Those words about the Lord's Cross, about God's
love, which warms and saves, resurrects and gives hope, are life-giving for
Ukraine in the conditions of war.
Today, the whole world is wondering where we,
our people, get the strength that allows us to resist the aggressor, who grinds
his teeth against Ukraine and no longer knows what to do with us. Where do
Ukrainians have the strength to resist? We give an answer to this question:
Ukrainians love and feel that God loves them. Ukrainians are strong because
they love their land, Motherland, their people, their children, women and
elders.
We are strong in our love, which we draw from
the eternal source of Divine love, which is given to us through the honest and
life-giving Cross.
That is why it is so important for us in the conditions of war to understand
that the Cross can be both the greatest humiliation and pain, and the moment of
exaltation and glorification.
The Cross of the Lord, on which we are
crucified today as a nation, is the key to our glory and victory! This
crucifixion of ours is God's word through Ukraine to the world and modern man
about the victorious and saving power of God's love!
26/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Ukrainian troops are liberating the north and
south of our Motherland, but every centimetre of Ukrainian land is sprinkled with
the blood of our defenders.
[Regarding freeing of Azov regiment POWs] We
thank God for saving their lives. Now we have to surround them with attention,
prayer and love in order to heal the wounds they bear on their souls and bodies
after the brutality of the Russian occupier.
22/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
This year we celebrate the Nativity of the
Mother of God during the war. We see that this time is the space of death, in
the face of which we all stare every day. We make every effort to resist it, we
wage war against sin and death. This is a tireless and invisible battle – that's what the teachers of
our Church say.
What do we need to be fruitful in this
struggle; so that, overcoming the kingdom of death, which the occupier brings
to our land, we expand the space of life; so that the sterility of our nature
in the conditions of war is resolved? We need the power of Divine grace, the
fruitful power of the Holy Spirit, which is given to us through prayer and the
intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, who today, perhaps for the second time
in the history of human hearts, is born among us.
Therefore, celebrating this holiday, let us run
to the Virgin Mary, who crushed the head of the ancient serpent that tempted
our ancestors in paradise, who defeated death and who was free from sin from
the very conception in the barren womb of righteous Anna. The birth of the
Mother of God from Anna's frozen womb is a prophecy of the Resurrection of
Christ, His exit in a glorified body from the sealed tomb, in the body that
Mary gave Him.
Let's rejoice in this holiday, because for us
it is a celebration of the birth of our hope in the conditions of war! This is a celebration of the birth
of a new action, a new power, a new reality for all of us! We should not just
know about this holiday, but celebrate it, that is, let this event, which we
remember today, become a part of our lives, solve the fruitlessness of personal
efforts.
21/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Now, when we reflect on these events, rescue
operations are ongoing in the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, where the
enemy destroyed a high-rise building and many people were trapped under the
rubble. Unceasing work is going on to save human life. What we see on the
liberated territory of Kharkiv Region causes us great pain. Work on the
exhumation of Russian victims near the city of Izyum continues. Terrible
scenes of abuse, torture, torture, and mass murders are revealed. More and
more alarming news from the occupied territories reaches us. The Russians
intensify repression against the civilian population, carry out violent
mobilization, catch men around the clock to force them to kill their brothers
and sisters.
20/09/2022 (Source)
Words to Commissioner for Human Rights of
Verkhovna Rada
I carefully watched how you visited the
de-occupied territories of Kharkiv region, in particular I listened to your
speeches in the city of Izyum, where you were during the exhumation of our
innocently murdered brothers and sisters. We were all moved by the "Our
Father" prayer scratched on the wall in the Russian torture chamber. We
can only imagine what those people endured, regardless of which Church they
went to, which language they spoke. These are our brothers and sisters, and our
hearts truly ache for them.
20/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
We are often asked: do
you, in Ukraine, have hope? And we say: yes, we have it, because God gives it
to us, not man. We are a people of faith and in faith we receive hope. So we
can go on, bravely, patiently endure our difficulties. And this hope moves us
to victory over the Russian aggressor, to victory not only in war, but also
over war, to victory, the crown of which will be peace in our Motherland.
(…)
Today, believing Europe
kneels before the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of our Savior and prays
for Ukraine. Today is a day of vigil and prayer before the Most Holy Mysteries
for peace in Ukraine. Christians living according to the Gregorian calendar
today celebrate the Exaltation of the honest and life-giving Cross. Today,
Europe, the believing world, sees a crucified Ukraine precisely in the
crucified Savior. The Holy Father Francis, whom we are accompanying in prayer
to Kazakhstan, invites believing Christians on this day to see the wounds of
the crucified Savior precisely in the wounds of Ukraine.
We feel the power of
your prayer, which is the source of our hope that together we
will defeat evil
14/9/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Terrible, terrible war
crimes against humanity are also being discovered. About 200 war crimes are
recorded every day. These are mass murders of the civilian population, torture,
looting and all that really qualifies as a war crime.
It breaks our hearts when
we look at what the Russian occupier leaves behind on Ukrainian soil. Today,
this is what can be registered: more than 900 health care facilities, more than
200 churches and religious buildings have been destroyed.
(…)
When we look today at what the enemy leaves behind - burned and
destroyed cities and villages, burnt fields of wheat, plundered forests, mined
chernozems, polluted ponds, rivers and water sources from which it is no longer
possible to drink, then we understand that war is not only a crime against
human life, but also against God's creation.
13/09/2022 (Source)
Words during a radio
interview
A new world will emerge
through Ukraine, where evil will be defeated. Ukraine is the point from which a
new world will emerge. A reboot of the world is in the air, and world
politicians are already repeating this thesis in their own way - Europe will be
renewed through Ukraine. But - is the world possible without evil,
which is a part of it? For Ukraine today, this evil is personified, it
is Russia, but in the world there are other totalitarian regimes, other
manifestations of evil.
(…)
What is happening in
Ukraine today already has global consequences. It is not only about certain
military, economic, geopolitical or other consequences, but about very deep
moral foundations of human life as such. Because when we talk about good and
evil, we are talking about moral principles without which a person cannot exist.
What is happening in Ukraine today? Ukrainians have shown the whole world
that there is something and there is someone worth giving even one's life for.
That is, there are some objective truths - or values - that can be the
meaning of life. And if that is taken away from you, life loses its meaning.
Yes, there is good and
there is evil. Perhaps it is so obvious to us in Ukraine today that we do not
fully feel the context in which the rest of the world still lives. The world
today lives in a post-truth context. That is why Russian propaganda so easily
captures people's minds and hearts - "what's the difference?" If
there is no objective truth, it means that there is no objective good and
objective evil. And our behavior, our categorical "no" to Russian
aggression is, as it were, a Copernican revolution for the modern world, when
we, with our desperate position of disagreement with evil and untruth, proclaim
to the whole world that there is good in the world!
There is an objective
truth. Maybe someone does not accept it, maybe someone is afraid of it. But
there is something worth giving your life for. This was once called
"higher values" in traditional philosophy – there is something that
cannot be assessed only by the categories of consumer society. And if so, then
it is possible to build such a life, such a personal and social space, where
there would be more good and less evil. We see today that evil is not some
abstract truth, evil really kills. When someone lives in the grip of evil, he
becomes dangerous - for himself, for his neighbor, for society and for the
world. On the other hand, we are today de facto provoking the world to have the
courage to say it with our moral strength and position of "no to
evil!" Because post-truth confuses the concepts of good and evil, and
modern man is disoriented, he does not know where to go.
Will we wait for a
world in which there will be no evil? For Christians, it is also a matter of
faith. We say: we await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to
come. We build our earthly life as the image and likeness of the Kingdom of
Heaven. Christians are those who spread the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.
When we live in the truth, we live, trying to do good and avoid evil every day,
then we build that space, that world, where there is less evil.
Therefore, I believe, that
what is happening in Ukraine today is a certain moral revolution - primarily
for the Ukrainians themselves. Today we are beginning to understand who should
not have been elected to power. We begin to understand how our society had to
be built in a different way, how we had to resist certain patterns of colonial
or post-colonial society. Because this war that Russia is waging against
Ukraine is a typical colonial war. That is, we begin to see. And I would
really like for us not to lose this painful experience of war as a certain new
opportunity to learn, perhaps even from our own mistakes. And that's why
today we have to think about what Ukraine will be like when we win. I have no
doubt that there will be victory. But already today we have to think about the
society we want to have when we expel the occupier. We have to build that
society.
13/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
Modern man has many temptations to behave with
the one whom the Lord sends, as these murderous vinedressers behaved. How
often we see today in the life of individual states and even at the level of
international relations, that the power of law is replaced by the right of the
strong. What does someone who thinks he is strong do? He kills and destroys the
weak, because he thinks that he can appropriate for himself what he should give
to the needy and defenceless. However, having appropriated something, one
loses everything. Christ says what will happen to those vinedressers: "He
will destroy the furious, but he will rent the vineyard to other vinedressers
who will give him fruit in due time" (Mt. 21, 40-41).
Humiliating the weak in personal, spiritual or
even public life in order to assert ourselves, we do the same as those
murderous vinedressers. We appropriate God's property, the right to judge, distinguish
or say who should live and who should die. It's as if we ourselves become
arbiters who remove God from this world and say: now I will decide what is good
and what is evil. However, later we lose everything we had until now.
This word of God about violence in man's
attitude towards God, I think, resonates in a special way in the ears of modern
Ukrainians. Today we thank the Lord God for the fact that our God-blessed army
is liberating Ukrainian lands step by step. Perhaps we were all moved by the
footage of people with tears in their eyes coming out and hugging our soldiers,
saying, "We've been praying for half a year for this day to come." In
such circumstances, we see how this word of God is carried out in the history
of our family. The one who wanted to deprive us of everything now risks losing
everything. The invading enemy, in his colonialist urge, wants to kill Ukraine
and appropriate our heritage. Trying to destroy us, he once again kills the
very Son of God – the Savior.
Instead, we should persevere in good, not be
like those murderous vinedressers. For us, the cornerstone is Christ! If He
becomes the foundation of our life, the basis of the construction and
protection of our independent state, then the words will come true for us: "The
stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone... This has come
from the Lord and is amazing in our eyes" (Mt. 21, 42).
We say today: Lord, come to our vineyard, to
our people, make us wise so that we see You in the needy person whom You send to
us today. In this dramatic time of the harvest, of the calamity of war, make us
able to bring you the fruits of our life's vineyard. Give us a dignified
reception of You, who comes to us in the person of one who does not have a
home, because it was destroyed by the enemy, in the person of my relative or
relative, or perhaps a migrant and a completely unfamiliar person, to whom I
must transfer the fruits of labour in Your vineyard.
God, come to us! Let us put You, like wise
builders, as the cornerstone of our personal, social and state life. And then
everything that happens next will be Your business, Your business. Because it
is You who fiercely destroys the fierce, takes the vineyard from the usurpers
and gives it to those who will bear fruit in due time. It is You who lift up
the humble and rejected, and let the rich go empty-handed! (cf. Lk. 1, 52–53).
Then, together with You, we will be strange to the whole world. Because it will
happen from the Lord and it will be amazing in our eyes. Amen.
11/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
The main news of the past day is the rapid
de-occupation of the cities and villages of the Kharkiv region in the context
of the brilliant counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army. Important large cities
were liberated: Kupyansk, Izyum and many others. However we all understand that
every release, every tear of joy of our people, which appears with the approach
of the Ukrainian army, is sprinkled with the blood of our liberating
soldiers... And on
this Sunday, we pay tribute in prayer to those of our girls and boys who
especially these days, at the cost of their own lives, they liberate the
Ukrainian land from the occupier... Today, the Ukrainian flag is becoming a
symbol of peace and freedom, for which we pray to God every day.
11/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
This war continues to inflict deep wounds on
our people and cause enormous humanitarian consequences. Neither the Ukrainians
nor the international community have yet realized their size. However, even
today, specialists note that 57 percent of Ukrainians are traumatized by the
war. Many have
so-called post-traumatic stress disorder. This cannot help but affect the mood
of our society, all those processes that then affect relations between people.
(…)
Today we hear at such a high level that more
than 2.5 million citizens have already been deported from the occupied
territories of the south and east of Ukraine. Ukrainians are taken to the Far
East, to Siberia. Among them are 38,000 children, most of whom were deprived of
parental care, that is, deported without their parents. This is a big wound, a
big pain for the Ukrainian people. Therefore, today we should especially pray
for those who passed through the filtration concentration camps, and were
therefore forced to leave their hometown or village at gunpoint.
08/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
According to the reports we receive from the
Ukrainian authorities, since the beginning of the war, 3,500 rockets have been
fired over Ukraine. This is an absolute record in the history of modern wars.
More than 7,000 civilians died and 5,500 were injured. This is only according
to official data, in reality these numbers are much higher. Almost a third of
the population of Ukraine became either refugees or forcibly displaced persons.
Only in the past day, 14 Russian missiles were fired at the cities and villages
of Ukraine, and 15 airstrikes were carried out. Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, Ochakiv
and Voznesensk shuddered yesterday. The world has no right to get used to
this war. This is an open wound of modern humanity. Let's pray together for
modern humanity to be able to overcome this war!
05/09/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
We are especially grateful to the Armed Forces
of Ukraine for the fact that we are alive, that Ukraine is standing and that
Ukraine is trying step by step to liberate its land from the bloodthirsty
Russian occupier.
(…)
We see that the occupier is coming to steal. In particular, the evidence of the
behaviour of the occupiers in the south of our Motherland in recent weeks is
simply shocking. Enemies come and expel Ukrainians from their houses, and
settle their families there.
04/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
How many truly believing people do we have
today who are ready to give everything in order to, first of all, be human,
then to be a free people on their land. Because it is not enough to have
freedom, one must also be free, to be able to dispose of that freedom
correctly. Perhaps the enemy who set foot on Ukrainian soil lacked exactly
this, such grace and strength, because he only calculated what Ukraine had, but
did not understand who Ukrainians are. Therefore, we can say that with God's
help there is and will be a believing Ukraine!
04/09/2022 (Source)
Thoughts of His Beatitude Sviatoslav about healing the wounds of the war in Ukraine
(…)
6. Don't let anyone get used to war!
Sometimes we see that information about the war in Ukraine starts to bore some people. Technically speaking, the war in Ukraine ceases to be news on the front pages of newspapers and magazines, particularly in Western Europe or North America. Our task is to keep the wave going. Raise conscience. Maybe sometimes we have to be like the annoying mosquito that keeps us awake. Because when we come to terms with the fact that there is a war and that the Russians are killing civilians in Ukraine, it will become another tragedy that we have no right to allow. It would be an information disaster for modern humanity. And that is why our task is to awaken people's hearts with the word of truth.
29/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on the feast of the Assumption
What happened in Kyiv six months ago was difficult to predict and describe in words. And the fact that our capital has stood up, we feel today as the fruit of a special intercession prayer of the Most Pure Virgin Mary. In Kyiv, there is a thousand-year-old certainty and spiritual tradition: as long as Oranta - the Immovable Wall - stands in Saint Sophia, the enemy will not be able to overcome the city and it will stand. I thank the Mother of God for saving our souls from death!
It is difficult to understand and express, but the Russian troops stopped twenty kilometers from the Patriarchal Cathedral. The front line really separated life from death. We heard explosions, even learned to distinguish the types of weapons used. Then, after the liberation of the now world-famous settlements: Irpenya, Buchi, Borodyanka, Gostomel, we saw mountains of corpses on their streets that no one had cleaned. We stood on the edge of the mass grave and watched the young people with their hands tied, thrown on top of each other. At that moment, we realized how cowardly and despicable the enemy is, who loots and takes everything he can, starting with small things, clothes and ending with household items. We saw the cowardice of traitors who drew up firing lists, handed over their neighbors to torture and death, counting on the "seat in power" of the occupiers or other privileges. We saw the cowardice of the adjusters of enemy fire, who called down the fire of enemy rockets on the heads of the inhabitants of their own cities and villages for Jewish silver coins.
However, in those circumstances, we saw that, as a nation, we are winning and will win thanks to the generosity of Ukrainians. We saw the spiritual greatness of our soldiers, who generously gave everything at the cost of their own lives to save Ukraine. We saw the magnanimity and selflessness of doctors who performed extremely complex operations under the bombs. We saw the generosity and heroism of the rescuers who risked their lives to pull their brothers and sisters out from under the rubble of their broken homes. There, like nowhere else, you understand that the Ukrainian people will win because we are bigger in soul than our enemy, morally and spiritually higher than him. To win, it is not enough to have good and modern weapons, you also need to have an inner, spiritual advantage.
That is why we have gathered here today, in this holy place, to give thanks that after half a year of war we are alive, we can be together, pray live for the victory of Ukraine and understand that the spiritual greatness of our people is rooted in God's generosity.
I was impressed by the generosity of the Ukrainians in the first months of the war, when the Russians did not want to take the bodies of their dead soldiers. Then our people created a special network that enabled fathers and mothers on the other side of the border to find their murdered children. However, no one wanted to accept the latter.
Today, our people in Kherson say that the Russians have turned this city into Buchenwald. The stench is felt over the city every day, because the occupiers in mobile crematoria day and night burn the bodies of "theirs", those whose names the invading country itself erases from history and sends not only to death, but also to eternal condemnation, shame and non-existence.
28/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
The next principle of war prevention is a strong condemnation of the involvement in armed conflicts of children and adolescents who are recruited, regardless of their age. Unfortunately, this is happening in the occupied territories of Ukraine, which today are under the boot of the Russian aggressor. Children who are forced to fight or who make such decisions on their own, often without realizing the consequences, are deprived of education, upbringing and taught to kill... This is a terrible crime.
The Church also strongly condemns terrorism. It cannot be justified in any way, because it carries a complete contempt for human life, which is always an end and not a means to an end, even if it is justified from a political point of view. And to declare oneself a terrorist in the name of God is profanation and blasphemy, contempt of God himself. Therefore, there is a right to defend oneself against terrorism. And today our Motherland is forced to defend itself against terrorism on various fronts.
25/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
The enemy thought that in three days they would march in Kyiv with an unholy parade, but we are celebrating the Independence Day of Ukraine.
24/08/2022 (Source)
Prayer on Independence Day
God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, on this day we stand together before Your face and thank You for the gift of freedom, for the gift of independence, for the gift of restoring the Ukrainian State. We ask You today: save, O God, Your people and bless Your inheritance, bless our people, our government, our army. Hear the cry, the cry of Your people of Ukraine. Give victory to the Ukrainian army over the unjust Russian occupier and aggressor. Bless our volunteers, doctors. Bless all those who save the human life given by You. Today we beg You for our brothers and sisters in the occupied territories, in the war zone. We beseech You for displaced persons and refugees, for all those to whom the war has inflicted deep wounds.
Lord, You are our Savior, the only physician of our souls and bodies, save us today! In Your fortress, Ukraine is and will be Your invincible State!
Today, under Your protection, Mother of God, we give our Motherland. Cover it with your honest omophorion. Mother of God, Oranto of Kyiv, pray for Your people! Amen.
24/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
We see that in Ukraine, out of ten attacks by Russian weapons, only one hit is on military targets, and all the others aim to destroy and kill the civilian population. This only emphasizes the immorality of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Attempts to destroy entire national, religious or linguistic groups of people are a crime against God and all humanity. Those guilty of this must be brought to justice. However, we see that the truth always wins. The power of good and protection of peace is always stronger than the power of weapons and diabolical plans of an unjust attacker.
22/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Who are those who come to kill us, who torture our children, women and old men? These are people from those regions of Russia, where the criminal authorities stole the opportunity for integral and fair development, personal, of their family, people, even the part of the country where they live. The only way the Russian authorities offer them to survive, support their families, and find a means of livelihood is to go and kill. This type of recruiters, unfortunately, spread throughout Russia, even through the network of Orthodox churches, encouraging them with rewards. And the worst thing is that they give permission to kill with impunity and get rich by looting. And since these people were robbed of the opportunity to live and develop, they go to kill Ukrainians.
(…)
No one and nothing can justify the start of war in the modern world. She is always immoral. This is a tragic moment that can always be avoided. There is no excuse for those who use war as a tool to solve socio-political or international problems. Therefore, the conscience of every honest person calls him and the world to condemn the war. War can never be justified by means, methods, or goals. That is why it is so painful to hear that someone today, even among religious figures, justifies her.
There are about 20 different wars going on in the world today. But in Ukraine it is something special and more dangerous, because it was started by a country with atomic weapons and threatens not only our country, but also the whole world. The war in Ukraine is a crime against humanity, a defeat for humanity, and hence the danger of involving the whole of humanity in a military adventure. Therefore, we must all do everything in order to stop the unjust aggressor, who condemns his own people to poverty and kills Ukrainians on their own territory.
God, grant peace to modern humanity! God, destroy the plans of the aggressor, stop his murderous hand with Your divine power! God, support all the efforts that humanity is making today to nip in the bud the devil's plans to sow war in the bosom of modern humanity. God, bless Ukraine with Your just heavenly peace!
21/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon
Today, together with Peter, James and John,
contemplating the transfigured Savior, we ask Him: shine your face over our
Motherland, because we want it to be good for us to be here in Ukraine; that
Ukrainians do not have to leave their homes under Russian bombs or fleeing
occupation by Russian tanks; so that they do not have to leave the Motherland,
escaping from dangers. God, from Mount Taurus, show us this Easter perspective
for the future of our people! We want to see our hope for victory in Your face
and light.
20/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Violence is a sign of powerlessness. We can clearly see this in the relationships between people in society. Similarly, in the international arena, when some crazy dictator has no other arguments, no other opportunity to defend his position, because he knows that he does not have the truth and does not carry justice, then his last argument becomes war and violence. That is why it is so important for all of us to affirm justice and love, which will bring peace to our hearts, families, and society and give peace to the long-suffering modern humanity.
20/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Unfortunately, we see how today the war in Ukraine has become a challenge for international law. The Russian aggressor does not respect anyone: neither his own citizens, nor the rights of Ukraine, nor his state, cultural, and spiritual sovereignty. He despises international law and institutions. Therefore, what is currently happening in Ukraine is a matter for all humanity, because it undermines the very foundations, the foundations of international law.
18/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
I am addressing you, mothers, with a special request: take care of the Christian and patriotic upbringing of your children! Learn the Ukrainian language, teach your children the true history of Ukraine — the history of suffering and struggle of our people. Take care of the Christian upbringing of your children. After all, if you do not give them real moral guidelines in life, then all the material things that you acquire for them, they will quickly spend.
Today we surround you with attention and love and ask you to be active citizens of Ukraine and responsible for the future of your children and our Motherland. Look for work! Get involved in the active life of local communities and be sure that we will all help you in this. Because decent work, in accordance with your talents, profession, is one of the ways of showing your Motherland's respect for you, your skill, dignity, gift of motherhood. Together with you, we pray for your husbands, who may be far away today, but are so in need of our memory, attention, prayers, and support.
12/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of daily video address
During war, we can feel a certain devaluation of human life. Sometimes our conscience is dulled when we hear about dozens killed and hundreds wounded. But every person killed is a tragedy. This is the failure of humanity. This is the problem of all those who today talk about law, law, and international relations. Therefore, the ability to respect human life, the dignity of every person, respect their rights regardless of ethnic, national origin, religious or political beliefs is the cornerstone of the construction of any fair, dignified person in the country. May the Lord God help us to build a state worthy of us, where everyone can develop their talents and live a dignified life on this God-given land.
(…)
Dear Mothers, I express to you on behalf of our entire Church, the Ukrainian people, words of deep sympathy and assurance in prayer. We are with you in this painful moment. We honor the high price your child paid for the freedom and independence of our Motherland. Thank you, Mother, for understanding the value of your son or daughter's sacrifice. We want to wrap you in the warmth of love and pastoral care in order to help you survive the pain of a terrible and irreparable loss. The mothers of our heroes gather in different communities to mutually support each other, and our Church creates appropriate spaces for such mutual assistance.
10/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of a sermon
We have been experiencing this event about the multiplication of loaves in a strange way in Ukraine for almost six months. We lack everything to stand up to an unjust aggressor. But Christ is present among us, as then in a desert place among his disciples and apostles. Christ who takes care of his people, who is patient, Christ who has mercy on people and says: "They do not need to go away: you give them something to eat" (Mt. 14, 16). And we see that when we are in solidarity, when we share what we have, when above all we give even the last thing we have into God's hands, then nothing is lacking for anyone.
Today we ask: Lord, You see the thirsty and hungry in Ukraine. You see those who suffer from war. You see that sometimes confused people feel like sheep without a shepherd. God, be between us! We place everything in Your hands: our resources, human, material, all others, ourselves and each other. Be among us as the One who breaks bread and feeds us! If necessary, even break our lives in order to multiply them and make your presence life-giving here, among us, in the body of our people. Let Your life-giving power, which multiplies everything, pulsate among us and be the secret of our tirelessness, endurance and victory. The Gospel says: "They all ate until they were satisfied and gathered the morsels that remained, twelve baskets full" (Mt. 14, 20). Lord, let it happen on Ukrainian land, let it be an icon of the feast of Ukraine's victory over the enemy, who today wants to rob us of everything and condemns us to a cold and hungry death. God, be with us today!
08/08/2022 (Source)
Thoughts on patriotism
1. The Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church is not a state, but a state-creating one. What is the difference?
Statehood is a certain type of relationship between people, certain values, rules that become laws. And so it is the Christian faith that is the source of the thousand-year-old experience of state-building. And never vice versa! It cannot be said that the state is the source of the Church, that the state in one way or another creates various church institutions and structures. If we are talking about the state Church and the state-creating Church, then these are two completely different realities. The State-creating Church is the source of statehood. This is clearly visible from the history of our Church. Because it was precisely because of the existence of the Ukrainian Church that Ukrainian statehood was reborn and arose, and the desire of the Ukrainian people to have their own state was manifested. And the state Church is a cog in the state machine. And when we see that some Churches were tempted to become a cog in the state machine, then they alienated themselves from their people, became not the voice of God for the people, but the voice of this or that secular power. Our Church has never been a cog in some state machine, never a state Church, but has always been a people's, and therefore state-creating.
2. How does the Church cooperate with the state?
The Greek Catholic Church advocates the secularity of the state and partnership relations between the state and church and religious organizations. Everyone should be comfortable in such a state: Christians, Muslims, or perhaps those who currently do not participate in the life of any religious community. No belief or religion can be forced upon anyone. Because this is violence against his conscience. In order to understand this, centuries have passed. The church had to realize its role in society. The secularity of the state means that none of the Churches or religions can claim the role of the state. Therefore, especially in the conditions of a multi-religious state, which is Ukraine, I think that this is a very correct way of organizing our people in their state-building activities. But state secularism does not mean opposing state structures to church or religious organizations. After all, we have many common tasks, we must work together for the common good and the good of this nation.
The Church never forces anything, never imposes anything on anyone, but is a mother and a teacher who speaks to the heart. And in this way we work for the common good.
3. What happens if the state privileges one Church over others?
This means that it made a bet on a certain Church and thus, de facto, interprets it as a state one. And according to Ukrainian legislation, the state authorities must treat all Churches and religious organizations absolutely equally. Whether they are small or large, powerful or weak, they have the right to exist and be treated equally. We all have equal rights. By the way, this is one of the foundations on which the life and activity of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations is formed: "We are all different, but we are all equal." When the state behaves like this with the religious environment, then there is no danger of nationalization of such a structure. There is another danger: when some Church offers itself to the state as a tool to achieve a goal, particularly a political one. This is very visible during elections. When some Church begins to support one political power and when that political power comes to power, then the representatives of a certain Church remind about it. This is also a dangerous sign when the crown and the mitre merge.
4. What is patriotism?
There are different types of patriotism. We talk about Christian as love for one's Motherland. Today, we don't always realize what that means. We use the word "love" so often that it loses its meaning. You have to learn to love. And love should always be active. And, it is obvious that love is the essence of what we are talking about as patriotism. Love creates heroes, and hate creates criminals. We clearly stated this in our message to this year's Synod of Bishops of the UGCC. A patriot is not necessarily the one who shoots, but necessarily the one who loves. The Church teaches its faithful to love. The Christian community is a school of love that explains that love does not mean taking what I like, but giving myself to someone in need. Give as much as I can. Even all of himself. True patriotism will never be seasoned with antagonism or hatred. Even to enemies. Christian patriotism must be distinguished from other types of so-called love for the Motherland, which, in fact, is national egoism. A chauvinist will also say that he is standing up for his country. But he wants to achieve the greatness of his state by humiliating others. Sometimes we say that protecting your own is a universal human rule. Even a heathen understands that it is necessary to protect one's home and property when a thief comes. What is Christian here? A Christian understands that it is not hatred and opposition to others that makes us able to fulfil our Christian task of protecting the Motherland, but the ability to give oneself. And this must be learned. Today, we very often say that there are sofa patriots who are ready to love Ukraine, but only on their sofa with a warm cup of coffee. And this is obviously a caricature of patriotism.
5. Not sofa patriots...
I am proud of my people. I am proud of Ukrainian patriots who are ready to defend their country without the slightest drop of hatred. They say: "We don't need someone else's, and we won't give away ours." We do not encroach on other people's property, but we love our own and are even ready to share ours." And, it is obvious that today until the end our enemy does not understand that he is not fighting with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but with the people. Today, Ukraine is defended not only by the President and the Commander-in-Chief, not only by state structures, but by millions of Ukrainians. Someone is on the front line, someone is working on the Ukrainian front. They risk encountering explosive devices or being targeted by a missile. You have to be a hero to sow in the fields of Ukraine, and now to reap what you have sown.
You have to be a hero to give birth to children in wartime. Father and mother, who give life, are patriots! They understand that fatherhood and motherhood also have a patriotic dimension. When someone runs away from those burdens, does not give a future to the Ukrainian people, he has lost something somewhere.
Let's remember our volunteers, who, without any hope of compensation or words of thanks, at the behest of their own conscience, work day and night to help refugees, to clothe those who lack clothes, to evacuate those who are in danger of death, to provide the Ukrainian army with all that that it needs.
There is a whole mechanism of existence of Ukrainian society. However, the soul of this body that wields is love and Christian patriotism.
08/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Svyatopolk, who was called
"wretched", killed his brothers in the struggle for the Kyiv throne. The
Russian president publicly ridiculed the feat of these first Kyiv martyrs. And
today, unfortunately, it is Russia that is once again committing the sin of the
wretched Svyatopolk
(…)
I watch with emotion how many of our boys
attack the military commissariats and are offended when they are not taken into
the army, they feel guilty for being in the rear instead of at the front.
Thanks to all of you, patriots of Ukraine! Be where the Lord God has called
you! And bring Ukraine's victory over the enemy closer every day
06/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
In just one day, Russia launched eight cruise
missiles at Ukraine for a total of $100,000,000. We see how it becomes more and
more difficult for the occupiers to explain to themselves and their own people
why this senseless war is being waged. We see how much money the aggressor
invests in destruction and death. Instead of developing
their patriotism by investing in the well-being and better life of Russians,
they cause great trouble, harm, and destruction to everyone: both to Russians
in Russia and to the Ukrainian people.
04/08/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
The world must condemn what happened yesterday
to the Ukrainian prisoners of war as a special manifestation of
inadmissibility, savagery and cruelty. Yesterday we saw footage of the
terrible torture of a Ukrainian soldier, and later the news arrived that more
than 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in the town of Olenivka in
Donbas. With what cynicism it was done! With what insidiousness, and therefore
an attempt to frighten the world and demonstrate these crimes, all this was
done! In the name of God, we condemn these atrocities, these crimes against
humanity.
I appeal to each of you to condemn the crimes
of the Russians! If we, as people, do not distance ourselves today and say a
sharp "no" to atrocities and torture, then tomorrow such behaviour,
unfortunately, may spread to the whole world.
30/07/2022 (Source)
From a television interview
In no case do I agree when someone talks about
the danger of patriotism. Even more, we must teach our faithful to be patriots.
Because how else can we hope that Ukrainians will respect the achievements of
human civilization, the genius of the universal human spirit, if they do not
love their own?!
(…)
That is, a patriot is not one who shoots,
but one who loves. This should always come first. And the Church teaches
its faithful to love. The Christian community is a school of love that explains
that love is not about what I like. Love means giving yourself to someone in
need. To give as much as I can, even all of myself.
(…)
Whoever does not have this sincere love for his
Christian land, for his mother, for his children, for his home, he will never
be happy anywhere, even on the whole infinite earth. This is the essence of
Christian patriotism.
(…)
You have to be a hero to sow and reap what you
sow today in the fields of Ukraine. You have to be a hero to give birth to
children in wartime. That is, the father and mother who give a new life are
patriots who understand that the true vocation to fatherhood and motherhood
also has a patriotic dimension. When someone runs away from those burdens, does
not give a future to the Ukrainian people, then somewhere along the way
something got lost.
29/07/2022 (Source)
Daily video address
Today, let's rediscover the value of Ukrainian
statehood for our national existence. Our State is for us a
matter of life or death. And we know that life will win. The
state will be protected and strengthened. And life on the God-given earth
will blossom and develop.
28/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from interview with Il Foglio
Ukraine has been a victim of Russian aggression
since 2014, but since February 24, we, Ukrainians, have understood that this is
not just a war between one country against another, and even less a simple
"military operation".
Visiting Ukrainian cities that were occupied by
the Russian army and then liberated, I saw the tragedy of mass graves – mass
burials of civilians, I heard the testimonies of victims of rape by Russian
soldiers, we were shocked by the terrible picture of executed people, left
lying on the streets of our cities. Unfortunately, these are not isolated
cases, but systematic actions of Putin's army against innocent
Ukrainians. Mass graves were found in Bucha, Mariupol, Makarov, and
perhaps others will be found; there were many cases of torture of
civilians, including children; so far, about 300 minors have died at the
hands of the Russian military. Just think that near the ancient city of
Chernihiv, in the ancient Orthodox church, which is considered a historical
heritage, the Russian army arranged a torture chamber! Residents of the
villages of Yagidne and Lukashivka were tortured inside the church.
Today, it is becoming more and more obvious, at
least for us in Ukraine, that Russia's war against Ukraine has a clear
ideological structure, which is called the ideology of the "Russian
world".
I would like to turn to the report of Timothy
Snyder, a well-known researcher of the Shoah in the territory of the former
Soviet Union. It was he who immediately reacted to the publication on the
Russian website "Ria Novosti" of a document explaining the motives
and orders given to Russian soldiers to carry out their mission in
Ukraine. The comment entitled "What Russia should do with
Ukraine" was written by Timofiy Sergeitsev, who explains what exactly
Moscow means by denazification – one of the goals of the war in Ukraine
declared by Putin. I invite the European community to carefully read
this text in order to understand what the ideology of the "Russian
world" consists of.
Timothy Snyder called it Russia 's genocide handbook . He
writes: "This Russian manual is one of the most frankly genocidal
documents I have ever seen."
In addition, I would like to note that many
famous theologians of the Orthodox Churches of the world have condemned the
ideology of the "Russian world" as a heresy of ethnophyletic
religious fundamentalism, which has a totalitarian nature. Many prominent politicians
identify it as a form of radical nationalism that seeks to spread throughout
the world. The ideology of the "Russian world" denies the right
of the Ukrainian people to exist, as the ideology of Nazi Germany once denied
the Jewish people. In this way, a new authoritarian ideology is proposed,
which was born in Russia, but thanks to massive propaganda, it will find its
followers in the West, surprisingly.
I can only testify that the occupiers are
committing war crimes by carefully following every letter of these
instructions. All this is accompanied by unprecedented cruelty towards the
civilian population.
The history of the Ukrainian people is a part
of European history, we are a European people, which in recent history has once
again confirmed its choice in favour of the principles and ideals of the
European community. Unfortunately, today in Russia we are witnessing a
synthesis of Soviet and imperial mentalities. And Ukraine today is a
victim of this perverse reconstruction of the borders of "great
Russia".
In Russia, they always want to present
Ukrainian society as being under the influence of the immoral West. This
is how intolerance towards everything "not ours" is born, provoking
and justifying violence to destroy all the "infected". Currently, the image of this
"collective West" is being projected onto Ukraine, which seems to
have to be fought. To revive the memory of the historical enemy to be
fought, the word "Nazism" is used, which has lost its original
meaning and today is usually applied to everything "Western" that is
present in the identity of the people. That is why a Ukrainian is called a
heretic Nazi.
It is becoming more and more obvious that
Russia has entered into a cultural conflict not only with Ukraine, but also
with everything that we define as Western civilization. The process of
zombification of the Russian population by the Kremlin regime gave rise to a
very dangerous anthropological type of society. Imagine: mass graves in
Ukraine become a reason for the joy of many people in Russia; no sympathy,
no thought about the causes of this absurd war. Unfortunately, even at the
highest level of the Russian Orthodox Church... Moreover, we hear the Christian
justification of the Russian war against Ukraine and the glorification of war
crimes and the ideology of violence.
(…)
In this case, as a Church, we must also declare
"zero tolerance" for the criminal. I believe that we should stop
talking about the conflict, we should talk about war crimes in Ukraine
instead. We must stop trying to understand or protect the interests of the
aggressor or to be mediators between the interests of the aggressor and the
victim, therefore the reality and the truth, the objective truth of the events
taking place in Ukraine. Zero tolerance for violence! If the
interests of a state lead to war and condemn to death a people with a
population of more than 40 million, then this is no longer an interest, but a
crime. No
reason can justify or explain this aggression in modern civilized
society.
A crime against humanity is taking place in
Ukraine: there is a cruel criminal and there is an innocent
victim. Therefore, it is also important to find the right terms to
describe everything that is happening in Ukraine. After all, even the word
"war" in its traditional sense is no longer able to describe this
tragedy. If anyone doubts, I invite you to come to Ukraine and see it with
your own eyes.
(…)
Faith in the resurrection and love for freedom
have always been the strength of our people, which protected them from despair,
encouraged them to stand up and move forward. There is another folk
saying: "They wanted to bury us forever, but it turned out that we
are the seeds that give new life." Perhaps even now our people are
fighting, standing up after so many waves of genocide precisely because the
Lord resurrects us.
(…)
War is not a game. It seems to me that
sometimes computer games are associated with the word "war" in the
West. Unfortunately, those who plan wars have never experienced what war
really is. After all, observing the realities of the war in Ukraine, we
are faced with total destruction. Entire cities and villages became
ghosts. And mass graves, which have no end. The question arises: is
it possible to survive in such conditions? Does the world want to survive
or fight? And one more thing: we know that one day of war costs Russia
four hundred million dollars. Think about it, just one day. Who, by
what diabolical logic, invests in death? What if we could use this money
to build, save human lives, and create a better future in Russia
itself? If these funds were to be invested in improving the living
conditions of millions of citizens of this country? Instead of spending
them so easily on killings... This means that war is always a
crime, always madness, clouding of the mind. The more violent it
becomes, the more obvious it becomes. The war in Ukraine is a crime
against humanity.
(…)
We have all changed. Perhaps not everyone
has yet understood that the world that existed until February 24 of this year
is no more. Not Russia, not Ukraine, not Europe, not other
countries. In one "click" we changed forever. And if relations between
people change, then, obviously, relations between man and society, man and any
community will change, and relations between Churches will also change. If
we talk about the relations between the Churches in Ukraine, I must say that
they have really improved, because we have united like never before in the name
of protecting human life. We see that all differences, even some private
selfish interests (which are sometimes cherished even by the Church) have now
receded into the background, the existential question is now in the first place
- how to survive together with our people. That's why we cooperate. Perhaps
the ecumenical, doctrinal level, reflection will come later, which will be
born from existential experience, but when it comes to organizing, for example,
a green corridor to evacuate and save the lives of people who are in immediate
danger of death, then everyone unites: Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants,
Muslims, Jews. We all cooperate to save ourselves and to save others.
27/07/2022 (Source)
Daily vídeo address
Mykolaiv suffered a massive rocket attack that
night. And yesterday we were shaken by an unprecedented disaster in Kharkiv,
in particular, the picture of a father kneeling on the street of the city,
holding the hand of his lifeless 13-year-old son, and praying. Many
people asked themselves: God, why? How much more?
21/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt
from sermon
Free
Ukraine, is torment for all those who want to enslave their people first of
all, to put shackles on them. If Ukraine is free, then other nations of the
former Soviet Union must be free as well.
This is
a spiritual struggle, an invisible struggle between good and evil. But this
phrase is not a good metaphor. We see that God is calling us to freedom. And he
gives it to us as he gave freedom to the Church and the people when He broke
the prison of the nations – the Soviet Union and all those who were in slavery,
in the shackles of that communist ideology, he called us to a free life worthy
of human dignity, he called us to freedom.
(…)
Ukrainians
said: we will never be slaves again, because we are responding to the call to
freedom of our Saviour. We want to be free people.
(…)
We
cannot be half human, nor can we be half free, because freedom is rooted in
human nature. We see that wherever Russian weapons reach, blood is shed,
innocent people are killed there. Therefore, this war turns into a complete war
crime. But Ukrainians will never go back to live in graves.
(…)
Today we
have come to the prayer room to pray for the victory of Ukraine, for the
victory that will be the liberation of our land, the liberation of every person
from the power of the possession of an evil spirit. We sacrifice everything so
that our people will never return to slavery.
17/07/2022
(Source)
Daily
video address
It is
difficult to call what is happening in Ukraine a war. These are, naturally,
continuous war crimes that do not stop either day or night.
But we
are now here, in Zarvanytsia, and we will pray. Our prayer is for the victory
of Ukraine, for our Ukrainian army, for our Ukrainian government. We will ask
the Mother of God for the gift of just and true peace for the Ukrainian land,
so that the thief will leave our house, so that the killings will stop, so that
blood will no longer be sprinkled on the black soil of the Ukrainian land, our
Motherland,
17/07/2022
(Source)
Daily
video address
We see
how the pride of one dictator, in whose hands there are many means of
destroying human life, can be a destructive force that tempts and leads the
entire nation to sinful paths. This pride is the cause of murder, war,
destruction and death of man.
16/07/2022
(Source)
Daily
video address
We
know that more than seven million Ukrainians have already
left Ukraine. And this process of demographic exsanguination of our Motherland,
unfortunately, continues. But Ukraine stands. Ukraine is fighting. Ukraine is
praying. Ukraine learns to win and wins!
(…)
The
enemy is not at war with any state structures and not only with the Armed
Forces of Ukraine. He has clear genocidal intentions and is fighting the
Ukrainian people, putting the lives of Ukraine's 40 million population at
stake.
14/07/2022
(Source)
Daily
video address
We see
that some agree with the voice of Pope Francis, and some disagree, but everyone
hears and notices him. Let us pray that among us, Christians of the new age, he
will be the first to convert and, after his personal conversion, confirm the
faith of his fellow believers. We pray that he will come to Ukraine as soon as
possible to stand on the side of the suffering Ukrainian people.
12/07/2022
(Source)
Address to Ukrainian refugees in Poland
We ask our saints: you, the sons and daughters of this people, pray
today for our Church, for our people, who are bleeding.
Pray for the Ukrainian State, which today shelters Europe with its
breast from the war that is destroying Ukraine.
Pray that evil does not spread, that Ukraine itself, with its holiness,
strength, ability to sacrifice even life in faith for the sake of God's
truth and the salvation of man,
will be a shield that will cover the whole world from the apocalyptic
beast that opens its mouth on modern man. All the saints of the Ukrainian people, pray to God for us
sinners.
09/07/2022 (Source)
Opening sermon at the synod of Bishops in Przemyśl
Because
we, as the Church, found ourselves on the front line of the
information war. At one time, Pope Francis remarked that every great war is connected
with a great lie. Therefore, the voice of our Church, which testifies to
the truth, by the power of the prophet John, is today called to carry
out a prophetic mission in the desert of the modern world. That is why
it is so important for us to experience this Synod, to feel the
fraternal unity of our global Church, which unites all world Ukrainians
in Ukraine and in the settlements!
Because it is our Church that becomes a powerful voice to the world
public, which once did not hear well and did not know who Ukrainians
are, what they fight for, live and die for. Perhaps it is precisely
our Church that should say that in today's cruel circumstances of
military calamity.
07/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of Sermon on the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Christ says: "And when your eye is evil, your whole body will be in
darkness" (Mt. 6, 23). Our Kobzar says about such an evil and lustful
eye: "He is peering over the edge of the world with his restless eye to
see if there is a country to conquer and take home with him" (Poem
"Dream").
It is the eye of the occupier who comes to our land today and looks
at all of us only from the point of view of what can be taken from us,
enslaving and robbing us of all that we are. This is what it means to
serve mammon. This god takes away man's freedom, instead instils in him fear of the
coming day and, like a tempter, says: take today, because tomorrow may
not be.
03/07/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
We have already mentioned more than once that
this war against Ukraine has a hybrid nature, that is, it is waged
not only through weapons, bombs, missiles, artillery, tanks on the
battlefield, but also through disinformation, lies, which the enemy
spreads to the whole world. And we, as Christians, have to fulfil our duty here: not to listen to
the voice of the tempter, not to enter into a dialogue with him, but
instead to testify to the truth.
(…)
Pope Francis says that a great war is always connected with a great
lie, and the first victim of war is always the truth. Therefore, no
matter where we live, in Ukraine or in other countries of the world,
no matter what we do, no matter what mission we perform, let us always
listen to the voice of truth, the truth that sounds through the testimony of eyewitnesses, through
the voice of the Church. Let's listen to God's truth, which speaks to us
through the word of the Holy Scriptures, and with God's word, like a
double-edged sword, we will defeat the attacks and temptations of the
devil.
02/07/2022 (Source)
Interview with Open Church
During the war, all masks were torn off, all traitors were
unmasked. The whole depth of the heart of every good
person was revealed.
Then it was really possible to see who loves Ukraine, whether it is
only good slogans, good words, only political ambitions or true love for
our Motherland, which we live by every day.
We not only believe in God's mercy, but are also its bearers.
Therefore,
if someone calls himself a Christian, but during the war he closes
his heart to people in need, he is not moved by the footage of broken
homes, wounded people, millions of refugees, then his Christianity is
superficial, inauthentic.
01/07/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
We see that Russian society is being tempted, that young men are
being recruited to go and kill people in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine
is not just justified, particularly for religious reasons, but
presented as a good opportunity to earn something, even to steal
something and bring it home.
(…)
We ask, Lord, help us with Your word, Your power to defeat the devil
and his temptations! Help us to overcome the suggestions of the enemy,
with which He wants to frighten, paralyze the will of all those who
defend the dignity of man, his right to life and existence! God, bless
the defenders of Ukraine, its children, all those who resist evil!
01/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from daily video message
The enemy mercilessly fires on all parts of Ukraine, where it can reach
with its weapons. They are shelling towns and villages, including border
towns, in Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. The so-called missile
terrorism continues.
The Russians are ruthlessly destroying agricultural, urban, and state
infrastructure with rocket fire. In particular, a huge grain warehouse
in Dnipropetrovsk region was destroyed yesterday. Everything that can
save Ukraine, especially in winter, must be destroyed. At the same time, the Russians are brutally cracking down on anyone
who wants to defend the Motherland
30/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from daily video message
But through the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is faith we see that
the Lord God not only sees Ukraine and has it in his original plan,
but has prepared for us a special mission in the modern world, in the
modern Church, in relation to man in the third millennium.
Yesterday, Ukraine experienced perhaps the largest missile strike in
its history by Russia. Russian cruise missiles flew to Kyiv, Chernihiv,
Cherkasy, Odesa and Mykolayiv regions. The city of Kharkiv and Sumy
region came under fire ... But Ukraine is fighting and thanking God and
the Armed Forces of Ukraine that we have survived to this morning and
can see the light of day.
27/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from sermon
I think it is obvious to all of us today that
He sees Ukraine in his providence not only as we see it now,
especially on this dramatic Kyiv morning – sick, wounded and crying.
He sees Ukraine and us in it as we are bound to become – he sees in
its victory over evil and an unjust attacker - a prosperous and free
European state!
It is obvious to all of us today that
war is a denial of God's plan and God's wisdom. War is the greatest
crime against God. War is the greatest madness, the greatest stupidity
a person can commit. We feel that Ukraine's enemies are those who do
not allow it to fulfil its sacred vocation. That is why their insane
plans, which rebel against God's plan and vocation for our people, are
doomed to shameful failure.
Celebrating today the Day of the Laity in our Church, we ask: God, call
us to follow us from the hell on earth in which we are today! We know
that where You are, there is peace and security. We know that only those
who fulfil their life vocation feel happy. Teach us to fulfil our family
and professional duties in a Christian way, to fulfil our civic duty to
protect and build the Motherland!
27/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from sermon
Consecrating this church, we see that in this event,
in these sacraments that took place before our eyes, there is a great
sign of hope for the Ukrainian people. For when the enemy kills, takes
away life, in this temple God himself comes to revive, sanctify and
give eternal life
as it happened in Nazareth, at the moment of the Good News, when a new
life began, Divine and human, by power and action. Of the Holy Spirit in
the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Today,
when the enemy on our land is destroying everything, destroying, when
he is waging a war of "scorched earth", we are building. You have to
have a lot of faith to build temples during the war.
We need to have a look into the future, which breaks through the clouds
that have thickened over us and shows a ray of hope for the revival of
Ukraine after the war.
23/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on All Saints Sunday
Today we celebrate International Father's Day and Medical Day. I would
like to take this opportunity to sincerely congratulate parents who
instill in their children a desire for holiness and Christian and human
perfection. We especially pray for those dads who, with weapons in their hands
and the cost of their own lives, protect Ukraine from the Russian
occupier, giving their children a true example of true love. Thanks also to our doctors who save lives in the dramatic
circumstances of the war. May all the saints accompany you in the
conscientious performance of your professional duties, and may the Lord
himself guide you with his hand and complement your medical art and your
talent with the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit!
19/06/2022 (Source)
Words during visit to Poltava
By his love for us, the Lord God quenches human malice and sin. He
transmits the same power to Christians. And when we forgive our
offender, we defeat him. By forgiving, we defeat the evil that the offender has done to us. If
we respond with evil to evil, then it only increases. And man himself will never be able to overcome evil as such. It's not
in our power.
Even today, when we see the enemy raping, killing, destroying, let our
enemy not defeat himself on the battlefield of our hearts. If we can
destroy the evil that the enemy carries in our hearts, we will defeat
him. Because victory requires winners who are morally superior to our
attackers.
17/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from daily video message
This gift [of the Holy Spirit] is extremely necessary for those who
have a special responsibility, perform important service in the Church,
the state and society. In my opinion, the mind as a gift of the Holy
Spirit is very much needed by those who are trying to understand the
causes and consequences of this full-scale Russian aggression. Because
we see that today the whole world is trying to deceive, to pretend that
what is desired is real. We see and know, experiencing the war on our own skin, that Russia's
aggression against Ukraine is not provoked by anything. Anyone who
thinks that some external cause has provoked military aggression in
Russia is either a prisoner of Russian propaganda or is simply
deliberately deceiving the world.
Unfortunately, that part of the post-Soviet space that is today in the
territory of the Russian Federation has its deep flaws and diseases
since Soviet times. This post-Soviet revanchism, which today has emerged in the new face of
extreme Russian nationalism, in the form of the ideology of the
Russian measure, has clearly acquired genocidal features. And Ukraine
is his first victim.
That is why it is so important to understand the causes and consequences of this war. Unfortunately, the causes of
this war lie in Russia itself, inside it. The Russian aggressor is trying to solve its internal problems with the
help of external aggression. He projects his illnesses on others and
blames the whole world for them.
Today we pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit for politicians, diplomats,
church and religious figures, so that the Lord God gives them the ability to see the causes and
consequences of things, the depth of reality and the ability to
distinguish truth from falsehood and falsehood.
15/06/2022 (Source)
Today we have to celebrate Pentecost in the circumstances of war. We
know that the war has "nullified" all human relations. We all became
different. We are afraid of the unknown future, because we do not know
where our mad enemy will direct its lethal missiles tomorrow. Many parents have really serious difficulties in overcoming
their children's anxiety.
We need the Comforter so much in these military circumstances!
Therefore, today we will kneel and call on the Holy Spirit as the only
Comforter in unhappy circumstances and tell Him today: come and dwell
in us!
During the war, we all feel that we have become a wounded people, some physically, some psychologically and even spiritually… Today
we are not fully aware of the wounds that Ukraine receives every day.
Where will we get the medicine, the balm that will heal the wounds,
will give us the strength to rebuild what the enemy shamelessly
destroys every day? Therefore, we call on the Holy Spirit, whom the
Son of Heavenly Father sends us today, and say to Him, "Come and dwell
in us!" – because we know that He alone is the balm that can heal all
our pains and wounds.
We ask today: “Holy Spirit, come, renew us, give us strength, teach us to be
bearers of truth! You are the Spirit of truth, so give us the
strength to bear witness to the truth about You and Ukraine in its
pain! Give us the strength to tell the truth, so that, in the words of the great Kobzar, "the whole world will
hear what was going on in Ukraine, why it died, why the Cossack glory
spread all over the world!" (To Osnovyanenko, 1839) ".
May the Holy Spirit make us all spiritual disciples of our Saviour.
May it descend into our hearts, write in it God's law of the truth of
life, melt our petrification. May every place we live be enlivened and
sanctified. May all that we touch with our thoughts, dreams, hands and
deeds be revived. May the Holy Spirit descend on Ukraine today, tomorrow our tears
and renew the face of the Ukrainian land. Amen.
14/06/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
It is becoming clear that the war that Russia has started against Ukraine is colonial in
nature. They are once again trying to turn Ukraine into a colony,
almost in the heart of Europe. This colonial war is accompanied by
murders, rapes, robberies and, very sadly, Russia exports and sells
on the international market everything that can be looted in
Ukraine.
Today I appeal to the world community, to the conscience of people
around the world: do not buy loot in Ukraine! Because otherwise you become
accomplices in the crimes committed by the occupiers when they came
to Ukrainian soil.
09/06/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Ukraine is working, a sowing campaign has taken place. Our people are
making every effort to feed Ukrainian bread to the sons and daughters
of Ukraine, as well as to all those in need in the world. However, we
already see that due to the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports, it is
impossible to export Ukrainian grain. The global food crisis is
already approaching and it is already beginning to worry the leaders
of various states.
We express our gratitude to Pope Francis for such a moving call not
to use food grains as a weapon, because today the most vulnerable
people suffer from it, not only in Ukraine but all over the world.
(…)
On this day, we want to pray for the Ukrainian government and all
those in the world to whom the peoples and society have entrusted the
leadership of states. Because we see that the worst sin of the
government is war. When the government provokes wars, it shows its unbelief, rebels
against the very plan of God for man, who is always peace.
Authorities who do not care about the justice of life between
people, their citizens and peoples make human life as such
impossible. If the authorities commit crimes that are not initially
visible, it leads to internal corruption of the state. We are
talking about the sin of corruption, which erodes any institutions,
even international ones.
07/06/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
We also pray for our enemies, that they do not dry up their souls
with crimes against the Ukrainian people. We pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit for all people.
(…)
Today we see that in Ukraine some are bearing fruit, and others are
coming to show themselves as dry branches on this grape, although they
call themselves Christians. It is a great scandal for the whole world
that in Ukraine some Christians who are trying to appropriate the
tradition of the Kyiv Church come from Moscow to kill other Christians
in the Kyiv lands.
06/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of interview on the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Council of Nicaea
Jesus prays to the Father: "Now I come to you, and I say this when I
am in the world, that they may have my joy in them" (Jn
17:13). Today, when Ukraine is crying, it is very difficult for us to talk
about joy, because we are witnessing something completely different.
We are constantly experiencing the pain and grief of loss. We lose
our own and our own, sometimes even ourselves… However, in order for you to understand the fullness of joy that
Jesus Christ speaks in his Hierarch's Prayer, I will tell you the
story of a believing woman, a refugee from Donbass, told to me by my
father from Kropyvnytskyi. This lady said that when she gets to
another city, she first of all seeks her Church, because she knows
that there are her own and she will not perish among her own. She was
very happy when she found her family, her community, her Church. Of
course, they helped her with everything they could.
(…)
True joy is finding your own. That woman lost everything: her home,
relatives, the world in which she still lived. But she was happy,
because she understood that she would gradually be able to find
everything among her own. And this joy that Jesus Christ is talking
about today is due to the fact that she managed to find her God in a
foreign city.
In these circumstances, it is very important for us to understand who is our own and who is someone else's. Where is the opportunity to know the true living God, where are those who know Him? It is important to reveal the community of Christ's Church in the life of our people. Because many foreigners come who pretend to be their own. They say: we are your brothers, your government and your fatherland ... Even in the church field they pretend to be their Church, but they behave like strangers who steal, kill, rape, burn even holy temples, steal everything from grain to things that are found in our homes.
06/06/2022 (Source)
Daily Video Message
Ukrainians have been defending their land for a hundred
days. For a hundred days, Ukrainians have been holding back the Russian
invasion, which exceeds with all resources what we can oppose. At
the same time, we are experiencing a hundred days of great
manifestation of God's presence among us.
03/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from Sermon on the Feast of the Ascension
What does it mean to win? This is much more than deoccupying the
territories that the enemy has taken away from us today. This is much
more than restoring the integrity of our state. Our mission is to defeat the spirit of war and all those who serve
it, who are enemies of God's plan for Ukraine, our Church and our
people. We say today that the war in Ukraine is a struggle between
good and evil. Perhaps this is our historical mission – to once again close Europe to the chest from the Asian
invader, as it was here in Kyiv, during the reign of Khan Batu and
other hordes who came to our land to take our lives and wipe the Kyiv
state from the face of the earth. To pray for victory means to pray for the fulfilment of the
historical mission of our people in the family of the peoples of
Europe.
Today we pray that each of us may fulfil our life's mission in a
Christian way. Because the Lord God gives us a task that no one will
do for us. If we run away from it, do not want to fulfil it, there
will be emptiness. Each of us in our place today prays, defends the
Motherland and is a witness to faith in God and in His saved plan for
our people. That is why we pray and say on the graves of our fallen
heroes that heroes do not die. It is the Lord God who revives them,
makes them partakers of his Paschal sacrament. He is the key to their
life and resurrection even after death.
Today we ask: Lord, clothe us with power from on high! Thy Holy
Spirit descended on us, as You did for Your apostles. For it is not by
human power, but by God's power that victory over evil comes and God's
plan is fulfilled. Come upon us, Holy Spirit, so that we may defeat the enemy,
celebrate Your victory over evil! Grant us Your peace for our
Motherland! And when the Lord sends us today everywhere, as the
apostles and early Christians once did, from Kiev, the new
Jerusalem, to all continents to the ends of the earth, let us make all your
people disciples there and lead them to Baptism in them. ' I am the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
03/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from an interview with Ukrinform
Q. A large number of your faithful were very offended by the Pope.
Offended by the Way of the Cross, the common cross of a Russian and a
Ukrainian, offended by his intentions to see Kirill, because,
obviously, it makes no sense. Don't you think that this behaviour of
the Holy Father has greatly affected the authority of the Vatican?
A. In the period you mention, I was in two realities. On the one
hand, I personally communicated with the Holy Father, and on the other
hand, I tried to read, listen to everything that was said and written
about him, how his thoughts or intentions were broadcast through the
media to the general public. And there is a big difference between one
reality and another.
The Holy Father personally as a person, as a Christian, as the Head
of the Church, is very sympathetic to Ukraine. Not only does he
understand what is going on, but he is even ready for certain
unconventional, unrelated protocols of actions and gestures in order
to stop the war. And if someone said that Pope Francis was pro-Moscow,
it would offend him personally, because sometimes such thoughts are heard about him. Like, we don't
understand you, such gestures or statements for Ukrainians look like
direct or indirect support of the aggressor.
The Holy Father is very hurt to personally perceive this type of
interpretation of his words or gestures. On the other hand, we feel
that the war in Ukraine is being waged in very different forms and on
different fronts, the information war is part of Russian aggression
and, in my opinion, the Holy See was involved by Russia in the
information war, perhaps even to the end. without realizing it, he may
not have been ready for it until the end. Here are some examples. Precisely in order to protest against
Russian aggression, literally on the second or third day the Pope personally went to the Russian ambassador, this gesture
was very unconventional, but who was the first to announce this
visit? Moscow. And, obviously, informing about it, they put their
content into this message and interpreted it in their own way. The
fact is that the Pope went to protest against the war in Ukraine,
- Was it a meeting with the ambassador to protest?
- Yes. But since there was no timely communication from the Holy See,
we were the first to learn about this gesture through the Russian
media, and it was manipulated in favour of Russia.
The second example. The Holy Father, looking for various ways to express his protest,
disagreement with Russian aggression, had a televised conversation
with Patriarch Kirill, where he clearly told him that we should be
pastors, we cannot be altar boys of power. But who was the first to
report this conversation? Patriarch Kirill. And the very fact of the
conversation was interpreted as support for the Moscow Patriarchate,
which is an absolute lie.
And the third example, for me quite eloquent. We have all heard that the Pope is ready to go to Moscow. But only
the first part of the phrase was conveyed, and the next phrase was
as follows: because he is ready to do anything to stop Russian
aggression. Instead, only the first part of the phrase was
published, and the other was silenced.
Indeed, we feel that there are some failures on the part of the Holy See on the information front, that it directly lacks a spokesperson who, in case of any doubts or misunderstandings, including various media manipulations, could refute Moscow's lies. But I think that step by step the whole truth shines in all its fullness, and this untruth will disappear like our fortune tellers, like dew in the sun.
01/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from the Sermon during the 16th pilgrimage to
Vyshorod
[Mary’s] eyes are now weeping over the sons and daughters of Ukraine, as in the sad year of 1155, because today we are being killed, destroyed and burned, a war is
being waged against us, which is called the "war of the scorched
earth." Maria cries over those who are forced to leave their homes,
their land, and once again goes with those whom the Russian invader
forcibly takes to Russia. We know that there are already over a
million prisoners who were forcibly removed from Ukrainian soil and
then forced to kill Ukrainian citizens with weapons in their hands,
carrying out the so-called mobilization in the occupied lands.
Today our Mother, who sees the truth and whose eyes weep with
Ukrainian mothers, sons and daughters of Ukraine, is with us. Sometimes it is so important for us in life to have someone who
understands us. When we are in pain, we look for such a person. The
son is looking for a mother, the daughter is looking for a father, the
husband is looking for his wife, the wife misses her husband, who is
defending Ukraine. How we need someone who would understand us without
words, someone who does not need to explain anything, who looks deeper
than the human eye sees! When the world does not want to understand, see and hear the pain
and cries of Ukraine, we really need the presence of the Mother of
God among us! And here, in Vyshhorod, we feel that the Blessed Virgin Mary
sees, knows and understands everything.
By a strange craft, the northern Kyiv region is today a place where
many people from all over the world see. Having visited here, on the banks of the Dnieper, foreign
presidents, prime ministers and church dignitaries – who heard about
the war in Ukraine but were blinded by Moscow propaganda – could see
mass graves and burned towns and villages, mountains of broken
Russian equipment and hear horrible testimonies of the atrocities of
the occupiers. They say that completely different people come back
from here, those who saw them - they come back sighted!
It is important that through this pilgrimage we return home to other
people, that we live by our faith, be children of light, and never
again become slaves to the darkness of sin. Let us return with hope,
with faith, with the feeling that the Lord God is with us in our pains
and sorrows and that He will lead us to victory! Let us return to
persevere and say to the world, as the first apostles once said: “What
we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked
at, and what our hands have touched, to you is eternal life, that your
joy may be full ”(1 Jn 1: 1-4). This is the meaning of the Easter
sermon of the Church.
Today we ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first sighted, the first,
who was not subject to original sin, to help modern humanity to see.
We ask you to help everyone see the crimes of the Russian enemy and at
the same time the heroism, strength and steadfastness of our people,
and to help us see the victory of Ukraine.
31/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from daily video message
Those crimes that are being committed in Ukraine today are worthy of
unanimous condemnation. Therefore, anyone who tries to justify, support or praise the actions of Russian
criminals at the international, economic or even ecclesiastical level
is in danger of being guilty of this very sin we are pondering today
(…)
God, we entrust to your hands the cities and villages of the
Ukrainian Donbass. In Your hands we entrust the life and health of the defenders of
Ukraine. In Your hands we entrust the lives of all those who found
themselves in the occupied territories and no longer hope to receive
help from anyone. God bless Ukraine!
28/05/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
[In reference to a speech in which Patriarch Kirill, of Moscow,
exalted Russian fighters in Ukraine as heroes of orthodoxy] The speaker did not clearly indicate what examples he meant, but
today - when we hear the cries and groans of crippled souls in
Ukraine, the voice of the blood of innocent murdered women, children
and men calling from earth to God - from the heart of ordinary
people a cry breaks out: God, save and preserve all people from such
an Orthodox culture!
24/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from the sermon on the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
When I visited this community less than two months ago, while Kyiv
was experiencing the most difficult moments of the siege by the
Russian army, it was nice to see that life and prayer were not
interrupted here. I remember how Father Igor and I went down to the
crypts of this cathedral and prayed at the tomb of Prince Askold,
hearing the sounds of cannonade around Kyiv. We felt a sip of the
living water spoken of today in the Gospels.
On the same day, I visited the mayor of Kyiv. We talked about the
role and place of Christ's Church even during the Russian siege of the
capital. And he told me: “Today, more than bread and clothes, we need
God's word, which inspires, strengthens, eliminates fear, gives
strength to God-lovers, quenches our thirst for eternity. Who has
access to this living water is invincible."
Therefore, today, remembering our ancient 1140-year and recent
30-year history, we look to our future and pray for the victory of
Ukraine, which will finally bring peace to our long-suffering people.
We ask our Saviour: give us all a sip of this living water so that we
will not be thirsty forever, teach us here in Kyiv to worship our
Heavenly Father in Spirit and Truth!
People all over the world admire the courage and faith of Ukrainians.
I was asked: do you have any hope in Ukraine? I said we have, because
we are Christians. And today, from this source of the Kyiv Mountains, we can and
must quench the thirst for God of modern man in different parts of the
world. Together with Prince Askold and our Heroes we pray: God, great,
one, save Ukraine for us!
23/05/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Yesterday we heard from the President of Ukraine that, unfortunately,
50 to 100 Ukrainian servicemen die at the front every day, and the
number of civilians killed is ten times higher. So, every day Ukraine receives a new heavenly hundred.
(…)
Today, Ukrainians, like no one else, see that war is a terrible crime, and
by committing it, a person loses God's image and human dignity.
23/05/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
The first on the list of other people's sins is to command to sin, to
incite to sin. We see that during the war the enemy gives many
criminal orders. He who commands another to kill, to rape, becomes a
murderer and a rapist. He who sends an army to kill people in another
country becomes personally responsible for the evil he has ordered
others to do.
21/05/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
We feel more and more that Ukraine is able to withstand this difficult,
uneven battle. We feel that the Lord God is blessing our army because we are praying for
it. He supports those who know how to love the Motherland and their loved
ones.
18/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from of speech to the participants of the National Conference on Health in Italy
I was in the occupied cities and saw what the Russian soldiers left behind:
now they are destroyed ghost towns, the bodies of innocent people were
scattered in the streets, we prayed at mass graves where hundreds of people
lay with their hands tied and shot heads. Among them are small children,
women, the elderly. I never thought I would see such a thing.
(…)
I am constantly in touch with our priests and bishops, who remain
faithful. Our Church, together with our Roman Catholic brothers, is a real field
hospital in these regions. We are doing everything possible to send food and drinking water
there.
(…)
One must have faith and trust completely in God, who comes to the rescue
through the solidarity of many people. I want to thank the Italian Church
for accepting many refugees. Help them learn your beautiful language, and
they will help you discover the richness of the faith of our people. We want
to share with you not only our pain, but also the richness of our hope.
16/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon on Fourth Sunday after Easter
When I saw the mass graves in which the Russians dumped hundreds of
murdered people, the army that is advancing on us and many times
outnumbers the Ukrainian army, when we understand that Ukraine began to
fight, as David once did with Goliath, in the first and during the most
difficult moments of the war, we said to ourselves: “We have no one”.
Nobody believed that Ukraine would survive. Even our so-called Western
partners predicted that Kyiv would be taken in three days. But in three
days Christ rose from the dead. And in those days when we felt that all
of us had left, at one point Kyiv turned into a dead city. A lot of
people left. Embassies of foreign countries were evacuated, shops were
closed, even food could not be found.
Then we cried out to heaven, “We have no one, God! We need Your mercy!”
As a result, our capital turned into a great baptismal font, as in the
time of Prince Volodymyr Kyiv, where our people received new life, where
they were baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ. And at the
beginning of this war, our Kyiv became the center of resistance. The
Lord was with us.
May the merciful Lord bless all those who are waiting for God's mercy.
Because this is a story about each of us. We are all sinners who, being in
the sea of our own sin, our own weaknesses, cannot heal ourselves. We
need a person who would bring us God. Everyone who does mercy to another
person becomes a messenger of God. Every time we show mercy to the victims
of war, refugees, displaced persons, those who have lost relatives,
housing, property, and a person who feels God's mercy on himself, he says:
"God himself sent this man, God has not forgotten me".
May the feeling of God's closeness in the most difficult circumstances
of the war be for us the strength, hope, key and secret of our victory -
the victory of Ukraine.
15/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of daily video message
We see that the war in Ukraine has a clear ideological component. In
addition to the cities and villages of Ukraine, the enemy is destroying
the souls, not only of Ukrainians, but of people all over the world,
seducing them with lies, calling what is happening in Ukraine some
negative statements or words associated with evil in the past.
15/05/2022 (Source)
Address of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine
Today we are experiencing with unspeakable pain in our hearts the
suffering of the native Ukrainian people caused by the unprovoked and
unjustified full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against
Ukraine. We, the bishops of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC in Ukraine,
in our apostolic ministry remain faithful to the words of the Gospel Truth
and to our vocation to be witnesses of hope in times of tribulation and
trials.
To fulfil a certain task on earth, the Lord gives man various gifts,
talents and opportunities, but also provides a separate mission and
mission to the chosen peoples. Just as God once chose the Israelites to
enlighten all nations, so He constantly, and even today, entrusts special
calling to different nations.
We often asked ourselves: why, Lord, did you give us the gift of
freedom, restore our independence 30 years ago, raise our Church from
the underground? And today we see, experience and begin to understand
the great mission of the Ukrainian people - descendants of Kievan Rus,
heirs of Kievan baptism, courageous rulers and defenders of the
Fatherland, followers of our martyrs Boris and Gleb, wise women,
educators and prayers - followers of Princess Olga. And this vocation in
God's providence is that in times of great turmoil and the threat of
destruction not only of Ukraine but also of many other nations, the
revived Kievan Rus rebelled and stopped the evil will of the aggressor,
albeit at a high price. The price we continue to pay today on the altar
for the liberation of our and other nations to stop the insatiable
dragon,
The vocation of our Church is to remain always with our people in order
to fulfil the mission that the Lord has prepared for us, becoming a nation of martyrs-heroes who give their lives, protecting
not only our relatives but all European nations and their freedom. The mission of our Church is to become like the Blessed Virgin
Mary, who, standing under the cross of her Son, stared at His wounds with
unspeakable sorrow in her soul and at the same time hope in her eyes. And
her hope was not in vain: on the third day Jesus rose again.
We express our sincere gratitude first of all to the Defenders of
Ukraine. Your feat has already become an example for the whole world. Your
sacrificial loyalty to your people and devotion to defending our state in
the face of the challenges of a brutal and inhumane war testify to the
depth of your love. The defender is a warrior with love in his heart: for his native
people, for his land, for his parents and children, for all those who
today need protection from the hellish force of cruelty and brutality of
the Russian aggressor. Legal protection of life is both a human right
and a duty. The innocent blood of our brothers and sisters in Bucha,
Mariupol, Irpen, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and hundreds of other Ukrainian
communities requires us to have the strength and courage to become
defenders not only of life but also of humanity itself.
Our Savior taught, "No one has greater love than he who lays down his
life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). The sincerity of your love today gives
our people hope for the revival of Ukraine, for the protection of their
freedom and dignity. Only by the power of love will we be able to achieve the final victory
of good over evil, truth over lies, human dignity over human meanness.
Our victory also requires our common faith that when we courageously and
honestly seek the Truth, defend the good, fight for justice, God is with
us! We tirelessly entrust you to his care in our fervent prayers and
supplications.
Today we address our military pastors with special words of gratitude,
fraternal support and recognition for faithful service. From the first
days of Russian aggression and throughout the following years, the
military chaplains of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church did not hesitate
to sincerely respond to God's invitation to be "close" to men and women in
military uniforms, sharing the difficulties of military service and the
challenges of everyday life. During the years of armed Russian aggression,
our chaplains have been tireless witnesses of hope, standing faithfully
side by side with Ukrainian soldiers in battle trenches, military
hospitals, rehabilitation centers, providing necessary support to their
families, preserving the memory of fallen defenders and taking care of
their families.
The full-scale invasion of the Russian army into the territory of Ukraine
coincided with the implementation of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine
"On the Military Chaplaincy Service" adopted by the Verkhovna Rada. The
law creates opportunities for effective professional organization of
pastoral ministry among the Ukrainian army. At the same time, he demands
that our pastors be of the highest level of initiation in the event of
enlistment. Taking into account the challenges and needs of today, we
appeal to the clergy of our Church in freedom of spirit and generosity of
heart not to deny the Ukrainian soldier the tangible presence of God,
which is evident in the prayer and sacrificial service of the military
chaplain. May the words of our great pastor, Metropolitan Andrei,
addressed to Ukrainian soldiers in times of trials and fierce struggle,
will be your words today to our defenders: “You who are killed every day in battle, remember to keep your heart
clean from sin, be ready to stand before the Throne of God and give up
the work of a lifetime. Fulfil your responsibilities bravely! Victory is
certain, but it is a sacred right!”
In particular, we appeal to our seminarians, encouraging them to pray and
to spiritually recognize their vocation to serve the deep inner needs of
the Ukrainian soldier in accordance with the rich and long tradition of
our Church. This ministry requires special courage, which only mature
Christian love is capable of, as a gift from our Heavenly Father, which
allows us to understand "what hope He calls us to" (Ephesians 1:18).
Families of servicemen and families of fallen defenders are waiting for a
special testimony of hope today from the military pastor. The pain of
separation, the uncertainty of the coming day, the feeling of loneliness
and helplessness in the face of irreparable loss may take a long time for
final healing. The military chaplain's mission remains to show personal
responsibility - to "be close" to those most hurt by the war. Supporting
the wounded and praying for the captives can help many Ukrainian families
today to escape the destructive power of suffering and through their own
pain, uniting with the crucified Christ and lovingly "bearing one
another's burdens", finding the way to resurrection (Gal. 6: 2).
As pastors of the Church of Christ, we feel obliged to appeal to the
Russian military, soldiers and officers who have dared to take up arms
against the Ukrainian people, killing innocents, leaving children
orphaned, depriving many people of their homes and hope for the future.
The blood of innocent Ukrainian children will testify against you in the
Lord's judgment. Before it's too late, find the courage to lay down your
arms and not carry out criminal orders. Do not allow murderous
propaganda to obscure your mind and incite unjustified cruelty: "Ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn 8:32).
Repent and ask God for forgiveness for your crimes against humanity, so
that He may grant you forgiveness of sins and hope for eternal life.
In the face of terrible trials for the entire Ukrainian people, we invite
our military pastors to sincerely serve those on whom the fate of our
common future now depends. Dear fathers, military chaplains, your
prayerful presence in the ranks of the Ukrainian army should become a
source of spiritual consolation and a guarantee of tireless fraternal
support. Your vocation is to show hope in the twilight of human suffering,
to be faithful followers of God, who became man, to elevate man to
participate in God's life. But we keep each one of you in our fraternal
prayers and "remember the work of your faith without ceasing, the labor of
your love, and the patience of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Thess. 1: 3).
The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
13/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of video message on the Feast of Saint George
A martyr is a witness to the Resurrection. Dying, submitting to torture
and death, a martyr shows the world that the death we experience here has
already been defeated and dismissed by Christ's Resurrection, as new life
follows it... The martyr defeats his tormentors in a unique way. Those who
crucified Christ thought that they would bury His word, His teaching, and
His power forever. However, Christ overcame death by His death and
defeated the tormentors.
He who kills a martyr thinks he is defeating the one he killed. Yet the opposite happens, because the martyr is the winner, he defeats his tormentor. And today, praising St George, we speak about two features of his victory. The first is that he exposed the wickedness of his tormentors, and the second is that he sacrificed himself. These two factors are fundamental in his victory. That's why we call him a victorious Trophy-Bearer.
Today we feel that the Great Martyr St George is fighting for Ukraine – he is on our side. Today, on Ukrainian land, with his spear, he is piercing and destroying this ancient snake that is trying to harm Ukraine. And so, the victory will be St George’s, for us.
07/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of speech to Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
We know from the Russian president's statement that this war has two main
tasks: demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. Demilitarization
means the final destruction of the Ukrainian state and its military
potential in order to achieve the next task - the so-called
denazification. And this clearly proves that Russia's main task is to destroy the Ukrainian people.
(…)
[Russian military action in Ukraine] can be called a textbook on genocide, according to which our people must be destroyed.
(…)
What happened in Ukraine is a terrible humanitarian catastrophe, as a result
of which 10 million Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes and 5
million to leave the country, and in the occupied and later liberated towns
and villages we saw such tragic phenomena as mass graves. Today these places are places of common prayer of Orthodox, Catholics,
Protestants, Jews, Muslims.
During the 70 days of the war, almost 100 churches, monasteries and
religious buildings were destroyed. In this tragedy, religious communities
have united as never before. Our All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and
Religious Organizations represents 95 percent of the religious community in
Ukraine. During the war we issued 17 different appeals. On the
night before the Russian attack, we appealed to the Russian president not to
start a war. We, the representatives of Churches and religious
organizations, have offered our mediation: if politicians and diplomats have
not been able to avert war, we have offered ourselves as mediators of
peace.
We also appealed to the religious leaders of Belarus to make every effort to
avoid the participation of Belarusian troops in the war against
Ukraine. It is worth emphasizing that the representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow
Patriarchate took an active part in the processing of these appeals and
their transmission to Russian addressees. Due to many scandalous facts,
this Church today feels marginalized and pushed out of the life of the
Ukrainian people, although most of the destroyed churches belong to this
denomination.
(…)
The first Sunday after the start of the war, Patriarch Kirill said that this
war was metaphysical in nature and a war of values, and therefore not only
justified, but had the task of defending Orthodoxy. The analysis of
such a justification for the war shows us a great danger not only for the
Russian Orthodox Church, but for Christianity as a whole, Unfortunately, the Russian Orthodox Church has become hostage to Putin's
state doctrine, which was strongly condemned by authoritative Orthodox
theologians a month ago.
(…)
The war in Ukraine poses two important challenges: first, we need to rethink
the Church's social teaching on war and peace. The second task is to
study the relationship between the Church and the state. We see a clear
need to develop new and correct terminology to describe current challenges
in these areas, and to have the courage at the ecumenical level to respond
correctly to these dangers.
06/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of Easter Sunday Sermon
(…)
Christ is risen!
Above the valley of tears, which today is our Ukrainian land, the cry
of victory is heard from heaven: Christ is risen! Above the burned
houses, cities and villages, heaven announces to us through its angel:
Christ is risen! Above the burning Donbass and the south of Ukraine,
where the war is going on and the positions of our soldiers are
burning, the sky announces to Ukraine and the world: Christ is
risen!
(…)
The Son of God wanted to suffer in order to touch the tears, sorrows
of man and give him joy. He wanted to lie in the tomb to give life to
all those who had long since rested there and were waiting for
Him. Easter is a celebration of the victory of life. After all, we see:
everything that invades Ukraine has already been defeated, because
Christ is risen!
Today marks the second month of Russia's bloody war against Ukraine.
During that time, a new cry of victory was born. When we want to share
the joy of stopping our enemy, we say, “Good afternoon! We are from
Ukraine!". And today we want to declare to the whole world: “Christ is
risen! We are from Ukraine!".
The very fact that we are celebrating Easter in Kyiv, in the
Patriarchal Cathedral, is a miracle of God that we could not have
hoped for sixty days ago. We see how the Resurrection of Christ
becomes the strength, hope, joy of those who defend Ukraine, fight and
pray for its victory.
(…)
The enemy-attacker thought that on the third day he would celebrate
his wicked parade of victory in Kyiv, but on the third day Christ was
resurrected. The attacker thought that he would capture Ukraine in
three days, capture what he saw, but now he is defeated by what he
missed. He overlooked the people's strength, people's resistance, the
people's will to live God's God-given freedom on God's land. That is
why we say today: Christ is risen! We are from Ukraine!
We know that this morning the wounded Odesa mourned and that our
enemy on these Easter holidays on the weapons of murder – bombs,
rockets, shells – wrote sarcastically: "Christ is risen!". And we
write these words on Easter eggs, on Easter bread, which we put in a
basket and consecrate. And we will tell everyone, including our enemy:
Christ is risen! We are from Ukraine!
As we celebrate this Passover, we ask Him to be resurrected, our
Saviour, to turn our tears of sorrow into tears of joy. Resurrect Ukraine, give us victory, give us the opportunity to
joyfully celebrate and live not only on Easter, but every day. And
today our Saviour comes to take us by the hand and bring us out of
the hell into which our enemy wants to drive us.
I read with emotion a prayer that a soldier wrote on his helmet: God,
if I am killed on the battlefield, take me to heaven, because I have
already been to hell. We say: Lord, You who bring all the dead out of
hell by the hand, You who came from the dead to give life to all, take
us by the hand and bring us into the Easter joy that descends to each
of us from heaven today.
I want to congratulate you, our army, with the triumphant cry "Christ
is risen!", because thanks to you, our dear military brothers and
sisters, we celebrate Easter in Kyiv and other cities and villages of
Ukraine. Thanks to you, your life, today we can enjoy the freedom in
Ukraine and fight for it. May the Lord God help you to complete the
high mission of protection of the Motherland, which is handed over to
your hearts and hands by your people.
Words of Easter joy and greetings are addressed to those who do not
have the opportunity to celebrate in the temple, who have nowhere to
bring their Easter baskets. Words of prayer flow to the Lord God for our faithful in the
occupied Donbass, as well as in Kherson, Berdyansk and Melitopol,
which are under occupation in southern Ukraine.
I pray for the defenders and children of Mariupol. There, in the
dungeons of Azovstal, there are children who have not seen the sun for
a month and a half ... Lord, how You entered the depths of the dungeon
and came out victorious, how You passed through the stone of the
sealed tomb, come to them, take their hand and get out the dungeon
into which they were driven by the enemy of Ukraine.
Congratulations to the wounded servicemen who are currently healing
the wounds of Ukraine that they wear on their bodies. While visiting
them, I did not see a single sad face. They asked: pray that we get
better as soon as possible. May this Passover prayer be a separate,
strongest remedy for their wounds and enable them to return to full
physical and spiritual health as soon as possible.
I say special prayers for those who have been forced to leave their
homes and share the bitter fate of a refugee or even an emigrant.
Today, about ten million Ukrainians do not have the opportunity to sit
down for Easter breakfast. May our support, our prayer, our warmth
flow to them. Wherever we are, let us open our hearts to our brothers
and sisters who are on the road, let us serve them all we can.
24/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of Good Friday Sermon
(…)
Hearing this word of God about the suffering of God in man, about the
death of the Son of God in the human body, I think before the eyes of
each of us appear pictures of the Ukrainian Golgotha. We are being killed today, and Christ himself is being killed in us.
In the wounds of Christ we see the wounded, mutilated bodies of the sons
and daughters of Ukraine. In His suffering we see the grief of
corpses, the rivers of blood and the sea of tears that flood our once
flourishing cities and villages. In this funeral procession with the
shroud around our cathedral we see the lifeless bodies of our soldiers,
whom our cities and villages meet on their knees. In this tomb of the
Savior we see the mass graves of Bucha and Borodyanka. We still see
the bodies of Ukraine's daughters and sons being found in Chernihiv, and
the enemy continues to kill Ukrainians in the martyr city of Mariupol.
But today the word of God tells us that Christ's wounds are healing for
us. Therefore, He wanted to be wounded to touch our wounds with His
wounds. He wanted to be unjustly condemned in order to set us free
and break the debt obligations that the devil had written down as our
death sentence. Today, the Son of God lies in the grave next to the
tortured, shot sons and daughters of Ukraine, in order to give life to
those in the graves.
On Easter Friday, we honor the Savior's life-giving death because we know
that by giving the Spirit on the cross into the hands of the Father, we
wanted to give it [the Spirit] to man so that he could find the rest of life
again. Today we heard the words of Christ on the cross: “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? (Mark
15:34). He made his cry the cries of hundreds of thousands of people
who have not yet been rescued from the rubble and who have been calling
for the rest, asking for help. However, the occupiers did not allow
to save those people. And we are just discovering their lifeless
bodies today… How horrible their death was!
However, by placing our Christ in the tomb, we know that He will not stay
there long, but will rise on the third day, and with His death comes the
hope of resurrection. We know that He is going to hell today to lead
all the dead by the hand and bring them to Heavenly Father's house, where
there is "neither sickness nor sorrow, but there is life without
end." On this Easter Friday of this tragic year, when Ukraine is going through
its Golgotha, we kiss the wounds of Christ and ask: Lord, save, heal,
revive us! We know that You will rise from the tomb that will be
sealed today, and Your resurrection will be the joy and victory of
Ukraine. This is what You told us in the words to Your disciples at the Last
Supper: “You will weep, weep, and the world will rejoice. You will
grieve, but your sorrow will turn into joy ”(Jn 16:19). We know that
from the moment of Your burial, everything begins to change.
Lord, turn our sorrow into joy by the power of Your passion and Your
Resurrection! Turn the tears of Ukraine into joyful singing that will glorify life in
You! Today, under Your cross, Your Church sings: "Let us worship Your
passions, Christ, and look forward to glorifying Yours on the third day of
the Resurrection." Amen.
22/04/2022 (Source)
Full sermon on Easter Thursday
Good Thursday during the war. These days
we have heard many times how people of all ages, believers and
non-believers, scientists and scholars alike, have asked you, dear
fathers: where is God when bombs fall on us? Where is God when we are
killed? Where is God when our houses are burned, our cities and villages
are destroyed? Where is God when the weakest are mocked? Where is God when
man dies? Each of you has tried to answer these questions by listening to God's
word, looking for some thought and answer in Scripture. I believe that today we have a unique moment to hear what Christ himself
will answer us.
It so happens that when a person suffers, when he is wounded, when his world, his life is
broken, then the deepest secrets of his heart are revealed. When difficult or tragic times or circumstances come, all false images
that a person has invented about himself and believed in are broken. When
a person suffers, the depth of the human being is revealed.
Having taken on the abyss of human patience, Christ enters into his
passions. He himself becomes a suffering man – he becomes the one who was
sold by the nearest disciple for thirty pieces of silver, whom society
rejected and unjustly sentenced to crucifixion. The Saviour Himself wants
to die and lie in the grave. In His crucified, torn body we see, on the one hand, the depth of man's cry
for God, and on the other, the mystery of God himself.
Today we sat down with Jesus Christ for the Last Supper. We have all seen her gestures more than once, we repeated them ourselves.
Let's listen to them again today, let's look at them.
The first gesture of the Eucharistic meal is broken bread, which
symbolizes a broken life, a wounded human body. When we break bread, we see all its entrails: freshness, mold or
staleness. The Savior shows Himself present in the flesh just on the brink
of broken human life. When one asks today where God is, Christ Himself
says that is where there is the most human pain and suffering. Where the
greatest wound is, the Eucharistic bread of His Last Supper is most deeply
broken.
The Divine Master today gives his disciples a cup of his
blood. This bowl is another deep gesture. To drink a common cup is to become
something one, with two one body, life, and it also means to accept
something that you have invented and chosen for yourself. He will pray for
this cup before his passions in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying: "Father,
if you want, give this cup away from Me, but let it be not mine, but yours."
(Luke 22:42). Christ drinks the cup of human suffering, torment and death. This means
that He shows the fullness of the Divine life where man thinks that there
is no God: in the cup of suffering man receives an open space of living
communion with God, access to participation in His divinity. When we ask,
God, where are You, let us hear His voice in the midst of war: I am
here!
We humans need to see, feel His presence. God is where man cries and suffers. That is why today in Ukraine he is
being sold again, crucified, killed and thrown into mass, mass graves,
which became a great tragedy of the war. He is in his broken bread and
with his wounded people.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Establishment of the Priesthood of
Christ. The possibility of God's presence in the midst of the greatest pain,
wounds, suffering, and humiliation reveals to us the meaning and purpose of
the vocation to the priesthood. Because every priest asks: where am I
called, up or down, right or left? We see that Christ is calling us as
deeply, low and far as this world humiliates, wounds and kills man.
The gesture of washing our feet reveals to us the meaning of the priestly ministry. God leans over a wounded, bewildered man. He himself wants to touch her wounds and heal her with his wounds. Therefore, we participate in the priesthood not of man, but of God himself, who is eternal. The wounds will heal, by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit the war will end ... God forbid that we all deeply experience the conditions of the answer to the question: what does it mean to be a priest for the Ukrainian people during its Calvary?
I returned from Chernihiv yesterday. I saw
the wounds of this ancient Ukrainian city. He had the opportunity to
embrace our fathers, monks, who bow there over the wounds of their people.
He could embrace those who gather their sheep in the midst of
destruction.
He also visited our heroic Slavutych, which is located twelve
kilometers from the Belarusian border. The ministry of our brother there is a perfect and true image of the
priest of Christ of the third millennium, who showed people God, did not
leave them in difficult times. Asked where God was when the bombs fell,
they felt that if their priest was next to them, so was God.
Therefore, today it was worthy and righteous for me, dear fathers, to
kneel and wash your feet. You have experienced the horrors of war in the bosom of our Kyiv
Archdiocese, starting from here, from the Patriarchal Cathedral and its
crypts, where we warmed, treated and fed hundreds of people who believed
that the Church would save them when the bombs fell. Thank you for that!
It was worthy and righteous for me today to kneel before you, the
fathers who went to serve the Divine Liturgy in the metro. Apparently, in the thousand-year history of Kyiv, this has never happened
before. You shared your experiences with me, in particular, how much
people felt the light of hope, that they are not alone in their grief.
It was dignified and just for me to kneel and wash the feet of those
fathers who washed the feet of their fellows who had to temporarily
leave the burning cities. You opened your home to them when they were on the road empty-handed, you
fed them, received them, washed their feet in the way they needed.
It was worthy and just to wash your feet today, fathers, who have shown
that the Church is with her people, that she not only speaks of good,
but also does it. For it is in your hands that Christ has today healed the wounds of the
people. This holy anointing, which we consecrated here in the Patriarchal
Cathedral, will spread to all the cells of our church body: from Kyiv to
Australia, South and North America and Europe, wherever the war has
scattered our people.
It is through your priestly ministry that the motto of our Patriarchal
Council is being carried out today: "Your Church is always and everywhere
with you." Always and everywhere – whether you are in a safe Western
Europe, or in burning Kharkiv, or in wounded Chernihiv, or in occupied
Kherson. Blessed is the priest who never feels unemployed and whose eternal seal of
the priesthood encourages him to work, pray and sacrifice for his
people.
Congratulations to you, Fathers, on this great holiday, on behalf of all
your Church as its Head. I bow my head before the episcopate, the clergy, the deacons, the
seminarians for the heroic testimony of God's service to the Ukrainian
people, which you are doing in these tragic times.
Blessed are the people who have such priests and feel that the power of
God is revealed to us in its fullness precisely when we need it most, when
we feel most wounded, abandoned and powerless. His strength is manifested in our suffering and helplessness. I think this
is the word of the Holy Eucharist that Christ gives us at the Last Supper
today, this Holy Thursday.
May the Lord God bless you all! Thank you also to your wives, families, because you are not alone under
the bombs. Thank you to all who pray for their priests and bishops.
I ask all our faithful to congratulate their priests on this
day. On Holy Thursday, make them feel that you need, respect, love and support
them. Then we will truly have the courage to enter into these passions with
Christ, not to run away from them.
The Apostle Paul tells us not to be ashamed of Christ
crucified. Why? Because it is in Him that we have our strength and victory. It is He
who will lead us to the Resurrection.
Today we experience passions as the Church and the people. The passions are followed by the feast of Easter, which will be our
victory in the war. May our Lord and Saviour lead us to victory! Amen.
21/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Who knows, maybe this Easter you and I will sing for the last time
"Christ is risen!"... And as if preparing for the Easter holidays for the
last time, let's be vigilant, let's be careful. After all, to hear means to be vigilant to the purity of your
heart. Those who have not yet begun Confession or Communion, hurry to the
Sacraments of God. For blessed is he whom the Lord will find insomniac,
and unworthy is he whom he finds sleepy.
19/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from Palm Sunday sermon
Today is a holiday of victory, strength and immortality. We feel this especially in Ukraine during the war. Because war is a
trap of death. How important it is for us not to be accustomed to tears, grief and
death! In the midst of the darkness, the despair of war, today our Lord Jesus Christ triumphantly enters Kyiv, Ukraine, as he
once entered Jerusalem. He will come now, during the Divine Liturgy, to give us the opportunity
to partake of His holiness, power and immortality.
We feel that Ukraine will win not only by human efforts, although they
are also needed. We feel that there is a God in our struggle with us! He
supports us and our enemy is already afraid of us. We saw the harbinger
of victory here, in our Patriarchal Cathedral, in the first days of the
war. When the officers of our territorial defence caught the first
saboteurs, powerful Russian paratroopers, they told me: "We will win,
because we saw fear in their eyes!".
Christ comes to eliminate our fear of the enemy, his various armies and
weapons, and to give us his strength. We see that we stop being afraid. We
feel the foretaste of victory in the Easter procession of Christ himself,
who goes to voluntary suffering, will be sentenced to death, crucified and
buried, but by his own power will overcome death and rise from the grave
on the third day.
It is tragic that many cities in Ukraine are now surrounded by deadly
enemy troops and we cannot go to them to bring our people the
long-awaited life-giving help. Today we especially pray for our
Mariupol. So many efforts have already been made, including
international ones, to open a humanitarian corridor to bring relief,
life and salvation to its heroic defenders. Today we ask: Lord, where we, the people, cannot enter our brothers and
sisters in the occupied territories, where we cannot open the green
humanitarian corridors, enter. Strengthen the heroic defenders of Mariupol with your strength and
victory. Comfort our people in Kherson and in other territories, which
today need Your presence and strength so much.
Today we greet Christ the Conqueror with our green branches and ask: To
fill each of us with Easter joy with your victory over sin and death. We
open our lives to You today. We spread the clothes that cover our plans
and that symbolize only our human confidence in this uncertain time. After
all, we know that You will cover us with Your power, victory and glory.
Today Ukraine greets its tsar, the only one to whom it sings: "Hosanna in
the highest!".
May God's blessing descend on each of us! May the power of God enter the heart of everyone who fights for the
victory of Ukraine! May God's holiness become the way of life and
existence of every Ukrainian, because this holiness will overcome the
evil and sin that the enemy brings to our land! May the power of the
Resurrection, to which we are heading, defeat the deadly enemy who came
to sow death, so that in just a few days we may welcome here, in our
Patriarchal Cathedral, the Resurrection of Christ, the Risen Christ, who
will finally show all victory over life and death. Amen.
17/04/2022 (Source)
Easter greetings to Catholics who follow the Gregorian calendar
To be a Christian means to believe in the Risen One. To be a Christian
means to be a partaker of His Resurrection, to be a bearer of His joy and
light. Today Ukraine is sad, but it celebrates Easter. Many people from all over the world ask me: do you have hope there in
Ukraine? I say: Obviously so, because we believe in the Resurrection.
Congratulations to all of you on this great holiday of hope! Christ
overcame death by death and gave life to those in the tombs. This
victory of the Risen One is and will be the victory of Ukraine. Happy holidays to you, God's blessing to your families, to our beloved
Motherland! Christ is Risen!”
17/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
I want to thank all the journalists who are coming to Ukraine these days
to show the world the cruel, difficult truth about the crimes of Russians
on our land. Many of them were killed and wounded. May God pay a hundredfold to
all media workers who help modern man to know the truth and then follow
it.
Today I especially want to thank all the witnesses of Russian crimes who
have the courage to testify and speak about it.
God bless Ukraine! Bless the prophets of our time who speak to the
conscience of modern man and reveal to him the eternal truth about God
present among us. God, bless Ukraine, which lives and dies for God's truth
today!
15/04/2022 (Source)
On Ukrainian Radio, speaking about reconciliation
Today, during the active phase of this unjust war, especially when we
are all waiting for another offensive by Russian troops on Ukraine, such
things are impossible in principle. After all, to put up with it, you need to be alive. When the active
phase of such a deadly war continues, it is untimely to talk about
it. They must first stop killing us – only then can we talk about the next
step.
And the next step, obviously, should be to convict the offender and
establish justice. All crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine must
be condemned by an international tribunal. Today we qualify them as
genocide. Therefore, until the criminal is exposed and his crime is condemned, it is
untimely to talk about some next step.
When the Russian aggressor is convicted, the next step may be the
beginning of a process of reconciliation. And it will be a long process.
Because the process of reconciliation means healing wounds. And without
sensitivity to the victim of this unjust aggression, we have no right,
on the Christian side, to speak of reconciliation.
15/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Today we see how stolen property from Ukrainians is traded in Russia and
Belarus. I want to remind everyone that the one who buys what is stolen or
looted is an accomplice to the crime. The stolen thing becomes coal in
the hands of the one who holds it, and burns those hands. Such a people,
such people are thieves, will never have God's blessing and will die in
poverty.
We saw how the occupiers around Kyiv, in Chernihiv region, prepared
people for famine, did not give them the opportunity to work, forbade them
to go to the fields that were mined, and just cynically killed livestock.
We have seen the war crimes of looting, blatant robbery, when all property
was taken from killed and wounded Ukrainians, when a person's life was
less valuable in the eyes of the occupiers than what they could steal from
this person.
We ask the Lord God to bless Ukraine with prosperity and wealth, to give
us the strength to rebuild everything destroyed, to give us the strength
to feed the children of our people, to give us the strength to work on our
land, which is ready to give us generous fruit. With our strength,
vitality, respect for other people's property, we want to win our victory
as well.
God bless Ukraine. Bless all those who know how to respect others and
have their own. God bless our army, which protects the life and well-being
of Ukraine. God bless Ukraine as the breadbasket of Europe, as the
spiritual treasure of the whole world
14/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
We are now exposing the heinous crimes of sexual violence as a weapon
against civilians, innocent people. Hundreds of cases of rape of women,
men and children ... Yesterday our President told about a case of rape
of a baby. We ask ourselves: God, how can we remain human in the midst
of that hell?
During the war, we see that sexuality is not used for love, but for
war. Who would have imagined that sexuality could be turned into a weapon of
humiliation of another, weaker person and an instrument of violence. We understand that only by God's power we can prevent distortion of
our human way of communication and life.
God bless our men and women. Bless our spouses. Bless those who, even during the war, cultivate marital love, fidelity,
inseparability of married life. Bless all those who are not afraid to have children even during the
war. Lord, save all those who turn the gift of your sexuality into an
instrument of war and sexual violence. God, save Ukraine from sin, from
hatred towards those who despise us. Give us the strength to love. God,
bless our army, bless our heroic Ukrainian people.
13/04/2022 (Source)
On the proposal of having a Russian and a Ukrainian woman carry the
cross together, on the 12th Station of the Way of the
Cross in Rome
I consider such an idea untimely, ambiguous and such that it does not
take into account the context of Russia's military aggression against
Ukraine. For the Greek Catholics of Ukraine, the texts and gestures of
the XIII station of this Way of the Cross are incomprehensible and even
offensive, especially in the context of the expected second, even
bloodier attack of Russian troops on our cities and villages. I know
that our Roman Catholic brothers share these thoughts and
experiences.
12/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Speaking with people here in the Kyiv region, one can feel that many people, many men in even territorial defence, are afraid that victory over the enemy will come without their participation, and after the liberation of the Kyiv region and the Chernihiv region, they are begging, begging to go where there are battles.
In our military enlistment offices there are queues of people wishing to
defend their homeland. The people stood up to defend their homeland.
11/04/2022 (Source)
Statements during interview with Espresso TV
Looking at the atrocities they committed in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and how
they treated churches. Moscow Patriarchate in this area,
we cannot call them Christians.
(…)
I do not want to judge or evaluate anyone, but if the actions testify to
a person's faith, then we do not recognize the Christian position by the
actions of the occupiers.
(…)
For us,
the real truce will be the victory of Ukraine, when we get rid of the
occupier. We pray and think about it, we live and serve for it. I believe that
such a victory and such a peace, a just peace, will come,
11/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
During that prayer I asked myself, I asked God, ‘God, what does it mean to love You and love one’s neighbour?’ Standing at this mass grave, seeing the lifeless arms of our murdered brothers and sisters, I realized an important thing. To love one's neighbour means to be bound together with them - to feel that we are human, belonging to the same human race. And there, where he or she lies resting in the mass grave, I can rest there as well. We have a common vocation, a common fate. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we belong to the same human race.
But let us love God, who is the source of life, not death. We ask our
loving God that we may truly feel our oneness with our brothers and
sisters, even to learn to love our enemies. And to love the enemy means to stop
his murderous hand, to take away his weapons, not to give him the
opportunity to kill. Let us ask, that in the circumstances of hatred and
murder, we know how to love God and our neighbour, and remain human.
08/04/2022 (Source)
Words spoken during visit to Irpin, Bucha and Hostomel
It’s very difficult to even speak. Their blood cries out from this place,
from this earth, to heaven. And a Christian heart, a good ear, must hear that blood’s cry. Why has this
happened? For what? It’s clear that these are young people, whose lives
were taken. We came here to pray for their eternal peace.
07/04/2022
Sermon on Feast of Annunciation
War is bad news, the worst thing that can happen to a person, to a
country, to a nation, to the whole world.
Is it possible to celebrate the Annunciation, surrounded by bad news
about the war? If so, what does that mean for us? At this time, when the enemy has trod on our land and made us cry, God
is saying "rejoice"! Is that possible?
Rejoice, - not because you already have a human solution to resolving grief, but because God himself is embodied in your history, even in your grief and in your weeping. Today in Ukraine, God weeps with us in order to take away our weeping, and to share with us his ultimate eternal joy.
(…)
We saw how the enemy army began pressing on to Kyiv, and it is as if
nature itself had begun to fight against them. The Ukrainian land
itself, the rivers of Ukraine, and even the radiation in the Chornobyl
zone... The power of Most-High is strangely manifest in the struggle of
Ukraine, which is fighting against evil
07/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Yesterday we learned that Russia brought mobile crematorium trucks – together with its artillery, missiles and heavy weapons – to Mariupol, where throughout the day and night, they burn the innocent
civilians killed.
Only during World War II in Majdanek, Auschwitz, and other famous Nazi
concentration camps, has Europe witnessed this type of crematorium near
civilian cities. The smoke of crematoria again rises to heaven from the
Ukrainian land.
07/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Today in Ukraine, the sin of Cain is being committed. The innocent blood of Abel is crying out from the Ukrainian land to the heavens. Today the Lord is crying out to our murderers, to the Cains of the third millennium, saying: “What have you done? The blood of your brother is crying out to me from the earth.”
I call upon the whole world to hear the voice of blood crying out from the
Ukrainian lands to the heavens, the voice of the blood of those innocently
killed civilians, women, children, and elderly.
We believe that the Lord God will receive these innocent victims as a
sacrifice of redemption for our sins and so that there might be peace in
our homeland. These tens of thousands of innocently killed people will one
day stand at the Last Judgement as witnesses and accusers of our
murderers.
02/04/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
We see that the struggle of Ukraine, the struggle of the Ukrainian people against the Russian aggressor, has all the hallmarks of a spiritual struggle. Every great war is accompanied by a great lie. And it is done in the same way to capture, imprison, occupy our minds and our hearts, and to paralyze our will.
Spiritual struggle is characterized by the fact that the devil, first of
all, tries to instil in us his thoughts in various ways, his propaganda,
his intimidation. Then, the next stage, a person begins to dialogue with
that sinful proposition, with that sinful suggestion. And from this begins
the struggle within our minds, our hearts, the street battles within the
human person with the evil that is trying to capture us. And then, if we
continue to succumb, then comes the consent of our will to evil, and comes
the internal, sinful occupation, enslavement, passion, sin.
In order to win this internal struggle, first of all, one must realize
that one cannot have a dialogue with sin, with the devil. It must be
rejected and conquered, as Pope Francis recently proclaimed in Sunday’s
catechesis. In order to resist hostile ideology, in order to expel the devil, first
of all from our minds, hearts, then from our homes and from our land, we
must first be aware of the lie. And so we must resist, with all our
strength and will. And then will come the eradication, liberation, then
there will come freedom.
Today, in particular, in the days of Lent, I call on all to wage an
internal spiritual struggle with the devil and his servants. If you feel
that certain news that you read or see on television is news that tries to
captivate your mind, will, or feelings, trying to become the inner
occupier of your person, know that this propaganda is a suggestion of
evil. And then let us resist. It is so important to realize that we can
overcome, not by our own strength, but by the power and grace of the Holy
Spirit.
01/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from video-conference with the Pontifical Oriental Institute
In Russian-controlled territories, our compatriots have their passports
confiscated, issued temporary documents, and sent to Sakhalin Island in
Russia's Far East, as far as Japan's coast, without the right to leave
for the next two years. This reminds us of the deportations of Josef
Stalin.
(…)
Russian bombs are constantly being planted in this city. In one month of the war, 1,300 missiles were shot at Ukraine (30 were
dropped on Syria in 11 years of the war), and 200,000 Russian soldiers entered Ukraine.
31/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
More and more we begin to feel the immediate consequences of this war. A
war that leads to mass murder. We see how the enemy ruthlessly destroys
our cities and villages, executes peaceful civilians, has regard neither
for the spiritual nor the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people.
We are just beginning to see more profoundly the consequences of this
war. War always brings destruction. Whole cities and villages have turned
into ghost towns. Where there was once a flourishing intellectual,
spiritual, and civic life, today there are fires and blustering wind. War
always brings hunger, impoverishment of the people. You and I must be
ready to overcome these consequences in one way or another.
(…)
Everyone is looking for reasons: How is it so? Where does the strength of
Ukrainians come from? Why do they give their lives so courageously?
We can say this today: Ukraine is defending the truth, fighting for the truth. She fights for
the fact that human life has its dignity, it is priceless. And just to
destroy it or make it a tool, a hostage in the politics of certain
political criminals is unacceptable.
30/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Do not be afraid to do good! Do not let the devil intimidate you, lead you astray from the path of
Christian and universal righteousness! Today, Russia is threatening all those who want to do good to Ukraine.
Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid to do good! Do not be afraid to be in
solidarity with those who are suffering! Since good has its power and always wins. Let us combat the fear of
the devil and it will leave us.
(…)
However, Ukraine is standing. Ukraine is struggling. Even more, the
Ukrainian army is liberating our cities and villages, and our people amaze the whole world with their courage and ability to
fight. We really feel that this war is a patriotic war, although
senseless and undesirable one. But we are protecting and defending our people and Homeland
29/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Everyone who respects God's commandment "Thou shalt not steal" yet sees
the Russian occupier looting today, robbing ordinary people, taking away
the last things and dooming people to starvation, must side with
Ukraine. Everyone who respects God's commandment "Thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's wife" and sees this occupier humiliating and raping the women
of Ukraine in the eyes of their children cannot stay neutral but must side
with Ukraine.
(…)
Make your choice! Take the side of an innocent victim of the unjust aggression, not
someone who has conceived of imposing their rules on Ukraine and the
whole world and is threatening with the Third World War!
28/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
We used to talk so much about unity – about church unity, national unity, even political unity – about unity, as if it were some kind of dream. And today, this dream has become a reality. We see how the country is united in the goal of defeating the enemy that is pounding Ukrainian soil. We see that everyone feels the mandate of his own conscience, to stand, endure, and be victorious.
When we say ‘our country’, we mean all of the inhabitants of Ukraine,
regardless of their national, ethnic, church, or religious affiliation,
or even if they live within the borders of Ukraine, or beyond them. We feel that victory is a joint effort. And in this
national unity we sense a foretaste of victory
27/3/2022 (Source)
Sermon during prayer service
(...)
Ukraine's victory is the victory of good over evil, the power of God over
the cruelty and lust of the invader. Victory is already beginning,
and we can feel it, experience it, even during this prayer.
A special tradition of such prayer is preserved in Kyiv. Apparently,
everyone knows the ancient princely belief about the Kyiv Oranta, which is
also called the Indestructible Wall. Our Lady of Oranta is an ancient
mosaic of the 11th century, which depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary in full
length with her hands raised in prayer. It is an icon of the prayer
of intercession. As long as the Kyiv Oranta stands, as long as the
Immovable Wall is between us, God is in the middle of his city, as it is
written in the apse of St. Sophia Cathedral, as long as the city stands,
the people and Ukraine stand.
We feel that the Blessed Virgin Mary stands today in prayer over Kyiv and
the mountains of Kyiv, and it is in this prayer that we join
her. Before Her eyes, which have been looking at us from eternity,
various events in history have taken place. We know that during the
destruction of Kyiv during the invasion of Khan Batu, the whole city was
destroyed, but Oranta in Hagia Sophia remained as a living unconquered
root, the core from which everything is reborn. She saw the invasion
of the city of Moscow princes, communist invaders Vorobyov and many
others, but always incessantly raised his hands in prayer over his
people.
By joining the Immovable Wall in this prayer, we prepare for a special
event to be held on Friday. According to the petitions of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, which she proclaimed in the early twentieth century in
Fatima, Pope Francis together with the bishops of the Catholic Church
around the world will dedicate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mother of God asked to pray for the conversion of Russia, because
otherwise the evil that will come out of it will destroy other
countries. Earlier it was said that we should not talk about the
Fatima revelation, so as not to offend Russia, but now the Holy Father
wanted to pay attention to this request of the Virgin for consecration
to defeat the evil that comes to our lands from that part of the world
and Europe.
Dedication of Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is something we
know. At one time, Prince Yaroslav the Wise, having built the
Cathedral of St. Sophia and created a mosaic of the Immovable Wall,
dedicated his city, his people and his State to the protection of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. And when the war in eastern Ukraine began, on
April 6, 2014, we restored this dedication of our people and State to the
protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the enemy was stopped by the
power of God's truth and His light. We believe that this dedication of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, carried out in the unity of all bishops of the Ecumenical
Church under the leadership of the successor of the Apostle Peter, will
be the highlight of victory over evil, the devil and his servants.
May this evil be defeated in the north, south, west and east of
Ukraine. We know that the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a symbol of Her holy
and pure will, which she showed when she said "yes" to the Archangel
Gabriel. " Let it be to me according to your word " (Luke
1:38). At that moment, the Blessed Virgin Mary crushed the head of the devil,
an apocalyptic beast that is raging again, attacking Ukraine from
Russia.
May this dedication be the moment when the head of this serpent, by the
power of prayer of the Mother of God herself, the Immovable Wall of Kyiv,
will be raised again in Ukraine! We believe in this and we pray for
it. We say: "Holy Mother of God, save us!"
24/03/2022 (Source)
Words spoken during consecration of Ukraine to Mary
Each of you will tell your children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren that it was a moment of victory; the moment, when
we put the destiny of Ukraine into the hands of the Blessed Virgin
Mary
(…)
Russia was entrusted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary because the Mother of God asked for this act to be made, since from that land evil would spread throughout the world and destroy nations, bring suffering to people. We are praying for our enemies so that the Lord stops their murderous hand. And here, in Zarvanytsia, in communion with the Holy Father, we entrusted our Ukraine to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Her Immaculate Heart, because we know that today She, the Mother of God, is with Ukraine, with our suffering people. Today, our destiny is in safe mother’s hands
25/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
The Ukrainian fight, the war in Ukraine, poses deep moral questions before the world, which say that one can never call evil good, and good evil. Therefore, we say that today the war of Russia against Ukraine has a great spiritual dimension. It is a great opposition of the newest manifestation of good – the God's truth, and evil – the devil and his angels.
(…)
It is never possible to reach an agreement, to cooperate with this evil that is coming out of Russia today. And that is why we must pray for its conversion, for the eradication of that evil, so that it, as the Mother of Fatima said, does not destroy other states, does not become the cause of another world war. As Christians, we have a duty to pray for our enemies
25/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Today, I especially want to address Ukraine and the world, all statesmen of the world’s nations, to the leaders of religious communities, churches, denominations. The greatest pain of Ukraine is the city of Mariupol.
Remember, a few weeks ago we said that we were struck by these mass
graves of civilians, which we saw for the first time since World War II
and Stalin’s repressions. So, today I want to tell you that the city of Mariupol is covered with the
lifeless bodies of hundreds, thousands of people who have no one to bury
them.
So today I want to raise my voice in the name of this heroic, dying city:
Let us save it! Let us defend life! Today, this city needs humanitarian
corridors. It needs even the international community to help break through
the siege and bring humanitarian goods, which we have, to those who are
slowly dying of hunger today.
Last week, these people survived on snow that was melting and could
thereby have drinking water. Today there is no more snow in Mariupol. Let us save this City of Mary! Let us do everything to save this
city, which really is today a place of clash of good and evil, a place
where the fate of Ukraine, Europe, and the world is decided.
24/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Today I would like to express my special thanks for a very unique event
that took place on Monday, literally the day before yesterday, in
Jerusalem. At the initiative of the international Elijah Interfaith Institute, an
international, interfaith, inter-church prayer for peace and victory of
Ukraine in this war took place in front of the Cathedral of the Russian
Orthodox Church in Jerusalem. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pizzaballa, personally
took part in this prayer. Representatives of the Melchite Greek Catholic
Church, various Protestant, Anglican, and other communities,
intellectuals, leaders, religious figures of the Jewish community, Islamic
thinkers, and religious leaders took part. I would like to thank you very
much for the fact that this prayer took place and a corresponding
declaration for an end to the war in Ukraine was signed.
(…)
Let us pray together. Let us pray before the cathedrals of the Russian Orthodox Church
throughout the world for peace in Ukraine. We shall see that the Lord God will hear our prayers and this war will
be won. May the Lord God bless all of us.
23/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
In the temporarily occupied territories real crimes against humanity are being committed. We receive daily news about humanitarian catastrophes, murders, looting, rape. But even there, in the south of Ukraine, peaceful people are protesting against the occupying power – people are protesting against rapists and murderers. People show that Kherson and other occupied cities are Ukraine. They want to live in an independent Ukrainian free state.
21/03/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from the Sermon on the Second Sunday of Lent
This word about God's mercy, about God's movement towards man,
sounds especially in our ears during the war. Because war is a
time of cruelty. This is a time when charity seems
empty. During the war, the word about hatred and anger is more
understandable, that the enemy must be destroyed in order for him to
leave our land. Indeed, when the enemy comes to kill us, there
is no other way to stop him than to act with the same military force
to repel the murderous hand of the assailant. But in this great tribulation, when God's mercy seems to be a
distant or naive Christian belief, we now feel the full force of God's
word, which "breaks" into the space of hatred and death, sown with
sin.
Today we ask: God, have mercy on Ukraine! On the one hand, we are now asking
the world to close the skies over us with deadly Russian missiles
and bombs, but on the other hand, we, as Christians, must ask God to
open the skies over Ukraine for God's mercy.
In order to win, you need to believe – we realize that. Because
faith gives strength. We must believe in God, who is able to
overcome our paralysis, which does not allow our body, in particular
state or national, to act effectively and resist external
aggression.
We need the closeness and mercy of the Lord God. God's mercy
heals, and war is always wounds, mutilation, and suffering. That
is why this Sunday the Church proclaims the good news that God is
coming to us even as we experience pain, rift, and death. He sees
our suffering and has mercy on us.
Today, every Ukrainian must accept God's mercy. Because we are
now in danger of death. We do not know what will happen to us in
a minute, what a deadly face of war we will see, even after leaving
this temple. That is why it is so important, according to the
traditional teaching of the Church, that we live in God's grace, be
reconciled to God, have no grave sin on our conscience, and be ready
to die at any moment. We must hurry to confession.
(…)
May God's mercy be the strength of Ukraine. May God's mercy,
which unites us with God, give us the inner living, healthy strength
to overcome. May God's mercy heal the wounds of Ukraine
inflicted on us today by the enemy. Let these words: "I say to you: Arise, take up your bed and go
to your home" (Mark 2:11) – be the words of God that will give us the
victory of Ukraine: take yours, get up and be at home, in your
homeland, God to you, this Ukrainian land!
20/03/2022
Daily video message
Do not close up to the pain of Ukraine! Because one day the Lord God will tell you: I was wounded in Ukraine, and you
turned your face away from me.
19/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Today it is 17 March 2022 here and we are experiencing already the
twenty-second day of war. We are beginning the fourth week of this great
horrible and unjust aggression against Ukraine. But every morning I am
able to tell you that Ukraine is standing, Ukraine is fighting. As our
national anthem states, “Ukraine’s glory and freedom has not perished!
Still upon us, O Ukrainians, fate shall smile!” But when we speak of our homeland, our Ukraine, which is standing, which is
fighting, I see before my eyes the image of a woman.
A woman as a symbol of Ukraine. A woman who bears the unbearable burden
of war, who amid the grief of death keeps vigil over life.
A woman who builds and defends the future. Every day when we talk to people who come to our parishes, especially
in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, we see first of all women.
Women who care for the elderly and feed their children. When we care for
our people who are hiding in bomb shelters, we see first of all women. The
woman is today the symbol of the strength and courage of Ukraine. Perhaps
it seems odd: courage and woman. It used to be that courage was always
associated with a man, but here we see the female strength that gives
Ukraine hope.
Today we especially give thanks and pray for our girls, our women in the
Armed Forces of Ukraine who today with arms in hand defend their homeland.
Today we especially empathize, we especially think about and pray for the
women who are victims of this war in occupied territories. In our villages in the Kyiv region, women are becoming the first
victims of the occupation, victims of violence, victims of humiliation,
victims of rape. A image has circulated throughout the world of the
so-called “Kyivan Madonna,” a young woman who is breastfeeding her
newborn child on the steps of a bomb-shelter in Kyiv. But we behold today the face of women who are forced to flee her
homeland with her children and travel abroad. Today we hear about more
than three million refugees. Until this time Europe, especially Italy, has
seen women who travelled for work.
The Holy Father called them heroines who once more brought the Christian
faith and Christian values to Italy families. Today Europe has seen
mothers who hold their children by the hand, rescuing them from war, but
their parents turn back to defend their land with arms. Who can fully
comprehend the pain of a woman, a mother, who mourns the death of her son
killed in war? Or a woman who has lost her husband, brother, or
sister?
But most of all we are amazed by women who stand in prayer before God.
Women who are like the Kyiv Oranta, the Unshakeable Wall, who day and
night with upraised arms prays for her city, prays for her country.
Today the woman is the symbol of hope for Ukraine, a symbol of
fearlessness, a symbol of victory of life over death, a symbol of the fact
that Ukraine will stand even through such inhumane circumstances.
Today we pray to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, preparing for this
consecration of Ukraine and Russia and her Immaculate Heart, which Pope
Francis announced. We would like to dedicate women and the women of
Ukraine to the protection of the Immaculate Theotokos.
17/03/2022 (Source)
Comment on the announcement of the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to Our Lady
The Ukrainian people have long been waiting for this spiritual event.
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, Ukrainian Catholics
have asked to carry out this act as a necessary condition to prevent the
outbreak of war and all the dangers coming from Russia.
(…)
With the beginning of a full-scale war, our faithful from around the
world have asked to fulfil the words of the Blessed Virgin in
Fatima.
(…)
We are grateful to the Holy Father for responding first of all to Mary's
call at the proclamation of Fatima on July 13, 1917, and to her children's
request to defend Ukraine and stop the mistakes of Russia, which promotes
war and persecution of the Church. Today we are witnessing the fulfilment of the words of the Mother of
God, who said: The righteous will be persecuted, the Holy Father will
suffer, many nations will be destroyed.
16/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
God is with us. Today he is on the side of Ukraine and all those who suffer
innocently. The Lord is always on the side of the victim of unjust
aggression. Therefore, believing in such a God, I believe in the victory of
Ukraine
(…)
The Church teaches that we have the right to defend our homeland.
Moreover, it is a natural right and a sacred duty. We are not talking
about the right to kill, but about the duty to defend ourselves. The
defence must be proportional to how the attacker attacks us
15/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
In such circumstances, there can be no neutral position. Because he who is silent, who does not
condemn this war, becomes an accomplice in the crime, the aggression of
killing peaceful people of Ukraine, so thank you to all those who together with Ukraine are fighting for the
right to peaceful existence
14/03/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from interview with Radio NV
I am impressed by the position of the Russian Orthodox Church, its
structures in Europe, which assess the war in a completely different
way. In particular, I was impressed by the
position of the representatives of the Munich hierarchy, who condemned
Russia's aggression against Ukraine and appealed to their faithful Russians
to accept refugees from Ukraine. They are organizing a fundraiser for
our refugees to help us
We see that the truth is being manipulated by Russia itself, the Church
is being used for its military propaganda. I think this is unacceptable. But the whole free world, Catholic,
Orthodox and Protestant, strongly opposes this position. I know that dozens of letters have been written to Kirill demanding
an immediate end to the war.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate supports our
statehood, we see clear messages given by His Beatitude Onuphrius.
13/03/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from the sermon for the first Sunday of Lent
Get out of your comfort zone and defend your land, do everything you
can where you are, so that the truth may prevail. If you are a warrior – defend the country, if you are a teacher – teach
children, if you are an entrepreneur – do everything to make your business
work, give profit to the state and work to the people. If you are a
doctor, treat the wounded. If you are a spiritual person, pray for
your Motherland, for your Ukraine.
Today, the Ukrainian people are asking where God is when the enemy kills
Ukrainian children? Where is God when Russian bombs and rockets fall on our heads every
night? Where is God when the enemy bombed even the Svyatogorsk Lavra in
Donetsk region? Where are you, God? I think this is a deep cry of
prayer of the Ukrainian people to our God and Creator.
Christ suffers today in the body of Ukraine, suffers as the Head of
that Body, the Church of Christ.
13/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
War is always a failure for humanity. War is always a moment of shame, a moment in which man's dignity is humiliated.
When we strive for peace, everything is possible. When war breaks out, we
can lose everything. In Ukraine, today, we are seeing great contempt for
human dignity. With war, man loses his humanity, especially he who starts
war, he who starts war diminishes himself in his humanity. He who kills his
neighbour, before all else, destroys the humanity within himself,
destroys his own dignity.
As Christians what can we do to counter this contempt for humanity during
the war in Ukraine? Firstly, we must do the works of mercy, we must do all
we can to show respect for human dignity.
Today we pray for the Ukrainian army, which defends and reaffirms this
dignity. We pray for the civilian population of Ukraine, for our refugees,
for those who find themselves in cold cities, and sieged towns without
water, food or heating, we remember them and we want to help
them.
Today we fight for humanitarian corridors and for a way to save people
respecting their dignity, regardless of what language they speak, what nation they belong to,
what Church they are part of. Today in Ukraine there is a war for human dignity.
We know that to bury the dead is one of the works of mercy. We are now faced with the fact that the Russian aggressor who has
transgressed upon Ukrainian soil does not respect the bodies of its own
dead. He does not want to pay the due respects to his dead in Ukraine.
And our own volunteers, our good people, want to return the bodies of
the Russians who have been killed, but nobody will take them back to
bury them with dignity.
Today, in Ukraine, we see mountains of bodies, rivers of blood and a sea
of tears. Our heart aches to see thousands of people buried without a
prayer, without Christian respect, in mass common graves, with no
identification. Only in Mariupol, according to official numbers, close to
1.500 civilians have died during these days and been buried in mass
graves. How important it is for us today to show respect for the bodies of
our dead, be they military or civilian. Our people kneel before the bodies
of our dead soldiers when they are returned to their cities, towns and
families.
Today I ask all our priests all across Ukraine, to celebrate Divine
Liturgies and pray for the souls of the dead, as a sign of our respect for
those who have died on Ukrainian soil as a result of this horrible and
inhumane war.
12/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Ukraine is healing the wounds of war, rescuing and embracing her children who are suffering. It really seems that this war is becoming a war primarily against the civilian peaceful population. Even according to official statistics, in these days there have been more deaths among civilians – women and children – than among the military. We mourn the children of Ukraine who have become innocent victims of this war.
We amaze the whole world with our strength which gives us the possibility
to believe in victory. The great majority of people in Ukraine believe
that Ukraine will be victorious.
Our soldiers constantly ask us: Pray for us. I want to pass on this
request of the Ukrainian army, in whose hands lies the fate of Ukraine, to
all of you who hear me. Pray! Pray for our Ukrainian army, which today is defending peace in Ukraine,
Europe and the world.
Today I wish to sincerely thank all those who, at the international and
inter-religious level, are doing everything to stop the war. I thank the
Orthodox brethren, particularly in Germany and Western Europe, the Russian
Orthodox Church abroad, which is trying to serve refugees and which is
appealing to the church hierarchy in Russia for the need to end the war
immediately. I thank the WCC which is doing everything to stop this war. I
thank the Catholics and Protestants of France who with a particular
appeal, are doing everything to stop the bloodshed in our land.
11/03/2022 (Source)
Ecumenical prayer for peace in Lviv
O God, Father almighty, Lord, Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ and You, O
Holy Spirit—one Divinity and one Power! Before Your eyes today we present the sorrow and pain of Ukraine.
Mountains of corpses, rivers of blood, and seas of tears. We prayer for
all those who gave up their lives for the homeland, for our army, for the
sons and daughters of Ukraine, who shield lives with their own bodies in
the face of the enemy. We pray for all those innocently killed peaceful people of Ukraine:
women, children, the elderly. We pray for the victims of Mariupol who are being buried in massive
common graves without Christian burial and honour. Receive our prayers for their eternal repose!
10/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Today, my conscience, the conscience of every Christian, forces us to
take a voice to say a sharp word “no” to the whole world, to protest
against the mass murder of people in Ukraine. In particular, in the last
minutes we saw mass killings in the besieged city of Mariupol.
Yesterday we saw horrific footage of the bombings of the maternity
hospital, as well as mass graves, mass graves, in which there are
hundreds of lifeless bodies. And today we must tell the whole world "no"
to the massacres in Ukraine.
We are telling the whole world today: stop the mass killings!
10/03/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Today, that miracle over the Dnieper is created by our Ukrainian army, stopping the invasion of the northern neighbour, who stepped on our land, bringing destruction and death, trying to destroy the freedom-loving Ukrainian people (…) We are working a miracle for the people, who are showing their love of freedom to the whole world. And it amazes the whole world.
[To the international community] Do everything you can to stop this madness! Because today, before our
eyes, Ukraine is being crucified. There is no night when bombs do not fall on the heads of civilians.
Let's stop the war together! Let us together be instruments, instruments
of God's peace in our time!
08/3/2022 (Source)
He [Pope Francis] clearly said that this was not an operation, but a war. The war, first of all, is against civilians, civilians [For Pope Francis’ words, see below]
(…)
Today we ask the world community to close the skies over Ukraine, because Russian cruise missiles kill the most people in our lands
07/3/2022 (Source)
From the sermon on Forgiveness Sunday
(…)
Today in Ukraine there is a war for the hearts and minds of the
people – a struggle that affects all humanity, all people and
encourages everyone to make their choice. The internal battlefield is crucial.
If in the mystery of the evangelist and which the Father sees, evil
prevails, man will be the source of war around him in the outside world,
will provoke the new battlefields, where entire nations will perish
... Then that battlefield with its disgusting face and devastation will
break out by force and cause great suffering to people. As evil prevails inside a person, in his heart, he will become the
cause, the source of evil around him and will not be able to resist it
in the outside world.
At the end of this Gospel passage, we hear that when it comes to
victory, it is not the outer world but the inner world that comes
first. What does it take to win this war? What does it take to destroy the
enemy, to defeat evil?
The Lord gives us a special "secret" weapon. He says the secret of victory is forgiveness. This may surprise us: what is it like to think about forgiveness
during the war? From a human point of view, in times of war we should talk about
hatred – hatred of those who attack us. However, if on the inner battlefield, which is our heart, we act
under the influence of hatred, then we are already defeated by
evil. That is why today's Gospel speaks not so much of man's
forgiveness as of the key to victory over the devil, which is first and
foremost forgiveness that comes from God.
(…)
Today we say: God, forgive my sins. May
Your victory dwell in my heart. And God's victory is always the victory of good over evil, truth over
untruth, peace over war. Entering the time of repentance, we begin to learn to overcome.
It is so important for us to know the secret of victory and to have a
power over which our enemy is powerless.
Therefore we ask: Lord, as You have forgiven us, so we want to
forgive all those who have forgiven us. This is the position of the winner. Today it is very important to defeat the enemy on the inner
battlefield. Then we will overcome it, defending our cities and
villages, our Motherland.
To defeat the enemy who came to our land, you must first be
spiritually and morally superior, stronger than him, in any case not
to imitate his behavior, position, language and insults! By affirming the victory of good over
evil, we become warriors of light and defenders of peace, and thus gain
that true treasure of the eternal and just. That is why Christ says:
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt
6:21).
Today, this most important treasure that we, as a nation, need is the
treasure of the victory of good over evil. That must be our greatest wealth, which will be in our hearts - the
Truth of God, in which is His all-conquering power.
We also ask: Lord, give us the weapons with which we can defeat the
devil and all his angels. Give us the weapon with which we can win not only the war, but also the
war itself and all those who cause it and brought it to the land of
Ukraine.
Today we especially pray for our army, for those who really
defeated the enemy on the battlefield of their own hearts, because
it is out of love for the Motherland that they overcome those who
attack us with greater, from a human point of view, strength.
"Gather up your treasures in heaven" (Mt 6:20) is a great call to all
of us. Because war is always destruction. War is always a waste of resources.
Evil, hatred and sin dry up and exhaust the soul, bleed and weaken a
person. Instead, God's forgiveness, received and transmitted, mercy and
love for God and neighbor revive and renew the mental and physical
strength of man, give him the ability to endure the struggle to the end
and gain an advantage over the enemy. Therefore, in the field of spiritual struggle, one cannot lose or
scatter, but on the contrary – to obtain and collect such treasure,
which "neither moths nor worms destroy and where thieves do not break
through walls or steal" (Mt 6:20).
Today Christ asks us to gather... When we overcome evil, we overcome destruction, we gather real,
eternal treasures, over which Russian tanks and cruise missiles are
powerless. Our Taras Shevchenko tells us about these treasures, who at one time
emphasized the importance of telling the world about "what was going
on in Ukraine, why did it die, what Cossack glory became for all over
the world !?" (Before Osnovyanenko, 1839, St. Petersburg.) These are the treasures of our ancestors, which are still our common
national treasure and inspire us to victory.
God, give us the victory of Ukraine! Give us victory over the enemy! Give peace to our
Motherland. And most importantly – give us victory over sin and death in our
hearts, so that with You and in You was our treasure. Amen.
06/03/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Daily video message
We pray for the enemies who came to our land to kill. We pray that the
Lord God will stop their murderous hand. God bless Ukraine! God, save your children! God, forgive
our sins and grant Ukraine victory!
06/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
To you, dear children, daughters and sons of our people, I say: we are
waiting for you back home, when there will be a peaceful sky over
Ukraine. Your mother Church will accompany you, help you where the hardships of
war will take you.
(…)
I want to thank and bless the Ukrainian army, our soldiers, girls and
boys who defend peace in Ukraine, thanks to whom today, on the ninth day
of the war, we are still alive, thanks to which Ukraine wins, Ukraine
stands, Ukraine fights.
(…)
Today we feel that Archangel Michael is fighting for Ukraine with the whole heavenly
army. We are praying today: Archangel Michael and all the heavenly army, all the heavenly forces
fight for Ukraine, overthrow the devil who attacks us, kills us, brings destruction and death.”
4/3/2022 (Source)
Daily video message
Together we are a nation that builds and defends peace in Ukraine and
the world, at the price of our own blood.
Truly the words of Christ are being fulfilled. “No one has greater love
than this: that someone would lay down his life for his
friends.” We see that not hatred, but love conquers. Love gives birth to
heroes, but hatred to criminals.
That is why I encourage all of us: let us learn to love in this tragic
time. Let us not be taken captive by hatred. Let us not use the language
of hatred. The one who hates the enemy is already overcome by him. We
will conquer with the power of love, for our homeland, for God, and for
our neighbour.
Let us pray not only for peace in Ukraine, but let us pray for our enemies, for their conversion, for the
conversion of Russia, as Our Lady of Fatima requested of us.
01/3/2022 (Source)
Beloved and God protected Ukrainian people!
Once again, our homeland is in danger!
The treacherous enemy, despite his own obligations and assurances,
breaking the basic norms of international law, as an unjust aggressor
set foot on Ukrainian soil, bringing with him death and
devastation.
Our Ukraine, which the world rightly called "bloody lands",
which so many times was sprinkled with the blood of martyrs and fighters
for the freedom and independence of its people, calls us today to stand up for our homeland, our dignity before God
and humanity, our right to exist and the right to choose our future.
It is our inherent right and a sacred duty for everyone to protect
their land and their people, their state and everything that is most
dear to us: their family, their language and culture, their history and
their spiritual world! We are peaceful people who love children of all nations with Christian
love, regardless of origin or beliefs, national or religious
affiliation. We do not encroach on someone else`s property and do not
threaten anyone, but we do not have the right to give our own to anyone!
At this historic moment, the voice of our conscience calls us all as one
to stand up for the free, united and independent Ukrainian state!
The history of the last century teaches us that all those who started global wars were the ones who lost them, and the idolaters of war brought only destruction and decline to
their own states and peoples. We believe that the Lord God is with us at this historic moment! He, in Whose hands lies the fate of the whole world and every person,
in particular, is always on the side of the victim of unfair aggression,
on the side of the suffering and enslaved. It is he who declares his Holy
Name in the history of every nation, catches and throws down the powerful
of this world by their own pride, the conquerors by the illusion of their
omnipotence, the proud and bold by their own self-confidence. It is he who
grants victory over evil and death. The victory of Ukraine will be a victory of God`s power over the
baseness and insolence of man! This was always the case, so it is now and so it be!
Our Holy Martyr Church has always been with her people, it remains here
for them and stands by! This Church, which has already known death and resurrection, as the Body
of the Risen Christ over whom death has no power, was bestowed by the Lord
to his people in the baptismal waters of the Dnieper. Since then, the
history of our people and their Church, the history of their liberation
struggle, the history of the embodiment of God`s word and the
manifestation of his spirit of truth in our culture have been intertwined
forever. And at this dramatic moment, our Church, as our Mother and
Teacher, remains with its children to protect them and serve them in the
name of God! God is our hope and from Him will be our victory!
Today we solemnly proclaim: "We will lay down our souls and bodies for our freedom!” Today, with one heart and mouth, we pray: "Great and one God, save Ukraine for us!’
Holy Righteous, Martyrs and Confessors of the Ukrainian land, pray and
intercede for us before God!
The blessing of the Lord may be upon you!
Excerpt from sermon
Once again, I would like to say that today is a
time when we must especially ask ourselves this life-changing question:
"What am I doing?" Because what is happening today in the expanses
of Holy Russia certainly darkens the hearts of many. I will not speak about
myself, but with these thoughts, with this suffering, I lie down, get up and
spend the whole day, because I am the Patriarch not only of Moscow, but of all
Russia. But at the same time I believe that by the grace of God this
misfortune will pass, that it will not undermine the deep foundations of our
coexistence, which keep the people of Holy Russia, living in Russia and in
Ukraine, united. I believe that the Lord will bow down in mercy and the
internecine strife will cease. And where today is perplexity, suffering
and sorrow, our human love to each other should appear. And in response to this
love, God's love for our united people, for those who live in Russia and
Ukraine, for those who live in different parts of the world.
(…)
My parents survived the Leningrad siege, and
they told me about how God's churches in Leningrad were filled, how hungry
people, almost dying, flocked to the churches, despite the shelling, despite
the weakening of all physical strength. The churches of Leningrad were
overcrowded during the blockade, and perhaps this prayer saved the city. I
don’t want to compare the current times with what Leningraders experienced
during the hardest years of the blockade, but in a sense, a fateful time has
come today! Because many are rebelling against Russia, and many are dizzy in
the desire to destroy Russia, its identity, its independence, its freedom. And
today we must especially strengthen ourselves in the faith, fill our churches,
pray for the authorities, for the army, for our relatives, loved ones, pray for
the Orthodox Church, which in these difficult circumstances maintains the
spiritual unity of Holy Russia.
And may the Lord help us! Once again I want to
say that we have lived with you to a fateful time, and in a fateful time we
should renew our faith, sharpen our consciousness and our memory, look
differently at much of what we looked at yesterday without much attention and
special care. Then our spiritual mobilization, to which I now call everyone,
will also help the mobilization of all the forces of our Fatherland. And it
will undoubtedly help in the end the complete reconciliation of Russia and
Ukraine, which constitute the single space of the Russian Orthodox Church.
You can imagine the state of me as the
Patriarch of All Russia, when today a brother kills a brother. Probably, someone from the bearers
of extreme political views will say: here, pacifism is preaching at a time when
... Not pacifism, but with these words I simply testify to our common duty
before God - to pray for an end to internecine strife, to do everything in
order to fraternal relations between the two parts of united Russia have been
restored, and we also pray that the Lord will deliver, especially our youth,
from the fact that their lives are cut short in this internecine strife. And
in order for it to be so, it is necessary, it is necessary that the fighting
cease.
And may the Lord help us, the saints of united
Russia, the reverends of the Kiev Caves and the reverend fathers of numerous
monasteries, including the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, in the expanses of great
Russia! Let us trust in their prayers, because their souls are grieving and
suffering today over what is happening. And let us hope that by common
efforts, without going down the path of dangerous compromises that could harm
united Russia, we all simultaneously moved along the path of reconciliation
and the restoration of that spiritual unity that was formed in the depths of
the united Russian Orthodox Church.
May God's blessing abide over all Holy Russia,
over those in authority, over spiritual leaders, over warriors and over all
those on whom the peaceful and prosperous outcome of this very dangerous clash
between two fraternal peoples can depend. May the Lord keep us all and
strengthen us in faith, love, unanimity. Amen.
27/09/2022 (Source)
Prayer for Holy Russia
Lord God of strength, God of our salvation,
look in mercy on Your humble servant, hear and have mercy on us: behold,
those who want to fight against Holy Russia, hoping to divide and destroy her
one people.
Arise, O God, to help Thy people and give us victory
by Thy power.
Hurry to your faithful children, jealous of the
unity of the Russian Church, strengthen them in the spirit of brotherly love
and deliver them from troubles. Forbid those who tear apart in the
darkening of minds and hardening of hearts Thy robe, which is the Church of the
Living God, and overthrow their plans.
By the grace of Thy power, guide for every good
and enrich with wisdom!
Confirm the warriors and all the defenders of
our Fatherland in Your commandments, send down the strength of the spirit to
them, save them from death, wounds and captivity!
Deprived of shelter and in exile of beings,
bring them into houses, nourish the hungry, strengthen and heal those who are
ill and suffering, give good hope and comfort to those who are in confusion and
sorrow!
Grant forgiveness of sins to all those killed
in these days and who died from wounds and illnesses and create blessed repose!
Fill us even in Thee with faith, hope and love,
raise peace and unanimity in all the countries of Holy Russia, renew love for each other in Your
people, as if with one mouth and one heart we confess to You, the One God in
the Trinity glorious. Thou art intercession, and victory, and salvation to
those who trust in Thee and we send glory to You, the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.
25/09/2022 (Source)
Full
sermon
“For God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son” (John 3:16). To death! Only Begotten Son,
Divine Son! And why was this terrible divine Sacrifice required, the scale
and significance of which cannot be grasped by the human mind? Almighty
God gives Himself up for execution, which was used to execute criminals,
outcasts of human society, who really committed terrible, dangerous crimes.
When one thinks about this ineffable divine
Sacrifice, it is difficult for the human mind to grasp the entire divine
plan. But it is quite obvious that the Lord gives Himself, suffers and
dies in a human way, not for something that would be completely
incomprehensible to us and inherent only to Him, who has immense knowledge
about Himself. He gives us the opportunity to understand that if God in
His Son gives His human life for the sake of other people, for the sake of the
human race, then sacrifice is the highest manifestation of a person's love
for his neighbors. Sacrifice is the greatest manifestation of the best human
qualities.
We know that today many are dying on the
fields of internecine warfare. The Church prays that this warfare will end
as soon as possible, that as few brothers as possible kill each other in this
fratricidal war. And at the same time, the Church is aware that if
someone, driven by a sense of duty, the need to fulfill an oath, remains true
to his calling and dies in the line of military duty, then he undoubtedly
commits an act that is tantamount to a sacrifice. He sacrifices himself
for others. And therefore we believe that this sacrifice washes away all
the sins that a person has committed.
The war that is now going on in the vastness of
Russia is an internecine strife. And that is why it is so important that
as a result of this battle there should not be a wave of bitterness and
alienation; so that the fraternal peoples are not divided by an
impenetrable wall of hatred. And the way we all behave towards each other,
what we will ask the Lord in our prayers, what we will hope for, will to a
large extent define not only the results of the battles, but also what will
happen as a result of all this. God grant that the current hostilities do not
destroy the single spiritual space of Holy Russia and, moreover, do not harden
our peoples. May all wounds be healed by the grace of God. So that,
by the grace of God, everything that today brings grief to many and many will
be blotted out of memory. So that what will replace the current situation,
And this can only happen if we live with faith
in our hearts. Because faith destroys fear, faith grants the possibility
of mutual forgiveness, faith strengthens relationships between people and can
really transform and is transforming these relationships into brotherly,
cordial and kind. God grant that it be so that everything that now darkens
the souls of many ends. God grant that during this internecine strife,
as few people as possible die or get injured. God grant that there be as
few widows and orphans as possible, fewer divided families, fewer broken
friendships and brotherhoods.
The Church, which carries out its pastoral
ministry among the peoples of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and many others in the
vastness of historical Russia, today especially suffers and especially prays
for the speedy cessation of internecine strife, for the triumph of justice, for
the restoration of fraternal communion and overcoming all that, having
accumulated over the years, and eventually led to a bloody conflict. We believe that all the saints who
shone in the Russian land—in this case, using the already accepted expression
“in the Russian land,” we mean Russia, the whole Russian land, Holy
Russia—today, together with us, offer up prayers to the Lord that so that peace
is established on earth, so that the reconciliation of the fraternal peoples
comes and, most importantly, justice triumphs, because without justice there
can be no lasting peace.
May the Lord keep us all and help us all to
walk our Christian career with dignity, despite the difficult life
circumstances that today are the reality of our earthly existence. With
the prayers of the saints, whose names we glorified today, may the Lord help us
all to be strengthened in peace, love, unanimity and purity.
25/09/2022
(Source)
Excerpts from a Sermon
Today our Fatherland, Rus’, historical Rus’ is
going through severe trials. We know what is happening in Ukraine. We
know what danger hangs over the Ukrainian people, which they are trying to
reformat, to make a state that is contrary to Russia, hostile to Russia. It
is very important that in our hearts there is no feeling that there is an
enemy. We must pray today that the Lord would strengthen the fraternal
feelings of the peoples of Holy Russia, so that the unity of our Church becomes
even stronger and stronger, which is really a guarantee of peace in the
expanses of Russia - which is why the collapse of our country began with
attempts to break the Church, create schisms and separation. The enemy
knew that this point should be hit. And although we have suffered losses
and a dangerous, sinful, graceless schism has arisen in Ukraine, but at the
same time the Orthodox faith is preserved there, and our brothers and sisters,
archpastors and pastors are united and, I believe, continue to pray together
with us around the throne of God to stop the internecine strife and to restore
peace in the expanses of historical Russia.
Today is connected with the memory of the great victory of
our people, their spiritual feat, with the memory of how spiritual authority
influenced the formation of courage and heroism. I mean, first of all, the
blessing of St. Sergius of Radonezh given to Dmitry Donskoy. How all this
formed the true spiritual strength of our army, which won the historic battle.
This is an excursion into history from our ecclesiastical
point of view. This point
of view is not present in secular historical science, but in vain, because it
is this approach to history that highlights the most important thing – the
spiritual dimension in the life of people and the state, without which victory,
in the conditions of the fading of faith and spirit, becomes impossible. Therefore,
today we pray to the Lord again and again that He would pacify Russia, stop
internecine strife, so that Holy Rus’ would be reunited – in the sense that no
strife and division would torment the heirs of that very united Holy Russia. And
today, when we remember the victory of our people in the Battle of Kulikovo, we
ask that a true victory come without special battles and bloodshed, which would
return to us spiritual unity, peace, prosperity and mutual love.
21/09/2022 (Source)
Message to the participants of the VII Congress
of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions
I cordially greet all of you who have gathered
on the hospitable land of Kazakhstan to participate in the work of the VII
Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
The current forum is dedicated to the role of
religious leaders in the spiritual and social life of people in post-pandemic
times. There is no doubt that today humanity is going through one of the most
difficult periods of modern history. Added to the challenges posed by the
coronavirus pandemic are food, energy and economic problems caused by attempts
to build a world without moral values. Over the past two decades, these
attempts have led not only to the loss of the concept of justice in
international relations, but also to fierce confrontation, military conflicts,
the spread of terrorism and extremism in different parts of the world.
Today, as never before, it is difficult for
people to navigate the flow of information, to resist ideological suggestions,
to maintain a sober mind and peace of mind. We have witnessed the distortion
of historical facts and unprecedented manipulation of mass consciousness. This
is because there is less and less love, mercy, compassion in society.
Increasingly, we hear and read in the public space words filled with hatred
towards entire peoples, cultures and religions.
The path of dictatorship, rivalry and
confrontation chosen by some rulers of this world is leading humanity to
destruction. And under these conditions, it is faith that can sober people up,
return them to the path of dialogue and cooperation, because in traditional religions the fundamental
moral principles of human existence remain unshakable.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to
express special gratitude to the authorities of Kazakhstan for the fact that,
at their invitation, authoritative religious leaders from all over the world
were once again able to gather in the capital of the Republic. The possibility
of dialogue in the current difficult circumstances is a very valuable resource,
an important step towards solving existing problems. I am sure that the
peacemaking dialogue of religious leaders, coupled with their influence on the
minds and hearts of people, can and should contribute to overcoming the
challenges of our time, harmonizing international relations, and establishing a
just world order.
I wish the participants of the Congress
meaningful and useful communication, mutual understanding and agreement, in
which God help you all.
14/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of a sermon
Today is such a time – a time of anxiety, even
very disturbing. And we must pray that all dangers will pass our
Motherland, that those who dream of crushing Russia as an independent, truly
independent state will be left with nothing. Such states can be listed on
the fingers of one hand, all others in one way or another depend on the world centres
of power; but Russia does not depend on any centres of power that are outside
its sovereign territory. This is a great privilege, but it is also a huge
cross, because there are always those who would like to bring such a rich,
strong country as Russia into the orbit of their influence.
We know that the world is restless, while
Russia continues its truly sovereign historical existence, and if we look at
our history, we will understand that this sovereignty was largely determined by
the strength of the spirit of the Russian people, the strength of the spiritual
influence of the Church on our Fatherland. We know what an enormous role
the Church played in the liberation of Russia from foreign forces. We know that
it was the Church that inspired the soldiers for the historical battles, as a
result of which the Motherland remained sovereign and free. We know how the
saints prayed for the country, for the army, for the Grand Duke, and then for
the Tsar.
Today, the time has come when we should
especially pray for our Fatherland, for our President - what difference does it
make what the head of state is called! for our army. So that the country has the
strength to maintain its true independence from the most powerful forces that
today dominate most of the countries of the world.
Russia has a special historical path. When
everything is safe, calm, we somehow think a little about it; but when troubled
times come, you begin to become especially aware of the world-wide fateful
mission of Russia. So it was in antiquity, and so today this special mission
is returning and placed on the shoulders of our people.
Today we prayed to the holy noble Grand Duke
Daniel and his father, the holy noble Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, who, by
virtue of their position, combined both the head of the state and the head of
the army. But how difficult it was! After all, where there is an army,
there is a sword, and where there is a sword, there is death. And what
spiritual strength one had to have, how one had to be aware of one's moral and
spiritual responsibility to remain a holy man while leading a country and an
army and having a sword at one's hip! The Grand Dukes Alexander Nevsky and
Daniil of Moscow, whom we remember today, managed to combine this political and
military mission with holiness. But, probably, such a combination is a
guarantee that a country with such leadership will never commit war crimes. Because if at the head of the
Fatherland, at the head of the army is a saint, and maybe not a saint, but a
believer, Orthodox, baptized, aware of his responsibility before God, Church
and country, the country is guaranteed against all kinds of military
adventures, the country can be sure that the sword at his hip will be drawn
only when it is morally, morally and even spiritually justified.
And today, I want to say again, we live in a
very difficult time, and therefore our special prayer is for the head of our
state, for Supreme Commander Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, who has a special
responsibility, as well as for all military leaders and those who are in
authorities. So that the Lord would make wiser, strengthen,
enlighten, protect from sins and mistakes and at the same time inspire actions
that would bring protection to our Fatherland from all external, even perhaps
the most dangerous and terrible threats.
12/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
Today, as in the days of St. Peter, the Russian
Church is threatened by many dangers. Then it was the nomads who attacked the
Russian land, robbed it, killed people, destroyed the economic opportunities of
the country, but even today, as we know, not everything is calm in the
world. And in a sense, a very special service, undoubtedly by the will of God,
is now being given to this city and our country. Because the strength of modern
Russia is capable of resisting many forces, including those fighting with God
and with Christ. Those forces that are directed and direct their sting at
hurting a person in such a way that he loses the ability to distinguish between
good and evil. The concept of sin disappeared from the political lexicon,
because instead of distinguishing between good and evil, a new model of behaviour
arose, focused solely on the choice of the person himself, when he himself
determines what is good for him and what is evil. But when a significant
part of the so-called civilized world takes up these ideas, our country, as it
was in times past, retains its ability to resist this terrible temptation. And
we must observe the ability and readiness to distinguish good from evil, guided
not by momentary political interests, not by human ambitions, but exclusively
by the moral law that God has put into our souls, into the very nature of man.
And God grant that the Mother See of Moscow retains the opportunity to
remain an island of freedom in this stormy world, so that it is here that a
healthy spiritual resistance is formed to any attempts to mix good and evil and
completely abandon the fact that sin is called sin, and virtue is virtue. God
grant that with the prayers of St. Peter, laid the foundation of church life in
our Mother See City of Moscow, the Orthodox faith was strengthened in our
people, love for the Fatherland was strengthened, the ability to resist the
temptations and intrigues of tempters was strengthened, so that our faith would
remain alive, the independence and freedom of our Fatherland would be
preserved. And if so, then there is hope for salvation.
Through the prayers of St. Peter, Metropolitan
of Kyiv, Moscow and All Russia, may the Lord preserve the Russian land, may
He strengthen the brothers who now live in different states - Russia, Ukraine
and Belarus - in unanimity and awareness of special responsibility for our
common destiny, and in which in a sense for the fate of the world. And we
believe as long as the blessing of St. Peter remains over Russia, over our
people, over our Church, and through his prayers we will retain a great ability
to distinguish right from left, good from evil, sin from holiness. Through
the prayers of St. Peter of Kyiv, Moscow and All Russia, may the Lord protect
the Russian land, may the Lord help overcome disagreements, most often provoked
from outside, which today threaten the unity of our entire people. May the Lord
preserve, through the prayers of St. Peter, our people in unanimity and
Orthodox faith. Amen.
06/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon on the feast of the
Donskoy Mother of God
Today such times have come when we should
especially ask the Lord for help to our Fatherland. Indeed, there is a struggle
between good and cosmic evil. Why do we say so? Because the justification of sin is the work of the
devil. The devil needs to destroy the mediastinum between good and evil, to
confuse concepts, and this is exactly what is happening today! People do not
distinguish what is good and what is evil, because powerful propaganda forces
are working all over the world, forming such a worldview. This is what the dark
force stakes on: if people cease to distinguish between good and evil, then
they will belong to evil, without any compromise.
What prevents the final victory of evil? He is
opposed by the Lord Jesus Christ, His Divine power, manifested in the faith of
His followers, His disciples. And as long as there is an unshakable faith among
His disciples and followers that the Lord is the master of history, that the
fate of the universe is in His hands, that faith in God is an indispensable
condition for the survival of human civilization, then the human race will also
be preserved.
In this sense, our country has a special
mission today. We are one of the few who call evil evil and good good, who do not allow powerful
propaganda forces to mix these concepts so that a person does not distinguish
between good and evil. In fact, a terrible idea is being imposed on us that
there is no good and evil, but there are models of human behaviour, and
everyone has the right to choose the model that suits him. And if this model
contradicts God's will, God's moral law, the one that Israel found on Mount
Sinai, the one that was brought to the world by Christ the Saviour, then what
should we do? Well-bred, intelligent people do not answer such a question, but
less well-mannered and intelligent people directly say what they think of us. Therefore,
what is happening today is really part of a very important struggle, cosmic
struggle between good and evil. And God grant that through the prayers of
the saints who have shone forth in our land, our people, in spite of any
temptations, temptations, influences, retain the Orthodox faith, faith in the
Lord and Saviour, in the Protection of His Most Pure Mother, and therefore the
ability to distinguish good from evil, the ability to be truly free people. For
you are called to freedom, brethren, says the apostle (Gal. 5:13).
Bearing in mind all this, let us keep the
Orthodox faith as the greatest shrine and treasure. And to those who have not
fully believed yet, I make an appeal: the times have come when you can’t
pretend that nothing is happening, when you need to make an ideological choice,
on which depends not only the personal life of the one who makes this choice,
but the very existence of our Fatherland.
Praying before the miraculous image of the Don
Mother of God, remembering the great heroic events of our national history,
connected with the struggle of our people for freedom and independence, we will
be worthy of our great ancestors. In the present conditions, let us just as
strongly hope for the Intercession of the Most Pure Mother of God, we will also
lift up our fervent prayer to Her image, we will also love our Fatherland and
also be ready to defend it, if necessary. And we believe that the Lord will
be with us, because the truth is on our side. Someone may be surprised
and say: why so? The answer is simple: because we are trying to live according
to the truth of God, according to God's law, according to the commandments; and
if, humanly, out of weakness, we violate them, then we do not renounce these
commandments as the basic law of human life. And as long as it is so, our
Fatherland will be preserved.
01/09/2022 (Source)
Message
of condolences on the death of Daria Alexandrovna Dugina
Dear
Alexander Gelevich!
It is
with deep sorrow that I received the news of the tragic death of your daughter.
Darya
Alexandrovna was known in Russia and abroad as an active public figure, a
bright journalist, and a talented scientific researcher. Being the successor of your
work, she, despite her young age, managed to achieve significant success in her
chosen field, earn the gratitude and respect of her colleagues.
In the
days of severe trials associated with the loss of family and loved ones, for
us, the words of the Holy Scripture sound like a consolation: “if we live, we
live for the Lord; if we die, we die to the Lord; therefore, whether we live or
die, it is always the Lord's" (Rom. 14:8).
May the
merciful Lord of Heaven and Earth rest the soul of His newly-departed servant
Daria in the abodes of the righteous and create eternal memory for her.
21/08/2022 (Source)
Message
to the organizers and participants of the 1st International Anti-Fascist
Congress
I
cordially greet all the participants of the Congress, which is taking place
within the framework of the Army-2022 International Military-Technical Forum.
The
fight against fascism has become, unfortunately, one of the most acute and
topical topics in recent times. The Russian people, who paid a huge price for the victory over the evil
of Nazism, have a particularly reverent attitude towards this topic. After the
end of World War II, it seemed to many that the "brown plague" was
finally and irrevocably destroyed, because it is impossible to forget the
horrors and incalculable suffering that the ideology of hatred, national and
racial superiority brought to humanity.
However,
for several decades now, we have been watching with concern how, with the
support of certain malevolent forces, obvious and indisputable facts are being
revised, how a world of fakes and lies is being created before our eyes, the
purpose of which is not only to distort the history of the events of the 20th century,
devaluing the contribution of our country in the eradication of fascism, but
also to sow the seeds of distrust and enmity between people, to pit entire
fraternal peoples against each other. All this, of course, is the work
of the devil, who, as Christ testifies in the Gospel, was a murderer from
the beginning and did not stand in the truth, for there is no truth in him – he
is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
For the
people of Russia, the memory of the Great Patriotic War and the sacrificial
feat of their ancestors is truly sacred: it has become an integral part of the
national cultural code and our identity. We know from our own bitter experience
how dangerous experiments are to forget the past. That is why the Russian
people do not get tired of testifying to the whole world about what an
insidious evil humanity faced in the last century and what catastrophic
consequences the neglect of danger and frivolous flirting with fascism can lead
to.
Of
course, the disease of nationalism can strike any nation, especially if its
spiritual immunity is weakened by proud self-exaltation, the rejection of
historical memory and the ideals of good neighborliness, peacefulness and
mutual respect. But how important it is to prevent the growth of this cancerous
tumor, which will inevitably bring death to the entire healthy body! How
important it is not to allow feelings of hatred, pride and cruelty to settle in
our hearts!
Today,
the universal responsiveness and all-humanity of the Russian spirit, about which
F.M. Dostoevsky wrote, are revealed in new circumstances. Defending the
historical truth and protecting the suffering brothers in blood and spirit, our
people are fulfilling a difficult and very responsible mission: they return to
the world the values that they, in their madness, are trying to refuse. These unshakable values are
fidelity to God and traditional moral principles, adherence to the ideals of
brotherhood and love, mercy and spiritual nobility.
In order
to carry out this fateful mission, the rallying of society is especially
necessary, strong faith is needed, combined with hope in the wise Providence of
the Almighty. God grant that we all have the strength, wisdom and patience to
adequately cope with the difficult test of time and bring closer the
establishment of a lasting and just peace for all peoples.
Calling
on you the blessing of Christ, I wish the participants of the Congress good
health and help from the Lord in good deeds.
20/08/2022
(Source)
Sermon on the anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus’
Today we live in a time when among the peoples
of historical Russia the enemy of the human race has sown and nurtured the
seeds of discord. This has happened before in our history, for the unity and
peace commanded by God are always a target for evil forces. But a Christian
should not be afraid of the menacing phenomena of the times, remembering that
the Church of Christ has constantly faced and will face the hostility of theomachic
forces trying to extinguish the light of truth.
We firmly hope that the faith of Christ will
help us heal the wounds of divisions inflicted on the unity of peoples who have
come out of the common font of Baptism. And today, remembering the feat of Equal-to-the-Apostles
Prince Vladimir, who baptized and united her, may each of us turn fervent
prayers to this saint for overcoming mediastinations and enmity, for the reign
of a lasting and just peace in the expanses of historical Russia. Amen.
28/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon
Maybe that's why they rise up against us
because we are different? Faith disappears everywhere - I mean the Christian
world - or is deformed so that nothing remains of it. Because in the appendix to the
Gospel, people arbitrarily include such an interpretation of texts, such an
ethically incorrect interpretation, which today really leads to the decline of
moral, spiritual life in countries that were considered Christian. For us, this
is not a reason to say: "We are different, we are better" - this
would be completely wrong, this would be a sinful conclusion from the analysis
of the situation. But for us, this is a reason to say: "We are different,
and God grant that we have the strength to remain different." Not from the
point of view of some kind of political confrontation, especially in the
military sense, – we are talking exclusively about the moral, spiritual and
religious dimension of our life.
21/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon
Today we are living through different times. Today Russia is a powerful
state, and hardly anyone will try to deprive us of our freedom and independence
by force of arms. But in our evil age, there are many other ways to crush
people, deprive them of their national identity, deprive them of their faith,
deprive them of a sense of patriotism. We know that today many forces are
working to influence our people and our country in this way. Why? Because we
continue to be different. In "enlightened" Europe, faith in God
is banished, educated people are ashamed to admit that they are believers, and
this is a fact. And in our country, which has gone through years of godlessness
and persecution, the faith of Christ is strengthened in people. God grant that
it be so. So that our authorities, and the army, and our intelligentsia, and
all our people keep faith in the Lord, the Orthodox faith,
Today we have gathered here precisely in order to pray again and again
for our Fatherland, which is passing through a difficult time in its history.
May the Lord help Russia and all historical Russia to preserve faith, preserve piety, preserve the ability to keep in your
mind, in your memory the great spiritual feats of those representatives of our
people who became famous as saints. And among them, one of the foremost is the
humble Elder of Radonezh, the Monk Sergius, who became the soul of our people,
a great saint of God, undoubtedly for all of us and today praying for Holy
Russia and the Orthodox faith.
18/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
And if
we are all with God, if we live according to God's law, if we find the strength
in ourselves to fight our passions, vices, sinful thoughts and not very good
deeds, then the Lord will really be with us. And today we really need God to
be with us, and here, on the western border of Russia, this is especially felt.
Many are rising up today against our Fatherland, but we know that the
Fatherland has done nothing wrong to anyone. And they rebel not because we are
bad, but because we are different. This otherness of Russia arouses feelings of
jealousy, envy and indignation, but we cannot change ourselves. Of course, many
wanted, as they say now, to reforming us, but it did not work out, although
such huge efforts and funds were invested in the reformation of Russia. And
she, as she was, is, in essence, Holy Russia, inheritance of the Most Holy
Theotokos. God grant that it be so in the future, and it is especially
important for me to tell you about all this, my dear ones, who live on the
western border of Holy Russia.
May
the Lord protect the Kaliningrad land, our people and the whole Russian land
from every enemy and adversary. But the most important thing is that the Lord keep our hearts pure and
the faith in our hearts. If so, then we are not afraid of any enemies, and
first of all, our internal enemy is not afraid, which inclines us to sin, vice
and deviation from God's law. May the Lord protect Russia, the land of
Kaliningrad, the Church that lives here, and all of you, my dear
Kaliningraders.
03/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from Sermon
Once again I want to say that my words may seem incomprehensible to someone, strange, but these are not my words! I am telling you the words of God, this is God's law, and as a Patriarch I am obliged to speak about this law in order for the life of the individual to be integral, for our families to be strong, and hence for all our people to be strong. And how we need today this consolidation, the concentration of our entire nation in the face of enormous external dangers! We must be strong, but a strong man cannot be weak in his personal life. Everything is connected, one with the other, from childhood to the grave. That is probably why the Lord, having bowed His mercy to us, gave us the opportunity to build temples today. Nowhere, neither in Europe nor in America, new churches are being built, people no longer need them. They are closing, repurposing, and sometimes, instead of temples, dance floors and other entertainment facilities appear. And we, to the horror of the very world that cannot understand us, are building God's temples. We are the Russia of the 21st century. Isn't this a miracle of God? We, who have gone through all these persecutions, through all this godless ideology, we as a people have risen and are b
May the Lord protect the Kaliningrad land, our people and the whole Russian land from every enemy and adversary. But the most important thing is that the Lord keep our hearts pure and the faith in our hearts. If so, then we are not afraid of any enemies, and first of all, our internal enemy is not afraid, which inclines us to sin, vice and deviation from God's law. May the Lord protect Russia, the land of Kaliningrad, the Church that lives here, and all of you, my dear Kaliningraders.uilding churches, and a feeling of love for the Fatherland is growing in us. And we see how our young guys are now defending Russia on the battlefield. Our priests, who take care of our warriors, tell me about amazing examples of courage, self-sacrifice, the ability to lay down their lives for their friend. Where is it from? Not from a high salary, not from the encouragement of the authorities, not from the desire to advance in the service, but from an inner moral feeling, brought up by the Orthodox faith.
19/06/2022 (Source)
Happy Russia Day message to Putin
Your Excellency, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on Russia Day.
This holiday unites our fellow citizens, for whom the value priorities
are love for the Fatherland and Russian traditions, the desire to work for
the good of the native country and the readiness to remain faithful to it in various trials.
It is gratifying that today an important area of state policy is the preservation of the
people, which includes, among other things, the maintenance of social
stability, the preservation of a rich cultural heritage and the protection of Russia's sovereignty.
I am grateful to you for your unwavering attention to the mission of the
Moscow Patriarchate. I am convinced that the cooperation of the Church, government agencies,
public institutions and all people of good will can contribute to
strengthening the unity of our country and the spiritual health of our
contemporaries.
I wish you full strength of mind and body, peace, well-being and God's
inexhaustible help in serving in the responsible post of President of Russia.
With deep and sincere respect
12/06/2022 (Source)
Journal of the Holy Synod of June 7, 2022
(…) about the development of the situation after the Council of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church held in Kiev.
RESOLVED:
1. To note with regret the continuing pressure on the bishops, clergy,
monastics and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from
representatives of the Ukrainian state authorities and the extremist
part of Ukrainian society.
2. To express support to all the bishops, clergy, monastics and laity of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who, realizing the need to observe the
canonical system, strive to adhere to the order determined by the Diploma
of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia dated October
27, 1990 and the canonical norm of commemoration at the services of the
Patriarch Moscow and all Russia (see Dvukr. 15).
3. Recall that the decision to change the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church can only be made within the framework of the canonical procedure,
including the decision of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox
Church. Emphasize that unauthorized actions to change the status of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church may lead to the emergence of a new schism
within it. The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church also drew attention to
this, pointing out in its statement of May 12, 2022 that any discussions
regarding the life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should take place
within the canonical field and should not lead to new divisions in the
Church.
4. To call on all bishops, clergy, monastics and laity to pray for the
preservation of church unity.
07/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from the sermon of the Sixth Sunday after Easter
Today we remember the terrible events in the history of our Fatherland.
Firstly, the decision to divide Russia, which was taken by the then leader
Lenin. Prior to that, enemies tried to divide united Russia, and the
princes of Kyiv, then the princes of Moscow, tsars, emperors defended
the unity of the country. But then such a gentleman or comrade came and
liquidated a single country, creating independent states on the
territory of historical Russia. Since everything that the
revolutionaries did was connected with the deception of the people, then
what this person did also carried deception. On the one hand, he signed all these decrees that independent
states were created on the territory of Russia, but very soon little was
left of his decision. But there was a solution! The supreme ruler has decided to destroy his country, and we know that
the consequences of that terrible decision still affect the fate of all
of us - people living in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, and
other places. Of course, many have got used to it, many even consider
that all this is good; how many heads - so many minds. But the great
country, the stronghold of Orthodoxy, the force that balanced all other
forces, weakened through these terrible historical decisions. However, not so much that it is no longer considered at all, and
therefore today we are face to face with new problems, which are again
connected with the fact that dangerous attempts are being made to weaken our Fatherland. And we believe that the Lord will not allow this through the
prayers of the holy saints, through the prayers of all the saints,
starting from the fathers of the Kiev Caves, the fathers who labored in
all Russian monasteries, and especially the new martyrs and confessors of
the Russian Church.
(…)
Today, of course, we cannot but grieve over what is happening in fraternal Ukraine. Undoubtedly, the same spirits of wickedness in high places took up arms against our
Church, striving not only to divide the Orthodox people of Russia and
Ukraine, but to make sure that an abyss lay between us. And not just an
abyss, but that a ditch be dug, like those ditches that are used during
a military operation, so that the enemy does not pass through. I am deeply convinced that since all these efforts are not from God
and not with God's blessing, this goal will never be achieved.
Because, despite any changes in the borders between states, the Church of the
united people that emerged from the Kyiv Baptismal font, like the people
themselves, will undoubtedly keep in their hearts, in their memory, in
their pious customs the great heritage of their ancestors, coming from the prince Vladimir to this day. Today, some forces,
allegedly acting for the benefit of one of our peoples, are digging these
ditches, thinking that by doing so they will ensure happiness and
well-being.
I want to say again and again: we fully understand how the Ukrainian Orthodox Church suffers today. We
are sympathetic to the fact that His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry and
the episcopate should act today as wisely as possible so as not to
complicate the life of their believing people. We treat all this with
understanding, but we also pray that no temporary external
mediastinations destroy the spiritual unity of our people. And we ask the Lord that the spiritual values that our pious people
have formed under the auspices of the one Russian Orthodox Church, and
which are rooted in the souls and hearts of people, bear their fruit of
standing for the unity of the Church and for God's truth.
29/05/2022 (Source)
Resolutions of the extraordinary meeting of the Synod, to discuss the
decisions taken by the council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow
Patriarchate)
1. Express all possible support and understanding to the arch-pastors,
pastors, monastics and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is subjected to unprecedented pressure
from representatives of schismatic structures, local authorities, the
media, extremist organizations and the nationalist-minded part of the
public.
2. To call on the fullness of the Russian Orthodox Church to fervent
prayers for strengthening the strength of our brethren in Ukraine, for
granting them courage and God's help in the daily feat of Christian
witness.
3. To state that the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is determined by the
Diploma of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia of
October 27, 1990.
4. To note that the additions and amendments to the Statute on the Administration of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church adopted by the Council of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church need to be studied in the prescribed manner for their compliance with the
aforementioned Charter and the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church,
according to which such additions and amendments must be submitted for
approval to the Patriarch Moscow and all Russia.
5. Emphasize that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, deeply
empathizing with all those affected by misfortune, has repeatedly called
for doing everything possible to avoid casualties among civilians, and for
all members of the Russian Orthodox Church to purely pray for the speedy
restoration of peace and provide all possible assistance to all those
affected, including refugees, people left without shelter and
livelihood.
6. Express regret over the fact that in a number of dioceses of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church the commemoration of the Patriarch of Moscow and
All Russia is being discontinued, which has already led to divisions
within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and which contradicts Canon 15 of the
Two-Time Council.
7. To testify that the entirety of the Russian Orthodox Church prays for
the preservation of church unity and for the speedy cessation of
bloodshed.
29/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of a message to performers in a charity concert for refugees
from Donbass
Now, in the era of aggravation of conflicts and contradictions, the
multiplication of hatred and anger, it is especially important for
believers not to forget their calling to be peacemakers, to show
kindness and love, responsiveness and mercy.
26/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on on the day of memory of Saints Methodius and Cyril
Equal-to-the-Apostles
Today we are going through a very difficult time. It is a sorrowful time when external forces are trying to break the
unity of the Russian Orthodox Church; when enormous efforts are being
made to tear our Church in Ukraine away from the fullness of the Russian
Orthodox Church. We know in what difficult conditions our brothers are
working there today, and I pray every day, and I urge you to pray that
the Lord would give them the strength to remain faithful. Loyalty to one’s hierarchal oath, loyalty to the unity of our
Church, so that everyone here, and everywhere, remembers that attempts by
secular forces to invade the inner life of the Church, to break unity, are
not being made for the first time. Throughout almost the entire history of
the Church, there have been schisms and divisions, when external enemies
found adherents and supporters within the Church,
We believe that the same will happen on Ukrainian soil, and therefore we
pray that the episcopate of the Ukrainian Church, our brothers, retain
their fortitude, courage, ability to resist external pressures,
and at the most difficult moment remember how we all resisted the most
dangerous external pressures during the times of atheism, and withstood,
kept our Church immaculate from all temptations, all kinds of slander,
all dangerous ideas, proposals, and even demands that came from the
authorities, and thus preserved faith among our people. Today, I especially pray that the forces of evil do not shake the unity of our
Church, which means the firm standing of our people in the faith of Christ, the
ability to maintain unity and solidarity in the bowels of the Orthodox
Church.
24/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of speech at the plenary session of the 20th International
Educational Readings
The teacher must constantly learn so that the subject he teaches does not
lose its attractiveness for students. What does it mean to keep learning?
The teacher knows very well the topics that he should teach, but the
teaching of religion is always tied to life, and apart from life it is a
dry and useless subject. Therefore, examples from life, reference to life
situations will help children perceive Christianity contextually, that is,
in connection with the fact that they know what is familiar to them in the
context in which they themselves exist and act. Scholastic teaching, in my
opinion, is not one that strictly follows certain patterns, but one that
is divorced from life. Teaching is one thing, life is another. So, the teaching of the Fundamentals of Orthodox culture can in no case be
divorced from our life, so you should always fill it with wonderful
examples. Of course, from the lives of saints, but also from the lives
of our wonderful contemporaries, from the lives of heroes who gave their
lives on the battlefields. After all, even today there are so many
heroes, so many who sacrifice their lives, their health, defending their
homeland. All these examples can and should also help children
understand how important the spiritual power of a person is. Because not a single heroic deed is performed rationally - this is
what you need to remember! — but always irrational. It is rational to
hide, run away, hide, but a person, driven by the power of the spirit,
gets up and goes towards death. It seems to me that this topic is very
important, including for arousing interest in spiritual life in children,
so that they understand that the Christian, Orthodox faith is really a
great power.
(…)
I have repeatedly said that there were no easy times in our
history. And now the Russian world is once again becoming an outpost of
Christian civilization. Our prayers today are for those who selflessly keep the faith in the
expanses of historical Russia, for the clergy performing the feat of
sacrificial service to their neighbours, for doctors and volunteers, for
all those who courageously defend the truth of God in difficult
conditions, testifying to goodness and justice.
Today, the unity of historical Russia is especially important. “By unity and love we will be saved” - this message was addressed to
the people by St. Sergius of Radonezh, the 600th anniversary of the
acquisition of the relics of which we also celebrate this year. This call
of the Hegumen of the Russian land resounds through the centuries even
today, especially in connection with the attempts of the forces that act
against the interests of the Russian world to break this world, to push
parts of this world against each other, including in a real physical
conflict, in a war. We know what is happening in fraternal Ukraine, and
therefore my prayers are for His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry, for the
episcopate of our Church, for the clergy and, of course, for the pious
believing Ukrainian people, who today defend the values of the Orthodox
faith in the most difficult historical circumstances.
23/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on the day of memory of St. Nicholas the
Wonderworker
Through the prayers of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, may the Lord preserve the Russian state, may the Lord preserve our land
from all sorts of enemies, may it strengthen our Church in unity, and all of us, my dear ones, in the Orthodox faith and in the ability
to overcome all fears and all despondency. Amen. Christ is Risen!
22/5/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from the speech by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the X
Parliamentary meetings in the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly
of the Russian Federation - On the 350th Anniversary of the Birth of
Peter I: Secular Peace and Religiosity.
(…)
At that time, this cultural communication was built largely taking into
account common Christian values. However, in modern times in the West appeared and then became widespread, in my
opinion, dangerous ideas based on the denial of the Christian heritage and
on the acceptance of moral relativism as a kind of principle on which
relations between people should be built. Unfortunately, over the past
centuries, these ideas have only intensified and led to the fact that the
European society began to revise the unshakable Christian values, which
led to the establishment of arrogance and pride, to the destruction of
trust between countries and peoples.
And today Russia does not close the “window to Europe” once cut through by Peter, and does not isolate itself, but this window remains open only for mutually respectful dialogue, and
not ideological dictate and bossy shouts from outside. Participation in this dialogue should not injure our self-consciousness and
deprive us of legitimate pride in our country, in our history, in our
culture.
(…)
Now a few words about Ukraine.
It is impossible to talk about the situation in Ukraine, and even more
so to give it any assessment, outside the historical context. As you
remember from national history, in the XII-XV centuries our country
existed in the form of many disparate principalities – fragments of a
once united and strong state. Under these conditions, the Church remained the main force holding the
nation from final disintegration. Our Church countered the tendencies of chaos and conflict in Ancient
Russia with the ideal of a common life based on love, brotherhood, peace and
mutual trust. This principle in the XIV century was proclaimed by St. Sergius of
Radonezh, who called on his compatriots "by looking at the Holy Trinity to
overcome the hated strife of this world." The monk made a huge personal contribution to overcoming the disunity
between the principalities, realizing
It is no secret that over the past few centuries, divisions among the
peoples of historical Russia have been artificially provoked, including
from outside. In this regard, a landmark event was the conclusion of the Church Union
of Brest in 1596, an agreement according to which part of the clergy of
the Orthodox Metropolis of Kyiv joined the Catholic Church. This act,
aimed at destroying Orthodox unity, solved a very specific political
problem for the Western powers.
During the Time of Troubles, civil confrontation brought the Orthodox
Cossacks of Zaporozhye under the banner of the Polish
interventionists. This historical precedent of the division of the peoples of Russia, alas,
was not the only one. It is worth remembering the betrayal of Hetman Ivan
Mazepa, who, during the Northern War between Russia and Sweden, went over to
the side of the Swedish King Charles XII. The majority of Russians,
Ukrainians and Belarusians have always perceived Mazepa precisely as a
traitor to Russia, and not as a personal enemy of Peter I. Unfortunately, in
recent years, Hetman Mazepa has been consciously rehabilitated in Ukraine,
many historical facts have undergone a radical reassessment, and if you call
a spade a spade, — were distorted or completely forgotten.
The revolutionary events of 1917 and the ensuing civil war in Russia were
in no small measure the result of the expansion of Western teachings about
a new structure of social and political life. This is a vivid example of the fact that even the most seemingly attractive
ideas that come from outside cannot be treated uncritically. "Equality,
brotherhood, freedom" turned people's heads. And Berdyaev wrote wonderfully,
simply destroying this very idea of "equality, fraternity and freedom."
According to him, where there is freedom, there can be no equality. Equality
is on the lawn, which is mowed, but there is no freedom. And the meadow at
the edge of the forest is the realm of freedom, but there is no equality
there. These wonderful words led to a very important rethinking of the
revolutionary events - first of all, among our emigration, and then in our
country.
During the Great Patriotic War, the peoples of our country united in the
face of a common threat. The mitigation of persecution against the Church made it possible to rely
on the faith stored in the hearts and survive. For modern Russia, the memory
of wars, and especially of the last major conflict on a global scale - the
Great Patriotic War - is truly priceless and helps to realize the undeniable
significance of unity.
The tragedy of the Great Patriotic War, which claimed the lives of 27
million of our brothers and sisters, of whom 18 million were civilians,
must never be forgotten by the peoples of historical Russia. That is why any attempts to justify not only the inhuman Nazi ideology itself,
but also all its supporters and accomplices look so unacceptable. Such
attempts can only cause deep moral rejection and justified
indignation. Attempts to rehabilitate, in particular in Ukraine, those who were
associated with the German Nazis, to perpetuate their memory – all this
is a sign of contempt for the victims of the Great Patriotic War,
including the victims suffered by the Ukrainian people.
The collapse of the USSR and the emergence of national states inevitably
raised the question of the relationship of fraternal peoples in the new
historical realities. Deep folk ties that have developed at the level of
kinship relations, joint activities, centuries-old history, and most
importantly – a common faith, culture and language – have led to the
preservation of church unity, stretching over new state
borders. The Church respects the borders and sovereignty of states, but for her
political divisions are of secondary importance, the main thing is
spiritual unity, good neighborliness and mutual understanding between people.
Now a few words about the divisions that began in 2014. The fratricidal division that began in Ukraine in 2014 is experienced by
the Church as a tragedy. I would like to remind you that from the very
beginning of the conflict, the Church in Ukraine and Russia has been
unceasingly offering prayers for peace and invariably calling people to
overcome divisions. Throughout the eight years of armed confrontation, the Church organized
many charity events in support of those who found themselves in trouble,
lost their homes and were forced to flee from military clashes. As you know, with the mediation of the Church, the exchange of
prisoners of war took place more than once.
I remember how difficult it was to organize the first such
exchange. There were fears on both sides, but by the grace of God, it was the
participation of the Church in this exchange, the initiative that came from
the Church, that helped to remove those fears, suspicions, tensions that
accompanied this action, unprecedented for that time.
I am convinced that the division of the peoples of historical Russia,
which has come down to a bloody conflict, as before in history, is the
result of the intervention of external hostile political
forces. It is well known that the colonial powers, guided by the principle of
"divide and conquer", also created points of military tension and
internecine conflicts in other regions of the globe. Today, this shameful
rule, unfortunately, is also used to escalate Russian-Ukrainian
hostility.
Yes, quarrels also happen between siblings, but it turned out to be
possible to bring it to fratricide through targeted propaganda of
aggression and lies. I said earlier that the peoples of Russia and Ukraine, who emerged from
the common Kyiv Baptismal font, are united by the Orthodox faith and bound
by a common historical destiny, cannot be considered the culprits of this
situation. They do not and cannot have an interest in the conflict.
Our flock is both in Russia and Ukraine, and we fervently pray for the
restoration of peace, for the Lord to overthrow the plans of an evil
external force that feeds hatred. One cannot but say that the schism of Ukrainian Orthodoxy is yet another
link in this vicious chain of divisions. The actions of the Patriarchate
of Constantinople, which legalized the schism, are worthy of historical
comparison with Uniatism. The ultimate goal of this project is the
reorientation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in such a way that it can
no longer serve the unity of the fraternal Russian and Ukrainian
peoples.
The political goal of creating all these autocephalies, all these
schismatic associations is to weaken the influence of the Orthodox
Church, the one Orthodox Church of Russia, Ukraine and
Belarus, using ideological clichés to incite enmity and create new myths that
would alienate one people from another.
Yes, military clashes really accompanied the entire history of mankind
after the fall. As one of the sad manifestations of sinfulness, military clashes, in all
likelihood, will accompany human history and beyond. However, even in situations of armed conflict, a person can and should
preserve his dignity and care for the dignity of others. Exclusion of
prohibited methods of warfare, protection of the civilian population,
observance of international humanitarian law, respect for the prisoners
and the wounded - this is what I, as the Patriarch of All Russia, call on
the parties to the conflict and ask them to do everything possible to
avoid civilian casualties.
I am convinced that the right lessons should be drawn from what is
happening in Ukraine, giving an assessment of the experiment that was
carried out on the Ukrainian people after the collapse of the USSR. The tragedy that has happened again forces the Church to raise its voice
in the name of protecting national languages and culture. No one in the
world should be disadvantaged just because he speaks or thinks in "the
wrong" language.
From the lips of certain politicians and in the media, there are often
calls for widespread infringement of the rights of the Russian-speaking
population living in the former Soviet republics, now independent
states. The so-called "cancellation of Russian culture" in the West has become
evidence of the sad moral state of society. An attempt to eradicate the
culture of a particular nation is the apogee of hatred. Worse – only an attempt to physically destroy the people who have
become objectionable.
Our society felt a connection with European culture even in the difficult
times of the Cold War and the struggle of ideologies. Western classical literature, music and painting have always been highly
valued by our compatriots who perceive European culture as an integral
part of the rich Christian civilizational heritage. So we continue to
perceive it now, despite everything that happens. I hope that those who
are now “fighting” with Pushkin and Dostoevsky, who are boycotting
Tchaikovsky competitions and refusing to perform Rachmaninoff, will sooner
or later come to realize the shamefulness and madness of their
actions.
But still I would like to talk about the future, and say it with
hope. Despite the fact that hostilities are not over yet, today it is necessary
to work for the restoration of peaceful life in Ukraine and Donbass. I am confident that our prayers will be heard and a long-awaited and
lasting peace will reign. I have no doubt that Russia will make the necessary efforts to create
this peaceful life, in which the main principle will be the preservation
of unity among peoples based on mutual understanding.
Civilizational and value differences between Western countries and
Russia are inevitable and at the moment seem difficult to overcome, but
they should not be an obstacle to peaceful coexistence, to an equal and
mutually respectful dialogue of cultures.
I would like to share with you my thoughts on what conclusions could be
drawn from the current situation. I think we are called to a deep rethinking of the vector of social and
state development of the last decades. It is important to focus not on what
some external observer thinks about our further development, but on how to
build the future of the country based on our historical experience, national
and spiritual culture, our Christian heritage. We do not need isolation from the outside world, but we need a renewed
understanding of sovereignty. Sovereignty not only political, but also
cultural; sovereignty that would extend to many areas - from economics to
law. We are turning the page of national history, this is a fact, and we
need great creative forces.
17/05/2022 (Source)
Sermon on the Day of Saint George
We won that terrible war, and we thought, like many others, that
everything would end there and there would be no more wars. How much can you kill each other, how much can you suffer, how much can you
destroy? This was the hope of the whole human race, and the United Nations was
created to prevent possible wars – and nothing happened in the
end. Thank God that there has not been a global war so far, and we will pray
that it will not happen in the future, but how many people died in local
conflicts! Therefore, today, realizing what a difficult situation is
developing in Europe, how difficult the situation is developing around our
country, we must intensify our prayer to the Lord, His Most Pure Mother, the Patroness of the Russian land,
and to Great Martyr George - the saint, so closely, deeply, ontologically
connected with our Great Victory in the Great Patriotic War. We must ask the Lord to show His mercy over our country, to protect it
from external and, I will add, internal enemies. Today is the time of special consolidation of all our people. We must all be together, we must be aware that we are going through a
difficult, dangerous and, in a sense, fateful period in our
history. And we will turn our prayers to St. George the Victorious, to all the
saints who shone in the Russian land, so that our country will remain
free, independent in the full sense of the word from all world centers
of power, because only in this way can a great Orthodox country exist,
also with a large pious Islamic population, who proved their loyalty to
Russia with their lives and their victims. This amazing combination of feat, courage, and faith of our people
gives even today hope for our victory, for getting rid of any enemies who
want to encroach on our country, on our land. Let us pray to St. George, on the day of whose memory our people won the
Victory in the most terrible war in all of human history, that he, undoubtedly accompanying us in that desperate and terrible
struggle for the survival and salvation of the people and country, will be
with us today, with our people, with our army, with our authorities. But,
first of all, that Saint George before the throne of God would pray for
the Russian land.
08/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from the sermon on the third Sunday after Easter
It so happened that our country almost never waged aggressive
wars. There were two cases that can give us an example and say: “But
what about the First World War? And before it, the Balkan
war? After all, you went to the Balkans, and Samsonov's army moved to
East Prussia - that means you are aggressors. Not at all! Our army went to the Balkans not in order to expand the territory of
our country, not in order to enrich the country with rich booty, not in
order to subjugate other peoples, but in order to save the Bulgarian
people from five hundred years of slavery. And name another country that has sacrificed thousands and thousands of
its sons in order to help another country the way we helped the
Bulgarians!
And the First World War? Serbs became the main goal and target of
Western forces. And this well-known provocation in Sarajevo -
everything was aimed at ensuring that Serbia, an Orthodox country close
to Russia in spirit, but living surrounded by Western countries, ceased
to exist. The West did not want to have this courageous Orthodox
people loving Russia among its peoples, and provoked the First World
War. And Russia entered this war not in order to acquire land for
itself, not in order to enrich itself, not in order to gain power over
others, but in order to save the fraternal Serbian people.
So, the two wars about which we can be accused of having gone first are
the defense of the Bulgarians and the defense of the Serbs. These
goals were not related to mercantile, material, political or geopolitical
interests - Russia was exhausting itself, Russia was sacrificing itself in
order to help others. That is why we call our army Christ-loving -
because what power, other than internal spiritual strength, can explain
the great feat of our soldiers in those two wars!
And what happened during the Great Patriotic War? A terrible enemy
attacked a country that had not gone through the best period of its
history – the 20s and 30s. Each of us who has studied history knows
how difficult, difficult and even terrible these years were for the
people. But then the war came, and all insults were forgotten, all
the repressed were ready to go and defend the Fatherland. And how
many people, whom only yesterday the authorities considered enemies of the
people, have become ardent defenders of the Motherland! Where does
all this come from? This is from our spiritual roots, this is from
our national identity, which really stems from the spiritual values of
our people. And even in a godless time, these values could not be
dismantled and destroyed, because they became part of life, part of the
soul of our people.
And today, in this military temple, we pay tribute to all those who are
now defending our Fatherland at various frontiers. We believe that
even today our army needs spiritual strength, support and, most
importantly, the prayers of all our people no less than in those times
that I recalled. And the army must remember that we love it, remember
and pray for those who are defending our Fatherland today.
I would like to appeal to the servicemen who are present here, and
through them to our entire army. Remember, brothers, that on how you
carry out your military duty, on how capable you are of defending the
Fatherland, and even, I’m not afraid of these words, to lay down your soul for your friends, according to the commandment of God, the freedom, independence,
independence of our Fatherland will depend. Independence from even the most powerful forces that today practically
rule the world, but do not rule our country, and hence all the
problems. And may the Lord enlighten all of us - the army, the people, the
youth, the elderly, our intelligentsia, and the workers, and those who
work in the countryside - and help us to realize what an important
historical moment we are going through today, how we need our prayers and
help our army, navy, all our armed forces. How we should be all together today - not threatening anyone, not
attacking anyone, but being absolutely ready to repel any aggression
against our people and our country. May the feat and example of our great commanders - saints Alexander
Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy, wonderful military leaders Suvorov,
And here's something else I would like to say. Russia does not wish harm to anyone, does not want to capture and
occupy anyone, does not want to drain resources from anyone, as most of
the rich and strong countries of the world do, economically occupying
weak and helpless countries. We do not need all this, we are
self-sufficient, but we need only one thing - our true freedom, our
independence from these world centers of power, which today,
unfortunately, are becoming hostile to Russia. We must consolidate
all our forces, both spiritual and material, so that no one dares to
encroach on the sacred borders of our Fatherland.
And my words are not what our opponents would like to characterize as
"another militaristic speech of the Patriarch." It's all
nonsense! My relatives and friends died during the war or died in the
Leningrad blockade. I was born right after the war - in 1946, I
remember post-siege Leningrad. On all of us, on that first post-war
generation, lay the stamp of sorrow, sacrifice, loss, destruction. I
walked to school along Maly Prospekt of Vasilevsky Island and saw the
skeletons of destroyed houses - they had not yet been demolished, they
stood as a terrible reminder of the Leningrad blockade. And these
skeletons were very close to the house where my mother lived with her
eldest son, still a baby, when aerial bombs exploded a hundred meters
away. We all remember this, and therefore today we especially pray
and must all work together, so that the Lord protects our Fatherland
from every enemy and adversary, so that our people unite, overcoming all
disagreements and differences of opinion and life positions that are
natural for human society. Today, everything must be put aside and we
must be united in the most important thing - in our readiness to show love
for the Fatherland in a real way, both in deed and in word, and in the
ability to protect our people and our country.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to those who are present
here today, but most of all I would like to once again thank the authorities and our
army, which today, in conditions of practically military operations, is
serving, defending our Fatherland. And again and again, emphasizing
the importance, beauty and valor of the military feat, I urge everyone
to pray for peace, that the Lord would avert all military actions, that
the Lord would reconcile peoples, nations and states, so that peace
would become the property of the entire human race. Because the
Lord has called us to peace, not to war.
08/05/2022 (Source)
Patriarchal sermon during the Paschal commemoration of the dead in the
Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin
Grand Dukes and Duchesses - those who bore on their shoulders the burden
of enormous responsibility for the historical existence of our country,
our Church, our people. Many of them, of course, are with the Lord.
Someone is glorified, someone is not glorified, but today, praying for
them, we turn to them with a request to pray for the Russian state, for
our country, so that our sacred borders are impregnable, so that we always
have enough wisdom, strength and honour to protect them if necessary. We
also appeal to them so that love for the Fatherland never dries up,
especially in the minds and hearts of the young generation that is coming
after us.
I think it will be so, everything will be preserved, and first of all,
perhaps, through the prayers of those who lie in this cathedral, as well
as through the prayers of the host of saints who shone in the Russian
land, and through the prayers of our Church, which goes along its
historical path and, despite the dangers and difficulties of the path and
the slyness of this age, carries the word of truth about God, about His
Divine Providence, about the salvation that was brought by His Son and our
Lord Jesus Christ. And we believe: as long as faith is preserved, love for
the Fatherland and the ability to defend one's people and one's country
will be preserved with it.
We don't want to fight anyone. Russia has never attacked anyone. It is
amazing that a great and powerful country never attacked anyone - it
only defended its borders. God grant that until the end of the century
our country will be like this - strong, powerful and at the same time
loved by God. We ask the Lord that He does not reject His love from our people
and from our Church, that He would enlighten the authorities, that in
faith, piety and wisdom He would strengthen our people, that He would give
us the strength to work, live and, if necessary, fight for the free and
independent life of our people and our country to be preserved. And may
the saints help us, who shone in the Russian land. May those who rest
their bodies here help us with their prayers, but we believe that many of
them stand before the Lord with their souls. With the prayers of all, the
entire Church, heavenly and earthly, all those who has departed from us,
and who lives on our land, may the Lord protect the Russian land from internecine strife and from
the invasion of foreigners, and may it strengthen the Orthodox faith -
the only spiritual force that can really hold our people together. And we believe that the Lord will not leave us with His mercy and
grace, including in the current difficult time of the summer of His
goodness.
03/05/2022 (Source)
Full text of the commentary by the Communications Service of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate on the interview given by Pope Francis to the Italian publication Corriere della sera.
It’s regrettable that a month and a half after the conversation with
Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis chose the wrong tone to convey the
content of this conversation. Such utterances can hardly further
constructive dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox
Churches, which is so necessary at the current time.
This is what Patriarch Kirill actually said in his conversation with Pope
Francis, which took place on 16th March: “I thank you for the opportunity
to hold this meeting. When we met in 2016 in Cuba, I said to you that we
were meeting at the right time and in the right place. And although our
communication is being held through the use of long-distance technology, I
still believe that we are once more talking to each other at the right
time. With your permission, I would like to share with you my perception
of the present-day difficult situation. Of course, we live in different
informational expanses: the Western media has either remained silent or
said practically very little on those facts which I would like to draw
your attention towards.”
Patriarch Kirill further noted that the conflict had begun in 2014 with
the events of Maidan in Kiev, as a result of which there was a change of
government in Ukraine. He drew special attention to those events in Odessa
and their consequences: “There was a peaceful meeting in the city of Russian speakers who were
defending their right to their own language and culture. This peaceful
gathering was attacked by Nazi groupings who beat them up and struck
them with sticks. People sought refuge in the nearest building which was
the Trade Union House. At that moment something terrible happened: the
building was locked and then burnt to the grounds. People tried to flee
by jumping from the second and third floors, and of course they
sustained terrible injuries as they hit the ground. Those who stood by
the windows decided not to jump as they were being fired upon from
below. We watched all of this as it happened live on the television.
This terrifying lesson from Odessa influenced the decisions of the
population of south-east Ukraine in defending their rights.”
Patriarch Kirill further reminded the Pope that at the end of the
Soviet period Russia received assurances that NATO would not expand a
single inch eastward. However, theses promises were not kept and even
the former Soviet Baltic republics became members of NATO. An extremely
dangerous situation had risen as a result in that the borders of NATO
were now within 130 kilometers of St. Petersburg and the time it takes
for a rocket to reach the city is a few minutes. Had NATO received
Ukraine into its membership, then the time it would take for a rocket to
reach Moscow would also be a few minutes. Russia could not and cannot
permit this.
In conclusion the Patriarch emphasized: “Of course, the present situation causes me great pain. My flock is on
both sides of the conflict and most of them are Orthodox people. Part of
the opposing side are also among your flock. I would like therefore,
leaving the geopolitical aspect to one side, pose the question of how we
and our Churches can influence the situation? How can we act together to
bring peace to the hostile parties with the single aim of establishing
peace and justice? It is very important in these conditions to avoid
further escalation.”
The response by Pope Francis was reported accurately by Vatican News in its release of 16th March: “Pope Francis thanked the Patriarch for the meeting, motivated by the desire to point out, as shepherds of their people, a path to peace, to pray for the gift of peace and for a ceasefire. The Pope said, in agreement with the Patriarch, that ‘The Church must not use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus.’ Pope Francis added that ‘we are shepherds of the same Holy People who believe in God, in the Holy Trinity, in the Holy Mother of God: that is why we must unite in the effort to aid peace, to help those who suffer, to seek ways of peace, and to stop the fire.’”
The statement also noted that the “Pope and the Patriarch stressed the
exceptional importance of the ongoing negotiation process.”
04/05/2022 (Source)
Easter greetings to President Putin
Your Excellency, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Christ is Risen!
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the great and
life-affirming feast of Holy Pascha.
Sharing the Easter message and testifying to the unity in the faith of
millions of Christians, the Church calls on her children to do good
deeds for the good of their neighbours and for the glory of the
Fatherland.
I would like to express special gratitude to you for your continued attention to the service of the Russian Orthodox Church, as
well as for supporting its cultural, educational and other socially
significant initiatives. I hope that the fruitful cooperation of the Moscow Patriarchate
with state authorities and public institutions will continue to contribute
to the preservation and consolidation of the people, the moral and
patriotic education of young people, the creation of peace and civil
harmony, and the preservation of the rich historical, spiritual and
cultural heritage of our country.
I wish you strength of mind and body, God's generous help, and blessed
success in your difficult and responsible service in the high office of
the President of the Russian Federation.
With deep and sincere respect
24/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of sermon on Monday after Easter
(…)
Today, too, our people especially need internal unity. Things that are
developing around our Fatherland are not easy, you are aware of this as
well as I am. And therefore, our people today must especially rally around the
historical centre of all Russia - around the city of Moscow, realizing
that our strength is only in unity. And as long as we are united and
strong, as long as we keep faith in our hearts, as long as we are
inspired by the great example of our predecessors, then Russia will be
invincible. Victory is always not only a physical victory, not only a victory of
the weapon with which the warrior meets the enemy, but it is always a
victory of the spirit. And today, many would like this spirit to
disappear. And in order for it to be so, it is necessary to sow
confusion, create new idols, draw attention to new pseudo-values. But we
must keep ours, if you like.
Our pious heroic ancestors, including those who built this cathedral,
knew and understood everything well, and therefore the cathedrals were
built like fortresses, realizing that at some point, it might be necessary
to defend behind their walls, that and happened repeatedly in the history
of our Fatherland. Suffice it to recall the heroic defence of Smolensk,
when the enemy passed through the fortress walls, and only one cathedral
remained as the last fortress and refuge for the defenders of the city.
And they did not want to surrender the cathedral - the temple was blown up
and buried under the arches of its defenders, who remained
undefeated. Let all these wonderful heroic examples inspire us today to defend the
Fatherland, to defend our true independence from the powerful centres of
power that exist today on earth. May the Lord keep us in true
freedom.
All this is directly related to the preservation of the Orthodox faith in
the hearts and minds of our people, and therefore my word is addressed
today not only to those who stand in this church, and even not only to the
children of our Church. My word today is addressed to all our people,
especially to those who, by tradition, by the faith of their ancestors,
belong to the Orthodox Church: it is time to return to our spiritual home in order to have the
strength that can help us, including in the struggle for our true
independence and our freedom. May the Lord guard our land, may the Lord guard our people, may the
Lord bless the path of those of our brothers and sisters who have been
baptized but have not yet really entered the Church. May the Lord keep
our army, our authorities and all those on whom the defence of our
Fatherland especially depends today.
In this historic cathedral of All Russia, we, strengthened by the
wondrous example of our ancestors, today raise a special prayer for the Orthodox faith, for the
preservation of the unity of our Church, for the preservation of the
unity of our people, for the freedom and independence of our
Fatherland. And may the Lord help us to live in this way, to arrange our relations
with each other, so as not to darken the Lord in any way, but so that our
life helps our prayers, so that they are heard and so that the mercy of
the Heavenly Father extends over our land, over our Fatherland, as it
stretched throughout a thousand years of history, especially in the most
dangerous, critical moments of this history. May the Lord keep our land,
our people, our Church, authorities and army for many and good years!
24/04/2022 (Source)
Sermon on the fourth Sunday of Lent, during a liturgy in the main temple of the armed forces
We sometimes think that money gives strength. Indeed, money can
sometimes give strength, and when the money runs out, then the power
ends. And sometimes money ends under tragic circumstances, and as a
result, a person suffers more than he rejoices. You can not rely on
money and wealth in the hope that they will help you climb the stairs
up. If we create wealth within ourselves, if we form a rich inner world
that is not subject to external influences, then we can remain poor, but
be rich inside. And how many such wonderful examples are known! Many of the poor
materially, but rich inwardly people have become, for example, great
scientists. Recall that the remarkable scientist Lomonosov came from
Pomors, lived in his youth in the north, was a completely poor person, but
what heights did he achieve, becoming the first Russian academician,
(…)
I am very glad that today I had the opportunity to celebrate the Divine
Liturgy in this beautiful church, in the presence of our servicemen.
Today, our Fatherland is going through a difficult time. Today, again, the
name "military man" is associated with being not only in a peaceful state,
but also being on the battlefield. Fortunately, our Fatherland does not
often face the battlefield, but the arrival of young people in the Armed
Forces who aspire to become officers, who strive to devote their lives to
defending the Fatherland, does not dry out. And if in peacetime this can
be explained by some kind of privileges or material considerations,
then in wartime service in the Armed Forces is a real feat, and this is
exactly the time we are experiencing now. The service requires readiness
from everyone who has taken the oath to defend the Motherland, not
sparing their lives.
Today the word "independence" is often applied to almost all countries of
the world. But this is wrong, because most of the countries of the world are now under the colossal influence
of one force, which today, unfortunately, opposes the force of our
people. And since this is so, since there is great strength, then we
must also be very strong. When I say "we", I mean, first of all, the
Armed Forces – but not only. All of our people today must wake up, wake
up, understand that a special time has come, on which the historical
fate of our people may depend.
That is why today I celebrated the Divine Liturgy right here, in this
church, in order to meet first of all with representatives of our Armed
Forces, to address them, and through them to our entire army, to the
navy, to all the defenders of the Fatherland, so that they realize the
historical importance of the present moment. I want to say again and
again: we are a peace-loving country and a very peace-loving,
long-suffering people who suffered from wars like few other European
nations. We have no desire for war or for doing something that could
harm others. But we have been so educated by our entire history that we
love our Fatherland and will be ready to defend it in the way that only
Russians can defend their country.
When I say these words, I do not say any empty compliments. I start from
the history of our people, from the history of our Armed Forces. After
all, we broke the back of fascism, which, undoubtedly, would have defeated
the world, if not for Russia, if not for the feat of our people. May the
Lord help us today too, so that we, being peaceful, peace-loving and
modest people, are at the same time ready – always and under any
circumstances – to protect our home.
Of course, when I say all this, I do not cease to feel anxiety for all the people who live in those
places where military clashes are taking place today. After all, all
these are the people and peoples of Holy Rus’, all these are our
brothers and sisters. But, as in the Middle Ages, wishing to weaken
Russia, various forces pushed the brothers against each other, plunging
them into internecine strife, so it is happening today. Therefore, we
must do everything we can to stop the bloodshed and avoid the danger of
internecine strife with all its consequences. But at the same time, we
must be faithful - when I say "we", I mean, first of all, military
personnel - to our oath and readiness to "lay down our lives for our
friends", as the word of God testifies.
(…)
To all of you, my dear ones — Bishops, fathers, brothers, sisters,
military personnel, military leaders, our youth — I once again cordially
greet and congratulate you on this Sunday and wish all of us to maintain
strength of mind, the ability to pray for the Fatherland, and for
ourselves, the ability to always maintain inner strength, which can be translated
into different life situations, including multiplying the power of our
Armed Forces. May the Lord keep our land, our Fatherland for many and good years!
Amen.
03/04/2022 (source)
Excerpt from the Sermon on the Second Sunday of Lent
We see how the story of the paralyzed man, whom people brought to the
Saviour, is actualized in our history. In all these historical subjects,
on which I dwelled today, the grace of God was undoubtedly present. But
there were also specific people whose names we remembered.
So today, when our Church is going through a difficult period, at least in recent
history, when many forces are trying to break the united body of our
Church, when people on Ukrainian soil are suffering grievously, we must,
like St. Sergius, like Patriarch Hermogenes, like Patriarch Tikhon,
first of all, pray for the spiritual unity of the heritage of St. Prince
Vladimir. That, despite the political boundaries that lay on the body of
historical Rus, the peoples living on this earth always recognize each
other as brothers and sisters, so that the system of common values
never collapses, so that the sword of one brother never rises against
another.
Today's Gospel reading about how people brought the paralyzed Saviour to
their feet and the Lord healed him, doesn't it help us to understand what
the Russian Church is? The One Church that came out of the Kiev Baptismal font, which is in
Russia, and in Ukraine, and in Belarus, and in many other countries, is
it not similar to those who brought the paralytic to the Saviour? After all, someone must pray for our united people, whom they want
to make paralysed! Someone must defend God's truth that we are really one people who came
out of the Kiev Baptismal font! I know how the opponents of this people
will now shout there, in Ukraine: “Again, the Patriarch says that we are
one people.” But the Patriarch cannot say otherwise, because this is
historical and God's truth. And the fact that today we live in different countries, does not change
this historical truth and cannot change it. We know that other peoples,
including those in Europe, often lived in different countries for a long
time, but never lost their common national identity. And in relation to
our people, I will say: we have not lost the single Orthodox faith.
And may the Lord help us, as a paralytic, to gain strength, and may all
those who are likened to unknown people who brought the paralytic to the
feet of the Saviour, all those who are ready to work today to preserve the
spiritual unity of our peoples, to preserve the unity of our Church, not
hesitate and not doubt the rightness of the chosen path, just as those who
brought the paralytic to the feet of the Saviour did not hesitate. May the
Lord protect the land of Rus’, the peoples who today inhabit this land,
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, because all of us, representatives of these
three peoples, are also connected by a single Slavic culture and
practically a single history. May we never forget our common roots, may we
always pray for each other. And the most important prayer should be that
the devil does not allow that terrible moment when a brother raises his
hand against a brother. Therefore, we must all pray for peace, for the
well-being of the holy Churches of God, for our united people, who today
live in different countries, but who came out of a single Kiev Baptismal
font, which is united by a common faith and a common historical
destiny.
With the prayers of the holy saints of God, starting with Prince
Vladimir, who stands at the beginning of the whole host of Russian saints,
Princess Olga, the faithful Boris and Gleb, the monks of the Kiev Caves
and all the saints who are included in the wondrous single tradition of
Russian Orthodoxy, may the Lord keep in spiritual unity our people and our
Church, the great guardian of the spiritual culture and Orthodox faith,
which formed the united people of united Holy Rus’.
20/03/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Address to the Supreme Church Council
Today we are to make a number of decisions according to the agenda, but
besides that to exchange opinions on the developments, in the first place,
on what is happening in Ukraine and how it affects the inter-Orthodox and
inter-confessional relations. I will share information about my video meetings with the Pope of Rome
and the Archbishop of Canterbury, when we discussed in detail primarily
the problems of the security of people in Ukraine, as well as the
relations between the Orthodox and Catholics as also linked with the
Ukraine issue. All this is important for our relations with the Catholic
Church, with the Anglican community and certainly for the Patriarch’s bilateral relations with the
Primates of these Churches. I think the meeting, though remote but a real,
face-to-face, was positive for both the preservation of good relations between our
Churches and for the formation as far as possible a common attitude to
the situation in Ukraine.
I would also like to say that the events in Ukraine demand that we make
not only a serious analysis from the ecclesial perspective, but also our
prayers, and to stress once again that the Russian Church, despite the very negative political context, is
called today to preserve the spiritual unity of our people – the Russian
and Ukrainian peoples – as one nation which has come out of the Kievan
baptismal font. Without doubt, this unity is exposed to certain dangers
in the situation of hostilities, and if we speak of an external factor, then the internet space, the
information space, has also become a battlefield, and in this space there
is much disinformation, downright lie, provocative statements, which can
arouse negative feelings among people, prevent a speedy resolution of the
conflict and reconciliation. In this context, I consider as especially
important what is happening today in our Church – in the Russian
Federation, in Ukraine, in Byelorussia, in other countries. I believe that the stand taken by the Church can become a real
peace-making factor for making a positive impact on the developments in
Ukraine, a country fraternal for us. We should be especially zealous in lifting up prayers for peace and
should certainly accompany our prayers with concrete actions. And the most
concrete and important action today is to render assistance to those
affected by this conflict – in the first place, refugees, who have found
themselves in the territory of the Russian Federation.
(…)
Most of all, it is the work of prayer and indispensable efforts to
preserve good relations between peoples who have found themselves involved
in this conflict. The Church cannot be a bearer of any other signal than a peace-making
one because our flock is everywhere, on the either side of the
barricades.
(…)
I would like to say once again that a considerable attention was
certainly given to what is going on in Ukraine as well. Once again, I would like to stress the importance of the fact that my
personal remote contacts with both the Pope of Rome and the Archbishop
of Canterbury have revealed a high level of consent and understanding.
And, perhaps, the most important impression is that our interlocutors
have not moved away from us, nor have they become our enemies, and this
means that the political context, by God’s grace, have not destroyed the
relations we have developed with our brothers or, as they say today,
partners, despite the resounding criticism from a certain part of our
church community. You remember all those calls to withdraw from the World Council of
Churches, to discontinue bilateral relations; we were told that it was a
betrayal of the Church, etc. Well, now we can see that if all this had not existed then our Church could
have become fully isolated and we could not have the least opportunity
to convey to our partners our understanding of the situation, our view
of the developments. And, which is the most important thing, we would
not have chances to see in these partners those who regard the stand of
the Russian Orthodox Church with understanding. Therefore, we have existentially received a convincing validity of the
policy of developing relations with Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians,
which our Church began to pursue in the post-war years. Of course, our
participation in the work of the World Council of Churches was a very
important factor of developing these relations and creating an atmosphere
of confidence, which helps us so much in this situation.
18/3/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from sermon on the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy
[Following a description of the iconoclasm period, patriarch Kirill speaks
of the] dependence of the Church on the secular authorities, which manifested
itself in this whole story with iconoclasm! The emperor, who did not believe in icons, came and ordered everyone
not to believe in icons. Empress Theodora came, who believed in the
rightness of the Church and icon veneration, and everything returned to its
place. This dependence of the Church on an external force, dependence on those
who have political power, is the most dangerous dependence. All
members of the Church are law-abiding people, we pray for the authorities
and the army. But at the same time, every Christian reserves the
right to choose – in the event that the authorities become godless and
force the Christian to renounce the faith or, as was the case with iconoclasm, fall into heresy and force their
subordinates to follow it.
It would seem that all this is already in the past. Not at
all! My heart bleeds when I think about what is happening in
Ukraine. Is it not the same as once in Byzantium? Power comes and, for political reasons, does not consider it possible
that the majority of Orthodox believers belong to the Russian Orthodox
Church, the Moscow Patriarchate. The persecution of these people
begins. They are accused almost of treason, they are pressured not to
go to the Church, which is insultingly and blasphemously called the
"Church of the Occupiers." And, of course, there are people, as it
was during the time of iconoclasm, who immediately go in the wake of state
power – no matter what happens, no matter how the priest is deprived of a
good parish, no matter how the bishop loses his pulpit, no matter how they
accuse aiding the occupiers,
To all those who “waver along with the fluctuation of power,” it must be
said: but after all, our Church has gone through the trials of this very
wavering and has survived, despite persecution and oppression. And
today, starting from our own historical experience, we must say: we respect secular authorities, but we reserve the right to be free from
interference by authorities in the internal life of the Church. We
hope that this will be the case on Ukrainian soil, although today even the
commemoration of the name of the Patriarch in the temple for some becomes
impossible for fear for of the Jews (John 19:38).
We do not condemn anyone, but with my grieving heart I want to understand
such people. At the same time, I realize that if someone is unfaithful
in small things, then he can be unfaithful in big things (see Luke
16:10). Therefore, today my prayer is that our people in Ukraine will preserve the Orthodox
faith, so that they will not be afraid of the pressure of those who
suggest that they go into schism and thereby show loyalty to the
authorities. We pray and will continue to pray for the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church, so that the Lord would enlighten and strengthen our
episcopate, our clergy, so that no shameful, insulting nicknames that
today the bearers of radical views impose on our Orthodox people, accusing
them of some kind of complicity almost to the occupiers, so that all this
filth did not darken their souls. It must be remembered that we all
belong to the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church – the same Church as in
Moscow, and in Kyiv; our Local Church, martyr and confessor. And God grant that we
all preserve unity, regardless of any external pressures and any efforts of
forces alien to the Church, to destroy the spiritual unity of our
peoples. When someone, out of fear, refuses to commemorate the Patriarch, then
this, of course, is a sign of weakness. It doesn't offend
me. But this is dangerous for the spiritual life of those who deviate
from the truth in small things. Today we do not commemorate the
Patriarch, because it is scary, but tomorrow someone may demand more. But this is dangerous for the spiritual life of those who deviate
from the truth in small things.
May the Lord keep our Church on Ukrainian land, His Beatitude
Metropolitan Onufry, the entire episcopate, for whom we pray, with whom we
are together in these difficult days. We believe that the Orthodox
faith and the Orthodox Church will not suffer damage from the ongoing
political processes, which we hope will soon pass. May the Lord
protect our Church, strengthen our people and help all of us, Russian
Orthodox people. I repeat: when I say “Russians”, I mean the words
“where did the Russian land come from” from The Tale of Bygone Years. I pray for everyone who lives in Ukraine, in Belarus, in our
Russian land, that we all be united in spirit and maintain unity in
faith. May the Lord help us, and about this today, on the day of the
Triumph of Orthodoxy, our special prayer is to preserve unity in faith,
unity in spirit, remembering that we have the same saints, one spiritual
tradition, often common spiritual fathers, monastics – one people of
God. Sorrow will pass, but it is very important that this sorrow does
not weaken our inner spiritual strength. If we endure, then our Russian land will be preserved, which now includes
Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and our Church, whose children live in different states almost all over
the planet. And we believe that the Lord will be with us if we preserve
the purity of the Orthodox faith, the guardians of which we especially
remember on the first Sunday of Great Lent. Amen.
13/03/2021 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Response to letter from the World Council of Churches
(…)
These days, millions of Christians all over the world in their prayers and thoughts
turn to the dramatic developments in Ukraine.
As you know, this conflict did not start today. It is my firm belief that its initiators are not the peoples of Russia
and Ukraine, who came from one Kievan baptismal font, are united by common
faith, common saints and prayers, and share common historical fate.
The origins of the confrontation lie in the relationships between the
West and Russia. By the 1990s Russia had been promised that its security and dignity would
be respected. However, as time went by, the forces overtly considering
Russia to be their enemy came close to its borders. Year after year, month after month, the NATO member states have been
building up their military presence, disregarding Russia’s concerns that
these weapons may one day be used against it.
Moreover, the political forces which make it their aim to contain Russia were not
going to fight against it themselves. They were planning to use other means, having tried to make the brotherly
peoples – Russians and Ukrainians – enemies. They spared no effort, no
funds to flood Ukraine with weapons and warfare instructors. Yet, the most
terrible thing is not the weapons, but the attempt to “re-educate,” to
mentally remake Ukrainians and Russians living in Ukraine into enemies of
Russia.
Pursuing the same end was the church schism created by Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople in 2018. It has taken its toll on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As far back as 2014, when blood was being shed in Kiev’s Maidan and there
were first victims, the WCC expressed its concern. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCC General Secretary at the time, said on March
3, 2014, “The World Council of Churches is deeply concerned by the current
dangerous developments in Ukraine. The situation puts many innocent lives
in grave jeopardy. And like a bitter wind from the Cold War, it risks
further undermining the international community’s capacity to act now or
in the future on the many urgent issues that will require a collective and
principled response.”
That was also when an armed conflict broke out in the Donbas region,
whose population was defending their right to speak the Russian language,
demanding respect for their historical and cultural tradition. However, their voices went unheard, just as thousands of victims among
the Donbas population went unnoticed in the Western world.
This tragic conflict has become a part of the large-scale geopolitical
strategy aimed, first and foremost, at weakening Russia.
And now the Western leaders are imposing such economic sanctions on
Russia that will be harmful to everyone. They make their intentions blatantly obvious – to bring sufferings not
only to the Russian political or military leaders, but specifically to the
Russian people. Russophobia is spreading across the Western world at an unprecedented
pace.
I pray unceasingly that by His power the Lord help establish the lasting
and justice-based peace as soon as possible. I ask you and our brothers in Christ, united in the Council, to share
this prayer with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Dear Father Ioan, I express my hope that even in these trying times, as has been the case
throughout its history, the World Council of Churches will be able to
remain a platform for unbiased dialogue, free from political preferences
and one-sided approach.
May the Lord preserve and save the peoples of Russia and Ukraine!
10/03/2022 (Source)
Patriarchal Sermon on Wednesday of the First Week of Great Lent
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
The time of Great Lent is a time of repentance and prayer. For what? To free ourselves from the captivity in which we fall, committing
ungodly, sinful deeds. We are captured by sin. A person does not even notice how this happens – somewhere he told a lie,
somewhere he distorted the facts, somewhere he answered inappropriately
and offended the interlocutor. It is from such small conflicts that alienation grows, people become
enemies. And sometimes conflicts are fomented by a third party who has an
interest in two people quarreling – this happens all the time. Everyone, probably, went through such a temptation when you realize that
you, having nothing bad in your heart towards another person, suddenly
become an enemy in his eyes. And then it turns out that someone worked and
inspired the one
Such domestic conflicts are very well known to all of us, and since they
are most often based on lies, we must remember who the father of lies
is. The devil is the father of lies, and his goal is to destroy human souls,
to push people into conflict, because conflict liberates
passions. What a person would never say or do in a calm state, he begins to say and
do if he comes into conflict with his neighbour, if he sees an enemy in
him. Then some kind of animal, natural element is liberated in a person, and
we know what terrible forms conflicts take. Families are falling apart,
people are dying, but this has to do not only with interpersonal
relationships, but also with conflicts between peoples, between
countries.
Now we are going through a conflict between Russia and
Ukraine. Let's think about what really can divide us? We are practically one
people, bound by historical fate, we all came out of the Kiev font
together, we are united by faith, our saints, common hope, the same
prayers. What can separate us?! But the enemy of the human race -
through specific people, through specific associations of people -
throws lies into the relations between our peoples, and on the basis of
this lie a conflict develops. And we know that this is not just a quarrel between neighbours, but a
conflict in which states are involved, that is, institutions that have the
legal right to use force, forcing their citizens to obey if they violate
the laws, or forcing other countries if they see there is a threat in them, to
ensure that this threat does not exist.
In other words, today two fraternal peoples have entered into a conflict – but in fact
one, the Russian people. Let me remind you again and again of the words of The Tale of Bygone
Years, our historical chronicle, which tells “where the Russian land came
from”, and then comes the story of Kyiv. Russia is one country, one people, but this people turned out to be
very strong, and the neighbours, frightened by its strength, began to do
everything to divide this people, to inspire parts of this people that
you are not at all one people. And we know to what a terrible climax the consequence of this
suggestion is now reaching, when someone does not see a brother in his
brother, but sees an enemy. And it's terrible that there are some
religious organizations (I can't even dare to call them religious) that
raise the need to fight against the fraternal Russian people to the
shield of their preaching.
The Church, which measures time not in days, not in months, not in years,
but in centuries and millennia, in its historical experience keeps the
memory of the many conflicts that have been since ancient times – in
Ancient Rome, Byzantium, the Old Russian state, the Russian Empire, modern
states on territory of historical Russia. The Church remembers these conflicts and knows what dire consequences
they have always led to. And today, with all their might, the enemies of both the Russian and Ukrainian peoples from the outside
are trying to instill that you are not brothers, but you are enemies,
and you must fight each other. And after all someone succumbs to this temptation! And we, of course, regret and mourn the fact that political forces have
arisen on our close, native Ukrainian land, which, using the idea of an
enemy in relation to the Russian people, are shaping policy towards Russia
today.
Let's not talk about those who set fire to this war – God will judge
them, and He will punish them. Today we need to talk about ourselves, and I call on all of you, my dear
ones, first of all, to intensify the prayer that all military confrontation between Russia and
Ukraine will stop, so that our people will once again be able to realize
the existence of common spiritual roots and common spiritual strength,
which is our undivided Church, residing in Russia, in Ukraine and in
other countries. This is indeed a guarantee of salvation, a guarantee of the future
world, but that is precisely why she is being persecuted there today, on
Ukrainian soil, by those who are not interested in peace. Therefore, we must pray especially for His Beatitude Vladyka, Primate of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for the Ukrainian episcopate, but also, of
course, for our Church.
But here's something else I'd like to say. Where the devil is, there is always a lie. Even today – what a huge amount of lies are being spread! There was even such a newfangled word "fake" as a synonym for lies. But
this is an ordinary devilish lie, because it is lies that are used today to deepen the gulf between two
peoples, to make them enemies; and we must be very vigilant to
everything that is being said in connection with the mournful conflict
that has arisen in the Donbass.
Our Church is both in Russia and, I hope, in Ukraine, because we have
common values, common ideals, a common Christian conscience, after
all. We cannot act otherwise than to pray for peace and try to reduce the
degree of confrontation, the degree of emotional political discussions, often overstepping
the bounds of decency. We must do everything to pacify and pacify our hearts so that the enemy
of the human race does not manage to destroy our spiritual unity, around
which the religious and cultural life of our united people, Russians and
Ukrainians, was formed.
Of course, the topic related to Russian-Ukrainian relations has now
become a part of big politics or, as they say now,
geopolitics. And one of the goals of this geopolitics is the weakening of Russia, which
has become a strong, really powerful country. But how disgusting and
vile to use the fraternal people to achieve these geopolitical goals!
How terrible to set these people against their brothers! How terrible it
is to arm him so that he enters into a struggle with his brothers of the
same blood and of the same faith! All those who do this in the form of
propaganda that has massively attacked Ukraine, in the form of concrete
actions, in the form of creating prerequisites for the expansion of the
military conflict - all these people are enemies of both Russia and
Ukraine. They are against our unity, against our spiritual roots, regardless of
whether they call themselves believers or non-believers.
May the Lord help all of us — Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, all peoples who came from the same
root, came out of the Kiev Baptismal Font — to maintain our spiritual unity, to prevent the division of our
Church. By the way, those who sought to divide the peoples began by dividing the Church,
creating some schisms in Ukraine. This started in order to break the spiritual unity, but by the grace of
God this unity is preserved.
Today I especially prayed for His Beatitude Onuphry, for the episcopate, for
the clergy, for the believing people of Ukraine, so that the Lord would
save them from the wiles of the evil one, keep them in the understanding
that any war between Orthodox brothers who belong to one Church is the
work of the devil, not God's. And therefore, our one Church, whether in Russia, in Ukraine, in other
countries, must today pray for peace, for an end to internecine strife, as
St. Sergius did, as our Russian Church did when the Russian princes
entered into internecine strife, destroying each other. So today we will not follow the path to which we are called, provoking the
involvement of the Church in the conflict, but we will follow the path
of St. Sergius and pray for the unity of Holy Russia so that no forces
can divide our people.
May the Lord bless our land – historical Rus’! May the Lord save us from divisions in the Church, may He help us overcome all those divisions that are generated not by
differences in faith, but by the influence of political forces on
certain church circles. So that all this remains in the past and that we all, with one mouth
and one heart, can glorify the holy and magnificent name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit and, guarding ourselves with the Cross, drive
away any enemy, demonic power from our common life and from our fate.
Amen.
09/03/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Excerpts from the Patriarchal Sermon on Cheesefare Week after the Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
(…)
We know that this spring has been overshadowed by grave events related to the
deterioration of the political situation in the Donbass, practically the outbreak of hostilities. I would like to say something
on this subject.
For eight years there have been attempts to destroy what exists in the
Donbass. And in the Donbass there is rejection, a fundamental rejection
of the so-called values that are offered today by those who claim
world power. Today there is such a test for the loyalty of this government, a kind
of pass to that “happy” world, the world of excess consumption, the world of visible “freedom”. Do you
know what this test is? The test is very simple and at the same time
terrible – this is a gay parade. The demands on many to hold a gay parade are a test of loyalty to that
very powerful world; and we know that if people or countries reject
these demands, then they do not enter into that world, they become
strangers to it.
But we know what this sin is, which is promoted through the so-called
marches of dignity. This is a sin that is condemned by the Word of God –
both the Old and the New Testament. Moreover, the Lord, condemning sin,
does not condemn the sinner. He only calls him to repentance, but not to
ensure that through a sinful person and his behaviour, sin becomes a life
standard, a variation of human behaviour – respected and acceptable.
If humanity recognizes that sin is not a violation of God's law, if
humanity agrees that sin is one of the options for human behaviour, then
human civilization will end there. And gay parades are designed to
demonstrate that sin is one of the variations of human behaviour. That is
why in order to enter the club of those countries, it is necessary to hold
a gay pride parade. Not to make a political statement “we are with you”,
not to sign any agreements, but to hold a gay parade. And we know how
people resist these demands and how this resistance is suppressed by
force. This means that we are talking about imposing by force a sin
condemned by God's law, and therefore, by force to impose on people the
denial of God and His truth.
Therefore, what is happening today in the sphere of international
relations has not only political significance. We are talking about something different and much more important
than politics. We are talking about human salvation, about
where humanity will end up, on which side of God the Saviour, who comes
into the world as the Judge and Creator, on the right or on the left.
Today, out of weakness, stupidity, ignorance, and most often out of
unwillingness to resist, many go there, to the left side. And all that is
connected with the justification of sin, condemned by the Bible, is today
a test for our faithfulness to the Lord, for our ability to confess faith
in our Saviour.
Everything that I say has not just some theoretical meaning and not only
a spiritual meaning. Around this topic today there is a real war. Who is attacking Ukraine today, where the suppression and extermination
of people in the Donbass has been going on for eight years; eight years
of suffering and the whole world is silent – what does that mean? But we know that our brothers and sisters
are really suffering; moreover, they may suffer for their loyalty to the
Church. And so today, on Forgiveness Sunday, on the one hand, as your
shepherd, I call on everyone to forgive sins and insults, including where it is
very difficult to do this, where people are at war with each other. But forgiveness without justice is capitulation and weakness.
Therefore, forgiveness must be accompanied by the indispensable
preservation of the right to stand on the side of the world, on the side
of God's truth, on the side of the Divine commandments.
All of the above indicates that we have entered into a struggle that has not a physical, but a metaphysical significance. I know how, unfortunately, Orthodox people, believers, choosing the path of least resistance in this war, do not reflect on everything that we are thinking about today, but humbly follow the path that the powers that be show them. We do not condemn anyone, we do not invite anyone to come to the cross, we just say to ourselves: we will be faithful to the word of God, we will be faithful to His law, we will be faithful to the law of love and justice, and if we see violations of this law, we will never put up with those who destroy this law, blurring the line between holiness and sin, and even more so with those who promote sin as an example or as one of the models of human behaviour.
Today, our brothers in the Donbass, Orthodox people, are undoubtedly
suffering, and we cannot but be with them, first of all in prayer. It is necessary to pray that the Lord would
help them to preserve the Orthodox faith, not to succumb to temptations
and temptations. At the same time, we must pray that peace will come as soon as
possible, that the blood of our brothers and sisters will stop, that the
Lord will incline His mercy to the long-suffering Donbass land, which
has been bearing this mournful stamp for eight years, generated by human
sin and hatred.
(…)
And let us pray that all those who are fighting today, who are shedding blood, who are suffering, will also enter into this joy of the Resurrection in peace and tranquility. Because what joy will there be if some are in the world, while others are in the power of evil and in the sorrow of internecine warfare?
Prayer for the speedy restoration of peace, pronounced by the Patriarch on Forgiveness Sunday
O Holy and merciful God, Lord Jesus Christ our God, through the prayers
of the All-Pure Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, the holy Grand Duke
Vladimir and Grand Duchess Olga, the holy New Martyrs and Confessors of
our Church, Our venerable and godly fathers Anthony and
Theodosius, wonderworkers of the Kievo-Pechersk monastery,
Sergius, hegumen of Radonezh, Job of Pochaev, Seraphim of Sarov and all
the saints; make our prayer favourable for the Church and for all Your
people.
From one baptismal font, in the days of holy Prince Vladimir, we Thy
children have received grace: establish in our hearts a spirit of
brotherly love and peace for ever!
To the foreign people who desire to be at war and to fight against Holy
Rus', – forbid them and overthrow their plans.
Through Thy grace incline those who hold power to good; strengthen the soldiers, that they keep Thy commandments;
provide homes for the homeless; nourish the hungry; strengthen and heal
those who are in affliction and suffering; give hope and comfort to those
who are in confusion and sorrow, and give forgiveness of sins and a blessed repose to those who have been
killed in battle.
Fill us with faith, hope and love that we may confess to Thee, our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, with Thy everlasting Father, Thy Holy and
Life-giving Spirit, in one word and with one heart, for ever and ever.
Amen.
06/03/2022 (Source. I had considerable difficulty obtaining a good translation of this prayer. I take full responsibility for the final result, obtained through a mix of automatic translations and edited for clarity. The original can be read in the link provided. If anybody detects mistakes, please let me know in the comments. A few changes were made since I first posted it, following suggestions from a Russian speaker. The most significant being replacing "Holy Russia" with "Holy Rus'")
Excerpt from a Sunday homily
Today we also need unity – the unity with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We are aware of the difficult circumstances encountered today by the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. I especially prayed
today for His Beatitude the Primate and certainly for the whole episcopate
and all the faithful people of Ukraine; and I call you to lift up these
prayers too. God forbid that the present political situation in fraternal Ukraine so
close to us should be aimed at making the evil forces that have always
strived against the unity of Rus’ and the Russian Church, gain the upper
hand. God forbid that a terrible line stained with the blood of our brothers
should be drawn between Russia and Ukraine. We should pray for the restoration of peace, for the restoration of good
fraternal relations between our peoples. A guarantee of this fellowship is
our united Orthodox Church represented in Ukraine by the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church headed by His Beatitude Onuphry. We prayed for them today as well. We
prayed that the Lord may give them strength and wisdom to repulse the
attacks of the evil one while serving their people in faith and truth
promoting peace by all possible ways.
May the Lord preserve our Church in unity. May the Lord protect from fratricidal battle the peoples comprising the
one space of the Russian Orthodox Church. It must not be allowed to give the dark and hostile external forces an
occasion to laugh at us; we should do everything to preserve peace between our peoples while
protecting our common historical Motherland against every outside action
that can destroy this unity.
Today we lift up a special prayer for His Beatitude Onuphry, for our
Church and for our devout faithful. May the Lord preserve the Russian land. When I say “Russian”, I use the ancient expression from “A Tale of
Bygone Years” – “Wherefrom has the Russian land come”, the land which
now includes Russia and Ukraine and Belarus and other tribes and
peoples. That the Lord may protect the Russian land against external enemies, against internal disorders, that the unity of our Church may strengthen
and that by God’s mercy all the temptations, diabolical attacks,
provocations may retreat and that our devout people in Ukraine may enjoy
peace and tranquillity – these are our prayers today. And I ask you all to
mention His Beatitude Onuphry in your prayers in church and at home, to
mention our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and to pray for peace.
27/2/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
It is with deep and heartfelt pain that I perceive the suffering of people caused by the events taking place.
As the Patriarch of All Russia and the Primate of the Church, whose flock is in Russia, Ukraine and other countries, I deeply
empathize with everyone who has been touched by misfortune.
I call on all parties to the conflict to do everything possible to
avoid civilian casualties.
I appeal to bishops, pastors, monastics and laity with an appeal to
provide all possible assistance to all victims, including refugees, people
left without shelter and livelihood.
The Russian and Ukrainian peoples have a common centuries-old history
dating back to the Baptism of Russia by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles
Prince Vladimir. I believe that this God-given community will help overcome the divisions
and contradictions that have arisen that have led to the current
conflict.
I call on the entirety of the Russian Orthodox Church to offer up a
deep, fervent prayer for the speedy restoration of peace.
May the all-merciful Lord, through the intercession of our Most Pure Lady
Theotokos and all the saints, preserve the Russian, Ukrainian and other
peoples, which our Church spiritually unites!
24-2-2022 (Source)
Words during visit to Kharkiv
Today we once again prayed for our victory. Little
by little, Kharkiv region has been practically liberated and the boot of the
occupier no longer tramples this land. Here, our soldiers showed an example
of fortitude and indomitability. Even in such close proximity to the border,
defenders of Ukraine withstood the onslaught of the enemy. Although our
struggle is still ongoing, morally we have already won, because the whole world
believed in our victory. Therefore, we believe that the Lord will end the
suffering of the Ukrainian people with a just peace when we finally defeat the
aggressor.
(…)
We are convinced of our victory, because the truth is
on our side. We protect
our families and our native land - what the Lord gave us as a gift. So
we are obliged to preserve this gift. With prayer, we believe that the Lord will help us defeat the aggressor
and cut off this evil that has invaded our home.
I thank
each of you, because thanks to your sacrificial feat, Ukraine does not give up
and defeats the enemy. Kharkiv is the city of heroic defenders of
Ukraine. You persevered and set an example for others. So may the Lord give you
strength and inspiration and inspire your indomitable spirit
29/09/2022 (Source
and source)
Excerpt of Sermon on Feast of the Martyrdom of
John the Baptist
It so happened that today is the 200th day
of our successful resistance to large-scale Russian aggression. At its
beginning, both enemies and friends believed that Ukraine would be able to
withstand this onslaught for only a few days, at best – a few weeks. Before
us then, in February, at the beginning of March, we faced a choice similar to
that of John the Baptist: personal safety or truth? Cease resistance in
order to save your life at the cost of slavery to the evil empire, or fight,
knowing which way is the price of freedom?
We, as a people, chose
truth and freedom. We
do not want to exchange them for a deceptive peace – just as the prophet John
did not want to exchange his faithfulness to the call to testify to the truth
for the preservation of his own temporary life and a high position with Herod.
John's example inspires us
also as a Local Church to be witnesses of the truth. Look at Cyril of Moscow – and you will see what
the Forerunner would have turned into if he had remained silent about the
ruler's crimes or even approved of them. And how many times over
these years and decades have we been offered to come to terms with the untruth
of Moscow's rule over the Ukrainian soul. If we agreed to serve the
"Russian measure", as Cyril serves and all those who continue to consider
him their patriarch, then we were promised both church unity and support from
the powers of this world, as the Moscow Patriarchate had and even now continues
to have.
But we choose the truth. We do not want,
neither for ourselves nor for our people, the price of peace to be the
restoration of Kremlin slavery. The Lord blessed our people with independence and statehood,
blessed us to have our Local Orthodox Church. So would it be wise, correct
and worthy to renounce all this for the sake of the Cain's embrace of Moscow?
Will we all die? Yes, unfortunately,
sooner or later our time will come to leave this world. It does not depend
on us. But it depends on us whether we really live or just exist.
When we serve God, when we walk the path that
leads us to the Kingdom of Heaven – then we truly live, because only in the
Lord is the source of true life. That life that fills our existence here
with meaning and opens eternity for us. And if we choose to preserve life,
but the price of this is untruth and indulgence in evil, then we will preserve
our existence for a while, but we will lose true life, because we will lose
union with God.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, I wish
all of us to be inspired by the example of the saints, to hold on to the truth,
to know the will of God in order to fulfil it and through this have eternal
life.
Today, together with all our people, we rejoice
at the success of our soldiers who are liberating Ukrainian cities and villages
from occupation. We bless them, we pray for them that the Lord will help
overcome evil and lead us all to victory and a just peace.
We ask for eternal blissful life and rest in
the Kingdom of Heaven for the soldiers who gave their lives for the sake of
freedom and peace for Ukraine. We pray for healing for the wounded. May
everyone who increases truth and goodness be justly rewarded, and may God's
merciless judgment come upon the newest Herod and all his liars and
servants. Amen.
11/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon during joint liturgy in Greece
with Ecumenical Patriarch
Your Holiness!
You dedicated your life and service to the
unity of the Church. In order to witness it, you made every effort to
successfully hold the long-planned Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox
Church, the preparation for which lasted for many decades. You have
successfully resolved issues that have troubled the Orthodox Church for a long
time, restoring communication and unity for the Church in Ukraine and for the
Church in North Macedonia.
For your courage and determination, you have to
suffer many unjust attacks from those who loved the pride of this world more
than the humility of Christ. Like the proud brother from the parable, they
themselves are ready to stay outside the parental home, if only not to be
together with their brother, who is condemned instead of rejoicing in the
restoration of unity.
So they break the sacred unity of the Church, they refuse to communicate not
for the sake of truth, but for the sake of asserting their power over other
brothers.
They rely on power, wealth, and other things of
this world. But we
can remind them of the word from the Scriptures: "You say: I am rich, I
have become rich, and I have no need of anything; but you do not know that you
are wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). However,
we prayed for them together today and asked the Lord for mercy for them, so
that they would leave their stubbornness and return to unity in love and truth.
(…)
Today, among other things, we prayed for a just
peace for Ukraine, for the victory of truth and the end of the war. On behalf
of the entire Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, I thank Your Holiness
and Your Beatitude, I thank the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of
Greece for their prayers for Ukraine, for spiritual and material support, for
humanitarian aid for victims of Russian aggression, for caring for forced
refugees.
In its history, Hellas itself suffered a lot
from foreign conquerors, from those who wanted to destroy its identity, its
culture, wanted to keep the Greeks in slavery. Therefore, you understand our
desires and our feelings very well. We, Ukrainians, are fighting for our
freedom, for our Church and our state against foreign tyranny, and we believe
that with God's help we will win this fight.
04/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon in Greece
Your invitation came to us at the beginning of
March this year – in terrible and dark days for Kyiv, for Ukraine and for
the whole world, when the Russian tyrant sent his troops to seize our capital
and destroy our state. When I was reading your invitation, I could hear from
time to time the sounds of explosions and gunshots that sounded already on the
outskirts of our city. I heard the sound of a siren warning of the danger from
Russian bombs and missiles.
And in the midst of all these signs of war,
from you, His Holiness, we received, like a ray of sunshine, an invitation to
the divine service and solemn events that will now take place here. In those days of spring, we did
not know what could happen to us in one hour or the next day, but the sign of
your brotherly love in Christ deeply touched my heart. In your invitation, I
saw a symbol of God's blessing and a sign that the enemy who came with war to
our land will not succeed in his evil plans, and we will have the opportunity
to accept your invitation and share with all of you, and especially with Your
Holiness and Your Beatitude the joy of joint prayer and worship.
03/09/2022 (Source)
Speech by representative of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church at the World Council of Churches
Priest Rostyslav Dudarenko, 45, was the parish
priest in the village of Yasnohorodka, some 40 kilometers west of the Kyiv. He
was assisting civilian volunteers manning a checkpoint at the entrance of their
town. When Russian soldiers began to shoot at unarmed civilians, Fr. Rostyslav
raised a cross over his head as he tried to protect them. Then he was shot. It was March 5, 2022, two weeks
after Russian Federation started an unprovoked full-scale war against Ukraine.
In the last six months, thousands of civilians
were killed, including 376 children, 15 millions became refugees and the
unprovoked full-scale war continues as we speak.
Dear participants and guests of the Assembly!
Dear brothers and sisters!
First, I wish to express my gratitude for your
decision to invite representatives of various Churches of Ukraine to join you
today and to allow us to share our pain.
The Christian history of Ukraine stretches back
to the age of the Apostles, when the Apostle Andrew first brought the Gospel to
our lands – in Crimea and along the Dnipro River.
For more than a thousand years, ever since the
baptism of the inhabitants of our capital, the City of Kyiv, requested by the
ruler of the ancient Ukrainian state, by Saint Prince Volodymyr, the vast
majority of our people have held on to their Christian Faith.
According to recent sociological data, over 80
percent of Ukrainians identify themselves as Christians, and, of these, almost
two-thirds, more than 50 percent identify with the Local Orthodox Church of
Ukraine, which I have the honor to represent here today.
Unfortunately, despite this ancient and unique
Ukrainian Christian tradition, despite the variety of Christian confessions
that have long existed in Ukraine, Ukrainians have for decades not had a voice
of our own in the World Council of Churches. They talked about us without us.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to
speak on our own behalf today and for your support!
The tragic events of the war which Russia
initiated and brutally wages against our people, clearly demand a change. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has
already applied for full membership in the World Council of Churches, and, on
behalf of millions of Christian faithful, united in more than 7,000 parishes,
we ask you to support our request.
For more than three centuries, the Russian
Empire and then the Soviet Union tried to erase the uniqueness of the Ukrainian
people. Our language was banned for use and study, our Church was annexed and
used as an instrument of Imperial policy.
One of the themes of the current Assembly is
uniqueness and identity. For centuries, Imperial Russia wanted to deprive the
Ukrainian people of our identity. An acknowledged goal of the current war
that Russia is waging on Ukraine is the same – “de-Ukrainization of Ukraine”.
Russia continues, as it has for centuries, to use all the tools and rhetoric of
colonialism with a goal of eliminating us.
But we are successfully fighting for our
freedom, for our independent future. Truth is on the side of the Ukrainian
people. And where there is truth, there is God, and where there is God, there
is victory.
It is impossible to say everything that I want
and need to say in a short speech, but I pray that during the days we are here,
and in the years to come, there will be many opportunities to listen and
respond, to answer all questions and cooperate with everyone.
The parable of the good Samaritan came to mind
at the beginning of our gathering. This parable is a call to be merciful to
someone you don’t know, but who needs help and protection. Today, Ukrainians
are the ones attacked by robbers. Many of you do not know much about us, and to
some of you we are strangers, as the Samaritans were to the Jews. But we, the
Christians of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in general, need and ask for
mercy, prayers, and practical help from each one of you. Do not pass by our
suffering and our pain, as the priest and the Levite of the parable!
We are deeply grateful to everyone who has already
shown and continues to show the kindness of the Samaritan to Ukrainians.
Especially, thank you for praying for just peace and the victory of truth in
Ukraine. Please – continue to pray; the prayers of the righteous can move
mountains.
We thank you for the humanitarian aid, for your
help to Ukrainian refugees. So much is needed now, and so much will be needed
in the future to rebuild after the war. We are open to cooperation and will be
grateful for any support.
And what you can do to help Ukraine now is be
witness to the truth, and fight for it. We are grateful to the leadership of
the World Council of Churches for their public support since the beginning of
Russia’s full-scale aggression, in particular through your appeals to the
Russian Patriarch Kirill. No one has the right to bless aggression, no one has
the right to justify war crimes and acts of genocide. We hope that the Assembly will be
able to find appropriate words and actions to continue to be witnesses to
truth.
We are grateful for the visit of the Council
delegation to Kyiv and believe that our more intensive dialogue will be useful,
dialogue which is not for the sake of platitudes or allowing the justification
of evil with propaganda, but for affirming those principles of truth and of
love for peace which are fundamental to this Council.
On behalf of our Primate, His Beatitude
Metropolitan Epiphaniy, and the millions of Ukrainian faithful Christians, I
convey our greetings; may God bless us all with the good fruits of our labour
in His name!
02/09/2022 (Source)
Words during memorial service
Unfortunately, this cruel and terrible war continues
to this day and daily takes many lives of our brothers and sisters who protect
us. We pray for them, showing our love for them in return for the love they
showed to us, to our God-given Ukrainian land, defending our territorial
integrity.
(…)
We must continue to pray for those who have
gone to eternity. And for those who are currently defending our land, we
offer prayers for health. And
also – for all their relatives, may the Lord strengthen them, give them the
strength to continue to work worthily and do everything to bring our victory
closer. May the Lord rest the souls of fallen heroes in the Kingdom of
Heaven. And from us to them a low bow, honour and eternal memory.
29/08/2022 (Source)
Sermon on occasion beginning of the new
academic year in the capital's theological academy
Today, with prayer, with a request for God's
blessing on work, we begin the new academic year of our Academy. In the more
than thirty years that have passed since its revival, our spiritual school has
faced many challenges. However, no one could have predicted that we would have
to organize training and work at the academy in wartime conditions.
We are grateful to God and our brave defenders
for saving Kyiv from the Russian occupation. Thanks to this, we can start the
new school year in our native walls. However, all of us, and especially you,
dear students, must not forget that every day of this year has a very high price
- the price of blood and lives that our defenders give at the front so that
Ukraine has a present and a future.
This day is also the Day of Remembrance, when
we honour the soldiers who died in the war against the Russian aggressor. The
Wall of Memory reminds us of them. They gave their lives to protect the
Ukrainian people and our future from those evil designs of enslavement and
de-Ukrainization of Ukraine, which the enemy prepared for us. What kind of
plans are these – we can clearly see from the example of the atrocities that
the invaders committed and continue to commit in the temporarily occupied
territories of Ukraine.
Among the victims of Russian aggression are our
teachers and graduates. In Buchi, our longtime colleague Oleksandr Ivanovich
Kislyuk was killed by the occupiers. Graduates of our Academy, my fellow
students Abbot Platon (Morgunov), priests Maksym Kozachyna and Rostislav
Dudarenko, as well as our graduate soldier Oleksandr Tsykun, died while
performing their pastoral duties. I propose to honor their memory and the memory of all those who died
in the struggle for freedom and independence of Ukraine, all innocent victims
of Russian aggression. We sing "Eternal Memory" to them!
In the conditions of the war, the need of both
our Church itself and society for educated, modern, responsible shepherds –
patriots of Ukraine – became particularly acute. Chaplain service, without which one cannot
imagine the new Ukrainian army, and humanitarian work in the broadest sense of
the word – moral, spiritual and material assistance to those suffering from war
– have become a daily task for almost every one of our priests. At the front
and in the rear, in free Ukraine or under temporary occupation – everywhere
there is a special need for spiritual work and a request for prayer and various
support.
We do not know exactly when the war will end.
But we believe that with God's help it will end with the victory of Ukraine. Our common task is to bring this
day closer with prayer and work, fulfilling our duties and our vocation with
dignity.
You, dear students, after completing your
studies, will perform your service already in the conditions of the new
Ukraine, which will need healing from the wounds of war. Wounds are not only
material, but also spiritual. They will turn to you for support and comfort,
for comfort and hope.
Therefore, gain knowledge and experience, increase your theological treasure
and practical skills in order to have the ability to adequately respond to
today's challenges.
The year we are about to embark on will
certainly be challenging. In order to ensure the work of the Academy, to
provide for your needs, the Kyiv Metropolitanate has to invest significant
resources at a time when opportunities for everyone have sharply decreased. But
we will do everything that depends on us, so that this academic year the
Academy will pass with dignity. At the same time, I appeal to you - the
students and the teaching corporation - with a request and appeal to take a
responsible approach to the challenges that lie ahead of us, understanding that
the Church and our pious people place great hopes on the Academy.
In addition to educational and practical
training of future pastors, the Kyiv Academy has always been and will continue
to be a center for the development of theological and church science. The
challenges of aggressive secularism, the decline of public morality, the spread
of anti-Christian and anti-natural ideologies – all this requires a worthy
theological and intellectual response. We should continue to discover the
true history of the Church and Ukraine, debunk Russian myths that have been
created and imposed for centuries. After all, it is the ideology and mythology
of the "Russian world", the distortion to the satisfaction of
Moscow's imperial delusion of both theology and the practice of church life -
all this is part of the hybrid war that evil and delusion are waging against
truth and freedom. So I wish success to the professor-teaching corporation
and to you, our students.
In conclusion, I would like to draw your
attention to one more aspect that poses new challenges for you. Despite the
efforts of our opponents to keep the Ukrainian Church in artificial external
isolation, the walls erected around us are crumbling before our eyes. Already
now, the possibilities of our interaction with other Orthodox Churches and in
general with the Christian world have changed significantly. The Orthodox
Church of Ukraine is entering a new level of inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian
contacts and work. We have already applied for full membership in the World
Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches, and our contacts
with the Catholic and Protestant world are expanding. All this obliges our
Academy, and especially you, dear students, to pay more attention to the study
of languages and other subjects that will be useful in establishing and
conducting our foreign work.
I wish you, father rector, the entire
professor-teaching corporation and you, our dear students, a successful and
fruitful new academic year. May God's blessing, prayer and intercession of our
patrons – Archstrategist Michael, apostle and evangelist John the Theologian
and saint Peter Mohyla, Metropolitan of Kyiv, Galicia and All Russia, and all
the saints, be with you!
29/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon on the feast of the assumption
of Our Lady
It is with special feelings that we meet this
holiday of the current year, when the enemy continues to bring grief,
suffering, ruin and death to our land. Because in the darkness of evil it is the
light of hope for victory. Among the ruins, it becomes a testimony of a
miraculous recovery. When death chooses the best, when the innocent perish –
the Assumption reminds us that separation from them is temporary, because
resurrection and eternity await us all.
Assumption also reminds us of the reward for
the righteous and the just retribution for the sinners. For those who have
shown the highest degree of love for their neighbours, sacrificing even their
lives for their sake, imperishable crowns await. And for murderers and
murderers, for enemies of the truth, according to the word of the Saviour, a
place of eternal torment has been prepared, as a just retribution for serving
the devil.
28/08/2022 (Source)
Speech at the prayer service for Ukraine
Today we celebrate the 31st anniversary of the
restoration of the state independence of Ukraine. The restoration itself –
because the foundations of our state were laid in ancient princely times, it
grew and strengthened over centuries through the struggle and work of many
generations of the Ukrainian people. More than a thousand years ago,
Ukraine-Rus accepted Baptism, completing the path of conversion to the true
faith, the beginning of which was laid by the sermon of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called
and his blessing.
So, on this day in August 1991, a new state
was not created, but the old state – Ukraine-Rus, was freed from the imperial
shackles and Kremlin tyranny.
For centuries, our people suffered in
captivity. During this time, hundreds of thousands of courageous fighters for
the freedom and independence of Ukraine died on the battlefields or were
murdered in prisons by the enemy. Millions were exterminated during the
Holodomor-genocide and repression. So our Independence was chosen at a high
price, the price of blood and martyrdom. It was chosen so that the Ukrainian
people, together with other free peoples of Europe, could build their happy
future. So that we can praise God in our native Ukrainian language. To be able
to nurture and multiply our ancient Ukrainian culture, enriching it and passing
it on to new generations. So that we know our true history, honor our real
heroes.
The same enemy who held us captive for over
three hundred years wants to take us captive again. Eight and a half years ago,
Russia started a war, temporarily seized Crimea and part of Donbas. Exactly six
months ago, a full-scale Russian aggression began, the goal of which is to
destroy our very identity, to de-Ukrainize Ukraine.
Our common duty is to fight against this evil,
to protect the truth, freedom, independence. And an integral part of this
struggle is a spiritual struggle. This is prayer and works of mercy, this is the spiritual care that the
Church provides through the chaplains to our brave soldiers-defenders, this is
support for refugees and forced migrants.
Also, our contribution to the victory over
Russian aggression consists in working for the victory over the heretical and
soul-killing ideology of the "Russian Peace". For years and decades,
this ideology was imposed on our people, including covering it with the church
robes of the Moscow Patriarchate. With God's help, almost four years ago, the
ancient injustice was abolished, the spiritual occupation of Ukraine was
finally condemned, and the single Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine was
established, which received the Tomos on autocephaly from the hands of the
Ecumenical Patriarch. Our common task is to further develop the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church and establish church unity, helping our Orthodox brothers and
sisters to finally free themselves from the delusion of the "Russian
world",
Morally, the Ukrainian people have already won,
but we still have to win victory over the aggressor, expel the invaders from
our native land, and establish a just peace. Today we will pray for this here, in the
spiritual heart of our Local Church, uniting in prayer with millions of our
brothers and sisters in Ukraine and around the world.
So let's pray to the Lord for victory, for a
just and lasting peace! Let's pray for our courageous soldiers, the newest
heroes who protect us at the front. May God protect them and help them in the
battle for truth and freedom. Let us pray for the peace of the souls of those
who gave their lives for Ukraine, for the innocent peaceful citizens of our
country, murdered by the Russian invaders.
Let's pray for the healing of the wounded, for
help and God's care for refugees and displaced persons.
Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who
meet this festive day under conditions of occupation, in the shackles of captivity
and unjust imprisonment. May the Lord guard and protect them, protect them from
the malice of soul killers and lead them to freedom.
Through the prayerful intercession of the Most
Pure Mistress of our Mother of God, Archangel Michael and all the hosts of
heaven and all the saints of the Ukrainian land, may the Lord grant us to meet
the next festive day of the restoration of Independence in peace.
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
24/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a letter to Metropolitan Savva of
Warsaw, of the Polish Orthodox Church
This unfortunate situation worsened in
connection with the prejudiced attitude of a significant part of the clergy
of the Church headed by Your Beatitude towards the clergy and faithful of the
OCU, who were forced to find themselves as refugees in Poland, escaping from
the suffering and threats of the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine. With
pain, we receive evidence of numerous examples of how the hierarchs and clergy
of the PAOC not only refuse co-service to the priests of the OCU, but even
refuse them communion, treating them as non-Christians.
Therefore, being "driven in one place,
they go to another", finding fraternal help, support and understanding in
the Catholic Church, which provides them with a place for religious services
and church activities.
In this regard, we do not understand the
complaints of the hierarchs and clerics of the PAOC to the Ecumenical
Patriarchate about the contacts of the clergy of the OCU with the Catholic
Church. If Your Eminence or the clergy of the PAOC should ask us something,
we are ready for a fraternal dialogue. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is an
autocephalous Local Church, and not a part or structure of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, so please put all questions concerning the OCU first before us.
19/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on the feast of the
Exaltation of the Cross
The two main virtues that this celebration
reminds us of – sacrificial love and indomitable faith – are especially
important in the struggle of our people against the invasion of foreigners. Just like the ancient northern
king, who wanted to force the people of God to renounce the truth, the
current northern tyrant seeks to force the Ukrainian people to renounce themselves,
to renounce the truth handed down to us from our forefathers, and to worship
the idols of the "Russian world". But faith in the truth of God,
self-sacrificing love for the native land, for the neighbors, makes the spirit
of Ukrainians indomitable, and therefore our people – invincible.
Let true faith and sacrificial love be for us
the hammer that breaks the shackles of slavery to evil and untruth, that
destroys all the plans of the enemy. And as the Lord defeated the devil through the
Cross, as the Maccabees defeated the wicked king through unbreakable faith - so
we, if we preserve love and faith, will achieve victory with God's help
14/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on consecration of a church
in the village of Solonka
Now, in times of great sorrow and suffering
for the Ukrainian people, brought to our peaceful home by enemies, consecrating
this temple and rejoicing, we thereby also affirm our faith in the victory of
God, in the victory of goodness and truth. We believe that just as this
temple was built from stones, metal, wood and other things thanks to the work
of many, so, with God's help, we will rebuild and make our common home,
Ukraine, even better than before the war.
Although it was not easy to complete the work
of construction and at the beginning it seemed immeasurable, but now what was
once only the first brick has been completed. So is our Ukraine – although
it is not easy to build it, to win victory over the enemy and a just peace for
it, but with God's help, what our people are working on and suffering for will
be crowned with success.
So I congratulate you, dear brothers and
sisters, and I wish that until the end of the age, prayers will be offered in
this blessed place for Ukraine, for the single Local Autocephalous Orthodox
Ukrainian Church, for their peace and prosperity. And that each new generation
of parishioners of your church here is spiritually transformed, grows from the
earthly to the heavenly, is filled with the grace of God and reaches the abode
of the Heavenly Kingdom, shining with righteousness.
09/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of the statement on the 1034th
anniversary of the baptism of Ukraine
This true faith in God, this self-sacrificing
love for our neighbours, for our native people, inspires us and in the
present dark times, a new horde has invaded.
With great pride, with powerful weapons, with a
deluge of lies, the enemy came to our land, brought war to us. But there will
be neither success nor victory for him.
The tyrant of the Kremlin imagines himself to
be the new Volodymyr, but in fact he is the new Svyatopolk the Wicked and the
new Cain, an insidious fratricide and an envious man, whose deeds are condemned
by God, whose memory will be damned forever and whose fate is with the devil, whose
servant he is. Because
he stood not only against the Ukrainian state and against our people, but he
stood against the truth itself. As the antichrist, he sows evil and death among
the innocent, but although he has temporary success, he will be overthrown.
Because he stood together with those subject to him against God's truth and
fought with the Most High.
Ukraine is reborn in torment and pain, but if
we continue to hold to the true faith, embody in our lives God's law of
sacrificial love for our Creator and for our neighbours, then no weapon and no
deception will be able to break our spirit, which makes the Ukrainian people
invincible.
As in the past times of our ancestors, we now
stand at the forefront of the struggle for the Christian world. And on this
festive day, we turn to our father Volodymyr, to our co-apostolic ruler and
enlightener, and to all the saints of Rus-Ukraine: pray to God for Ukraine-Rus,
for your native land, pray to the Lord for us, your children! May the victory
over the enemies and their unrighteousness come near by your prayers, may a
just peace come soon in all of Ukraine.
28/07/2022 (Source)
Letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople
Your Holiness!
In accordance with the decision of the Synod of
Bishops dated May 24 of this year, I am asking you to initiate at the
pan-Orthodox level a review and condemnation of the activities of the Moscow
Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev and the ethnophyletic and racist doctrine of the
"Russian peace" that he preaches.
On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation
insidiously, without a formal declaration of war, launched a full-scale
military aggression against Ukraine. The war, unleashed by Russia in the
center of Europe back in February 2014, is being waged with the aim of
destroying Ukrainian statehood and is striking with exceptional brutality. A
true genocide of the Ukrainian people is taking place before the eyes of the
whole world. The aggressor is destroying peaceful Ukrainian cities,
shelling hospitals and schools, raping and torturing women and minors, killing
and maiming children. Among those killed by Russian troops are clerics of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine, religious teachers of other faiths. Almost 200
religious buildings, mainly Orthodox churches, were completely or partially
destroyed as a result of Russian shelling.
Russia is a country that for centuries linked
its identity with Orthodoxy. And yet, over the past decades, the
Christian faith in Russia has been subjected to paganization — it has been
insidiously replaced by a civil religion that is apparently based on the
Orthodox tradition, but alien to the spirit of the Gospel and the content of
the Orthodox faith of the Holy Fathers. Many soldiers of the Russian Federation
who invaded our country identify themselves with Orthodoxy. However, the
actions taken by the occupiers testify to them as criminals who have lost a
living connection with Christ and His Church.
Each murdered child, each raped woman, each
destroyed residential building and temple is not only a war crime, but also an
act of renouncing Christ, as a result of which the criminal finds himself
outside the blessed fence of the Church. However, the moral responsibility for
the committed crimes rests not only on the direct perpetrators, but also on
their ideological inspirers – Moscow Patriarch Kirill and like-minded hierarchs
who for decades propagated the ethnophyletic and racist doctrine of the
"Russian peace" and are now blessing the attack on Ukraine.
Many associated certain hopes for the revival
of church life with the election of Metropolitan Kirill (2009) to the
patriarchal chair. However, today, when twelve and a half years have passed
since Kirill took the Moscow chair, it is quite obvious that the announced
reforms did not take place, and the only real achievements of the 16th
Patriarch of Moscow were the concentration of power in the hands of one person
with the complete degradation of real church collegiality and complete
dependence of the Church on the Russian state.
Metropolitan and later Patriarch Kirill was
never a standard of the confession of the Orthodox faith. Some of the
theological statements of Bishop Kirill – for example, the identification of
the Third Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity with "Divine energy that
eternally originates from God the Father" – even caused controversy and
temptation among clerics of the Russian Church. His almost complete
indifference to theological issues prevented Kirill from completely falling
into the space of heresy. The situation changed when the hierarch, whose
attention had long been focused on geopolitical issues, decided to join the
creation of the doctrine of the "Russian peace" — a nationalist
ethnophyletic theory about the special role of the Russian nation and state in
the world and in the Church.
On March 13 of this year, on the Sunday of
Orthodoxy, the Declaration on the "Russian peace” was published, under
which more than 65 Orthodox theologians from different countries of the world
initially put their signatures, the number of which has now increased to
fifteen hundred. As stated in this Declaration, "Russian
measure" is a non-Orthodox, heretical doctrine, close to the doctrine of
ethnophiletism, which was condemned at the Council of Constantinople in 1872. "We reject the heresy of the
"Russian peace" and the shameful actions of the Russian authorities
regarding the war against Ukraine, which is caused by this despicable doctrine,
which has no justification – for the connivance of the Russian Orthodox Church,
as deeply non-Orthodox, non-Christian actions" – noted the Orthodox theologians
who signed the Declaration. Similar assessments were expressed in
another public document - the Open Address to the Heads of the Orthodox
Churches. This Appeal was
signed by 437 clerics of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, who appealed to
the heads of the Orthodox Churches with a request to give the doctrine of the
"Russian measure" an assessment from the point of view of the
Orthodox doctrine and, in case of condemnation of this doctrine as heretical,
to bring Kyril Gundyaev to canonical responsibility, depriving his right to
occupy the patriarchal throne.
Sharing most of the statements contained in the
mentioned Addresses, we also want to draw Your Holiness' attention to
another heretical aspect of the doctrine of the "Russian world",
which significantly distorts Orthodox anthropology. It is about denying the
rights of peoples to historical self-determination or historical fatalism,
which is inherent in the doctrine of the "Russian world" in the
interpretation of Patriarch Kirill. According to the mythological
historical concept of the latter, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians
allegedly belong to the common civilization of the "Russian world"
and as such have no moral right to further historical self-determination. The
choice made in the past allegedly obliges them to be a part of the "Russian
world" or the Russian state for life.
The denial of the freedom of entire peoples is
combined in the worldview of Patriarch Kirill and his associates with a racist
theory in its spirit, according to which Russia and the "Russian
peace" are something fundamentally better and higher than other nations,
and Russia's historical neighbors - Ukrainians and Belarusians - have the right
to existence and future exclusively as a part of Russian reality. The
principled denial of the right of the people of Ukraine to full canonical
church independence (autocephaly) and their own state existence looks quite
logical within the framework of this racist concept, which divides peoples and
states into "real" and "artificial".
At the same time, it is important to understand
that the ideology of the modern ROC contains a threat not only for Ukraine, but
also for the entire Orthodox world. "Just as Russia invaded Ukraine, so
the Moscow Patriarchate, headed by Patriarch Kirill, became an invader in the
Orthodox Church, for example, in Africa, causing splits and strife" – it
is noted in the already quoted Declaration of Orthodox theologians. It
is important to be aware of the connection between the doctrine of the
"Russian peace" and specific church decisions initiated by Patriarch
Kirill in recent years — from the severance of Eucharistic communion with the
Ecumenical Patriarchate (10/15/2018) to the creation of the "Patriarchal
Exarchate of Africa" (12/29/2021) and active support armed aggression of
the Russian Federation against Ukraine (2022). Starting at least from October
2018, all actions of Patriarch Kirill are subordinated to a specific political
goal. He seeks to radically
increase the presence of the Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia, to
weaken the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek-speaking Local Churches as
much as possible, and in this way to impose hegemony and the dictates of the
Moscow Patriarch on the Orthodox world.
In the current situation, it is extremely
important that the Catholic Church properly reacts to the challenges coming
from the paganized Russian Orthodoxy. As the Gospel testifies,
"every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit"
(Mt. 7:18). Acting
according to this principle bequeathed by our Saviour, the Church should
unanimously recognize that the tree that bears the "fruits of war"
today is poisonous, that is, condemn the doctrine of the "Russian
Peace" as heretical.
We call on Your Holiness and the Heads of the
Local Orthodox Churches to also consider as soon as possible the activities of
Patriarch Kirill, related to his opposition to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and
many Local Orthodox Churches, and, if this activity is recognized as containing
signs of schism, to bring Moscow patriarch to canonical responsibility.
In view of the above, we ask Your Holiness and
the Blessed Heads of Local Orthodox Churches to canonically qualify several
decisions of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, adopted during
2018-2021, which, in our opinion, do not correspond to the principles of
Orthodox ecclesiology and threaten Pan-Orthodox unity:
the decision to break (unilaterally)
Eucharistic communication with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of
Alexandria, the Church of Cyprus and the Church of Greece;
the decision to create —
contrary to canonical tradition and the sixth rule of the First Ecumenical
Council — church structures of the Moscow Patriarchate on the canonical
territory of the ancient Patriarchate of Alexandria.
On behalf of the bishops of
our Church and the numerous victims of Russia's war against Ukraine, which the
Patriarch of Moscow openly and unequivocally publicly approves and supports, we
appeal to Your Holiness and the Heads of Local Orthodox Churches with a
request:
condemn the doctrine of "Russian
peace" and recognize it as heretical;
classify the actions of
Patriarch Kirill in the canonical territory of the Patriarchate of Alexandria
as schismatic;
to deprive Kirill Gundyaev
of the right to occupy the Moscow Patriarchate.
With sincere brotherly love in
Christ, we ask Your Holiness and the Blessed Heads of the Local Orthodox
Churches to continue to offer their prayers for the suffering people of Ukraine
and to grant the request expressed in this letter - objectively, in accordance
with the creed and sacred canons of the Holy Orthodox Church, consider the
activities of the current head of the Russian Church.
27/07/2022 (Source)
Statement of the Holy Synod regarding the
protection of the right to freedom of conscience
Confirming the immutability of the position of
the OCU, set out in the previous Statements of the Holy Synod and the Kyiv
Metropolis of the UOC (OCU), with this statement we once again wish to certify
that the right of religious communities, by the decision of their general
meetings, to change their subordination, to leave the structures subordinate to
the Moscow Patriarchate, and to enter of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is
guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, and also corresponds to the
generally recognized understanding of freedom of religion.
This right cannot be limited or cancelled under
the pretext of martial law, because one of the key reasons for Russia's war
against Ukraine is the spread of the ideology of "Russian peace". The
structures of the Moscow Patriarchate have contributed to the spread of this
ideology in Ukraine for decades, so they bear part of the moral responsibility
for the consequences of their actions.
Sociological polls record a sharp drop in the
level of support for the structures of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine and a
simultaneous increase in support for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Therefore,
the change of religious communities in their subordination, their departure
from the power of the Moscow Patriarchate is an objective and irreversible
process. More than 600 communities have voluntarily overcome this path since
the beginning of the great Russian aggression, and new ones are added to this
number every day.
The concern of representatives of the Moscow
Patriarchate over the loss of subordinate communities is understandable. But it
is strange and incomprehensible to us the efforts of a fairly significant
number of people in power, including those from bodies that should be concerned
about the law and order and security of the state, both in the centre and at
the local level, to artificially obstruct this process.
The Holy Synod considers such interference
illegal, immoral and categorically unacceptable. Ukraine should be protected
from the "Russian world", and not contribute to the preservation of
its remnants and metastases.
The Holy Synod appeals to everyone on whom it
depends, with a call to urgently take appropriate measures to stop the practice
of obstructing Orthodox communities in the matter of their exit from the power
of the structures of the Moscow Patriarchate.
We emphasize once again that any initiatives
aimed at directly or indirectly depriving religious communities of this right
and turning them into de facto serfs are known to be unacceptable to the OCU.
At the same time, we testify once again that
the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is open to dialogue with all interested parties,
including the official representatives of the religious association of the UOC
(MPvU), regarding the determination, on the basis of international norms and
the legislation of Ukraine, of specific mechanisms for the realization by
religious communities of the inalienable right to change the center of its
subordination.
27/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
Although more than a millennium separates us
from the time of Saint Olga's earthly life, we still enjoy the good fruits of
her work and service. And we believe that at the time of the current influx
of foreigners, she, as then, serves her native people, among the multitude of
Ukrainian saints, praying to God for the victory of truth, for the liberation
of all corners of our Motherland from the captivity of the enemy.
Therefore, on the day of her glorification, we
turn with a special feeling to our princess, to the mother of Ukrainian
statehood and to our patron saint: Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, pray to God for
Kyiv – your capital, for Ukraine-Rus, your state, and for our people, who are
now is suffering grievously, so that we can be freed from the invasion of
foreigners and, according to God's commandment, build our home in peace and
love! Amen.
24/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon
All of us and the whole world are now
witnessing a special kind of demonization. Because the war unleashed and waged
by Russia is not only a historical reality, a collection of evil deeds of many
people led by the Kremlin tyrant, but also a spiritual reality, which can be
evaluated as a manifestation of obsession, demonic rage and a thirst for
murder. The devil,
as the Lord Himself testifies, "has been a murderer from time immemorial
and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaks a lie, he speaks of himself, because he is a liar and the father of
lies" (John 8:44). Didn't the frank, cynical, deliberate lie with which
the bloody Kremlin flooded its country and is trying to drown the whole world
in it reveal the action of the evil spirit, the state, the father of lies?
Doesn't the ferocity, cruelty, and mercilessness with which the Russian killers
destroy our people point to devilish malice as the source of these satanic
deeds?
Perhaps for non-believers or for those blinded
by fables about the "Russian measure", this connection does not seem
obvious. However, it seems quite obvious to us. And this leads us to the
conclusion that the fight against Russian aggression should consist not only in
physical resistance to the attacker, but also in spiritual resistance. This resistance is our
heartfelt, sincere prayers, our own fulfilment of the Lord's commandments,
which in their essence boil down to the call to sacrificially love God and love
our neighbour.
Not everyone can defend Mother Ukraine with a
weapon in hand. But each of us, Christians, not only can, but also is obliged
to protect it from the devilish embitterment of the Kremlin tyranny with the
weapon against the devil's race, which the Lord has given to all of us - prayer
and God-pleasing deeds.
And we believe, we are sure, that just as the
fiercest devils were cast out by the Lord, as we hear about today from the
Gospel, so the current diabolical embitterment of the Russian aggressors will
be overcome, defeated, and they themselves will be driven out of our home.
May this day come near by the will of God!
Amen.
17/07/2022 (Source)
Statement on preventing religious communities
from leaving the power of the Moscow Patriarchate
The Kyiv Metropolitanate of the Orthodox Church
of Ukraine is seriously concerned about the growing number of reports of
numerous facts of direct or covert interference by persons in power in the
issue of the exit of Orthodox religious communities from the power of the
Moscow Patriarchate.
Information is coming from many regions of
Ukraine that on the ground some civil servants and representatives of bodies
called to protect law and order and security are interfering in the process of
voluntary adoption by Orthodox communities of a decision to withdraw from the
jurisdiction of the structures of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. They prevent
the holding of general meetings of such communities, interfere with the
registration of community statutory documents by local administrations. The
facts of direct pressure on active parishioners and priests and their
intimidation, in particular through the use of tools of criminal proceedings,
are recorded.
The right of a religious community to freely
choose the centre to which it wants to be subordinate is guaranteed by the Law
of Ukraine on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations (Article 8).
Impeding the exercise of this right is a significant violation of the basic
principles of one of the fundamental human rights – freedom of religion and
belief. Ukraine's struggle against Russian aggression cannot serve as a
justification for violating Ukrainian legislation and internationally
recognized principles of freedom of religion.
The data of sociological studies indicate a
sharp drop in the trust of our fellow citizens in the structures of the Moscow
Patriarchate – 3/4 of those who identified themselves with this religious
association at the beginning of the year have lost trust in it. Against the
background of open cynical support given to Russian aggression by the head of
the Moscow Patriarchate, Kyril Gundyaev, and the institutions subordinate to
him, taking into account the long-term broad and consistent support of the
structures of the MP in Ukraine to the ideology of "Russian peace",
the propaganda of unity with Moscow, as well as reports of numerous facts of
collaborationism on the part of clergy of the MP with the Russian occupiers -
the desire of the Orthodox faithful in Ukraine to completely and finally break
with the Russian Orthodox Church is quite understandable.
Therefore, the process of voluntary change by
Orthodox religious communities of their subordination is absolutely objective.
And numerous cases of obstruction of this process, in our opinion, are
connected both with the personal preferences of those in power, and with the
desire to save the structure of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine from the
final decline, to use its weakness and dependence in their own interests.
The decisions of the bodies of the religious
association of the UOC (MPvU) on changes to the charter, which hid the
institutional connection of this association with the Russian Orthodox Church, did
not actually change the essence of the matter. After all, in the very
first paragraph of the updated statute, the current status of the religious
association of the UOC (MPvU) is recognized as based on the letter of the
previous Moscow Patriarch Alexy II, which clearly states that the UOC is part
of the Russian Orthodox Church. So, despite the statement of the
representatives of this association and some civil servants about the alleged
"complete independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian
Orthodox Church", in reality only masking and concealment of this
dependence took place. This state of affairs is confirmed by the consistent
refusal of the leadership of the UOC (MPvU) to dialogue with the OCU, putting
forward obviously unacceptable conditions, which is fully consistent with the
position of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church in this matter.
It can be stated that the main current task of
the UOC religious association is to preserve the number of parishes at any
cost. Persons endowed with power are also involved in the performance of this
task through personal favour, and possibly through corruption schemes, as
evidenced by the trends mentioned above.
The Kyiv Metropolitanate of the Orthodox Church
of Ukraine appeals to everyone on whom it depends, with a call to urgently take
appropriate measures to stop the practice of obstructing Orthodox communities
in the matter of their exit from the power of the structures of the Moscow
Patriarchate.
We would like to emphasize that any initiatives
aimed at directly or indirectly depriving religious communities of this right
and turning them into de facto serfs are known to be unacceptable to the OCU.
At the same time, we certify that the Kyiv
Metropolitanate is open to a dialogue with all interested parties, including
official representatives of the religious association of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church (MPvU), regarding the determination, on the basis of international norms
and the legislation of Ukraine, of specific mechanisms for the realization by
religious communities of the inalienable right to change the centre of their
submission
Kyiv Metropolitanate of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (OCU)
15/07/2022 (Source)
Words during a meeting with the director of the Babi Yar memorial
The enemy seeks to cause us as much damage as possible, and not only
physical damage. But we are not a nation that will fall. We have historical
examples of mass shootings carried out by the Nazi invaders, and now we are
direct witnesses of the atrocities committed by their followers – the Russian
occupiers. However, with God's help, we will certainly endure, remaining
warriors of light and will not allow the evil of war to capture our hearts.
14/07/2022 (Source)
Address
to the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion and Belief -
London
This
morning, while we were having breakfast, Russia again fired missiles at several
cities of Ukraine. Blood has been spilled again, there are wounded and dead.
Therefore,
for me, freedom is not only a generalized theological, legal or philosophical
concept. Freedom is something for which the Ukrainian people pay a very high
price every day.
This
is the price that the people of Great Britain paid for their freedom more than
eighty years ago.
Then dark times came for the British, when the whole force of the tyranny of
Nazism fought against them. But the people of Britain, along with others who
value freedom, won. I also believe in victory for Ukraine. Because the truth is
with us. And where there is truth, there is God and victory.
In this
part of our meeting, we focused on how violations of religious freedom can
signal a deterioration in the overall state of human rights.
I
would like to remind the audience that in Russia, after a certain period of
relative religious freedom more than ten years ago, various restrictions were
gradually introduced at the level of laws. Let me remind you about the
so-called "Yarova law", according to which any religious activity
actually requires permission from the state. In fact, under the current Kremlin
regime, the system of control over religious activities that existed in the
Soviet Union was restored. Only now, instead of fighting religion, it is being
used as a tool to spread the ideology of the "Russian world".
Russia
tries to present itself as a defender of traditional religious values. In fact,
due to restrictions on freedom of religion, due to the use of religious
organizations as a tool of totalitarian policy, the Russian authorities do
not protect religious values, but compromise them.
Using
the example of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, we know very
well what the false "values" that the Kremlin carries with it are. The
communities of our Church, like the communities of most religious organizations
in occupied Crimea, in the occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, are
under constant pressure. If you are not loyal to the Russian state, you will
face its opposition and persecution there.
The way
the Kremlin began to restrict religious freedom along with other freedoms is a
clear example of an early warning about the deterioration of human rights. And
we all see the bloody consequences of such a policy.
As
during the communist persecution of religion in the Soviet Union, the
international community's uncompromising attention to freedom of religion is
very important for Putin's Russia now. Monitoring, giving publicity to specific
facts of crimes against freedom, constant demands on the authorities to adhere
to generally recognized legal standards are what we can and must do together.
Thank
you for your attention and I ask all of you to continue praying for peace and
freedom for Ukraine!
05/07/2022
(Source)
Excerpt from sermon at the Cossack Tombs
And how gathered here we see, and
we pray for our native land, for our defender soldiers, that the Lord
will strengthen them in the fight against the Russian aggressor, we
pray for the prisoners and their release, we pray for the peaceful
inhabitants who suffer from the invasion of foreigners – yes the holy
lands of Ukraine unite in prayer for this!
We are gathered on earth, and they are in heaven, but we pray together
and believe that according to the word of Scripture, this prayer has
great power.
Today we also honour the new martyrs and confessors of Christ's faith,
who suffered from the ungodly during the persecutions of the last
century. We have not forgotten how hundreds and thousands of laymen and
priests, monks and hierarchs were tortured, sent to distant lands for
hard labour, and repressed. Thousands of churches and monasteries were
turned into ruins or spoiled by turning into clubs or business premises.
From the hands of the persecutors and tormentors, the martyr's blood
flowed in rivers, and the Ukrainian land was soaked with it. However, as
in the ancient times of pagan persecution, this blood of martyrs became
the seed of faith, which sprouted a religious revival, the restoration
of freedom for the people and the Church.
Like grain, these confessors of faith fell into the ground, but their
feat, like an ear that sprouted from the grain, bore great fruit. This
fruit is our church independence and our state independence.
Thanks to the feats of the best sons and daughters of our people, we
have the opportunity to pray in our native Church in our native
language, we have the opportunity to build our state, and not live in
the slave yoke of the "Russian world."
And we have gathered at this sacred place for all Ukrainians to thank
them all – those who fought for the truth, for the Orthodox faith, for
their native land on the Berestey field and on all other battlefields,
and all those who fought not with a sabre or an iron sword, but with a
spiritual sword – prayer and the word of God – he also fought against
evil and sin on the lands of Ukraine-Rus.
Our gratitude, our unity, our awareness of responsibility for the
priceless gifts that the previous generations of the Ukrainian people
have given us and that we must multiply and pass on to our successors
oblige us to gather here every year on this day.
And it is with special feelings that we do this now, when once again
rivers of Ukrainian blood are being shed by the enemy-foreigner on our
land. When the northern horde came in full force to blossoming Ukraine
to impose its yoke again, and to destroy the disobedient. Our soldiers
with weapons in their hands are defending the Motherland from this
invasion, and we have gathered here to raise the sword of God's truth,
the spiritual sword – the word of the Lord, and a prayer to direct
this sword against the devil and all those who do his evil will.
And let this prayer, the prayer of many voices, in which the living
here and the living in heaven unite, let it rise day and night to the
Throne of God.
And we believe that the Lord, who brought us out of the latest
Babylonian captivity of the "Russian world" to the promised land of
dignity and freedom – He, our Lord and King, will protect
Ukraine-Rus.
With His anger, may the righteous God strike down the regiments of
foreigners, as the fierce Egyptian pharaoh was struck down and the
proud Assyrian Sennacherib. May He send angels led by the patron of
our capital, Golden-topped Kyiv, Archangel Michael, to help the
Ukrainian army.
Russia is a colossus whose head shines like gold, but whose feet are
made of clay. Therefore, it swells with imaginary greatness, but does
not stand firmly on its feet, but wobbles and falls. And our Ukraine,
like a small David before the giant Goliath, stands strong, having
true faith in God and being inspired by love for neighbours.
The enemy is still raging, still throwing his rockets, bombs and shells
at our cities and villages.
But every such rocket, bomb and projectile, every drop of innocent
blood shed by the Russian aggressor increases the measure of his
curse. As Cain was cursed for killing his brother Abel out of
jealousy, so all those who turned their weapons against peaceful
Ukraine follow Cain's curse.
Let them know that if it is not human punishment, then God will
certainly fulfil them for all the evil that they do. And if they want
to avoid torment in the flames of hell, let them repent and stop their
murderous work and get out of our land.
And we, standing on our native land, which is soaked in the blood of
heroes and martyrs, will offer our strengthened prayers today, so that
the Lord will bring victory for Ukraine and a just peace. May he bless
our soldiers, may he help the wounded to heal, may he free the captives
from shackles, may he take care of all those who suffered from the
invasion of foreigners. We ask our God, the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit, we ask the Most Pure Virgin Mary the Mother of God, we ask the
entire army of angels, all the saints of the Ukrainian land and all the
saints of God – graciously provide everything that the suffering
Ukrainian people need now!
Amen!
26/06/2022 (Source)
Speech in a church which recently joined the autocephalous Ukrainian
Orthodox Church
The enemy is trying to destroy us, the enemy is trying to do everything
so that we do not exist as a separate Ukrainian nation, so that we do
not have our own independent Ukrainian state. But we all united together
and testified that we will defend the Ukrainian land given to us by God
to the end.
And when you and I are gathering here, in this holy place, in the
temple for prayer, there in the east of Ukraine, at this time, our
residents are dying, our newest heroes are dying, soldiers who defend
our peaceful sky. Therefore, today we offer prayers for our soldiers,
for our heroes, who do not spare the most precious thing – their
lives.
25/06/2022 (Source)
Speech during visit to a church
In this special time of trial by a terrible war, which daily takes away
our best sons and daughters,
we must fight for the truth to prevail. We do not seek someone
else's, but we will defend our God-given Ukrainian land to the end.
Now we are fighting not only for our future, not only for the future
of the Ukrainian state, but we are also fighting for Europe, we are fighting for those values that are characteristic of each of
us. We aspire to live in a free, independent Ukrainian state. Therefore,
we will certainly overcome the aggressor, pass these tests and become
even stronger.
25/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon on All Saints Sunday
So even now, when our people are once again forced to defend their
homeland with weapons in their hands from invaders and murderers, we
with special feelings before this miraculous image turn to the Blessed
Virgin and ask to protect, from all evil, civilians suffering from the
invasion of strangers. We ask for gracious protection for our courageous warriors-defenders,
thanks to whose feat and sacrifice we can pray and work in relative
peace and tranquility. We ask for a speedy healing for the wounded. We ask for relief from
the shackles of captivity and a speedy release from occupation for those
over whom the enemy is temporarily in power. We ask for a speedy victory over evil and untruth for Ukraine and a
lasting just peace. Holy Mother of God, save and have mercy on all who turn to Your
intercession! Amen.
19/06/2022 (Source)
Speech by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the event
"Religious Communities of Ukraine and Russia's Full-Scale War"
Dear participants of the meeting!
You have heard and know a lot about the war in Ukraine from the media,
but we, the representatives of the religious community, have come to
share our own testimony with you. We are witnessing the suffering of the Ukrainian people as a result of
unprovoked aggression. We know from our own experience how you feel when
it is unknown whether your own life will end today, the lives of those you
know personally. Will your home be destroyed, will the place of prayer and worship be
destroyed? We want the peoples of Europe not to know from their own experience
what we know, what the Ukrainian people know.
Therefore, together we must stop the evil of Russian aggression, so
that this aggression does not move further into Europe. And this threat is absolutely real, especially for the Baltic States
and Poland. Absolutely real! These countries and the whole of Europe, as
a common space of freedom, are under threat. It should be understood
that Putin's goal is not Crimea, Donbas or Kyiv. Its goal is to destroy
a united Europe, to return to the past, when our continent was divided
and part of it was under the totalitarian control of Moscow.
It is symbolic that we meet today in Berlin, a city that has
experienced in its own history both the tragedy of the totalitarian rule
of Nazism and Communism and the tragedy of the division by the Iron
Curtain. A little more than a kilometer separates us from the place where the
"Berlin Wall" passed. That is why the words about the value of democracy
and freedom sound special here.
We are fighting for democracy and freedom not only for ourselves but
for the whole of Europe. And we should not think that if Putin succeeds, the wall will pass
somewhere in our lands. This wall may reappear here in central Europe.
Only together, by joining forces, will we be able to defeat and stop
this evil and prevent a new division of Europe.
The Ukrainian people have a strong spirit and will to
fight. We were given a few days before the defeat, and we have been fighting
for more than three months - and we will continue to fight. After all,
we know what to expect from the Russian occupation - the whole territory
that Putin will seize will become "Bucha", will become "bloody land".
That is why we are asking for all possible help from the democratic
world in general and from the European Union and Germany in
particular. The more aid is provided and the sooner it arrives, the sooner we will be
able to repel the aggressor and regain sovereignty over our territory.
As religious figures, we ask all believers of all faiths to pray,
because prayer is so important. We thank you for humanitarian aid, for financial aid, for caring for our
refugees. But we also support Ukraine's request for more assistance
through increased sanctions and weapons.
We completely reject the logic of "pacification" when offering to
"give" the quality of Putin's territory in exchange for a promise of
peace. Such logic never leads to peace! The experience of the "Munich
Conspiracy", when Hitler was given the Sudetenland in exchange for a
promise of peace, shows that the aggressor's appetite for victory is
only growing. Especially since there are no uninhabited territories in
Ukraine. People live on all lands. Are we being offered to hand over our
citizens to the totalitarian rule of Russia? This approach is completely
unacceptable in today's world.
We, the representatives of the religious community of Ukraine,
demonstrate unity in the face of war and aggression, show that there are
no religious, national or other internal reasons for the conflict. The
reason is only external – Putin's desire to restore the "Russian Empire"
and restore the "Yalta system" of division of Europe and the world.
In 2013, we, as representatives of the religious community of Ukraine,
showed full support for the course of European integration of
Ukraine. And the thing we have blessed has happened: Ukraine has an Association
Agreement with the EU, has a visa-free regime, has public support for
European integration not only among our people, but also among the peoples
of Europe. The issue of granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU
membership will be resolved soon. We would like to show our support for
the candidate status and bless this good cause.
After all, Europe is not just a common economy or travel without
borders. First of all, Europe is a common value, a space of peace, dignity and freedom.
Ukraine is an integral part of this space, we pay a high price for the
values of peace and freedom. But the price of defeat, according to Bucha and Mariupol – is much
worse. Germany and Europe know this from their own history, from the history of
World War II.
We are open to dialogue, to communication, to cooperation in order for
the truth to prevail and for true, just peace to prevail in Ukraine.
Thank you!
12/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon on the Seventh Sunday after Easter
As in ancient times, so now we see the struggle of truth and
untruth. And those on the side of untruth were not only outspoken pagans,
atheists or persecutors – among the false teachers were those who are
trained in theology, and monks, and church hierarchs. But when they
gather, or still gather, not to know, testify, and affirm the truth
– no matter how magnificently they call themselves – it will not make
the untruth they will tell true. Both the Pharisees and the heretics had their meetings where they
disagreed. Therefore, it is not the outward form of the assembly, but the
manifestation and fruits of the work of those gathered that show whether
such a gathering and its teachings are in accordance with the Divine
Revelation, with the truth, or distort them.
05/06/2022 (Source)
Statement of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC)
following the recent events in the jurisdiction of the Moscow
Patriarchate in Ukraine (UOC)
Having studied the information available as of May 30, 2022 on the
results of events held in Kyiv on May 27, 2022, namely – "meeting of
bishops, priests, monks and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; Holy
Synod of the UOC, the Council of Bishops of the UOC, the Council of the
UOC", not many officially published documents, the Holy Synod of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine notes the following:
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine welcomes and supports all efforts aimed
at the final elimination of the power of the Moscow Patriarchate over
the Church in Ukraine as non-canonical, imposed by force and harmful to
Ukrainian Orthodoxy. This power is dangerous for the very existence of
Ukraine due to the Russian government's use of ROC institutions and
their influence on Ukraine as an instrument of hybrid aggression.
Unfortunately, no documents have yet been published to show that the
UOC religious association (Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine) adopted such
decisions that significantly changed its status compared to the
“independence and autonomy in governance” granted to the UOC by the ROC
in 1990. And this status of "independence and autonomy in management"
fixes the presence of the UOC in the ROC and its dependence on the
Moscow Patriarchate.
The new version of the Statute on the Administration of the UOC, as
well as the documents of the Holy Synod, the Council of Bishops of the
UOC of May 27, 2022, have not been published. The statements of the ROC representatives and the decisions of its
Synod show that from the ROC point of view the UOC religious
association remains in its composition, and changes to the UOC
Management Statute can enter into force only after their "approval" by
the ROC head.
Thus, based on publicly available documents, there is no reason to claim that following the events of May 27,
2022, the UOC religious association really ceased to be an integral
part of the Russian Orthodox Church, as it has been to this day.
Despite the mention of the Kharkiv Cathedral in 1992, the 30th
anniversary of which coincided with the date of the current
meeting, the participants in their documents did not mention in any way how
the bishops' promises to achieve "canonical autocephaly of the UOC"
are being fulfilled and will be fulfilled. Despite the canonical and moral bankruptcy of the very idea of
subordination of the Church in Ukraine to the Moscow Patriarchate,
which is quite obvious to the society and the vast majority of Orthodox
in Ukraine, the meeting on May 27, even in such a form as in Kharkiv 30
years ago, did not prove its attitude to autocephaly, much less declare
its actual achievement or even aspiration.
It should also be recalled that the UOC Council on November 1-3, 1991,
unanimously supported the need for autocephaly of the UOC. Will the
decisions of the current UOC Council in the part that contradicts Moscow
be just as forgotten and ignored? Are there any guarantees of their
implementation? The lack of official publication of documents and
conflicting statements by officials raise doubts about the real
consequences of the May 27 meeting.
The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church expresses its joy at the
agreement in principle reached by the UOC religious association on the
need for dialogue between the two Orthodox jurisdictions in Ukraine. For
our part, we reaffirm that such a dialogue must begin without
preconditions or ultimatums. We look forward to concrete proposals from
the other side on the first steps in the dialogue and the appointment of
those responsible for the dialogue.
We regret the decision of the meeting on May 27 to approve all previous
decisions by which, following the divisive actions of the Moscow
Patriarchate, the UOC (MPVU) jurisdiction severed ties with the
Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Church of
Cyprus and the Church of Greece. This, as well as the form of
commemoration of the Primates at the liturgy chosen by Metropolitan
Onufriy last Sunday, de facto confirmed the dependence on the decisions
and position of the Moscow Patriarchate.
We are disappointed that the meeting on May 27 did not find enough
words to condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine and to support the
struggle of the Ukrainian army and the people against the occupiers, did
not condemn the position of Russian Patriarch Kirill, but only
"disagreed" and demanded to change this position. The expressions chosen
in the text of the decrees are too short and soft in comparison with the
tragedy that our people are experiencing. There was also no word of
condemnation and dissociation from the ideology of the "Russian measure"
– a heretical ethnophiletic doctrine and a cornerstone in justifying
Russia's war against Ukraine.
"By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:16), the Scriptures teach
us, so limited information and contradictory statements are not enough
for the final conclusions, as they are today. Therefore, we look forward
to the concrete good results of the decisions of the meeting on May 27
and support all those who will contribute to their achievement.
On behalf of the Holy Synod – Epiphanius, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All
Ukraine
31/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon on sixth Sunday after Easter
Everything we have thought about today resonates with the current
events in which we live now. Does not our Church remind you of the blind man to whom the Lord has
opened his eyes? As he received the gift of healing, so we
miraculously, in spite of many circumstances and resistance, received the blessing of
our autocephaly, received the Tomos, and were proclaimed the Local
Sister Church for the whole Orthodox world. And our brothers, who also
profess the Orthodox faith, live side by side, trying in every way to
find an excuse to deny this obvious action of God. They have stuck to
their own rules and regulations, and therefore do not want to admit
things that are quite clear and obvious to many.
Instead of abandoning long-standing disputes and finding a way to
create a single Church together, as defined by Christ's teachings,
Orthodox Traditions, and canons, they repeatedly seek justification for
remaining divided.
But we, as loving brothers, must act according to the word of God: “We,
the strong, must suffer the infirmities of the weak, and not please
ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for good, for instruction. For even
Christ did not please Him ”(Rom. 15: 1-3). Guided by this, we call again and again on our brothers who remain subordinate to the
Russian Church to dialogue. This call was recently confirmed by our
Council of Bishops. We do not set the preconditions for such a dialogue – it should start
as if from scratch, without prior requirements or even more
ultimatums. And if our brothers have the good will to do so, we are confident that
with God's help we will succeed. For when the eyes of the heart are open to the knowledge of the
truth, the Lord always helps to know it and to be established in it.
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today we honour the restoration of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral and congratulate our capital, Kyiv. Restoration from the ruins of this church, which is destined to play an important role in the recent history of Ukraine several times, is one of the signs of God's blessing for our Church. What seemed incredible became a reality. What was only a dream came true. And this should inspire us to continue the struggle and work. After all, we believe that the current dream of achieving victory over the aggressor and a just peace, the dream of overcoming divisions among the Orthodox – also, with God's help, will become a reality.
In the special conditions of the war imposed on us by Russia, we
celebrate the current Day of Kyiv. And we thank God, we thank our courageous soldiers-defenders who saved our capital from
the invasion of the latest embittered horde. May the Lord continue to
protect our Kyiv from the invasion of foreigners, and may His Archangel
Michael be a quick helper for all who fight evil.
29/05/2022 (Source)
Sermon on the feast of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus
We have gathered today for this worship service primarily to thank God
and ask His blessing for further struggle and work. And during the war, when for three months now our courageous
warriors-defenders, all our people have been successfully resisting
the great and brutal Russian aggression – we have a special reason for
prayerful gratitude.
We thank the Lord for inspiring our hearts in the struggle. Thank you for the real historical miracle of preserving a free
Ukraine, because you all know how various experts and politicians gave
our state a maximum of three or four days to resist and predicted a
quick defeat. And we became like the people of Israel in the face of
Pharaoh's army, when before the might of arms, before the strength of
man, before the number and fury of the enemy, another, invisible, but
much greater force – the power of faith and truth, the power of
sacrifice and hope in the Lord. The words of the prophet Moses, which we say in our prayer for
Ukraine, for victory, remind us of this: "Be of good cheer, stand and
see salvation from the Lord, for the Lord is fighting for us."
And we, thanks to this inner strength of spirit, thanks to the Divine
support and inspiration, did not retreat, did not break, did not give
up. Thank God for this, and thank you to everyone who has made and
continues to make efforts to continue the struggle for the truth.
Unfortunately, every day as a nation we pay a great and terrible price
of destruction, and most importantly – the price of the lives of our
best sons and daughters, our newest heroes who sacrifice themselves at
the front for freedom and future for Ukraine. Innocent civilians and children are suffering and dying. Millions
of people became exiles, forced to leave everything to escape the
onslaught of Russian assassins.
During these months, Western correspondents have repeatedly asked me:
isn't it better to stop the resistance, reach an agreement with Russia,
give in?
The answer to this is in the bombed Borodyanka, in the torn Bucha, in
the destroyed villages and towns of Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. The
answer is in the ruins of Mariupol, a peaceful, prosperous, beautiful
city that Russian murderers have turned into hell, into a mass grave.
The answer is in bombed Kharkiv, in the erased Volnovakha land, the
answer is in the bloody square of the Kramatorsk railway station, where
Russian barbarians killed civilians fleeing the war. The answer is in
the eyes of children who have lost their parents and parents whose
children's lives have been taken away by Russian weapons.
We are paying a terrible price now, but the historical experience of
the Ukrainian people shows that Russian captivity and occupation will
turn into an even worse catastrophe for us. The massacre in Bucha is a
modern proof of this. Millions of Holodomor victims are a reminder of
that. If we do not fight the "Russian peace" to victory now, it will
kill, maim, destroy, and enslave everything and everyone to whom and
where it reaches. And the price of captivity, defeat will be
incomparably greater.
Yes, in fact, every day we hear the sirens of the air alarm, two months
ago we directly heard here, albeit distant, but loud explosions on the
northern outskirts of Kiev. And today the sunrise was marked by the
howling of sirens. But the Lord did not give us this day to live in fear
or captivity, but for good deeds, for prayer, for mutual support.
Yesterday in St. Sophia we had a meeting of the Council of Bishops and
offered a prayer of thanksgiving in front of the image of the Virgin
Oranta, the Prayer Book, the Immovable Wall. It would seem that this is
a common thing for us, we regularly go to the Councils and joint
services. But our Council, our common worship yesterday and today - in
fact it is another sign of God's blessing, His blessing, His miracle!
Those who survived the first weeks of the war in Kyiv, who saw how
instantly the capital became empty, who started the morning and did not
know if it would live until the evening – is it no wonder that we again
have the opportunity to gather, pray, communicate right here in the
heart of Ukraine, in our spiritual shrines?
We thank God for this miracle and this mercy! We thank our soldiers for
their protection and victory in the defence of Kyiv! Realizing all this,
we must understand that every day of our lives and work under a peaceful
sky, no matter where we are in Ukraine, is paid a high price. Our
defenders are fighting for this now at the front, and we have a duty to
fight for freedom, for truth, for freedom, each in his place, where we
are and because of the service to which we are called.
One of the main directions of this struggle now is the opposition to
the ideology of the "Russian measure", the fascist, murderous doctrine,
wrapped in a brilliant feud of sermons by Kirill Gundyaev and his
associates. Yesterday at the Council we ourselves condemned this
ideology, which through the Moscow Patriarchate is already spreading as
a heretical doctrine of ethnophiletism, ie the division of the Church on
the basis of nationality, which is placed above all else. For the sake
of the Russian spirit, Kirill is ready to renounce even the Holy Spirit
and blaspheme Him, denying the action of grace, breaking political unity
in the Eucharist solely for political reasons. We ourselves condemn this
and appeal to the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Primates of the Local
Autocephalous Churches to condemn the spiritual crimes of Kirill and
deprive him of his throne. For he cannot hold the chalice with the
Eucharist and the shepherd's staff
We have called on our brothers and sisters, who remain under the Moscow
Patriarchate here in Ukraine, to engage in dialogue and unity. How much
more blood must be shed, how many temples destroyed, how many lies
uttered by their "master and father" Kirill to understand: Moscow you do
not have! She is an evil stepmother, she is a slave owner, a bloody lady
who tortures slaves for pleasure!
Leave uncanonical subordination to her! Follow the truth, the church
order, hear the voice of God's people, who demand to break the shackles
of spiritual slavery "Russian measure"! Our hearts are open to you, we
are ready and willing to build a single Local Ukrainian Orthodox Church
together with you! Both the Synod and the Council of Bishops addressed a
corresponding appeal to our brothers – I urge them to listen, not so
much even to us, but to the voice of truth!
Dear bishops, fathers, brothers and sisters! God has helped us to come
to this day, to receive this joy of spiritual communion and unity in the
Eucharist. We believe and pray that he will help us continue to defend
Ukraine until victory, when a real, just peace prevails. We pray and
will do everything in our power to establish the unity of the Local
Church. I thank each of you for your support, for your love, for your
joint work. I am especially grateful to those who now continue to work
in the church field under occupation, living, as Christians once did
among pagans, under daily threat.
I believe that as we were able to reach this day, so we will reach the
day of victory. After all, we can say about ourselves in the words of
the Apostle Paul: “We are oppressed everywhere, but we are not
oppressed; we are in hopeless circumstances, but we do not lose hope; we
are persecuted, but we are not forsaken; overthrown but not destroyed
”(2 Cor. 4: 8-9). For the power of grace that overcomes our human
exhaustion, inspires us to work and struggle - we thank God, to whom be
glory forever!
25/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from the report at an extended meeting of the Council of
Bishops
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine was and remains the largest religious
association in our country, primarily in terms of the level of
self-identification with it of our fellow citizens and public trust.
Taking into account the data of various opinion polls, we can say that
about 75% of Ukrainians identify themselves as Orthodox believers, the
vast majority of whom recognize their affiliation with the Orthodox
Church of Ukraine. This was the case before the great Russian invasion.
The tragic events of the war significantly affected the
self-consciousness of the Ukrainian people, opened the eyes of many to
what the ideology of the "Russian measure" really is, which was imposed
from Russia for years to justify aggressive plans.
Unfortunately, we do not yet have a more complete sociological picture,
but we can already say about the main trend: during the war, the
self-identification of the Orthodox in Ukraine changed
dramatically. If before the open offensive 38% of respondents belonged to the PCU,
15% to the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, and 22% called themselves
"just Orthodox" – such is usually the majority in eastern and southern
Ukraine – then in March 52% identified with the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine, 11% as "just Orthodox" and only 4% as followers of the Moscow
Patriarchate. In other words, three-quarters of those who considered
the Moscow Patriarchate their Church at the beginning of the year
rejected it in March.
Sociology also shows that in the first month after the widespread
attack, more than two-thirds of respondents called for a complete
severance of church ties between Ukraine and Moscow. There is every
reason to believe that this trend has only intensified in the coming
months.
So, if we take into account the above facts, the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine is already 13 times bigger than the Moscow Patriarchate in our
country in terms of support and self-identification of the faithful.
This, and not the mythical "persecution" that MP spokesmen in Ukraine
have been talking about for many years, is the main reason why
communities are leaving the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and
joining a single Local Church.
(…)
Since the great aggression of Russia against Ukraine, about 400 religious communities, 120 clergy and 2 monasteries from
the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate have joined the UOC. Why
do I say "approximately"? In preparing this report, we have collected
relevant data in the dioceses, but they are constantly changing:
meetings of religious communities are reported daily and their
decision to break away from dependence on the Russian Church.
So far, the total number of UOC communities is about 7,600, and the
number of clergy is about 4,900.
Unification process
To the extent that this depends on us, we must do everything possible
to ensure that the unification process in Ukrainian Orthodoxy takes
place consciously, in accordance with the law, with the prevention of
possible provocations. We do not support violence against the clergy,
the faithful, or the property of the Moscow Patriarchate communities
solely on the basis of their jurisdiction. At the same time, when one of the supporters of this religious association is guilty of
collaborating with the aggressor, in the service of the interests of
the enemy – such should be prosecuted in accordance with the law for
specific violations.
Here I believe it is necessary to quote the words from the statement of
the Holy Synod of 16 January 2022: "Considering the particular
importance of church matters for the security of Ukraine, we appeal to
the state and local authorities and to the civil society for support in
the process of achieving church loyalty among the Orthodox, To
contribute to a quick response to the influence of the fascist ideology
of the "Russian world" and to the inevitable adoption of necessary
decisions that would put an end to the use of the MP in Ukraine as a
tool of hybrid aggression.
We are convinced that church unity and the independence of the Orthodox
from Moscow's influence are an integral part of Ukraine's victory in the
current war for its freedom and independence. So, we should act now, not
sometime in the future, make decisions, not make vague promises, take
responsibility, and not expect steps from someone else."
Opposition to the heresy of the "Russian measure"
In light of this, we support initiatives aimed at eliminating Russia's
direct influence on religious associations in Ukraine. What is it about?
Russia's war against Ukraine is a hybrid, it has different dimensions.
Ukraine is defending its territory, protecting its economy, energy,
information sphere, and political space. We ban the activities of
pro-Russian parties, TV channels, banks with Russian capital, etc. A
logical question arises: isn't the religious sphere a space of Russian
hybrid aggression against Ukraine? The answer is obvious: not only is it
such a space, but it has been a priority target for the Kremlin's hybrid
attacks for decades.
People should not be forbidden to believe, because by doing so the
state would violate the foundations of democracy, which includes freedom
of religion. However, the state can and should limit, at least until the
time of complete deoccupation of the territory of Ukraine, the
possibility of the Moscow Patriarchate's influence on church life in
Ukraine.
We are all witnesses of how the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church,
Kirill Gundyaev, deceitfully "blessed" the Russian army for the war
against Ukraine. There is no doubt that the Moscow Patriarchate and its
head are fully integrated into the Kremlin's system of power and
propaganda, its instruments. Therefore, it would be absolutely right for
the state to protect our fellow citizens who remain under the
jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate from being used by Russia as an
instrument of hybrid aggression. Just last night, he once again discussed this with the deputies
of the Verkhovna Rada, where the relevant hearings are to take place at
the end of the month. He stressed in the conversation that we should not
violate the basic principles of religious freedom. But Ukraine should
not wait for the challenges that arise in the religious sphere in the
conditions of war, to expect that everything will be resolved as if by
itself.
In connection with this topic, I would like to submit two proposals to
the Council and ask for your support.
The first. You know that under the terms of the Tomos on Autocephaly,
it is the duty of the Primate to commemorate the names of other Primates
of the Orthodox Churches after the Diptych. I have faithfully performed
this duty since receiving Tomos. But Russia's open attack, the numerous
sacrifices and sufferings of our people, and the deceptive blessings and
support given to Kremlin war crimes by ROC leader Kirill Gundyaev made
it impossible to commemorate his name. If even among the Moscow
Patriarchate in Ukraine a certain number of bishops and hundreds of
priests refused to do so, it is all the more incomprehensible to mention
the name of Kirill as the Primate of the ROC. So, from the first service
after the beginning of the open Russian aggression, I stopped doing this
and ask for the support of the Council in my decision.
The second proposal. The reason for my earlier decision is not only
moral but also theological. Patriarch Kirill is one of the creators of the ideology of the
"Russian world", its propagandist and popularizer. This ideology
itself, in my opinion, falls under the condemnation of the Council of
Constantinople in 1872 of ethnophiletism as a heresy. Accordingly,
Kirill Gundyaev, as its co-creator and propagandist, should be
condemned if he does not renounce this heresy and does not find the
fruits of repentance.
That is why in my letters to the Primates of the Churches on the
occasion of Easter, I wrote: “I am convinced that not only [Russian war]
crimes, but also the words and actions of Moscow Patriarch Kirill, who
supported the war against Ukraine from the pulpit. those who considered
him their pastor should be condemned by the fullness of Orthodoxy. You
cannot hold the Chalice and the shepherd's staff with your hands on
which there is blood."
Therefore, I propose on behalf of the Council of Bishops to appeal to the
Ecumenical Patriarch and the Primates of the Local Churches to bring
Kirill Gundyaev to canonical responsibility and deprivation of his
throne, in particular on the basis of spreading heretical
ethnophiletic doctrine of "Russian peace" and spreading schism among
Orthodox creation of dioceses of the ROC within the Patriarchate of
Alexandria.
The state of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine
It is reported that in the near future the Moscow Patriarchate in
Ukraine plans to hold a meeting to discuss its own future. This meeting
does not even have their internal status of a council. However, it is
envisaged that it may be declared a council and try to change the status
of its religious association in order to distance itself from the
ROC.
Is this possible and in what form? We will not guess and wait for this
meeting and its decision. There were high hopes for the meeting of the
UOC Synod, which took place in Kyiv two weeks ago. Everyone knows that
no significant decisions were expected there. Therefore, the announced
meeting on the fruits of labour may resemble the proverb: "from a big
cloud – a little rain."
It is symbolic that exactly three decades ago a meeting of UOC
hierarchs took place in Kharkiv. Then they also promised to seek
"canonical autocephaly." At the same time, Moscow promised to "consider
these requests." All these promises have remained words, moreover –
empty. Therefore, both believers and Ukrainian society expect from the
representatives of the UOC-MP not the next promises, references to
bizarre plans to ask for autocephaly in Moscow – it was already asked
thirty years ago, where is it? – and not the expectation of
"proclamation of autocephaly by all Primates", because it is impossible
to realize this desire.
Orthodox and society, as confirmed by opinion polls, expect from the
UOC-MP real steps to separate from the non-canonical power of the Moscow
Patriarchate and achieve unity with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
I suggest that our Council address the hierarchs, clergy and faithful
in the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, who will gather in Kiev,
with the following proposals:
1. Start a formal dialogue without proclaiming preconditions. During the service of the blessed memory of Metropolitan
Volodymyr (Sabodan) there was a dialogue between the UOC-MP on the one
hand and the UAOC and the UOC-KP on the other, although there was no
Tomos and its fruits at that time. Now nothing but subjective reluctance
on the part of the UOC-MP can explain the lack of dialogue.
2. To call on the UOC-MP to recognize the decision of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of October 2018 in the case of appeals from Ukraine
regarding non-canonical decisions of the ROC. By this decision, the hierarchs and clergy of the UOC-KP and UAOC
were recognized in canonical dignity. A similar decision was recently
made by the Ecumenical Patriarchate regarding the hierarchy of the Ohrid
Archbishopric in Northern Macedonia. On the basis of this decision, the
Eucharistic communion between the Ohrid Archbishopric and the Serbian
Patriarchate, which was interrupted 55 years ago, was resumed through
co-operation, although issues of jurisdiction remain the subject of
dialogue.
The UOC-MP should revoke the decision to sever its communication with
the Ecumenical Patriarchate and a number of Local Churches, and to
follow the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to recognize the
canonicity of the OCU hierarchy, following the example of its longtime
sympathizer, the Serbian Patriarchate. It has been repeatedly pointed
out that the current lack of agreement between us on matters of
jurisdiction should not be an obstacle to co-operation and unity in the
Eucharist.
3. Encourage our confreres to follow the Tomos on Autocephaly, which
stipulates that all dioceses, monasteries, parishes and other Orthodox
church institutions must be under the jurisdiction of the
Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The existence of the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate in
Ukraine, as well as any other way that provides separate from the PCU
existence of Orthodox church structures in our country – a canonical
anomaly, a violation that must sooner or later be corrected.
All bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine in 2018 were invited
to participate in the Unification Council. Unfortunately, only two
accepted the call of the Ecumenical Patriarch. However, the Council has
taken place, and now those who wish can join in its decisions and
benefit from its good fruits. If before 2018 there was no single Local
Church in Ukraine and recognized by the Universal Orthodoxy, now it is,
it is impossible to "re-create", but we must proceed from what is
forever engraved in history.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate has the same position. During this time we
have discussed these issues many times, and we have always heard the
answer: the Unification Council took place, the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine received a Tomos on autocephaly, so all those who want to follow
the canonical order should not seek an alternative but unite with it.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate does not intend and will not create any
alternative jurisdiction in the canonical territory of the OCU.
I propose to spread the Appeal of such content from our Council so that
the hierarchs, clergy and faithful of the UOC-MP know our position.
(…)
Challenges of wartime
Returning to the Church's response to the effects of the war, two
important tasks need to be emphasized. The first is to continue to
support the Ukrainian people in the fight against Russian aggression and
to help its victims. May the Lord give a hundredfold to all benefactors
and donors for the mercy shown to the needy.
Despite the objective hardship, which we ourselves feel well, the
Metropolitan Fund of the OCU has launched a program of assistance in
rebuilding and rebuilding destroyed housing. Assistance in the form of
construction materials for a significant amount for the affected
residents of Chernihiv will be provided in the coming days. It is clear
that this is small compared to the scale of the destruction, but it is
our duty to do what we can in the best of circumstances.
The second task is to take care of the spiritual care of refugees,
especially those who have found themselves abroad. We have taken some
steps in cooperation with the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
and the Church of Greece, but there are many difficulties. So where the
local competent Orthodox church hierarchy responds to the needs of
Orthodox Ukrainians, we solve problems together. But there are sad
examples of our priests and faithful who have been in exile being
despised by local representatives of the Orthodox Church, who are
treated according to Moscow standards. We do not intend to interfere in
their canonical competence, but we also consider it wrong to leave our
flock unattended, so we will look for ways to solve this problem.
(…)
24/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from the sermon on the fifth Sunday after Easter
All these considerations are not only of general importance, but also a
very modern and practical dimension. You all know that in addition to
the grief and suffering brought to us by the war, the current tragic events have prompted and encouraged many Orthodox in
Ukraine to seek unity, abandon former prejudice and enmity, forgive
insults and unite in the Local Orthodox Church for the truth and good
of the people of Ukraine as defined by the Tradition, canons and Tomos
on autocephaly. For decades, we, brothers and sisters in the Orthodox
faith, as if those Jews and Samaritans, were separated. But Christ
calls us to seek understanding, peace and unity, not to be biased, but
open and loving.
Therefore, we call on all our Orthodox believers in Ukraine to
dialogue, to unite around Christ and around Kyiv – the mother of
Ukrainian-Russian cities, to jointly build a single Local Church, whose
autocephaly is proclaimed throughout the Orthodox world through the
Ecumenical Patriarch's Tomos.
Our doors are open to all Orthodox who have good will and desire to
serve God and the Ukrainian people. Our hearts are open, we want past misunderstandings not to determine
our future. And we believe that with God's help and joint efforts we
will be able to achieve the unity of the Church in Ukraine. Let us pray
for this, let us work for it - and may the Lord bless our good work with
success!
22/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon on Fourth Sunday after Easter
It is useful for Christians to remember this truth always and at all
times, but especially in this time of war, sorrow and suffering. Now the
Ukrainian people are suffering. But if we do not lose faith in God, if we fight for freedom, for truth,
for good and freedom – then we will definitely win. Our enemy is
strong, insidious and ruthless. But is there a greater power in the
world than the power of God? Is there a trick in the world that can
surpass the Wisdom of God? Are there impudence and ruthlessness that
would not allow God's will to be done?
Therefore, understanding this, we will continue to fight, to do what is
up to us, to achieve the victory of truth and good, and the Lord will do
the rest then and in the best way.
15/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on the third Sunday after Easter
We call again and again for God's blessing on all volunteers, donors,
and benefactors who, in difficult times for the Ukrainian people,
serve the needy and care for their neighbours. Even a donated bottle
of drinking water or a hryvnia [Ukrainian currency unit] will not go
unnoticed by God when done with love.
However, as always, where there are good deeds, there is a devilish temptation.
We know that not everyone involved in humanitarian aid, its collection,
customs clearance, transfer and distribution, does so honestly.
Unfortunately, we have heard about the theft or misappropriation of aid,
extortion, etc.
Therefore, on behalf of the Church, I want to warn everyone: God sees
every deed, sees the heart of every person. And if He gives a great
reward even for a small sacrifice, then for appropriation, theft,
deception, the Lord will surely punish the guilty.
Marauding and embezzling aid are grave sins, and even if human law
cannot detect all criminals, everyone should remember that God's
justice will be achieved by retaliating against everyone guilty of
such evil. Therefore, whoever is tempted by the devil with such gain, beware, avoid this sin,
because the retribution for it will be difficult.
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today, together with the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and
the entire civilized world, we honour the victory over Nazism in World
War II, remember the fallen soldiers and killed civilians. For decades, it seemed to us that an evil like Nazism could not be
repeated in Europe. But next to us, in the neighbouring country, whose
people suffered a lot in that war - now the evil of Nazism has
grown. Covered with false propaganda, grown on a grapevine, nurtured by a fierce hatred of truth and freedom, a desire for war and
bloodshed, Russian fascism is now doing the devil's work, sowing ruin
and death.
Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought against Nazism in that
great war and defeated it. We are convinced that even now our people and the entire civilized
world, which is struggling with Russian aggression, will defeat the
Kremlin's empire of evil with God's help.
So today, on the day of remembrance and commemoration of the victory over Nazism,
we will offer prayers for the peace of the souls of those killed in the
last war. But we will also pray for our soldiers and for all those who
suffer from and fight against the latest Kremlin fascism. To those who perished in the current war for the freedom of
Ukraine, we wish the Kingdom of Heaven, and to our defenders – success
in the struggle and a speedy victory over the aggressor.
08/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on the feast of St. George
God and the great martyr George also support us in this struggle, of
which we shall emerge victorious. And these trials will make us
stronger spiritually. That is why we need to fight, pray and do
everything in our power to preserve this great gift of freedom, to
establish it and pass it on to the next generations.
With God's help, we will defeat the enemy, we will defeat the newest
antichrist Putin, who decided to destroy our Ukrainian people, to commit
another Nazism against it. But our hands must not fall, we must continue to be spiritually
strong.
Therefore, knowing the history, analysing it, taking lessons from
it, we must fight to the end at this time. We will defeat the enemy, we
will restore our territorial integrity, we will return the occupied
territories and in our united, independent, Ukrainian, democratic,
European Ukraine we will build a common future. And this future is now in our hands
06/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from sermon of second Sunday after Easter
The task before us is to continue the work of affirming the unity of
the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. You and I, as faithful to the Local
Church, know that grace works in it, that it is the true Church, an
integral and equivalent part of the body of the One, Holy, Conciliar and
Apostolic Church with other Local Churches. And among our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who are not
yet in church communion with us, there are doubts - are we really the
Church? Does grace work here? Are the sacraments performed here
saving?
How should we deal with these doubts? We must follow the example of the
Saviour. For those who have a sincere intention to know the truth and
doubt for the sake of truth, not betrayal of pride or self-confidence,
we must help to know the truth just as the Lord helped Thomas to know
the truth. The Saviour did not condemn him for his doubts, but spoke to
him, giving explanations and evidence that convinced Thomas.
But for those who, like the leaders of the people of Israel, Pharisees
and scribes, have doubts about the truth of the Orthodox Church of
Ukraine, not because of the truth, but because of stubbornness,
self-deception and pride – we do not intend to prove or try to convince
them at any cost.
Those who want to know the truth – we are always open to them, we are
ready for dialogue, explanations, exchange of views and search for
understanding. And whoever seeks only numerous excuses to reject the
truth, let the will of God be done over them, as over modern scribes and
Pharisees.
01/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of Message to Primates and Hierarchs of Orthodox Churches on
Easter
Christ is Risen!
(…)
This year, Orthodox Christians in Ukraine celebrate the Resurrection of
Christ under extraordinary circumstances, immersed in the pain, grief,
tears, suffering, destruction, violence, and death brought to our
peaceful land by the army of Russia. On the Eve of the Great Fast, the
ruler of that country issued orders to attack Ukrainian cities and
villages, to kill our brothers and sisters.
These crimes against the peaceful people of Ukraine continued into and
through Great Lent and to this day. Their now infamous symbols include
Bucha, a thriving peaceful suburb of Kyiv where hundreds of civilians
were executed in the weeks of Russian occupation, and Mariupol, a large,
beautiful city named after the Mother of God, which Russia has turned
into twisted ruins and graves for thousands of innocents slain.
I am convinced that not only these crimes, but also the words and
actions of Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow, who from the ambon supported the
war against Ukraine and consequently led those who trusted him as their
shepherd to their deaths, should be condemned by the Fullness of
Orthodoxy. No one with blood on their hands may hold the Chalice or the
shepherd’s staff.
However, amid the darkness and suffering of war, the light of Christ’s
Resurrection gives us confidence in the victory of truth, of life, and
of love. We are grateful to all those who, through prayers for peace in
Ukraine, humanitarian aid, care for refugees, or words and actions
condemning Russian aggression, have shown and continue to show their
fraternal love.
(…)
24/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from Good Friday sermon
These days, the tomb with the image of the Saviour's body cannot but remind us of
other tombs, over which here in St. Michael's Cathedral, and in all
corners of Ukraine with tears and mourning, we bow, offering prayers
for soldiers who gave their lives defending the homeland from Russian
aggression, escorting civilians killed by alien murderers to their
last earthly journey. Thousands of these graves, and how many more – without a grave, in
mass graves, in the yards of their own houses destroyed by Russian
shelling, under the rubble or in torture chambers… Above all of them
we shed our tears, for them the heart beats. But this Shroud, this tomb, this symbol of the Saviour's sacrificial
voluntary death, which we now bring to the midst of the temple for
worship, is a sign of our conviction that every death we mourn now is
only temporary.
Christ overcame death by His death, and all we mourn today have eternal
life through that victory. Neither the tombs nor the mass graves will hold them when the time of
resurrection comes – like the stone and the seal they did not hold in
the tomb of the risen Son of God.
Therefore, by mourning the Saviour before the Shroud, mourning thousands of
innocent victims, mourning our fallen heroes-defenders, we will
overcome sorrow and grief with hope for the approaching resurrection
and eternal life that Christ, who died on the cross and rose from the
grave, gives us.
22/4/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from Easter Message
Today, when we greet each other with the Lord's Passover, with
Easter, the enemy continues to shed the blood of the innocent on our earth.
Despite the sanctity of Holy Week and the Resurrection of Christ for
all Christians, Russian troops not only did not stop their crimes, but
they, as if inspired by Satan himself, multiplied bloodshed.
Throughout Lent, Russia, which considers itself a stronghold of true
Christianity, has destroyed our cities and villages, killed innocent
people, and destroyed everything it could. Isn't this alone, aren't
all these poisonous, deadly fruits of the "Russian measure" sufficient
evidence that it is not God's blessing but the curse on the cause of
Russia, its rulers, its troops, its inhabitants poisoned by lies?
For us, for all those who suffer innocently from the empire of evil even
today, on the day of Easter, the resurrection of Christ is a joyful
reminder of God's imminent victory over sin and lawlessness, of the
victory of good and truth. And for the enemies who broke into our
Ukrainian home, for the murderers and murderers who not only did not
stop the bloodshed, but only increased it, even in these holy days,
Christ's resurrection is a reminder of just retribution and merciless
punishment for all the unmerciful.
When the Saviour was crucified and buried in the tomb, the hearts of
the faithful were filled with suffering and pain, but the resurrection
of Christ turned weeping into joy, drove away sorrow, and strengthened
hope. So it was in ancient times, so it is today – by celebrating the
Passover of Christ, glorifying the risen Lord, we receive spiritual
strengthening in the midst of the sufferings and horrors of war with
confidence in the victory of truth and goodness, in the victory of
eternal life over hell.
On this day of glorification of the great, eternal victory with special
feelings, we send Easter greetings our courageous warriors-defenders,
prayerfully wishing them blessings from the Risen Christ, victory in the
fight against enemies, God's help in service and gracious protection. We
ask the Lord for protection and protection for all civilians suffering
from Russian shelling. We pray for all the wounded in the war who are
suffering in body and soul, and we ask the Lord to heal them.
May God's blessing be upon those who sacrificially and lovingly serve
their neighbours, who help the needy, care for the exiles, who speak out
against untruth and in various ways, but do one thing: fight darkness
and evil.
On this holy day, heartfelt congratulations and wishes of indomitable
spirit, state wisdom and strengthening of strength in work for Ukraine -
for our President, Government and parliamentarians, for community
leaders, for all those who with dignity bear their responsibilities to
the Ukrainian people in this time of challenges and tests.
In our celebration, we remember in prayer our enslaved brothers and sisters, those who
now live under the rule of the occupiers, and those who are in the
chains of captivity or unjust imprisonment. May the Lord help you in
this difficult time and bring the day of your deliverance and freedom
closer.
With the Resurrection of Christ, I cordially greet all Orthodox Christians of Ukraine – the fullness
of the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church – and those who are temporarily
out of communion with it. Let the war, the main cause of which was the
poisonous idea of the "Russian measure", urge those who still
hesitate to reject the Moscow spiritual yoke, follow the Thomos and
the canonical order, and unite around the Kyivan throne in a single
local Orthodox Church.
Congratulations on Easter to all who believe in the risen Christ, and
all the world’s Ukrainians!
Despite the pain and suffering, destruction and sorrow that the war has
brought to our home, nothing can take away the common joy that the
Resurrection of Christ brings us today in the darkness of night and at
the dawn of a new day in the new Ukraine. From heart to heart we share this joy, multiply it, announcing the
great victory over sin, evil and death, because truly
Christ is risen!
22/4/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of sermon on Palm Sunday
Dear brothers and sisters!
Our time, when we live among the sufferings and dangers brought to the Ukrainian
land by enemies from the north, is a special opportunity to feel the importance of the truth. After
all, the war that Russia has imposed on us and the whole world did not
begin with the use of weapons, not with missiles and bombs – it began
with deception, untruth, lies. For years, decades, this delusion
sounded, the untruth about the past and present spread. Some
multiplied and spread this delusion, others either agreed with it or
stood aside, believing that it did not concern them.
You know, dear brothers and sisters, that our Church, as the Local Church of the Ukrainian people, has for
years and decades witnessed the truth about the evil intentions behind
the ideology of the "Russian measure." From our own past and from the
experience of the present, we knew very well that behind the veils of
beautiful words, great services, and loud initiatives, Moscow hides
evil plans to restore the tyranny of a rotten and overthrown
empire.
That is why, despite opposition from all sides, we fought firmly and
uncompromisingly for the church independence of Ukraine. Because we have
seen and know well how Moscow has used and continues to use its
ecclesiastical influence as an instrument of spreading untruths, as a
way of spiritual enslavement.
She herself made the Church of her own people a servant, deceptively
blessing lies, enslavement, murder, and all the other evils of war
through the leader. But the evil empire did not stop there, because with
its delusion, like a web, it has for decades confused everyone it can
reach. Politicians and even entire states, religious figures,
intellectuals and artists, journalists and business people – everywhere
we can see those who have fallen into the web of Moscow's untruth.
How can we resist this? The Lord is setting an example for us: we must fight through the testimony of truth. Evil is called evil,
not an alternative point of view. War is war, not conflict. Rapists,
looters and murderers are criminals, and what they do is genocide of
the Ukrainian people, for which there should be responsibility without
statute of limitations.
Christ came to bear witness to the truth, not to reconcile truth with
untruth. He commanded us to love our enemies – but He did not command us to
love the evil they do, or to close our eyes and look away, by our
inaction giving evil the opportunity to spread.
And of those who see the mission of Christians only in correcting the
consequences of evil, without confronting its true causes, the Saviour
said well: “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot; oh, if you
were cold or hot! But because you are warm and not hot or cold, I will
cast you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3: 15-16).
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, both the present remembrance of
the Lord's entry into Jerusalem and all the trials brought to our home
by the war motivate us to know the truth, to follow the truth, to
witness the truth, to be hot and not warm or even warmer. spiritually
cold. For otherwise darkness will envelop us, untruth will catch us in
its net, evil will poison the soul. But knowing all these tricks, we
will courageously fight temptations – and as Christ overcame evil and
death, so we will be victorious with His help.
17/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of prayers offered during visit to Makarov
We have just offered our prayers to God for victory in this terrible
war. We believe that the Lord supports and helps us. And during this
time, we felt His mercy, despite the fact that we experienced many
sorrows. But we pray that He will give us the strength to continue to
fight and resist the enemy, we pray that the Lord will rest the souls of His resting servants in
the Kingdom of Heaven, those who gave their lives for the faith, for the
will of Ukraine.
It is difficult, of course, but there is consolation in God,
consolation in prayer, so we must continue to pray and become more
spiritually strong and move forward to complete victory in this terrible war on the part of Russia - the aggressor who is trying to
enslave us not only physically, but also spiritually, because the
Church stands in the way of spreading the ideas of the so-called
"Russian measure". But we will fight and become a stronger, united Ukrainian nation,
which will continue to rebuild its independent Ukrainian state on the principles of truth, justice,
democracy, freedom.
15/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of words to members of the territorial defence
Unprincipled evil has come to Ukraine – an insidious enemy who,
justifying himself by completely fictional and absurd reasons, is
committing terrible aggression. Russian invaders spare neither women nor
children, leaving only destruction and death. And it was to prevent them and stop this bloody evil that you joined
the ranks of defenders of the Motherland. So, I wish you courage,
strength and steadfastness, may the Lord bless and preserve each of you.
The whole world was convinced that Ukrainians had taken up arms to
protect their neighbours and their homes. So, our struggle is forced, legal and true. And the Lord sees this and
will certainly help us.
12/04/2022 (Source)
Sermon on fifth Sunday of Lent
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today I came to Chernihiv to share with you the joy of common prayer
and worship. After terrible weeks of siege by Russian troops, daily shelling and
bombing, you have returned to this ancient and glorious city and to
the entire Seversky Krai, if not to final peace – because an
embittered and insidious enemy remains close – then to freedom. Chernihiv paid the terrible price of hundreds of lives taken by
Russian murderers, the price of great destruction and suffering, for
preserving its freedom. But your victory, the victory of the defenders of Chernihiv and its
inhabitants, who bravely defended this princely and Cossack city,
saved many more lives, stopped the onslaught of the enemy horde in its
movement to the capital, broke the Kremlin's plan to quickly destroy
our statehood. The enemy was preparing both Chernihiv and Kyiv, and still prepares
for the whole Ukrainian people the fate of Mariupol, the fate of
Bucha, the fate of Yagidny and Novoselivka and other cities, towns and
villages of our Motherland, where he entered. Seeing the suffering,
destruction, brutal violence and spread of death that Russia brings to
every corner of Ukraine that can still reach, we understand even
better that only the fight against the aggressor, his expulsion from
our land can bring us a just peace.
As a sign that in this struggle with us, with the Ukrainian people, not
only the strength of weapons, not only the courage and sacrifice of our
heroe-defenders, not only the support of all people of good will, but
also the strength and mercy of God, we perceive the signs revealed at
this terrible time here in your city, in this temple. Through the
miraculous preservation of the icons of His Blessed Mother and the
saints, the Lord is a confirmation of what we always believe: He is with us in this struggle, because we fight for truth and
goodness against demonic resentment and tyranny. And if the Lord is
with us, then who can resist Him? Therefore, we believe that our people will overcome all current
challenges and Ukraine will achieve victory.
For this we offer our prayers, for this we fight and work. And may God
bless us all with success!
10/04/2022 (Source)
Sermon on the Feast of the Annunciation
Yesterday I was where hell seems to have opened its doors. Bucha,
Irpin, Gostomel – the suburbs of our Golden-Domed Kyiv, which for many
generations were synonymous with natural beauty and comfort, a place of
rest, a place of comfortable life – have now become a place of horror, full of ruin, pain and signs of
death.
In the midst of all this, the strength of this spiritual struggle is
felt with particular sharpness. Because what you see around you is not only the fruit of the anger of the
Russian barbarians, the dark hordes that came to our peaceful land to
sow destruction and death. What the Russian invaders of Bucha, Gostomel, Borodyanka turned them
into, what the until recently prosperous Mariupol and peaceful
Volnovakha, majestic Kharkiv, ancient Chernihiv, dozens of cities and
hundreds of villages of our Ukraine have been turned and continue to be
transformed into – all these devastation and ruins and all shed torn
lives are a manifestation of demonic resentment.
Our people are not only fighting with the Russian army today for their
will, for their freedom, for their future. This war is part of a greater
struggle – we are fighting demonic evil, the darkness of slavery and
death. And our realization that at the moment of the Annunciation He came
into the world, the One who became the conqueror of the devil, Who
Himself overcame death and gives all who believe in Him the power to
overcome and overcome evil and the head of evil – this realization gives
us the ability to celebrate today.
After all, we know that no matter how powerfully evil manifests itself, it will
surely be defeated by the power of truth and love! Life will defeat
death. Even the dead will be resurrected, because the Lord will
resurrect them, giving them eternal life. Ruin, suffering and pain – although severe and terrible, are
temporary. And the victory that the Son of God gives us when we believe
in Him and follow Him is an eternal victory, it is an infinite life, it
is a joy that no one and nothing can take away.
This is the Good News, the Gospel, which is proclaimed by the very
incarnation, the coming into the world of the God of the Word – this is
the message of victory over evil. And this message gives us the strength
to continue to fight, live, create, resist evil. It gives us strength by
the light of hope, love, good deeds – to drive away the darkness that
the devil and his servants, the invisible and visible servants, bring
into this world.
The Annunciation is only the beginning of salvation. And the liberation
of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions is only the beginning of Ukraine's
victory.
The Son of God, incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, has
passed his way of sacrificial service – and our people still have a way of struggle and trials ahead of them.
That is why we are now praying with special compassion for the places
where this struggle is going on and for those who are fighting evil.
We pray for Mariupol – the city of the Virgin Mary, for its
inhabitants, living and dead, for its courageous defenders, and we wish
them all mercy from God and everything that each of them needs. We ask the Lord to protect and bless the victory of our defenders,
courageous Ukrainian soldiers, so that they can bring peace to Donbas,
Kharkiv and Kherson regions and to all corners of our Motherland as
soon as possible. And we, trusting in God, believe that as the Savior walked the path
of suffering but won, so we, the Ukrainian people, will win. Because our struggle is for truth, freedom, for good, against
tyranny, against delusion and evil. And where there is truth, there is
God and victory.
And may the realization of these truths inspire us in these dark times
to overcome pain, fear, despair and defeat the devil and all his
wiles.
Amen.
07/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of speech to representatives of parishes in Kyiv
Today, Ukraine is defending itself on all fronts from Russian aggression.
Therefore, it is necessary to break all the shackles, including the
spiritual ones, which are connected with the aggressor. Almost every day, communities decide to join the local Ukrainian
Orthodox Church. This process is inevitable. We have an indisputable
canonical right to have our own autocephalous Church in our independent
state. And when Ukrainians continue to belong to the Moscow Patriarchate
this is an anomaly, both according to the canons and the regulations of
Tomos, to the structure, whose bless them to kill.
04/04/2022 (Source)
Sermon on the fourth Sunday of Lent
(…)
our reflections could be completed, if not for the special
circumstances of the time that motivate us to continue. Apparently, the
vast majority of you have already heard and know about yesterday's
announcement, which is undoubtedly joyful for us: thanks to the courageous defenders of Ukraine and with God's help,
the whole Kyiv region was cleansed of the enemy, Russian aggressors
were expelled from it. At the same time, yesterday brought us terrible
news that we are not yet able to fully comprehend – in the liberated
towns and villages of northern Kyiv, Irpen, Bucha, Gostomel and other,
until recently flourishing and cozy corners of our region, were found
the bodies of many victims of Russian violence. The killed civilians
lie near their homes and in mass graves. People with tied hands. Men,
women, children. Those who tried to escape and who remained in their
homes. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of innocent people were tortured
in the weeks of Russian occupation. No military necessity could
motivate this, as the civilians did not pose a threat to the
occupiers.
Mass killings of civilians are a sign of genocide. The Russians did not
come to release the Ukrainians. Everything that can be seen now in Kyiv region, Mariupol, cities and
villages of Chernihiv region, Sumy region, Kharkiv region, Donbass,
southern Ukraine, testifies: the Russian tyrant, people who support him and their army came to our
land to "liberate" Ukraine from Ukrainians. They continue the black,
diabolical work of Tsar Peter's troops, which cut and burned Baturyn.
They are doing the same thing as the Russian-Bolshevik gangs that shed
rivers of blood during the so-called "red terror." They are the
successors of Stalin's crimes, the perpetrators of repression and the
Holodomor genocide, which were planned in the same blood-red Kremlin
to destroy the Ukrainian people.
Therefore, on behalf of millions of our faithful, on behalf of our
suffering people, on behalf of the raped, tortured, shot by Russian
invaders, whose blood cries out to Heaven, we raise our voices again and
again, calling on the international community to do everything
immediately to stop and to punish the tyrant and the state that became
in his hands an instrument of genocide of the Ukrainian people. You
have the power, you have the weapons, you have the moral duty to do
so, to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves – and to protect
you! Protect humanity itself!
In conclusion, I would like to address once again those who,
unfortunately, have not yet understood the truth or do not want to
understand it: the ideology of the "Russian measure" is the same as the ideology of
Nazism. It justifies violence, murder, war and genocide, and must
therefore be rejected and condemned in the same way as condemned
Nazism, its ideologues and its crimes. The co-creators and leaders of
this criminal ideology are the head of the Moscow Patriarchate Kirill
Gundyaev and his associates. Together with his subordinates, he not
only kindled this fire in every possible way, but also openly blessed
the executioners and murderers with false lips on behalf of God and
the Church for their dirty work.
To condemn these crimes, to condemn the violation of human and divine
laws is not just a right, but a moral duty of every person, and
especially of Orthodox Christians. After all, this is not about
discussing the intricacies of canon law, theological controversy or
historical discussions. It is about good and evil as such and about
everyone's own choice: are you with God or with the devil? Kirill Gundyaev has already made
his choice in favor of the affairs of the antichrist. I urge those who
still have him as their shepherd – open your eyes, look at the
poisonous fruits of his teachings, stay away from the lawless, do not
be his accomplices!
Yesterday we prayed for the peace of all who have died, and especially
for the peace of the souls of our fallen defenders and civilians killed
by the Russians. Today, remembering the horrific testimonies of crimes
in Mariupol, Bucha, Irpen and other until recently peaceful parts of
Ukraine, we again ask for the dead Kingdom of Heaven and blessed repose
in the homes of the righteous. Amen.
3/04/2022 (Source)
Sermon on third Sunday of Lent
All these reflections, all these meanings and images that the Church
gives us every year in the middle of the fasting path – because next
week we will have the middle of Lent and time is running fast! – All
this resonates in our hearts with special force now that the war is
going on.
Have we, as a state and a people, done something against Russia that
deserves the cruelty and murder we suffer from the troops of the
neighbouring people? We did not do anything like that, we did not have
any evil plans against our neighbours, we just wanted to live in our
own house as free people. Do our heroic warriors, who are now giving
their lives for Ukraine and its better future, deserve to die? Did the
civilians of Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Bucha and Gostomel, Sumy
and Volnovakha, and tens and hundreds of other towns and villages in
Ukraine, who are now being tortured and killed by Russian aggressors,
sowing destruction and death, do something evil and worthy of
punishment against Moscow? They didn't do anything like that! But they
are suffering. They suffer as the martyrs, persecuted by pagans and
atheists, suffered. Suffering like the Saviour on the cross is
unjust.
Without faith in God, without faith in eternal life, in the victory of
good over evil, such suffering, such injustice is difficult and
impossible to survive without breaking. But our faith in Christ
crucified and risen gives us, gives the Ukrainian people the strength to
overcome these sufferings. We took our cross, we took the common cross
of Ukraine –and we carry it to the Calvary of Suffering to defeat evil
and achieve the Resurrection.
Therefore, our heroes do not die, but go to eternity with glory! Therefore, the
shed blood of the innocent is not in vain, but like the blood of the
martyrs, it gives eternal crowns to those who have not betrayed love
of neighbour. And on the heads of the tormentors this blood gathers, according to
the figurative expression of the Scriptures, like burning coals,
overflowing the cup of the Lord's wrath, which will be poured out on the
wicked.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, although the heavy cross has fallen on us, we must bear it with
dignity, follow Christ – and then we will achieve victory. Spiritual victories and victories over the evil brought to our home by the Russian
aggressor. Victory, the proof of which is that the crucified Christ is
risen. We believe that by the power of God's truth and mercy, by the power
of love, sacrifice and faith of our people, Ukraine, which is still
wounded, tortured and crucified by its enemies, will be
resurrected.
28/3/2022 (Source)
Statement on the 1 month anniversary of the war
Our successful resistance to open Russian aggression has been going on
for a month now. But in fact this is part of a struggle against Russian
imperial tyranny, which began more than a century ago. We are completing the work we started back then - we are creating a
Ukraine free from the shackles of Moscow. Ideological shackles,
political shackles, religious shackles.
(…)
During this month of open aggression, as well as all the previous eight
years of Russia's undeclared war against Ukraine, our Church has constantly emphasized that the truth is on the side of
our people and our state. And where there is truth, there is the Lord.
And where the Lord is, there is victory!
We believe in God, so we believe in victory, we bring it closer to
unity, mutual support, sacrifice, which is manifested in the defence of
the state with weapons in hand and in the service of others. We are also
approaching victory with fervent prayer, which flows every day, every
hour, in our temples, pouring from hundreds of thousands and millions of
hearts to God and the saints. This prayer is for the Ukrainian army and
our state, for those who suffer from the shelling of Russian murderers,
for refugees. Our prayer is for victory and a just peace for Ukraine.
Our prayer is for eternal peace in the Kingdom of Heaven for the souls
of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians whose lives were taken by Russian
assassins.
Our prayer is also for the unity of the Orthodox Church. I reiterate the call of the Holy Synod to the brothers and sisters
who are still subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate: let us unite
around Kyiv, let us unite in the Local Orthodox Church of Ukraine!
Don't wait until you are given permission or instruction from Moscow -
the missiles and bombs that the Russian military is now dropping on
you with the deceptive blessing of Russian Orthodox Church leader
Kirill are already the answer to the "Russian measure." This answer is
your shelled, burned, destroyed temples. This answer is Kirill's
silence on the crimes of the Russian army in Mariupol, Kharkiv,
Chernihiv, and dozens of other cities and villages in Ukraine.
Dozens of communities, a number of monasteries in different regions of
Ukraine have already voluntarily and consciously fulfilled their
canonical duty and followed the Thomos of autocephaly. Make your choice
in favour of the Church and Ukraine, in favour of the truth. The doors
of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and our hearts are open to all of
you!
Dear brothers and sisters! Morally, the Ukrainians have already won. And thanks to the
indomitable spirit and support of the free world, we will expel the
enemy from our land. I call on the courageous Ukrainian army, on the President and the
government, on the state and local authorities, on all the heroic
Ukrainian people, God's blessing!
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
24/3/2022 (Source)
Sermon on the Second Sunday of Lent
What is happening now in Ukraine is not just a war, an armed conflict
between the two countries, as outsiders sometimes think. Here is the
struggle of darkness against light, death – with life, slavery – against
freedom. Russia as a state became the personification of darkness, the
empire of evil, the tyranny of slavery. And the proof of this is the
destruction and murder that Russia has brought to us. Is there light in
these works? Are all the words with which Russia justifies its crimes
true? No.
And from this we can be convinced once again that the evil planned by
Moscow will not succeed. For the Russian state and the Russian army do not receive blessings,
but the curses and condemnations that the Lord promises for the
servants of the devil. Condemnation and curse, merciless punishment from the Almighty await
murderers and murderers, because they love evil and darkness.
We, dear brothers and sisters, must take care to preserve and multiply the light of truth, love, mercy and goodness.
Because that's the only way we can win this war. And I believe that
with God's blessing and help we will win.
20/03/2022 (Source)
Sermon on 19 March
Dear brothers and sisters!
In these dark and terrible times of war, when death is literally at
hand, when we do not know from the beginning whether a Russian bullet,
bomb, rocket will take our lives or the lives of our neighbours – we
will overcome this fear by understanding God's victory over death. For,
in fact, death should be terrible only for sinners, for criminals, for
murderers.
After all, for those who believe in God and live by keeping His
commandments, who sacrifice themselves for the sake of others, after
death comes blissful eternal peace. But for criminals and murderers, death opens the door to hell, to
condemnation and eternal torment.
So today we offer prayers for the peace of souls of all those who gave
their lives defending Ukraine from enemies, for the eternal and
blissful peace of all civilians who died in the Russian shelling. May our faith help us to overcome the natural grief of loss, and may
the fervent prayer for the dead be for their benefit and for our
benefit, soothing our pain and healing our emotional wounds.
May the Kingdom of Heaven, forgiveness of sins of free and unfree and
blissful eternal life be given by the Lord to all our fallen soldiers
who gave their lives for Ukraine and for their neighbours, all civilians
who died at the hands of foreigners and all those we remember in prayer
today!
19/03/2022 (Source)
Dear brothers and sisters! Ukrainian people!
Our successful resistance to Russian aggression has been going on for
three weeks now. Resistance with weapons in hand at the front and work in the rear.
Resistance through volunteer help and information work. Opposition on
the diplomatic front and through rallies and loyalty to Ukraine in the
temporarily occupied territories. Resistance to evil through faith and
prayer.
For our freedom and a dignified future, we pay a very high price every
day – the price of human lives. At the front for Ukraine, our newest heroe-defenders are sacrificing
themselves. In Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, in the cities and villages of the north,
east, and south of Ukraine, civilians are subjected to barbaric attacks,
bombings, and shelling on a daily basis.
It is impossible to see and hear, without tears and heartache, what a
hell Russian troops have turned the lives of civilians in these besieged
or partially occupied cities.
Every day we pray for the salvation and protection of our brothers and sisters
at the hands of murderers. This prayer, the prayer for the Ukrainian army, for the state, for
victory, is constantly heard here, in the St. Michael's Golden-Domed
Monastery, the spiritual center of our Local Church. It is heard in
thousands of churches, in millions of hearts in Ukraine and around the
world. And we believe that with God's help, thanks to our joint efforts, every
hour of the fight against evil brings us closer to the much-desired
victory and peace.
Dear brothers and sisters!
Undoubtedly, it is difficult to bear the tension and fear of these dark
times, especially for those who really stand between life and death
every day. But in spite of everything, we must preserve our common
heritage, which has already surprised the world – our unity, mutual
support, mercy and sacrifice for each other.
From the beginning, the enemy hoped for divisions and disputes among
Ukrainians, hoping that we would not be able to stand together against
the aggressor. As in many other calculations, Russia was very wrong.
So let us keep in the future what gives us strength and despite all the
difficulties will lead to victory: faith in God, steadfastness of
spirit, unity in love for Ukraine and neighbors.
May the Lord bless us all on this path of struggle for truth and
freedom!
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
16/03/2022 (Source)
Sermon on Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy
(…)
From these words of Scripture, we can once again be convinced that
history - not only the past but also the present, the time in which we
live - has not only a human, visible dimension, but also a spiritual,
eternal meaning. The struggle against enemies, wars, armed resistance to the invasion
of foreigners existed both in ancient times and now, and is an
important struggle between good and evil, the struggle against sinful
darkness, against the power of the devil in this world.
In the words of the Scriptures we have heard, Moses, Gideon, and David
are mentioned - those who stood up against an enemy much stronger than
them. Against the enemy, which in human reason was difficult to defeat, because
he was numerous, strong, armed and powerful. All this the Old Testament
righteous opposed the power of faith in God - and with the help of the
Lord achieved victory over the enemy.
We must understand that in the war that our people are waging against
the invaders, we are resisting not only the Russian army. As in biblical times, now on our earth there is also a struggle between
good and evil, truth and untruth, love and murder.
We know well from the Scriptures that the signs of man's subordination
to the devil are untruth and murder. To those who have committed such sins, the Savior Himself says, “Your
father is the devil; and you want to fulfill the lusts of your father. He
has been a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of himself: for he is a liar, and
the father of it” (John 8:44). Taking these biblical signs and applying them to the present day, we
can clearly see that the enemies who came to our land with the war are
quite consistent with them.
After all, the very reason for the attack on Ukraine is false, and the lie
justifies the continuation of this aggression. The consequence of such a great lie is cruelty, ruthlessness, murder,
which we see in the actions of the Russian occupiers. Under the slogans
of defending the faith - they destroy temples, kill priests and the
faithful. Under the guise of caring for human rights, they create
intolerable living conditions, destroy cities and villages, ruthlessly
torture people and kill them without guilt. Speaking of the desire for
peace, more and more people are fomenting war.
What can we oppose to the devil, how can we defeat his
servants? The word of Scripture that we hear today gives us the answer: we can overcome through faith in God, by opposing sin to virtue.
After all, faith in God gives us the same power that Moses directed
against Pharaoh and all his power, freeing his people from
slavery. Faith helps us to overcome the enemy, just as it helped Gideon with only
three hundred soldiers to defeat the Midianite army of many thousands.
Just as young David defeated the giant Goliath by virtue of his faith,
which freed the people of Israel from Philistine rule, so we, having faith, can drive the Russian aggressors out of our
land.
What virtues should we show especially in this dark time for
humanity? Love, mercy, sacrifice, steadfastness in truth - these are the virtues
that oppose the lies, greed, cruelty and selfishness of the servants of
the devil. And in the various manifestations of virtue we see the triumph of our
faith, which is embodied in concrete good deeds.
Every year, dear brothers and sisters, on this first Sunday of Lent, we
traditionally commemorate the historical events of the victory of the
true faith over heretical falsehood, especially honoring the ascetics,
preachers and defenders of the truth. Today, not forgetting the events of the past, we are more focused on the
present, on the struggle against sin and injustice that gave rise to and
nourishes the Russian war with Ukraine. That is why instead of the traditional prayer of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, today we
offer prayers with special feelings for the Ukrainian soldiers, for our
native state, its protection and victory over the invaders. We offer
prayers for all those who suffer from barbaric attacks by the enemy of
our cities and villages, who need salvation and care. We also pray for
the peace of the souls of our fallen defenders and civilians, that the
Lord may settle them in His Kingdom.
In these prayers and deeds of love, sacrifice and charity, the triumph
of true faith is for us right now. Faith in God, in whom, like Moses, Gideon, David, and other righteous
people, we place our hope, to whom we turn with tears and tenderness of
heart: protect all those who need Your care today. We believe that just as in ancient times You, Lord, strengthened your people in the
fight against oppressors, so today you will help us to protect Ukraine
from the invasion of foreigners.
13/03/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Prayer for liberation from the invasion of foreigners
Lord God of strength, God of our salvation, You alone work
miracles. Look in mercy and compassion on the humility of Your servants and listen
to us humanely and have mercy on us: for our enemies have gathered against us to destroy us and destroy our
state and our sanctuary. Help us, God our Saviour, and deliver us for the glory of Your name,
and may the words spoken by Moses come true for us: be of good cheer,
stand fast and see salvation from the Lord, for the Lord is fighting
for us.
Yes, Lord God our Saviour, do not remember the iniquities and
iniquities of Your people and do not turn away from us with Your wrath,
but in mercy and mercy visit Your humble servants who belong to You:
stand to our aid and give to our army with Him to win over
you. Destroy the intentions and unjust courage of those who go to war
against us.
We pray to You, Lord of our peace and tranquillity, that as the smoke disappears, so may our enemies disappear, and as the
dust falls from the face of the wind, so may their evil thoughts
dissipate from our Ukrainian state. O Lord, keep quiet those who oppose Your commandments and
ordinances. Restore to them the memory of Your commandment: Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. And for those who oppose this commandment of yours, send wrath, sorrow
and angels of fury, who will instil in them fear and memory of what they call themselves Christians.
May the Lord be Your will over us, and if Your Providence is such as to
lay down our lives of our soldiers in the battle for Faith and Ukraine,
forgive them their sins, and on the day of Your righteous Judgment give
them the crown of immortality. But we believe and pray to You, Most Gifted Lord, that You will protect,
calm down and warn and bring everyone to peace.
For You are the protection and the victory and the salvation of those
who hope in You, and we send glory to You, Father, and Son, and Holy
Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen!
Prayer for warriors and those who suffer from war
God the Great, God Almighty! We, Your
sinful children, come to You in humility of our hearts and bow our heads.
Father! Forgive our guilt and the guilt of our parents, grandparents and
great-grandparents. Accept today, we beseech You, our sincere prayer and
our gratitude for Your infinite mercy to us. Hear our prayers and accept
the prayers of our hearts. Bless our Motherland Ukraine, victory over the enemy, give her destiny
and happiness. Merciful Lord, grant Your mercy to all who turn to You with
supplication. We pray to You, God, for the Soldiers and Defenders, for our brothers
and sisters, for the widows, for the orphans, for the crippled and the
weak, for those who are in occupation and captivity, for those who are
in difficult circumstances, for refugees and for all those who need Your
mercy and help. Unite us all into one great family of Christ, that all the people of
Ukraine may glorify Your majestic name with our unity and victories
always, and now, and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
13/03/2022 (Source)
Dear brothers and sisters, Ukrainian people!
Our resistance to the enemy has been going on for fifteen
days. Thanks to the courage of our defenders, our unity and mutual support,
thanks to the help of our allies and people of good will around the
world, Ukraine has already morally defeated the aggressor.
Because only those who have a stony heart and have lost their conscience can
find excuses for Russia's barbaric bombing of Ukrainian towns and
villages, for the conscious war crimes committed by the aggressor.
Such a crime against humanity is all that the enemy is doing to
Mariupol now. Yesterday's bombing of the maternity hospital was an abyss of murder
and cynicism, which terrified the whole world. The deliberate destruction of the infrastructure of a large city,
bringing its population to unbearable conditions of survival – for all
this, Russian criminals will inevitably be punished by human law and the
law of God.
I ask the world community to do everything possible immediately to stop
the Russian terror against the inhabitants of Mariupol, Kharkiv,
Chernihiv, and other cities and villages of Ukraine! And I ask Christians and all people of good will to pray for those who
now especially need God's protection and help.
Dear brothers and sisters!
In the conditions of war, the question of how to combine God's
commandment "Thou shalt not kill" with the armed resistance of the enemy
is especially acute. An explanation can be found in the Epistle of the
Apostle Paul to the Romans: “If you do evil, fear [the one who bears the
sword], for it is not in vain that he bears the sword; he is a servant
of God, an avenger to punish those who do evil” (Rom. 13: 4).
Therefore, the use of weapons to protect our neighbours and the Motherland
from the enemy, to protect against the destruction and evil that the
aggressor brings to our common home, is not a violation of God's will,
but on the contrary – its implementation. Witnessing this truth, the Church sincerely and again sincerely blesses
the Ukrainian army and all our people for the resistance of the enemy and
prays for victory and peace for Ukraine!
In times of severe suffering of the people, every citizen of our state
must be aware of his personal responsibility for bringing peace.
And if Ukraine calls for its defence, responding to this call is not only
a civic but also a Christian duty. With weapons in hand at the front or work in the rear, decent
performance of official duties or volunteer assistance to the victims –
everyone must now make efforts to defend Ukraine. And all the faithful
must also pray – for the Ukrainian army, for the civilians who suffer
from the aggressor, for victory and peace for Ukraine! For prayer,
according to the Scriptures, is a powerful weapon against the devil and
his servants, and for the faithful – help and inspiration.
I call on our defenders, on the President and the state, on all the
Ukrainian people, God's blessing!
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
10/3/2022 (Source)
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
My appeal today is dedicated to the bleeding, painful and severe wound
on the body of our Nation – the peaceful population, which is suffering
due to the Russian aggression.
Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel and many other cities and
villages in the Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donets and Luhansk oblasts, in
Kherson, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv and other regions of Ukraine, are under the
barbaric daily attack of the Russian armed forces. They are utilizing rocket and bomb attacks from the air as well as
conventional artillery.
The enemy is intentionally ruining the infrastructure, destroying
civilian dwellings and is killing and terrorizing the peaceful
population. Recent announcements and agreements have only today begun to allow
for so-called “green corridors” in certain cities to allow for the
movement of refugees and allow the delivery of products, medicine and
water.
Especially awful is the situation in Mariupol, which is blocked by
Russian forces.
I understand that there is no practical sense in addressing the Russian
occupiers, so I only wish to inform them, for all of the spilled blood,
for the suffering and tears, for the ruined lives, each of them will
personally have to answer before God and will receive as promised by
God, no mercy and eternal suffering for their crimes and unmerciful
actions.
So today, I am reaching out to our international circle of
friends: the Ukrainian people would like to understand, why is there a system
of international law, why do the United Nations, Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe exist, why are the words “Never
Again” reiterated every May 8th? Today the legal forms are being trampled, Russia is intentionally
mocking the mechanisms of the U.N. and OSCE, and all that we have read
and heard from the witnesses of World War II in Europe is occurring
again.
Therefore, I on behalf of the thousands of people living in Mariupol,
Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Hostomel, Irpin, Bucha and others, who are continue
to be murdered by Russian armed forces, am raising my voice and I call upon all nations and international institutions to: TAKE
ACTION! Take action so that Russia immediately stops the barbaric ruination of
Ukrainian cities, villages and their population.
With pain in my heart, I raise prayers for the casualties of Russian national terrorism, I ask that God, His Mother the Virgin Mary and all the saints,
provide them help, protection and defence. I pray for the souls of the innocent who have perished. I ask that all
people of good will join in these prayers.
Let Almighty God, as The Righteous Judge, look at the suffering
Ukrainian Nation and bring his judgement on the unmerciful
murderers! Let the anger of God and inescapable retribution that is promised to
these lost souls be upon them!
I wish the Ukrainian armed forces, The President our Nation and all of
its people, with the help of God, to reach victory over the aggressor
and true peace.
O Great God Eternal! For us Ukraine do protect!
08/03/2022 (Source)
Statement of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine
In course of Russian aggression against Ukraine the aggressor’s
shelling aim at, alongside with peaceful infrastructure and residential
buildings, the temples. Even the greatest spiritual sanctuary, the St
Sophia Cathedral, appears under the threat of attack. From the whole
Ukraine we receive the reports of hitting the churches, even those,
where the refugees found shelter.
As a Primate, I appeal to the Russian murderers: do not aggravate
your crimes with destroying the sanctuaries, especially as you
hypocritically justify yourself with “defending the Church”.
I appeal to the international community and especially to the religious
leaders: raise your voice in opposing this crime of Russia. With the
word and the deed do all the possible to stop the shelling and
bombardments.
I appeal especially to the leaders of the Moscow Patriarchate in
Ukraine: do you not see how the cities and towns in Northern, East,
and Southern Ukraine are being shelled, and the blasts kill, among
others, those who see you as their shepherds? Demand loudly from
Russia, from the Patriarch of Moscow to stop these barbaric shelling!
Do not hide behind general wishes of peace, but tell the Truth, as Our
Lord bequeathed.
I want once again to join my voice to millions of voices of the
Ukrainians, appealing to the free world: close the sky over Ukraine! Putin thinks anyway that he wages the war “with America and NATO”
on our soil. The Russian dictator already is at war with you, has already attacked
you. Thus, defending Ukraine, our people, children, our homes and
temples, you defend yourselves.
06/3/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Excerpt of primate’s sermon on Forgiveness Sunday
If in recent years such reflections during Lent were spiritual and
allegorical for us, today we, the entire Ukrainian people, literally
suffer every hour in the terrible realities of war. These sufferings are
innocent. The Ukrainian people have not done any harm to Russia, which
has attacked and tortured, whipped and crucified us. Therefore, what we are suffering now is, from a spiritual point
of view, compassion for Christ, that is, innocent suffering.
These sufferings are difficult, but among them let us be comforted by
the realization that our innocent sufferings will inevitably be crowned with victory and
eternal glory, just as the sufferings of Christ were crowned with
them. The Saviour was shamed and crucified on the cross - but He rose from
the dead and defeated evil. We are suffering in the same way now, but with God's help we will
win. And Ukraine, which is now being crucified by the Russian
occupiers, will be resurrected.
Therefore, now, on the path of Lent, amid the grief and torment of the
war imposed on us by Russia, we must strengthen our resolve and be
inspired by the awareness of the inevitability of the victory of truth, goodness and light. We are now suffering innocently as our Saviour, but we will soon be
glorified as victors, as our Lord is risen and glorified.
However, until this blessed time comes, we must work spiritually and
physically. During the liturgy, I have already drawn your attention to
the peculiarities of the current fast, when sacrifice, mutual aid, and charity for others will indeed be a
greater feat than restrictions on food. So where possible, let us fast
according to tradition, and where it is impossible, let sacrificial
service to our neighbours be our fasting feat.
06/03/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Dear brothers and sisters!
Our courageous resistance to Russian aggression has been going on for
ten days now. The enemy cannot understand why the Ukrainian people are
so resisting.
The answer is very simple: because we know our own history. Now our
suffering is measured in hours and days. Under the yoke of Kremlin
tyranny, the Ukrainian people have lived for decades at the cost of
millions tortured by hunger and repression. Therefore, we have no choice
but to fight. After all, this is a struggle for freedom, for the future,
for the opportunity for us and for new generations to live in our own
free state.
And now I want to address our Orthodox fellow believers from the Moscow
Patriarchate.
Dear bishops, fathers, brothers and sisters! You, like all of us,
suffer from the Russian invasion. Every Russian bomb, rocket, and shell on Ukrainian soil finally kills
the myths of "Holy Russia" and the "Triune People."
Many of you are already thinking about the fact that it is no longer
possible to be under the jurisdiction of the Russian patriarch. You have
always declared your devotion to the canons, and the canons stipulate that there should be a single Local Church in
Ukraine. We urge you to take the canonical path – the path of unity.
We understand that for many it will not be easy to follow this
path. Therefore, I suggest: those who are ready and willing to join the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine – our doors and our hearts are open to you!
Both individual communities and entire dioceses can do this, become part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Those who are not ready for such a step can show their good
intentions to serve together with us, as is customary among the clergy
of different jurisdictions, such as in the diaspora. Who can not dare to do so – at least declare publicly a demand to your leadership not just to
stop mentioning the name of the Moscow Patriarch, but to have full
independence from Moscow with the earliest changes to the Statute.
"Russian Peace" has brought terrible grief to our land, so it is
necessary to break forever with this bloody chauvinistic ideology.
To the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and to our
supporters, I would like to renew my request, expressed earlier: do not
succumb to emotions, give our brothers the opportunity to walk the path
to unity. We need a truly conscious unity, because only then will it be
true and strong.
Today I offer my prayers for the Ukrainian soldiers, for the President
and the state, for all of you and I call on the Lord's blessing!
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
05/03/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Dear brothers and sisters!
Ukraine's resistance to Russian aggression has been going on for a week
now, although every hour of this time seems like a long time to
many. Russia continues to act as a terrorist, attacking our cities,
shelling civilians, destroying public infrastructure.
Our struggle against the enemy is difficult, but we believe in our victory, because the truth and God's help are on
our side. Evidence of this assistance is the destruction of the enemy's plan to
achieve the goal in a few days of rapid progress – to destroy the
statehood of Ukraine.
That is why the aggressor is looking for new reserves for the invasion,
inclining Belarus to crime. I appeal to the Belarusians, our neighbours – you know what it's like
to live under a dictatorship, you protested against it. They want to
bring the same, even worse, dictatorship to us in Ukraine. Fight with
all your might to ensure that your country is not involved in vile and
criminal Russian aggression, and that your soldiers are sent to their
death for Putin's imperial fantasies.
As hierarch and Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, I would also like to warn every Ukrainian citizen who hopes to gain
power and positions in occupied Ukraine from bloody Russian hands:
eternal shame and curses will fall on you from people and from God as
those who fell on the traitor Judas. Hell will be prepared for you
together with Judas.
Dear brothers and sisters!
The suffering caused by the war, the tension from numerous
announcements about the air attack, concern for the future, for family
and friends – all this cannot help but be depressing. Fear and anxiety turn into the temptation to pour out emotions,
anger, condemnation of those around. Fight it! Do not let darkness
take over your heart.
The best way to do this is to pray. A sincere appeal to God calms the
soul, gives purification and strengthens resolve. Read the prayers from
the Prayer Book, read the book of Psalms from the Bible, pray in your
own words – the most important are the sincerity and feelings with which
you speak to God.
Today I had the joy of praying in St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral
for our defenders, for the President and for all our people. Also at
noon, representatives of the entire religious community of Ukraine,
united in the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches, gathered for prayer in
St. Sophia.
Today I received a letter of condolences and support from the Primate
of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Jerome of Athens. He condemns the
Russian aggression against Ukraine and assures prayer and humanitarian
aid provided by the Greek Church. We are sincerely grateful to our
brothers for this.
In conclusion, I would like to mention once again our sanctuary, St.
Sophia, which, as you know, is also under threat of Russian attack. A
symbolic event took place today: a cross was erected on the
south-eastern dome of the cathedral, which had previously fallen during
the storm. I believe that the integrity of our state will be restored as
this cross. By joint efforts we will achieve, with God's help, victory
over the aggressor.
To fight for this, I call on the Lord's blessing and help on all of
you!
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
2/3/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Dear brothers and sisters!
On the fourth day, our heroic people are defending themselves from
the attack of Russia, which throws its soldiers and weapons at our villages and cities, strikes us
with artillery. Ukraine withstands this frantic blow thanks to
its well-trained military, proper leadership, and the help of
allies, but the main reason is an indomitable, and therefore
invincible spirit.
The spirit of love for the Motherland, for freedom, for
neighbour. This spirit of love and truth, which are on our side, testify that
with God's help we will achieve victory. Every hour of resistance
to aggression brings us closer to this.
We pray and act – each in his own place, in the way
that is possible in specific circumstances. And every hour of our resistance
inspires more and more people around the world to support
Ukraine. Tens and hundreds of thousands gather in the squares
of the world's capitals and rallies in support. Our blue and
yellow flag of freedom has become a symbol of resistance to tyranny,
and the slogan "Glory to Ukraine!" does not require
translation.
Among the calls for an immediate end to Russia's aggression against
Ukraine is the voice of my brothers, the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches. I
thank Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Romanian Patriarch Daniel,
Georgian Patriarch Elijah, Archbishop Jerome of Athens and all my hierarchical
brothers, clergy, faithful, Christians and all people of good will
for praying and supporting the world.
Today, the Russian president ordered the increase of the level of
readiness of nuclear weapons. Is this not confirmation of a
fact that the head of our state Volodymyr Zelensky and many others
have said from the beginning: not only is Ukraine in danger, the
whole world is in danger. The spirit of the antichrist operates in the leader of Russia, the signs of which are revealed to us in Scriptures:
pride, devotion to evil, ruthlessness, false
religiosity. This was Hitler during World War II. This
is what Putin has become today.
Therefore, the task not only of our country, but of all countries of the world, of all people of good will, is to stop Putin now. Act, and act
immediately. I urge world leaders to do so!
Separately, I would like to address our faithful and fellow
citizens. Interfaith peace is one of the main achievements of independent
Ukraine. The feelings that are now evoked in the souls of Ukrainians by
the name "Moscow" are quite understandable. But I beg you – do not succumb to
anger, especially the provocations of the enemy. If you know specific true information about someone's help
to the aggressor, provide it to law enforcement or the
military. But I already see and know about many clergy and faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate that have reconsidered their attitude to the
leadership in Russia and stand by everyone in defense of
Ukraine.
Therefore, we will postpone all issues of achieving understanding and church
unity in Ukraine until victory. I am convinced that many hierarchs, priests, and laity of the
Moscow Patriarchate are already asking themselves about their future, which they do not associate with the discredited Patriarch
Kirill. I hope that in fraternal communication, as Orthodox
believers and children of one nation, we will find a solution to disputes. But now let's postpone them
all, because nothing is worth more today than the victory of Ukraine!
We pray to Almighty God and ask Him, the Blessed Virgin and
all the saints for help, protection, defense, strength, courage and most
importantly – victory and peace.
I call on the defenders of Ukraine and on all our people God's
blessing!
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
27/2/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Despite the long, sincere, persistent efforts of Ukraine and the entire international community, there was an unprovoked, insidious, cynical attack by Russia and Belarus on Ukraine.
Our common task is to repel the enemy, to protect our homeland, our
future and the future of new generations from the tyranny that the
aggressor seeks to bring on his bayonets.
The truth is on our side. Therefore, the
enemy, with God's help and with the support of the entire civilized
world, will be defeated.
Our task now is to unite, to withstand the first blow, not to
panic. We believe in God's providence and the victory of truth. We trust our
Armed Forces, our defenders. We pray with all those who are at the
forefront of the fight against the aggressor.
It is extremely important not to succumb to possible internal
provocations, to maintain order, to carry out orders of the state and
military authorities of Ukraine.
Wherever possible, I ask the clergy and the faithful to regularly offer
their prayers for Ukraine, for victory, for our soldiers. I bless you to read the Akathist to the Intercession of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and other relevant prayer requests.
I appeal to the international community, to all the world's religious
leaders, to support Ukraine, to force Russia and Belarus to stop the aggression immediately. I ask all people of good will to do this.
Those who have started and are waging an aggressive war against Ukraine
should know that according to God's law and human laws, they are
murderers and criminals. And they will answer for their crime
before the Most High and before mankind, without escaping condemnation and
punishment.
Dear brothers and sisters!
As Primate, I am with you, performing my duties. As events unfold, I will keep you informed.
"Do not be afraid, stand still - and you will see the Lord's salvation
that He will create for you today […]; The Lord will fight for you, and
you will be calm ”(Exodus 14: 13-14).
Ukrainians are a peaceful people, but strong in spirit and
faith. We believe that the violence and weapons that are being unlawfully
directed against us today will turn into the wrath of God and the sword
against the aggressor. For all criminal intentions are known to God, as it is said: “Consider
plans, but they are destroyed; speak the word, but it will not come to
pass: for God is with us. (Isa. 8:10). Let the words of the Savior be
fulfilled in the instigators of war and invaders: "All they that take the
sword shall perish by the sword" (Matt. 26:52).
With prayer on our lips, with love for God, for Ukraine, for our
neighbours, we fight against evil - and we will see victory.
I invoke upon the Ukrainian state, on the soldiers who defend Ukraine,
and on all our people, God's blessing!
God the Great, the One, save Ukraine for us!
24-2-2024 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Appeal to the Head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill
Bishop!
For the fourth day, the unprovoked full-scale aggression of Russia, the
state whose Orthodox Church you lead, against Ukraine continues. As a
result of the war unleashed by the leadership of your country, millions of
people are suffering, hundreds of thousands of children, women, and the
elderly have been forced to seek a safer place, thus leaving their homes.
Every day, our fellow citizens are forced to shelter for hours during the
shelling of our cities by Russian troops. Soldiers and civilians are
dying.
Unfortunately, it has become clear from your previous public statements
that maintaining the goodwill of Putin and the leadership of the Russian
Federation is much more important to you than caring for the people in
Ukraine, some of whom considered you their shepherd before the war.
Therefore, it hardly makes sense to ask you to do something effective to
stop Russia’s aggression against Ukraine immediately.
However, I still remain hopeful that at least in relation to your own
fellow citizens, most of whom are Orthodox Christians, your flock, you
will find the spiritual strength to show humanity and care.
We are talking about more than three thousand dead Russian servicemen,
whose bodies are on the soil of Ukraine. The leadership of our country has already appealed to the International
Red Cross to facilitate the return of the bodies of the Russian military
to their homeland, so that relatives and friends can say goodbye to them
and give them burial. Unfortunately, no response has been received from
the Russian side so far.
Therefore, I appeal to you, as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church,
to please show mercy to your fellow citizens and flock. If you cannot
raise your voice against aggression, at least take the bodies of Russian
soldiers whose lives have become the price for the ideas of the “Russian
world” – yours and your president.
May the Lord give you spiritual strength at least for this, especially
today, on Sunday that commemorates the Last Judgment!
27/2/2022 (Source)
Statement
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has repeatedly
and clearly emphasized its complete and unquestionable support for the
sovereignty and integrity of the Ukrainian state.
The actions of individual representatives of
the clergy, which do not correspond to the official position of the Church, are
a manifestation of their personal political choice, for which they bear full
responsibility as citizens of Ukraine.
The Church calls on its flock to help the
Motherland to maintain peace in all its territories by prayer and good deeds,
strongly condemning the aggression of the Russian army towards the Ukrainian
people.
30/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
We pray that the Lord will fill the hearts of
all people with love, and especially those who today kill our people, destroy
our cities, villages, so that they remember that God did not put us on earth to
kill each other, to take something from each other that we like, and in order
for us to live in peace, in love for God and for each other.
25/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt
of sermon
May
the prayers of Saint Theodosius and all the Pechersk fathers, whose memory we
celebrate today, help us overcome all the trials in this earthly life, so that
the Lord may send peace to our land, so that people will come to their senses
and stop killing each other, may the Lord send us all that is needed to overcome all the trials,
all the temptations that a person encounters in his earthly life, so that we
may reach a blessed life in Heaven together with the saints, glorifying the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
10/09/2022
(Source)
Excerpt from a sermon
Today, dear brothers and sisters, we ask the
Mother of God in front of Her Pochaiv Icon to protect our land from war, from
the fact that blood is spilled on our land, so that She will protect us from
every enemy, so that no one encroaches on our people, on our land, so that we
can live in spiritual freedom, glorifying God with our lives, with our mouths,
with our souls, with our minds, so that the blessing of God is upon us and that
it helps us, strengthens us on the way of our earthly journey.
05/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from sermon on the anniversary of the
baptism of Ukraine
Many tens of thousands of people came to
Christ. From wicked people they became pious, from corruptible people they became
bright, from cruel people they became good.
(…)
Saint Volodymyr himself before Baptism was
quite a tough person, warlike, licentious, as it was established in paganism,
but when he was baptized, he changed – he became completely good, kind, bright,
and they began to call him "krasne sonechko" (beautiful sun).
(…)
We, dear brothers and sisters, are also
celebrating a state holiday today – Statehood Day, because Prince Volodymyr
founded such a great state, which was called Kyivan Rus. Today, Russia's
successor is Ukraine.
(…)
We pray to the holy Prince Volodymyr to bless
our land, to bless our people, to stop the bloodshed that is on our land with
his prayers.
28/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from Sunday Sermon
Peaceful people who are generally not guilty of anything die - this is
the greatest sorrow that oppresses not only me, but all of you today. We
pray that the Lord will warn those who attack, that the Lord will warn
them, because war is not what God blesses. My greatest wish is to end
the bloody war.
25/06/2022 (Source)
Resolutions of the Council held on May 27
The Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (hereinafter - the
Council), held on May 27, 2022 in Kyiv, considered issues of church life that
arose as a result of the military aggression of the Russian Federation
against Ukraine. Based on the results of the work, the Council approved the
following:
1 - The Council condemns war as a violation of God's commandment
"Thou shalt not kill!" (Exodus 20:13) and expresses condolences to all those who
suffered in the war.
2 - The Council appeals to the authorities of Ukraine and the authorities of the
Russian Federation to continue the negotiation process and search for a strong and sensible word that could stop the
bloodshed.
3 - We disagree with the position of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and
All Russia on the war in Ukraine.
4 - The Council adopted appropriate amendments to the Statute on the
Administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which testify to the
full independence and autonomy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
5 - The Council approves the resolutions of the Councils of Bishops of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the decisions of the Holy Synods of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which met after the last Council of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (July 8, 2011). The Council approves the
activities of the Department of Affairs and Synodal Institutions of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
6 - The Council was considering the restoration of peace-making in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
7 - During the period of martial law, when the relations between the
dioceses and the ecclesiastical center are complicated or absent, the
Council considers it expedient to give eparchial bishops the right to
decide on certain issues of eparchial life within the competence of the
Holy Synod or the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. further,
while restoring opportunities, informing the clergy.
8 - Recently, a new pastoral challenge has been particularly acute for
our Church. During the three months of the war, more than 6 million
Ukrainian citizens were forced to go abroad. Mostly Ukrainians from
the southern, eastern and central regions of Ukraine. Many of them
are faithful to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. That is why the Kyiv
Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church receives appeals from
various countries with a request to open Ukrainian Orthodox
parishes. It is obvious that many of our compatriots will return to
their homeland, but many will stay for permanent residence
abroad. In this regard, the Council expresses its deep conviction
that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church cannot leave its faithful without
spiritual care, must be with them in their trials and organize church
communities in the diaspora.
9 - Aware of the special responsibility before God, the Council expresses its deep regret over the lack of unity in
Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The Council perceives the existence of a
schism as a deep painful wound on the church body. It is
especially unfortunate that the recent actions of the Patriarch of
Constantinople in Ukraine, which resulted in the formation of the
"Orthodox Church of Ukraine", only deepened misunderstandings and led
to physical confrontation. But even in such crisis situations, the Council does not lose
hope of resuming dialogue. In order for the dialogue to take place,
the PCU representatives need to:
- to stop the seizure of churches and forced transfers of parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
- to realize that their canonical status, as enshrined in the "Statute of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine", is in fact non-autocephalous and significantly inferior to the freedoms and opportunities in the implementation of church activities provided by the Statute of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
- to resolve the issue of canonicity of the hierarchy of the PCU, because for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as for most Local Orthodox Churches, it is quite obvious that to recognize the canonicity of the hierarchy of the PCU it is necessary to restore the apostolic succession of its bishops.
The Council expresses its deep conviction that the key to the success
of the dialogue must be not only the desire to restore church unity, but
also the sincere desire to build one's life on the principles of
Christian conscience and moral purity.
Summing up the results of the work done, the Council offers a prayer of
thanksgiving to the Merciful Lord for the opportunity for fraternal
communication and expresses hope for an end to the war and
reconciliation of enemies. According to the Holy Apostle and
Evangelist John the Theologian, may "grace, mercy and peace from God the
Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son the Father, in truth and
love" be with all of us, especially brothers and sisters in the Risen
Christ. 1: 3).
27/05/2022 (Source)
Statement of the Holy Synod, of May 12, 2022
For almost three months now, the Ukrainian people have been courageously defending themselves
against a military attack by the Russian Federation, which has invaded
the territory of our sovereign and independent state. Every day, this brutal war takes the lives of Ukraine's sons and
daughters. The flames of war pierced the heart of every citizen,
thousands of families felt the burning pain of this terrible
tragedy. More than five and a half million Ukrainians have been
forced to become migrants.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church immediately condemned the Russian
Federation's military aggression against Ukraine and insisted that war
was a great sin. That is why our Church has repeatedly called for
an end to the bloodshed and, by starting the negotiation process, to
resolve the conflict with words, not weapons. Unfortunately,
attempts at peace talks did not yield the desired result. On the
contrary, today rocket attacks and bombings have covered almost the
entire territory of our country. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church
fully shares the pain and suffering of the Ukrainian people. 14 of the 53 dioceses of our Church are suffering from
hostilities. There are more than 3,000 parishes and 62 monasteries in
these dioceses, where, even at the risk of their lives, 3,500 priests and
almost 2,000 monks and nuns continue to serve. But, despite such
difficult circumstances, we are confident that Ukraine will survive and maintain its
statehood. Intensified prayers of our bishopric, clergy, monks and
laity are offered in all churches and monasteries. The Ukrainian
Orthodox Church supports and will continue to support the defenders of
Ukraine and provide charitable assistance to the needy. We sincerely
believe that the Lord will bless the Ukrainian land and its God-loving
people with peace.
However, we cannot but express concern that, despite the wise and deliberate appeals of the President of Ukraine and
other statesmen, there are frequent instances of religious hatred and
discord in some regions. Instead of uniting the people in the
pursuit of victory and the restoration of peaceful life, the country is
igniting an internal, religious front. Thus, a group of people's
deputies of Ukraine, due to contrived and knowingly false accusations,
submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine bills banning the activities
of our Church. In addition, in various regions of Ukraine there are
cases of local governments making illegal decisions to ban or restrict
the activities of local religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church.
We note with sadness that all these facts are the result of erroneous
religious policy during the presidency of P.O. Poroshenko and
the destructive ideology of the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We are convinced that such activities of the previous government and
the PCU became one of the reasons for the military invasion of
Ukraine. We believe that criminal actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
are signs of subversive activities and are also a consequence of
inaction of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom
of Conscience, which aims to regulate interreligious relations in
Ukraine. We consider inadmissible attempts to ban the activities of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Any decisions to ban our Church and
restrict the rights of its believers are criminal and violate the
Constitution of Ukraine. Such actions can be described as an act of national suicide.
In this regard, we appeal to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr
Oleksandrovych Zelensky as a guarantor of the Constitution of Ukraine to
intervene in this difficult situation, stop religious hostility in
Ukrainian society and take necessary measures against illegal actions
against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Another issue that has worried many lately concerns the future of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Holy Synod states that today this issue is the subject of
church discussion. In some dioceses there are meetings of the clergy,
who express their position. The information comes to the Primate of
the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Holy Synod, in general, welcomes the possibility of a thorough and
comprehensive discussion of any issues of church life, as this is the
manifestation of the conciliar nature of the Orthodox Church. But
this process must take place without disturbing the church order.
In the near future, a meeting will be convened with the participation of bishops, priests,
monks and laity to discuss the problems of church life that have arisen
as a result of the war and which concern us all. At the same time,
we emphasize that we must do everything possible so that the discussion
on this or that issue does not take us out of the canonical field and
does not lead to new divisions in the Church.
At this difficult time, when our Motherland and our Church are suffering
from war, and our courageous soldiers are defending the statehood of
Ukraine, we must all unite for victory. We call on all to
intensify prayer for Ukraine and its authorities, for our servicemen and
for the long-suffering people. May the All-Merciful Lord bless our
earthly homeland with peace, so that all of us may unanimously and with one mouth glorify God and the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ (Rom. 15: 6).
12/05/2022 (Source)
Appeal to Vladimir Putin in connection with Mariupol
Mr. President!
On these Easter days, when the celebration of the triumph of life over
death is complemented by Victory Day over Nazism, I am writing to you in
connection with the situation around the city of Mariupol.
The difficult situation in which the inhabitants and defenders of Mariupol
found themselves prompts me to ask you as a person whose family survived
the siege of Leningrad, and whose elder brother Viktor died in
1942. Your relatives have fully felt what life is like in isolation
from the mainland, under incessant bombardments, without food, water and
medicines, when death can occur at any moment from the impact of
super-powerful weapons, starvation or lack of medical care. You
remember this when you talk about the Great Patriotic War and when you
visit Piskarevskoye Cemetery, a place of mass graves for residents of
besieged Leningrad and its defenders.
The residents of Mariupol and its defenders are in the same position
today. It is my pastoral duty to ask you to provide an opportunity
for all whoever wants it, to leave the city of
Mariupol - both civilians and the military. At all times in different
wars, the opposing sides found it possible to manifest humanism. We
know that the Russian Federation has repeatedly acted as an intermediary
in Syria in the evacuation of encircled combatants. In this regard,
we hope that you will, in a Christian way, agree to the Extraction
procedure for the Ukrainian garrison in Mariupol, and give the encircled
civilians, policemen, border guards and military an opportunity to enter
the territory controlled by Ukraine or the territory of third
countries. Many countries will consider it an honor to mediate this
operation. I ask you to choose any of them in the Name of the Risen
Christ.
In hope
08/05/2022 (Source)
Easter Sunday Message
Christ is Risen!
(…)
This year the Lord has visited us with special trials and tribulations.
The forces of evil have thickened over us. But we do not complain or
despair, because by His Resurrection Christ the Saviour overcame
evil.
24/04/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from sermon on the feast of the Lord’s entry into
Jerusalem
May we all humble ourselves in our own way, that we may be bearers of
God’s grace, and that God’s peace come to our land, that our people, we
may meet in peace and joy the Great and Glorious Feast of the
Resurrection of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ
18/4/2022 (Source)
Letter of thanks to all who are helping Ukrainian refugees
On behalf of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, I would like to express my
sincere gratitude to all those who are helping Ukrainians during the
terrible war that broke out in our Ukraine.
As a result of the Russian invasion, more than four million of our
compatriots have been forced to flee their homes, leave their lands and seek refuge, mainly in Western Europe and the
rest of the world.
As the Primate of the largest and most numerous Church of Ukraine – the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church, whose faithful in large numbers have left
the war zones, I want to thank the Primates, the episcopate, the
clergy and the faithful of the Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian,
Polish Local Orthodox Churches and Czech lands and Slovakia. Your fraternal support is very important for our people today,
because, in the words of St. John Chrysostom, "there is nothing stronger
than the Church of Christ" This is true. We testify to this and humbly
ask the Lord God to reward you a hundredfold for your bounties and
mercies.
I also thank all the heads of European states and their peoples, the
heads of other countries of the world, international organizations and
all those who welcomed Ukrainians into their homes, I thank people of different views and religions. By this you fulfil
the most important commandment of God – love of God and neighbour. The
Holy Fathers teach us that by helping our neighbour, we help Christ,
because He was also a "refugee" when he and His Mother fled from Herod
to Egypt. Your help will forever remain in the memory and hearts of the
long-suffering Ukrainian people.
May the All-Merciful Lord reward you all instead of the temporary –
eternal, instead of perishable – imperishable, instead of earthly –
heavenly, for all the good you do!
With sincere respect and gratitude
08/04/2022 (Source)
Statement by the UOC Legal Department regarding bills aimed at
banning the UOC's activities
On March 22, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered Bill
20 7204 “On Prohibition of the Moscow Patriarchate on the
Territory of Ukraine”, and on March 26, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine also registered Bill № 7213 “On Amendments to the
Law of Ukraine on Freedom of Conscience and religious organizations ”on
the prohibition of the activities of religious organizations
(associations) that are part of the structure (is part of) a religious
organization (association), the governing center (management) of which
is located outside Ukraine in a state recognized by law as military
aggression against Ukraine and / or temporarily occupied part of the
territory of Ukraine."
Given the content of the bills, the main purpose of their adoption is
allegedly "protection of national security, sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Ukraine" and "protection of public safety and order", which
according to the legislator can be achieved by banning the activities of
the Moscow Patriarchate – Russia Orthodox Church ", including the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Despite the fact that President V.O. Zelensky has not incited religious
hatred during the war, Ukrainian MPs decided through legislative
initiatives to brazenly and cynically ban the activities of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church and deprive millions of Ukrainians of the
right to freedom of religion.
Although law enforcement agencies have made no complaints to the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church about the violation of Ukraine's national
security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, deputies in their explanatory note to the bill deliberately make
false allegations against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in an attempt
to mislead Ukrainian MPs.
Despite all the pathos, these bills see a continuation of the religious policy of
Poroshenko's time, which became one of the reasons for the terrible
times we are experiencing now, because the ban on the
multimillion-strong Ukrainian Orthodox Church cannot but affect our
state.
In addition, banning people from belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church violates their right to freedom of religion, which is contrary to
the European Convention on Human Rights and the Constitution of
Ukraine.
Please note that the religious center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv
Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is located in Kyiv,
registered in accordance with Ukrainian law, and its founder is the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,
which includes clergy and believers living in Ukraine.
The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Onufriy, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, called
on all the faithful to defend our state and defend its territorial
integrity and sovereignty.
From the first days of the war, people have shown the unity of our
people in the fight against the enemy. But as we see today, they are
trying to break this unity by provoking controversy on political,
linguistic and religious grounds. After all, due to the impossibility of
winning the battles, the occupiers are trying to sabotage through such
bills to split Ukrainian society and weaken our state.
In this regard, we declare that the legislative initiative to ban the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church is illegal, violates the right to freedom of
religion and in no way contributes to "protection of national security,
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" and "protection of
public safety and order", as stated in the bills, and on the contrary,
in wartime will open a religious front in the peaceful territory of
Ukraine and divide our country on religious grounds.
31/3/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from sermon on Crucifixion Sunday
Today we have a common Cross, the Lord visited us all with a cross –
they raised a hand against us with a sword, but we must not complain, we
must patiently endure everything. The Church has always prayed, prays
and will pray for people to remember that we are children of God and
that the Lord does not want us to raise our swords against each
other.
(…)
We pray today that the Lord will stop what we feel today, when people
are dying, human blood is being shed, children are dying, helpless
people are dying, old people, young people are innocent human beings
27/3/2022 (Source)
Words following prayer for peace
Today we celebrated the Divine Liturgy and now we have prayed – for
peace in our country, for peace in Ukraine. We ask the Blessed Virgin
Mary, we ask the Venerable Fathers Anthony and Theodosius, and all the
Pechersk, to ask God for forgiveness of our sins and for the Lord to
give us peace.
[The negotiations are] not easy, but it is the first step, which is
already a humane step, when one uses a reasonable word to try and solve
problems that arise between people. I want these negotiations to
continue well, to have sensible, well-considered decisions, and for love
to overcome the malice that reigns over the people.
May the Lord bless our land, our government, our army and all our
Ukrainian people
20/03/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of the sermon on Triumph of Orthodoxy Sunday
Our Church has always said and still says today that all problems that
arise between people should be solved not by weapons, not by force, but
by words, because we are people, intelligent creatures of God, God is
ours. gave reason, gave us the word – this is a great power, the word
has great power.
(…)
God did not create us on earth to attack each other and kill each
other. He created us to live in love. And if we do not have this
agreement, it is necessary to reach it not with the help of weapons, but
with the help of words. And again, and again we call on all those on
whom this depends, that the problems that exist today in the world and
on our earth, that they be solved with a reasonable word
13/03/2022 (Source)
Statement on Wednesday, 10 March
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the Church of the Ukrainian
people. It unites believers in the East and West, North and South of our country.
It consists of people of different nationalities and different political
persuasions. But we are all one in Christ. For more than 1000 years of
history, our Church has always been and remains with its people.
Today, our country is going through a difficult ordeal caused by the
attack on our country by the troops of the Russian
Federation. In all churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,
intensified prayers for the earliest possible peace and cessation of
bloodshed continue. We consistently call for a peaceful settlement of
conflicts through dialogue. War is the worst sin in the world. It forces us to look at another
person not as an image of God, but as an enemy to be killed. Therefore,
there is no excuse for those who start wars.
Unfortunately, a large number of civilians died during these few days,
including the elderly, women and children; humanitarian infrastructure
was destroyed – hospitals, maternity hospitals, schools, orphanages; and
the survivors are forced to leave their homes and even the country to
save their lives, becoming refugees and displaced persons.
In this regard, in order to prevent even greater sacrifices and
suffering for our people, we call on all those who depend on them to provide real
humanitarian corridors for the immediate evacuation of civilians from
settlements on the line of fire and to ensure their safety.
Due to the fighting, some Ukrainian servicemen, in carrying out their
oath and duty to defend the Motherland, were unfortunately wounded or
taken prisoner. Therefore, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, caring for its fellow
citizens, asks to show human compassion and Christian charity, to
organize the extradition of the wounded and to exchange prisoners of
war.
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of His
Immaculate Mother, will preserve our country and its God-loving people,
and give us the long-awaited peace.
10/03/2022 (Source)
Words spoken after a special prayer for peace in Ukraine
Prayer for peace on Ukrainian soil is being offered throughout our
Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, it is the 9th day of the war on our land. Russian
troops entered Ukraine. Our hearts are filled with sorrow. People are
dying – civilians are dying, children are dying. The earth is filled
with weeping and sorrow. Refugees have nowhere to bow their heads. We
pray that the Lord will have mercy on us.
Our Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church has always preached love between
nations. We especially wanted peace and harmony between the Russian and
Ukrainian peoples. We wanted these peoples to live as good neighbours:
in respect for each other, patience with each other and in love. We
have been, and still are insulted for this, they call us all sorts of
obscene words and expressions. But we do not pay attention to it. Even
today, we want the Russian people and the Ukrainian people to live
peacefully with each other.
Therefore, I appeal to the President of the Russian Federation, I ask
Putin: “Vladimir Vladimirovich, do everything to end the war on Ukrainian
soil! War does not bring good to the people. War sheds blood, and
blood divides people. You can do it, and we believe and want you to do
it. We ask that the days of Lent be peaceful for us, that we may gladly
celebrate the bright holiday of life – the holiday of the Holy
Resurrection of Christ. "
We know that there are problems between nations, there always have
been, and will be. But we have always held the view that we, as God's
creatures, endowed with reason and speech, must solve these problems
with the help of common sense.
We call on both sides, the Russian side and the Ukrainian side, to sit
down at the negotiating table and solve all the problems that exist
between us, and not with the help of the sword. The sword divides, and love unites. We will tolerate each other,
respect each other, love God and be one in God. This is a unity that
no one and nothing can destroy. But the unity achieved by the sword is
short-lived and unreliable. This is human unity and it is falling apart. And the unity that
is in God is eternal. I would like there to be unity in God among our
peoples, to love one another and to be one in God.
May the Lord bless us all!
4/3/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
(The following statement is from the synod of the Church headed by metropolitan Onofriy)
Beloved in Christ, Most Reverend Bishops, Fathers, Brothers and
Sisters!
Dear Ukrainian people!
We grieve with great sorrow and pain that the war has come to our
native Ukrainian land. We are all having a hard time. Fighting between
the troops of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of Ukraine
continues almost throughout Ukraine, soldiers and civilians are dying,
and the number of refugees is growing. Bringing nuclear weapons to a state of heightened combat readiness in
general sharply calls into question the prospect of the continued
existence of humanity and the world. In such a difficult situation, we call on everyone to be courageous,
to strengthen prayer and to unite around the defence of our
Motherland.
Addressing all our defenders today, we want to show that we honour
and pray for you, because you, sacrificing your life, effectively
testify to how you can directly fulfil the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ: There is no greater love than this, if anyone will lay down
his life for his neighbours (John 15:13).
For our part, we reiterate that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has always supported
and continues to support the state sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Ukraine. We fully share the pain and suffering of our people. On these
important days, all the churches and monasteries of our Church have
especially intensified prayers for an end to the war and the restoration
of peace in Ukraine. With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy, the dioceses
and monasteries provide comprehensive assistance to refugees and all
those affected by the fighting. Our temples are open 24 hours a day
for those who need protection during the shelling. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is expanding its mission every day to
help all those in need.
Aware of our special spiritual responsibility, today we turn to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All
Russia. Your Holiness! We ask you to intensify your prayers for the
long-suffering Ukrainian people, to speak out for the cessation of
fratricidal bloodshed on Ukrainian soil, and to call on the leadership
of the Russian Federation to immediately cease hostilities that threaten to turn into a world war.
We also appeal to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Oleksandrovych
Zelensky and the President of the Russian Federation Volodymyr
Volodymyrovych Putin. On behalf of the multi-million flock of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church, we ask you to do everything possible to put
an end to the sin of armed confrontation between our two fraternal
peoples and to begin the negotiation process. This terrible war has already dealt a severe blow to relations
between the Ukrainian and Russian peoples. If the bloodshed is not
stopped immediately, the chasm between our peoples may remain
forever.
Ukrainian People, brothers and sisters! We hope that common sense will
prevail and this war will end soon. We ask each of you to keep peace
with each other and not succumb to provocations. Help each other, take
care of each other. It is also important not to incite enmity between us. Only in unity is our strength. We ask the Lord to enlighten the
rulers with the light of His grace. We believe that the man-loving Lord
will accept our prayers and forgive us our sins. And in the near future
the peace of God will reign again on our blessed Ukrainian land!
28/2/2022 (Source. Edited for clarity)
Unfortunately, Russia has launched military operations against Ukraine, and at this fateful time, I urge you not to panic, be courageous and show love for your homeland and for each other. First, I call on you to pray hard for Ukraine, for our army and our people, I ask you to forget mutual strife and misunderstandings and unite with love for God and for our homeland.
At this tragic time, we extend our special love and support to our soldiers who stand
guard and protect and protect our land and our people. May God bless and protect them!
Defending the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, we also appeal to the Russian President and ask him to immediately stop the
fratricidal war. The Ukrainian and Russian peoples came out of the Dnieper baptismal font
and the war between these peoples is a repetition of Cain's sin, who out of envy killed his own brother. Such a war has no justification either from God or from people.
I call on everyone to use common sense, which teaches us to solve our
earthly problems in mutual dialogue and mutual understanding, and
sincerely hope that God will forgive us our sins and God's peace will
reign on our earth and around the world!
[Metropolitan Hilarion was replaced in his role as head of External Relations for the Russian Orthodox Church in June, and his title was changed from Volokolamsk to Budapest and Hungary]
Comment on the decision of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP)
The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church had a judgment on the
Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church held on May 27 in Kiev and
expressed its full support to its arch-pastors, pastors, monastics and
laity due to the fact that it is subjected to unprecedented pressure from various sides: from
extremist groups, on the part of schismatic structures, on the part of
local authorities, who sometimes simply prohibit the activities of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church in specific regions of Ukraine, as well as
on the part of nationalist-minded circles of the Ukrainian public.
The Synod stated that the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was
determined by the Diploma of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow
and All Russia of 1990. It is this Diploma that is the canonical
foundation on which the building of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is
being built.
It was noted that the amendments adopted by the Council of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church and introduced into its Statute require
consideration by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. We have
not considered these amendments now, as they have not yet been made
public.
The Holy Synod expressed regret over the fact that in a number of
dioceses of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church the prayer commemoration of
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia is being discontinued, which
has already led to divisions within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Commenting on these decisions of the Holy Synod, I would like to say not about what happened in Kyiv, but about what
did not happen there. There is an opinion that the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church separated from the Russian Orthodox Church. This is not true.
There was no statement about separation from the Russian Orthodox
Church. No statement was made that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church would
have any new status; on the contrary, it once again confirmed that it
has the status of independence and self-sufficiency, which was given
to it back in 1990.
We must understand the context within which these decisions were made
in Kyiv. It is connected with the fact that for many years the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church has been denied the right to be called as it calls
itself. They are trying to force it to be called the “Russian Orthodox
Church in Ukraine”, and the goal of this is to re-register all parishes
of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and alienate them in favor of a
schismatic structure.
In the context of everything that is happening today in Ukraine, in the
context of the unprecedented pressure that is being exerted on the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church, one should perceive what is happening.
The entirety of the Russian Orthodox Church prays and will continue to
pray for the suffering and persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We
believe that the Lord takes care of His Church and, according to His
promise, the gates of hell will not prevail against her.
29/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from an interview
E. Gracheva: The current news, which is now being discussed by all the media,
concerns possible sanctions against the head of the Russian Orthodox
Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The European
Union proposes to impose sanctions against him. White House press
secretary Jen Psaki does not rule out that sanctions are possible from
the United States of America. Earlier, the Lithuanian Foreign
Ministry has already spoken out for such a possibility. Let me
remind you that the Verkhovna Rada already has Decree No. 7332,
according to which sanctions have been imposed not only against the
Patriarch, but also against you. How can you comment on the fact
that these restrictions of the West have already reached the
non-secular people of the Russian Federation?
Metropolitan Hilarion: Firstly, it is not a draft law that has been submitted to the
Verkhovna Rada, but only a proposal that has been made. As for me, I have long been deprived of the right to enter
Ukraine. As for His Holiness the Patriarch, I think that no
sanctions will prevent him from continuing his activities, which are
aimed at consolidating Russian society, at the pastoral care of the
entire multi-million flock of the Russian Orthodox Church and at the
speedy achievement of peace between the fraternal Slavic peoples.
It must be understood, of course, that in the West the statements of the Patriarch are viewed through the
prism of propaganda carried out in the media, and Western politicians
cannot adequately assess these statements. Therefore, if they impose sanctions, this, of course, is their
right, we cannot influence this in any way, but these sanctions will not
affect the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in any way.
E. Gracheva: A question from a viewer: “Dear Metropolitan Hilarion, please tell
me, have the sanctions already affected you personally?” For my
part, I can only concretize this question, as I see it. If the
Patriarch, being in Russia, can perform his immediate functions, then
you, as the head of the Department for External Church Relations, the
Church Ministry of Foreign Affairs, need direct communication with the
leaders of the Local Churches: you must travel, communicate. You
are an ecclesiastical diplomat. How do you carry out your
functions now?
Metropolitan Hilarion: First, not all countries are closed. There are many
countries where you can travel freely, and if necessary, we use this
opportunity. Secondly, the opportunities for guests from the Local
Orthodox Churches, as well as from non-Orthodox Churches and Christian
associations to come to Russia are not closed. Thirdly, there are
many ways to communicate remotely, which are used, among other things,
by the Patriarch and other heads of the Churches, that is, now the
technical capabilities make it possible to communicate directly without
leaving the borders of their country.
E. Gracheva: Here is another important piece of news from Italy. The Pope gave an interview to Corriere della sera. Speaking about
his communication with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the
Pope commented on the results of the conversation that took
place on March 16: “I spoke with Kirill for 40 minutes via Zoom. For the first 20
minutes, with a piece of paper in his hand, he read to me all sorts of
justifications for the special operation. I listened and said:
Brother, I don't understand anything about this. We are shepherds
of the same holy people of God and cannot use the language of politics,
but only the language of Jesus.” Regarding the meeting with the
Patriarch, the Pope said: “We were supposed to meet in Jerusalem on June
14th. This would be our second personal meeting, in no way
connected with the events, but now he also agrees: it’s better to stop,
this may be a dubious signal.” How would you comment on this
interview with Pope Francis? As head of the Department for External
Church Relations, do you agree that now any meeting between the Pope and
the Patriarch, even virtual via videoconference, could be perceived as a
dubious signal? Why?
Metropolitan Hilarion:I, too, with a piece of paper in my hand, will
comment on this issue, since it is very delicate. I must say that the conversation between the Pope and the
Patriarch took place on March 16, that is, a month and a half has
already passed. We had this conversation recorded, and after it took place, we did
not publish the details of this conversation, because it was not
supposed that it would be some kind of public conversation. But
after the Pope presented this conversation in this vein, we decided to
publish its details. The Patriarch told the Pope something like this: You are
receiving certain information from the Western media about what is
happening in Ukraine. I will tell you something that you may not
know. Then he spoke about the background of the current conflict,
about the events in the Donbass in 2014. He especially dwelled on
the events in Odessa, which led to mass discontent among the
Russian-speaking population and provoked, in turn, the events in the
Donbass. Then he spoke about the expansion of NATO to the East:
that NATO approached St. Petersburg within a few minutes of flight time,
and if Ukraine joined NATO, then it would approach Moscow at a distance
of several minutes of flight time warheads, nuclear or
otherwise). Finally, he spoke about the most important thing: that
his flock is on both sides of the conflict, that his heart aches for
what is happening. Approximately in this spirit, the Patriarch
stated his vision of the events taking place. To which the Pope
replied in the way that the Vatican news service at that time correctly
presented.
As a witness and participant in that conversation, I remember well that
the atmosphere was very friendly, there was no disagreement between the
Pope and the Patriarch or dissatisfaction from one side or
another. It was a brotherly conversation. Although, perhaps,
the parties remained at their views.
E. Gracheva: In an interview with Corriere della sera, Pope Francis says that he
urged the Patriarch to speak not the language of politicians, but the
language of Jesus. Is it possible in the current acute
circumstances, in the context of the special operation taking place in
Ukraine, to discuss these events in the language of Jesus?
Metropolitan Hilarion: A pastor always perceives events from a Christian point of view,
through the prism of the Holy Gospel. That is why the assessments
given by the pastor always differ from those given by
politicians. After all, the scenario of political events and the scenario of military actions
are written without the participation of the Church. What the
Church can do, she does, first of all, to help people.
We see what tremendous work the Russian Orthodox Church has launched
under the leadership of the Patriarch to help the suffering, primarily
to help those refugees who are now on the territory of Russia, and
there are already more than a million of them. We see what a huge work the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is doing with internally displaced persons on the territory
of Ukraine. We see how the Local Orthodox Churches, in particular in Poland
and Romania, respond to the misfortune that befell people who turned out
to be refugees, and how they help the refugees. Here, in fact, is
the work that the Church can do, must do and is doing in the conditions
of political confrontation. And the Church, of course, cannot directly influence the course of
negotiations or the course of hostilities.
13/05/2022 (Source)
Statements on Church and World television programme
Pope Francis of Rome is speaking out about the Ukrainian topic in a
very balanced way because he is aware of not only the present history
of the conflict but also its pre-history, which goes back to the events of 2014
11/04/2022 (Source)
Response to letter from the Comission of the Bishop's Conferences of the European Union
These days, prayers and thoughts of millions of Christians across the
world are concerned with the dramatic developments in the longsuffering
land of Ukraine. It is completely obvious that the current conflict
cannot be resolved through yet another public statement, already made in
large numbers.
The relationship between the West and Russia have reached a deadlock,
resulting in the loss of mutual trust and capacity to hear each other.
In this situation, it is essential to renounce the rhetoric of
ultimatum, establish channels of dialogue and organise official and
unofficial negotiations that can help achieve a just peace. As Christians we are called to further this cause by our prayers and
work.
For eight years now, during every Liturgy, the Russian Orthodox
Church has been offering a prayer for the cessation of the conflict in
the Ukrainian land. In view of the recent developments, a special prayer for the soonest
restoration of peace has been included in the Divine Liturgy.
(…)
Today His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia does
much to restore peace and trust, in the Ukrainian land in particular,
working hard every day to make this happen. The most important thing in this situation is to do everything in our
power to make sure that the direct negotiations continue, producing a
result in the shortest possible time, and that the relationships between
the West and Russia still have a potential for dialogue.
(…)
17/3/2022 (Source)
During an interview
There are different views. Some people believe that we are one people, while others believe that
we are two peoples. But whatever the answer to this issue, we are fraternal peoples,
we have been born in one baptismal font of St. Prince Vladimir
Equal-to-the-Apostle. Nothing would ever break down this
unity. Therefore, the forces acting against our unity are acting against the Church and
against God.
14/3/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from a speech on “the invasion of the Patriarchate of Constantinople into Ukraine”
The invasion of the Patriarchate of Constantinople into
Ukraine has become one of the most acute and dangerous challenges for
the Russian Orthodox Church in recent decades. It is providential that it was precisely at this difficult moment that
such an experienced and strong-willed leader as His Holiness Patriarch
Kirill of Moscow and All Russia turned out to be at the helm of our
Church. The theme of preserving the unity of the Church was a
priority for him even when he was chairman of the Department for
External Church Relations, and it remains so throughout all the years of
his Patriarchate.
It cannot be said that the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople
in Ukraine in 2018 came as a complete surprise to the Russian
Church. We knew about Constantinople’s plans to tear Ukraine away from the
Russian Orthodox Church even before the Synod of the Patriarchate of
Constantinople announced the start of preparations for granting
autocephaly in April 2018. Our Church tried to resist this intention, including as part of
the preparations for the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church,
which continued in those years.
(…)
2017 was remembered for a remarkable episode related to the appeal of the
leader of the Ukrainian schism, Filaret Denisenko, to His Holiness
Patriarch Kirill and the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church with a
request to lift the bans and restore church communion. It should be
noted that from the very beginning of the schism in Ukraine, the Russian Church has repeatedly appealed to the schismatics with
calls to repentance, maintained contacts, and constantly looked for
opportunities for negotiations. And when he was the chairman of the
DECR, and having already ascended the Patriarchal cathedra, His Holiness
the Patriarch personally led this process and took the liveliest and
most active part in it. This work in Ukraine was carried out in
extremely unfavorable and sometimes dangerous political conditions. For example, in 2010, on the eve of the visit of His Holiness
the Patriarch to Ukraine, two prominent schismatic "hierarchs" died under
unclear circumstances – "Metropolitan of Lvov and Sokal" Andrey Horak and
"Archbishop of Drogobych and Sambir" Theodosius Petsina, with whom
agreements were reached on their return to the Church, which could be the
beginning of the abolition of the split in Ukraine. Many experts
openly expressed doubts about the natural nature of their deaths. The
appeal of Filaret Denisenko gave a new chance to heal the schism, and
therefore was received in the Russian Church benevolently and considered
on its merits. In November 2017, a corresponding Determination of the Council of
Bishops, a special commission was created. Unfortunately, under pressure from the Poroshenko regime, Filaret was
forced to disavow his appeal.
(…)
Soon a delegation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople began to visit one
after another the Primates of the Local Churches to discuss the
initiative to grant autocephaly to Ukraine. However, none of them
supported the plans of Constantinople. The delegation from Constantinople also visited Moscow, where it
was received by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. At the meeting, His
Holiness confirmed the readiness of the Russian Church for a conciliar
discussion of all the problems facing the Church.
Also, on the basis of objective statistics on the number of church
communities in Ukraine, the Primate of the Russian Church clearly
demonstrated to Patriarch Bartholomew that his information about the
alleged support of the schism by the majority of Orthodox Ukrainians is
unreliable, and the data of opinion polls presented to him are
fictitious, custom-made. His Holiness the Patriarch drew the
attention of Patriarch Bartholomew to the purely political nature of the
autocephalous project, which was being prepared for the start of the
election campaign of the then President of Ukraine P.
Poroshenko. He pointed out to the Constantinople side the
consolidation of the episcopate, clergy and believers of the canonical
Ukrainian Orthodox Church and warned that there would not and could not
be any “wave of transitions” promised by the Ukrainian authorities
then.
Taking into account the extremely poor awareness of the Constantinople
side about the history and current situation of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church, which was noticeable from the statements of the Phanar and
statements during the negotiations, His Holiness the Patriarch proposed to
jointly study the issue of the jurisdiction of the Kiev Metropolis with
the involvement of competent specialists. Unfortunately, the Primate of Constantinople answered all our arguments
and proposals only that he did not have time. Ukrainian autocephaly
was being prepared in extreme haste, in an attempt to keep up with the
momentary political situation.
In December 2018, the so-called “unification council” of schismatic
denominations was held. The council was held under strong pressure from the Poroshenko regime,
who was personally present at the presidium of the event, and under the
control of the Constantinople side. Despite the sharp
contradictions between the participants in the event and the unanimous
refusal of the episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to
participate in it (with the exception of one diocesan and one vicar
bishop), the alleged “unification” of Ukrainian Orthodoxy was
announced. In January 2019, the newly created schismatic structure was
recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and received the status
of the so-called "autocephaly".
Instead of the promised “unification” of Orthodoxy in Ukraine, the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople led
to the actual legalization and institutionalization of the Ukrainian
schism, which soon split in two again. Moreover, the possibilities of actually healing the split in
Ukraine were undermined. The emergence of schismatic "autocephaly" in Ukraine provoked a wave of
seizures of churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and
cases of mass violence against its communities, and greatly increased
pressure on its episcopate, clergy and believers.
As for the Church of Alexandria, it must be added that soon after the recognition of the schism by Patriarch Theodore, African
clerics who disagreed with this began to turn to us with a request to be
accepted into our Church. However, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill believed that one should
not rush, hoping that the Patriarch of Alexandria would change his
mind. Unfortunately, this did not happen; moreover, the Primate of
the Church of Alexandria went further and co-served with the head of the
Ukrainian schismatics. This circumstance compelled our Church to form
the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa for those many African
clerics who wish to protect themselves from communion with schism. His Holiness set out in detail the
position of the Russian Church in the messages sent to Patriarch Theodore,
one of which was recently published.
The latest events in Ukraine have been a new test for the unity of our
Church and all Orthodoxy.
The overwhelming majority of the Local Orthodox Churches have taken a
balanced peacekeeping position in relation to what is
happening. Many Churches have focused their efforts on providing
humanitarian assistance to war victims and refugees. Against this
background, statements by representatives of the Patriarchates of
Constantinople and Alexandria stand out, using the current tragic
situation to promote the autocephalous project in Ukraine and to
popularize Epiphanius Dumenko and the schismatic community he leads. These signals indicate that a tense struggle for church unity awaits us
ahead.
14/03/2022 (Source)
Comments of Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk
on the adoption of the WCC statement ‘War in Ukraine, peace and justice in the
European region
Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman
of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and
head of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation at the 11th General Assembly of
the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe, Germany, delivered his comments on
the adoption of the WCC document ‘War in Ukraine, peace and justice in the
European region’.
The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church
could not support by voting the statement made by the WCC Assembly on ‘War in
Ukraine, peace and justice in the European region’.
At the same time, it is with cautious optimism
that we evaluate the stand taken by the World Council of Churches. Despite
an unprecedented political pressure made on it during the drafting of a
document on the Ukrainian conflict - which was expressed, among other things,
in the speech of President of Germany F.-W. Steinmeier and in statements of
some other persons who called to expel the Russian Church from the WCC – it
refused to bring any accusations against the Russian Orthodox Church and
recognized the importance of her large-scale humanitarian mission carried out
with a blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to
give support to refugees and those affected by the conflict.
Unfortunately, the final document has remained
considerably politicized. It has excluded all the proposals made by the Russian
Church, which prevents us from supporting it. At the same time, we believe that the
discussion, which took place during the Assembly, can become for the WCC a
starting point for an objective and unprejudiced study of the causes of the
longstanding conflict in Ukraine just as for subsequent peace-making efforts.
We also regret that the drafters of the
document did not take into consideration the proposal of representatives of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church to condemn the violent mass seizures of churches
belonging to the canonical Church carried out by the so-called ‘OCU’. We hope that the World Council of
Churches will undertake further actions to study this problem.
08/09/2022 (Source)
Mr. Zelensky is not a religious leader, however this speech has explicit religious references, which is why I am including it here.
Presidential address on Forgiveness Sunday
Today is Forgiveness Sunday. A day when we always apologized. To each other. To all people. To God. But today, it seems, many have not mentioned this day at all. Have not mentioned the obligatory words: "Forgive me." And the obligatory answer: "God forgives, and I forgive." These words seem to have lost their meaning today. At least in part. After everything we went through.
We will not forgive the destroyed houses. We will not forgive the missile that our air defense shot down
over Okhmatdyt today. And more than five hundred other such missiles
that hit our land. All over Ukraine. Hit our people and children.
We will not forgive the shooting of unarmed people. Destruction of our infrastructure.
We. Will. Not. Forgive. Hundreds and hundreds of victims. Thousands
and thousands of sufferings. And God will not forgive. Not today. Not
tomorrow. Never. And instead of Forgiveness, there will be a Day of
Judgment.
I'm sure of it.
It seems everything Russian servicemen have already done is still not
enough for them. Not enough ruined destinies. Mutilated lives. They want to kill even
more.
Tomorrow Russia has officially announced the shelling of our
territory. Our enterprises. Defense complex. Most were built decades ago. By the
Soviet government. Built in cities. And now they are in the middle of an
ordinary urban environment. Thousands of people work there. Hundreds of
thousands live nearby.
This is murder. Deliberate murder.
And I have not heard a reaction from any world leader today. From any Western politician. Reaction to this announcement. Think about
the sense of impunity of the invaders: they announce their planned
atrocities. Why?
Because there is no reaction. Because there is
silence. Not a word, as if Western leaders have dissolved tonight. For
this day. I hope that at least tomorrow you will notice it. React. Say
something. We know exactly who prepared this attack. We know exactly how
orders will follow the vertical command. We know everything.
And we will not forgive anything. The
Tribunal is waiting for you. And God's judgment, if you try to
hide.
The audacity of the aggressor is a clear signal to the West that
sanctions against Russia are not enough. Because they didn't understand. Did not feel. They did not see that the
world is really determined. Really determined to stop this war. You will
not hide from this reality.
You will not hide from new murders in Ukraine.
There was a lot of talk about humanitarian corridors. There were talks every day about the opportunity for people to leave
the cities where Russia came. Russian military.
I am grateful to every Ukrainian who stays to defend our cities, even
in the encirclement. Our freedom.
But I also know that there are people who really need to get out,
those who cannot stay. And we heard the promise that there would be humanitarian corridors.
But there are no humanitarian corridors.
Instead of humanitarian corridors, they can only make bloody
ones.
A family was killed in Irpen today. A man, a
woman and two children. Right on the road. As in the shooting club. When
they were just trying to get out of town. To escape.
The whole family. How many such families have died in Ukraine!
We will not forgive. We will not forget.
We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war. On our land. We will find every bastard. Which shot at our cities,
our people. Which bombed our land. Which launched rockets. Which gave
the order and pressed "start".
There will be no quiet place on this earth for you. Except for the
grave.
06/03/2022 (Source)
Bishop Markos Hovhannisyan, Ukrainian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
From the very first days, our community expressed its civic
position on the war: to be defenders of the city where our faithful
live. It's moral, it's natural, and it's spiritual. Our spiritual
support, our prayers for Ukraine continue, whether private or within
the framework of the AUCCR, we pray for the achievement of God's
peace, which every person deserves. Our parishioners provide
humanitarian support to our relatives: our bakeries are working, our
restaurateurs have switched to providing lunches to those in need.
Some of our faithful are in the ranks of the territorial defence
and have already passed away in this service. The situation is difficult, but our faith does not leave us, our
civic position does not weaken, because we are an integral part of
Ukrainian society, because here is our thousand-year successful
history, here is part of our culture and our spiritual heritage
19/03/2022 (Source)
Besides the words below, Patriarch Bartholomew has had many gestures of support for the Ukrainian people, including telephone calls to Ukrainian authorities and a visit to the Ukrainian Consul-general in Istanbul.
Excerpt of message on the Day for the
Protection of Creation
This year, the celebration of the Day of the
protection of creation are accompanied by the sound of weapons in Ukraine, by
the cry of the victims of military violence, the bombardment of cities and
infrastructures, the groaning of nature and moaning of refugees. Every war is a
humanitarian and ecological catastrophe. The ongoing violence, beyond the
thousands of human lives, also destroys the natural environment that it
pollutes, forcing nations and peoples to return to ways of securing energy
efficiency through means that are unfriendly to the environment. Thus, humanity
enters a new vicious cycle of destructive impasses, which confirm the saying
that homo sapiens to this day continues to behave simultaneously as homo
demens, as imprudent and irrational.
01/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of press conference by Ecumenical
Patriarch
I have expressed the position of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate since the beginning of this painful war. I said that it is
unjustified and unacceptable. His Beatitude the Patriarch of Moscow said
that it was a holy war and tried to justify it and explain it in spiritual and
religious terms. But I have allowed myself to correct it and say that it is not
a holy war but an unholy and evil war. When thousands of new soldiers are
killed on both sides, and not only soldiers but also civilians, how can we
bless this war with our two hands, as the Blessed Patriarch of Moscow
unfortunately does?
29/08/2022 (Source)
Message on the Day of Ukrainian Independence
From the centre of Orthodoxy, the Phanar, we
are addressing all of you, beloved spiritual children, on this special day, the
twenty-fourth of August, 2022, the thirty-first anniversary of Ukraine’s
declaration of independence. We offer heartfelt greetings and our paternal
love to you all at this difficult time as you defend your homeland from a
foreign invader.
History has bound Ukraine and the Ecumenical
Patriarchate since the end of the tenth century, when the Holy Prince Vladimir,
like “a merchant in search of fine pearls,” sent emissaries to Constantinople,
where he found Christ, the priceless pearl. Since then, the Mother Church of
Constantinople has always been at your side, sharing your joys and sorrows.
By the grace of God, during these days last
year, we had the honour to partake in the Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv
during our first Patriarchal Visit to your hospitable country after the Holy
and Great Church of Christ granted the Tomos of Autocephaly to your Church.
Last year was a time of celebration and
rejoicing. But unfortunately, when you were looking for good, evil came;
when you waited for light, darkness came, days of affliction came to meet you
(cf. Job 30:26-27). With great sadness and horror, last February, we learned of
the unjustified aggression against your country by the Russian Federation, a
gross violation of international law. Since then, we have been anxiously
following the war’s progression and its political, economic, sociological, and
ecological consequences.
It is our conviction that no Church or
Christian can justify or support any form of aggression by using religious
language. Called to be peacemakers, genuine Christians must support all
initiatives to prevent conflict via dialogue, which fosters understanding and
reconciliation.
Constantly lifting our prayers to the Mother of
God to grant justice and peace to Ukraine, we petition our Lord that no one be
filled with anguish for their families. Furthermore, we beseech the Almighty
that their heroic sons and daughters will not die defending their native land.
The virtuous Ukrainian people did not attack
anyone, but were forced to defend their land and homes. May the All-Merciful
Lord strengthen all of you to endure these many distresses and bear this heavy
cross. Our Saviour,
Jesus Christ, said: “Where I am, there My servant will be also.” (John 12:26).
You must know that God is always with you, that this evil and ungodly war will
end; evil will never overcome good; darkness will never overcome light. After
suffering and torment, the light of Christ will shine, and peace will reign in
Ukraine.
In March, we visited Ukrainian refugees in
Poland in a spirit of solidarity to bring them solace and hope, trying to
awaken the international community’s conscience to this tragedy that is taking
place in Europe. Today, with much paternal love, we console you and bestow on
you all – civil and ecclesiastical authorities, the armed forces, selfless
medical professionals, educators, refugees throughout the world, all Ukrainian
citizens and everyone of goodwill – our Patriarchal blessing, wishing you all
that “the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways and may
be with you all” (2 Thess. 3:16).
24/08/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of Letter to Pope Francis on the Feast of St. Peter and St.
Paul
How precious the testimony of the two Apostles by the incarnation of
the Gospel principle of non-violence is to us today, when the whole
world suffers at this time from the political, economic, and ecological
consequences of war at the door of Europe between two Christian peoples,
resulting from the illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian
Federation. The Churches cannot remain silent in the face of this tragedy of
humanity. Called to be peacemakers, under no circumstances can they use
religious language to justify or support aggression, violence, or war. On
the contrary, they should support all initiatives and efforts to prevent
conflicts through dialogue, which transforms all threats into
opportunities and fosters peace, reconciliation, and solidarity. They are
no losers in sincere dialogue.
30/6/2022 (Source)
Sermon at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen
Let us not be discouraged, then, and do not be disappointed when we are
called into our lives to bear various crosses, sorrows and
trials. This is the message we are sending tonight to the beloved and tested
children of the Mother Church in Ukraine. All these difficulties and problems can be overcome by believing in
the power of the Cross of the Lord
20/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from speech at the Meeting for the Promotion of Common Values
among the Believers of Religions
Future generations are entitled to a life in dignity, to a world free
of hatred and violence, unspoiled by pollution and natural devastation,
a society of peace and fraternity. At these crucial moments that the world is experiencing following the war
in Ukraine, we appeal to the responsible authorities and international
organizations and all people of goodwill to strive for the end of all
hostilities and the establishment of just and sustainable peace.
11/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of interview with Kathimerini Kyprou
What is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy, it is a shame that will
stigmatize those who caused it, those who turned out to have no fear of
God. Holy Week does not seem to be over for
the war-torn Ukrainian people, for the mothers, and for both sides
mourning their children. And yet, Christ is Risen.
Of course [the prolongation of the war] worries us. And it hurts us deeply… We have said many times that war is not the
solution. It should not even be the last resort. The way to resolve any dispute should be dialogue, and only dialogue. I
would not like to comment on the attitude and choices of the Russian
political leadership, which is judged by its results, and I am sure that
it will be judged further in the near and distant future by other
persons and institutions and, of course, by history itself, whose pages
are currently written in the blood of the innocent victims of this
war. However, we are convinced that the Russian people, at least our Christian
Orthodox brothers, can not agree with what is happening to the detriment
of their neighboring Ukrainian people. And we have all seen this with the reaction of a courageous faction
that opposes fratricidal war and is in favour of peace.
[Regarding the attitude of the Patriarch of Moscow] In the face of the death of innocent people, in the bombing of
civilians, in the levelling of entire cities, in the face of this
human tragedy, sermons cannot be heard that characterize a war as
"sacred". This is something very sad. It causes us deep sorrow and pain. But it
causes more pain to the Ukrainians themselves. Because you can not claim
to be a brother to another people and bless the war waged by your state.
You can not insist that Ukraine belongs to you ecclesiastically, but let
the faithful of the ecclesiastical structure under Moscow be killed and
their temples destroyed by the Russian bombing.
01/05/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from the Easter Encyclical
However, even as we are filled with gratitude and joy for this supreme
value ascribed to the human being by the Lord of glory, we are disheartened before multifaceted violence, social injustice
and infringement of human rights in our time. “The radiant message of the resurrection” and our cry “Christ is
Risen!” today reverberate alongside the horrendous sound of weapons, the distressing cries of innocent
victims of military aggression and the plight of refugees, among whom
there are numerous innocent children. We saw with our own eyes all of
these problems during our recent visit to Poland, where the vast
majority of Ukrainian refugees has fled. We stand and suffer alongside
the pious and courageous people of Ukraine that bear a heavy cross. We pray and strive for peace and justice as well as for all those who
are deprived of these. It is unimaginable for us Christians to remain silent before the
obliteration of human dignity. Together with the victims of military
conflict, the “greatest casualty” of war is humanity, which has not
managed to eradicate war in the course of its long history. Not only
does war not solve problems; it actually creates new and more complex
problems. It sows division and hatred; it increases discord among
peoples. We firmly believe that humankind is capable of living without
war and violence.
The Church of Christ innately functions as an agent of peace. Not only
does it pray “for the peace from above” and “the peace of the whole
world,” but it underlines the importance of every human effort to
establish peace. The principal characteristic of a Christian is
“peace-making.” Christ blesses the peacemakers, whose struggle is a
tangible presence of God in the world and depicts the peace “that
surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4.7) in the “new creation,” the
heavenly kingdom of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As
judiciously emphasized in the document of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,
entitled For the Life of the World, the social ethos of the Orthodox
Church, the Church “honors the martyrs for peace as witnesses to the
power of love, to the goodness of creation in its first and final forms,
and to the ideal of human conduct established by Christ during his
earthly ministry” (§ 44).
22/4/2022 (Source)
Words spoken during the consecration of Holy Myrrh
We beseech and implore the Peace of God who voluntarily suffered the
Passion for our salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ, to cease by His
extraordinary and powerful intervention the horrible and abominable war against the people of Ukraine, in the context of which a demonic crew, unfortunately, have sacrilegiously wielded an impudent weapon against their Orthodox
brothers and sisters, ...victimizing and lynching without fear of God, without embarrassment
and shame, slaughtering and killing thousands of civilians, disgracing
women, insulting holy temples, and burning homes, destroying and
razing cities and towns to the ground, and forcing millions of their
defenceless brethren, especially women and children, to flee their
country! May the Leader of Life shorten the Passion and Calvary of His
children and lead them with Him to the peace, tranquillity, light and
joy of the Resurrection! And lead also the belligerent invaders of
Christian love to sincere repentance, through the light of the
Paraclete!
19/4/2022 (Source)
Speech during memorial service for Patriarch Gregory V
We are in favour of the law, in favour of the truth. Law and truth are with Ukraine, that is why we are with Ukraine. The Gospel says: "Know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free". We Christians believe that the truth is
Christ himself. Christ, then, will liberate Ukraine, which has the truth on its side. We all pray, with all our hearts, for this catastrophic war to end as
soon as possible.
(…)
This Easter of 2022 will be a bitter Easter for our Ukrainian brothers and
not only. Good Friday will pass and Anastasis will come. Those who will not come back will be the thousands of dead, the victims
of this war. They, like everyone else, will pray from heaven not only
for the freedom and prosperity of Ukraine, but will pray for truth and
justice and peace throughout the world. The Mother Church of Constantinople has always loved its spiritual
children in Ukraine. Now we love you so much more. Happy Resurrection!
10/04/2022 (Source)
Speech to students
No problem can be solved by war. War does not solve problems, I always
say it, repeatedly, war adds new problems.
(…)
The Russians, wrongly, wrongly, invaded Ukraine. They may have had
fears about the future, about NATO, but there was no specific threat or intervention from Ukraine to
push the President of the Russian Federation to take up arms and
attack civilians, innocent people, to destroy schools, hospitals, theatres, churches.
Now some people want to say that because of this headache [the
discussion over autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church] the war broke
out. As if that were possible! They are looking for an alibi to
justify the unjustifiable.
(…)
We are very sorry for the attitude of His Beatitude Patriarch Kirill
of Russia. He should not have identified so much with President Putin
and, in fact, described Russia's war against Ukraine as “sacred”.
07/04/2022 (Source)
Speech during welcome ceremony, on visit to Poland
My visit here is neither any jubilant nor some festive occasion. My
exclusive focus these days is to stand in solidarity and prayer with the
millions of refugees who have been forcibly displaced by the ongoing
unjustified and unjustifiable aggression as well as the horrendous and
costly violence caused by Russia on their sovereign homeland of
Ukraine.
I am here to meet with some of the many refugees and to encourage those
who are demonstrating the ultimate Christian virtue of love for their
neighbour and charity for every stranger, in whom we are called to
witness and welcome Christ Himself.
What I would like to emphasize first of all, Mr. President, is my
personal gratitude – but especially the appreciation of the Orthodox
faithful, and indeed the admiration of every decent human being – for
the generous and compassionate hospitality of your historical and
magnificent nation to those who were forced to flee Ukraine. The people
of Poland understand very well what it means to suffer from war. But
above and beyond this, the citizens of Poland respect the gifts of freedom – freedom of
speech, freedom of education, freedom of economy, freedom of worship,
and freedom of living.
Let me assure You that the entire world has watched as Poland – and
other surrounding nations within this blessed continent – has literally
opened the borders of its land and the depths of its heart to receive
and comfort women and children, elderly and unaccompanied minors, and
even pets. You did not just consign your refugee neighbours to tents and
camps; you embraced them in your places of residence and your living
rooms.
All of them are distressed about the past and fearful about the future.
All of them need our reassurance and assistance, our support and
encouragement. All of them are vulnerable to hunger and homelessness but
also to exploitation and trafficking. And in the middle of this
unbelievable and unacceptable crisis, the state and people of Poland
stand out as a model of decency, of philanthropy, and of
hospitality.
May God bless all of you and your loved ones abundantly. May all
humankind learn from and imitate your extraordinary example. Only such
genuine love and unconditional solidarity can conquer any and all evil
and darkness in our world.
28/3/2022 (Source)
Excerpts from the sermon on the second Sunday of Lent
Dear Christians, war can and should never be an option for resolving any disputes.
Weapons scatter death and, of course, do not discriminate. They kill
everyone. This is evidenced by the tragic images that have been going around
the world for the last twenty-five days.
Unfortunately, the invaders of Ukraine, a sovereign and independent state, seem to seek the utter humiliation of their proud, loyal and brotherly Ukrainian people, who are fighting heroically and sacrificially for their freedom. At the same time, however, those who chose the path of war are leading their own youth to doom. Several thousand Russian soldiers have lost their lives. Because its effects are already being experienced by ordinary people on both sides. Ukrainian and Russian mothers have been separated from their children who went to war, and many of them are already, unfortunately, mourning their loss.
We seize the opportunity of our presence here to shout once again with all our might: stop this horror! Stop the war now! Enough of this Madness! How much more blood will our earth withstand? How many more dead will she fit in her womb? How many more tears will water her soil?
20/03/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from the sermon on Triumph of Orthodoxy Sunday
With all our hearts, we are watching the drama of the Ukrainian people,
and at the same time we are admiring their strong resistance to the
invader. We also note with satisfaction the brave reaction of Russian citizens
to the bloodshed. We call for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts of
the war. Violence and war not only do not resolve disputes, but cause pain
and death and create more complex problems. The invasion and the war must end immediately, and a new opportunity
must be given to dialogue, preeminent vehicle of reconciliation and
peace. On the other hand, the Charter of the
United Nations, this "Gospel of the Nations" as it is called, explicitly
prohibits the use of force in international relations and commits all
members of the Organization to settle their disputes by peaceful means.
"War is a violation of international law, which is now a 'law of
peace.'"
13/03/2022 (Source)
Excerpt from HH homily at the opening liturgy for the Great Lent
Throughout these days, the pious people of Ukraine carry their own weighty Cross, as they
suffer the unspeakable abuses of an unprovoked, irrational and hostile
war, which propagates pain and death. Co-suffering with our tested brethren and children, we intensify our
supplication to the Lord of mercy and God of peace, unto the immediate
cessation of this conflict and the prevalence of justice and peace, which
are a foretaste of the redeemed joy of the Kingdom of God.
3/3/2022 (Source)
Interview with CNN Turkey
I saw that Ukraine is extremely pleased and proud of its
independence. Being able to break away from the Soviet Union and establish their own
independent country is an honor and privilege for them, and they
celebrated this wholeheartedly last August. President Zelensky hosted a
dinner in my honor on the first evening I arrived, and explained the
situation in his homeland. He expressed his gratitude towards our
Ecumenical Patriarchate. We have given the independent country of Ukraine an independent
church.
How much was this act of our Patriarchate appreciated? Under today's conditions, we see that our Patriarchate acted very early
and we did a very good job. We upset our Russian brothers, but this had to
happen. Orthodox people in all Balkan countries were attached to our
Patriarchate for a long period of time. But there came a point in time
when all those churches received their independence from our Ecumenical
Patriarchate. Ukraine well deserved it.
Now we see that some Ukrainian clergy do not want to mention the name of the Russian
patriarch, Kyril, in their services. They see him as the religious
leader of the enemy country. They gradually break away from that church
and move on to the new autocephalous church. We are happy about it or not. Because this is the result of war. One
would wish that the Russian church would not show such hostility towards
our Patriarchate and towards me, and accept our canonical action.
Unfortunately, the Russian Patriarchate did not accept our decision. Our
Patriarchate and I personally became their target. The whole world is against Russia. We are entering a new era of cold
war. The distance between Russia and not only Ukraine but the whole
Western world, Russia and the Western world is getting bigger. It means
that we are entering a new cold war period. Anyone who thinks right and
acts right does not want this situation, this new cold war
period. As a religious institution, our Patriarchate, has always been in favour
of peace and unity, and we continue to do so. We have especially
strengthened our prayers these days.
02/03/2022 (Source)
Today, Monday, 28 February 2022, His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, accompanied by His Eminence Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon and the V. Rev. Grand Syncellus Iakovos, went to the local Consulate General of Ukraine and expressed the unreserved sympathy, support and solidarity of the Mother Church to the Consul General, Mr. Roman Nedilskyi, his collaborators, the large local Ukrainian Community and the entire heroic people of their country. He simultaneously assured them of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s constant prayers for the prevalence of peace, the preservation of Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, an immediate ceasefire and the cessation of intrusion of foreign forces into it.
The Consul General thanked His All-Holiness for this renewed loving
expression of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and comprehensively informed
those present regarding the current developments and the progress of the
negotiations underway.
At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, 28 February 2022
From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod
28/2/2022 (Source)
Even in the most unfavorable circumstances, such as today, where the world community is following with horror Russia’s, beyond every sense of law and morality, military attack and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, an independent and sovereign state, or perhaps even more so now as the fiercest conflict since the time of World War II unfolds in Europe, in our neighborhood, we direct our prayers to the Lord Jesus, the Ruler of peace, asking Him with a fervent soul that He “will give strength to His people” and “bless His people with peace” (cf. Psalm 27:11). The Holy Great Church of Christ unceasingly chants the angelic hymn throughout the ages: “peace on earth and good will to men.”
Indeed, during the last few days, a tragic humanitarian catastrophe is
unfolding in Ukraine. A war, which, like any war, is an abominable and
reprehensible situation. It is the domination of irrationality over
reason, hatred over love, darkness over light, death over life.
Again, from this position, we address another plea to end the war now! To immediately stop any act of violence, anything that spreads pain
and death. Let reason prevail, love for fellow human beings,
reconciliation and solidarity, the light of the Risen Christ, the gift of
life.
We express our full sympathy to our brother, the Primate of the Church
of Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanios of Kyiv, and our unwavering support to all the seriously suffering Ukrainian
people, who have a deep faith in God and chose to live freely and to
determine their own lives, as every nation deserves. Although,
unfortunately, some have come, these days, to the point of questioning
even their historical and national existence.
Our thoughts are constantly with the wounded and with the families of
the innocent victims, irrespective of their ethnic identity, and we pray for the rest of their souls to the Lord of Life and
Death. We are certain that the Lord will hear our prayers and will not abandon
his beloved children in Ukraine.
27/2/2022 (Source)
Even before speaking officially, after the Angelus prayer on 27 February, Pope Francis made several important gestures in favour of peace, including an unprecedented visit to the Russian Embassy to the Vatican, and a telephone call to the President of Ukraine and to the leader of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. He also published a number of tweets in Ukrainian and in Russian.
Angelus
The course of the war in Ukraine has become so
serious, devastating and threatening, as to cause great concern. Therefore,
today I would like to devote the entire reflection before the Angelus to
this. Indeed, this terrible and inconceivable wound to humanity, instead of
healing, continues to shed even more blood, risking to spread further.
I am saddened by the rivers of blood and tears spilled in
these months. I am saddened by the thousands of victims, especially
children, and the destruction which has left many people and families homeless
and threaten vast territories with cold and hunger. Certain actions can never
be justified, never! It is disturbing that the world is learning the geography
of Ukraine through names such as Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Izium, Zaparizhzhia
and other areas, which have become places of indescribable suffering and fear.
And what about the fact that humanity is once again faced with the atomic
threat? It is absurd.
What is to happen next? How much blood must still flow for
us to realize that war is never a solution, only destruction? In the name of
God and in the name of the sense of humanity that dwells in every heart, I
renew my call for an immediate ceasefire. Let there be a halt to arms, and
let us seek the conditions for negotiations that will lead to solutions that
are not imposed by force, but consensual, just and stable. And they will be so
if they are based on respect for the sacrosanct value of human life, as well as
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country, and the rights of
minorities and legitimate concerns.
I deeply deplore the grave situation that has arisen in
recent days, with further actions contrary to the principles of international law.
It increases the risk of nuclear escalation, giving rise to fears of
uncontrollable and catastrophic consequences worldwide.
My appeal is addressed first and foremost to the President
of the Russian Federation, imploring him to stop this spiral of violence and
death, also for the sake of his own people. On the other hand, saddened by the
immense suffering of the Ukrainian people as a result of the aggression they
have suffered, I address an equally confident appeal to the President of
Ukraine to be open to serious proposals for peace. I urge all the
protagonists of international life and the political leaders of nations to do
everything possible to bring an end to the war, without allowing themselves to
be drawn into dangerous escalations, and to promote and support initiatives for
dialogue. Please let the younger generations breathe the salutary air of peace,
not the polluted air of war, which is madness!
After seven months of hostilities, let us use all
diplomatic means, even those that may not have been used so far, to bring an
end to this terrible tragedy. War in itself is an error and a horror!
Let us trust in the mercy of God, who can change hearts, and
in the maternal intercession of the Queen of Peace, as we raise our
Supplication to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompei, spiritually united with the
faithful gathered at her Shrine and in so many parts of the world.
02/10/2022 (Source)
General audience
And then a thought for the tormented
Ukraine, which is suffering so much, that poor people so cruelly tried. This
morning I was able to speak with Cardinal Krajewski, who was on his way back
from Ukraine and he told me about terrible things. Let us think of Ukraine
and pray for this tormented people.
28/09/2022 (Source)
Words during Angelus
Mary, Queen of Peace, comfort the martyred
Ukrainian people and obtain from the heads of Nations the strength of will
immediately to find effective initiatives to bring the war to an end.
25/09/2022 (Source)
General audience
And I would also like to mention the terrible
situation in martyred Ukraine. Cardinal Krajewski went there for the fourth
time. Yesterday he telephoned me, he is spending time there, helping in the
area of Odessa and bringing closeness. He told me about the pain of this
people, the savagery, the monstrosities, the tortured corpses they find. Let us
unite ourselves to this people who are so noble and martyred.
21/09/2022 (Source)
Conversation with Jesuits in Kazakhstan
There is a war going on and I think it is a
mistake to think that this is a cowboy movie where there are good guys and bad
guys. It is also a mistake to think that this is a war between Russia and
Ukraine and no more. No, this is a world war.
(…)
The victim of this conflict is Ukraine. I intend to reflect on why this war
was not avoided. War is like a marriage, in a way. To understand it, one has to
investigate the dynamics that developed the conflict. There are international
factors that contributed to provoking the war. I have already mentioned that a
head of state, in December last year, came to tell me that he was very
concerned because NATO had gone barking at the gates of Russia without
understanding that the Russians are imperial and fear border insecurity. He
expressed fear that this would provoke a war, and this broke out two months
later.
So, one cannot be simplistic in reasoning about
the causes of the conflict. I see imperialisms in conflict. And, when they
feel threatened and in decline, the imperialisms react, thinking that the
solution is to unleash a war to make up for it, and also to sell and test
weapons. Some say, for example, that the Spanish Civil War was started to
prepare for World War II. I do not know if that was really the case, but it
could have been. I do not doubt, however, that we are already living through
World War III. We have seen three in a century: one between 1914 and 1918, one
between 1939 and 1945, and now we are living through this one.
(…)
That is what needs to be done: to free hearts
from hatred. From the first day of the war until yesterday I spoke constantly
about this conflict, referring to the suffering of Ukraine. On the day of the
country’s independence, there was the flag in Saint Peter’s Square, and I
myself spoke about it, obviously. After speaking about Ukraine, I thought of
saying a word addressed to the suffering of the two peoples, the Ukrainian and
the Russian. Because in wars it is the people who suffer. It is the poor people
who pay, as always. And this generates hatred. Those who make war forget humanity and do not
look at the real life of people, but put partisan interests and power ahead of
everything. The ordinary people in every conflict are the real victims, the
ones who pay for the follies of war with their own skin. I also referred to
that girl who had been killed in an explosion. At this point people forgot
everything I had said up to then and only paid attention to that reference. I
understand people’s reactions, because they are suffering a lot.
I recall that the day after the start of the
war I went to the Russian Embassy. It was an unusual gesture; the pope never
goes to an embassy. He receives the ambassadors personally only when they
present their credentials, and then at the end of their mission on a farewell
visit. I told the ambassador that I would like to speak with President
Putin, provided he left me a small window for dialogue.
I also received the Ukrainian ambassador and
spoke twice with President Zelensky on the telephone. I sent Cardinals Czerny
and Krajewski to Ukraine to affirm the solidarity of the pope. Archbishop
Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States, also made an official
visit. The Holy See’s presence in Ukraine has the value of bringing help and
support. It is a way of expressing a presence. I too had in mind to go. It
seems to me that God’s will is not for me to go at this precise moment; we will
see later, however.
Some Ukrainian envoys have come to me. Among
them the vice-rector of the Catholic University of Ukraine, accompanied by the
adviser to the president for religious questions, an evangelical. We spoke, we
discussed. A military chief in charge of the exchange of prisoners also
came, again with President Zelensky’s religious adviser. This time they brought
me a list of more than 300 prisoners. They asked me to do something to make an
exchange. I immediately called the Russian ambassador to see if something could
be done, if an exchange of prisoners could be speeded up.
When a Ukrainian Catholic bishop came to visit,
I gave him a package with my statements on the subject. I called the
invasion of Ukraine an unacceptable, repugnant, senseless, barbaric, sacrilegious
aggression… Read all the statements! The Press Room has collected them.
Now, I would like to tell you that I am not interested in your defending the
pope, but that the people feel caressed by you, the pope’s brothers. The pope
does not get angry if he is misunderstood, because I know well the suffering
behind it.
(…)
15/09/2022 (Source)
Words during the
Angelus
I am saddened by the recent fighting
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I express my spiritual closeness to the
families of the victims, and I urge the parties to respect the ceasefire in
view of a peace agreement. Let us not forget that peace is possible when
weapons are silenced and dialogue begins! And let us continue to pray
for the suffering people of Ukraine and for peace in every land bloodied by war.
18/09/2022 (Source)
Address during closing ceremony of Congress in
Kazakhstan
Thank you for having taken part so intensely in
these days of work, commitment and sharing in the service of dialogue. This
is more valuable than ever in challenging times like our own, when the problems
of the pandemic have been compounded by the utter folly of war.
15/09/2022 (Source)
Press conference on flight from Kazakhstan to
Rome
In your opinion, should Ukraine be given
weapons at this time?"
This is a political decision, which can be
moral – morally acceptable – if it is done according to the conditions of
morality, which are manifold, and then we can talk about it. But it can be immoral
if it is done with the intention of provoking more war or selling weapons or
discarding those weapons that are no longer needed. The motivation is what
largely qualifies the morality of this act. To defend oneself is not only
lawful but also an expression of love of country. Those who do not defend
themselves, those who do not defend something, do not love it, instead those
who defend, love.
(…)
I would like to ask if you think there is a red
line beyond which you should not say: we are open to dialogue with Moscow.
Because so many people have a hard time understanding this openness. And I
would also like to ask if the next trip will be to Kyiv.
I will answer that, but I would prefer that the
questions about the trip be asked first...
I think it is always difficult to understand
the dialogue with the states that started a war, and it seems that the first
step was from there, from that side. It is difficult but we must not discard
it; we must extend the opportunity for dialogue to everyone, to everyone! Because there is always the
possibility that in dialogue we can change things, and also offer another point
of view, another point of consideration.
I don't exclude dialogue with any power,
whether it's at war, whether it's the aggressor... sometimes dialogue has to be
done in this manner, but it has to be done; it "stinks", but it has
to be done. Always one step ahead, an outstretched hand, always! Because
otherwise we close off the only reasonable door to peace.
Sometimes some do not accept dialogue: too bad!
But dialogue must always be done, at least offered, and this is good for those
who offer it; it helps them to breathe.
15/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of address to Congress
of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, Kazakhstan
In recent decades, dialogue
among religious leaders has dealt primarily with this question. Yet, we look
around us and see our time still plagued by the scourge of war, by a climate of
hostility and confrontation, by an inability to step back and hold out a hand
to the other. Brothers and sisters, a leap forward is required, and it needs to
come from us. If the Creator, to whom we have devoted our lives, is the
author of human life, how can we, who call ourselves believers, consent to the
destruction of that life? And how can we imagine that the men and women of our
time, many of whom live as if God did not exist, can be inspired to engage in
respectful and responsible dialogue if the great religions, which are the soul
of so many cultures and traditions, are not themselves actively committed to
peace?
Mindful of the wrongs and
errors of the past, let us unite our efforts to ensure that the Almighty will
never again be held hostage to the human thirst for power. Abai observes that,
“he who permits evil, and does not oppose it, cannot be regarded as a true
believer. At best he is a half-hearted believer” (cf. Words 38). Dear brothers
and sisters, each and every one of us needs to be purified of evil. The great
Kazakh poet insists on this; in his words, “he who abandons learning deprives
himself of a divine blessing”, and “a person who is not strict in his ways and
is not capable of compassion cannot be considered a believer” (Word 12). So,
brothers and sisters, let us purify ourselves of the presumption of feeling
self-righteous, with no need to learn anything from anyone. Let us free
ourselves of those reductive and destructive notions that offend the name of
God by harshness, extremism and forms of fundamentalism, and profane it through
hatred, fanaticism, and terrorism, disfiguring the image of man as well. As
Abai says, “the source of humanity is love and justice… They are the crown of
divine creation” (Word 45). May we never justify violence. May we never
allow the sacred to be exploited by the profane. The sacred must never be a
prop for power, nor power a prop for the sacred!
God is peace. He guides us
always in the way of peace, never that of war. Let us commit ourselves,
then, even more to insisting on the need for resolving conflicts not by the
inconclusive means of power, with arms and threats, but by the only means
blessed by heaven and worthy of man: encounter, dialogue and patient
negotiations, which make progress especially when they take into consideration
the young and future generations. For the young embody the hope that peace will
come about, not as the fragile outcome of painstaking negotiations, but as the
fruit of persevering commitment to an education that can support their
aspirations for development and a serene future. Abai, in that sense,
encourages the expansion of learning beyond the limits of one’s own culture, in
order to embrace the knowledge, history and literature of others. Let us
invest, I beg you, in this: not in more weapons, but in education!
14/09/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of address to civil authorities during
visit to Kazakhstan
I am visiting you in the course of the senseless
and tragic war that broke out with the invasion of Ukraine, even as other
conflicts and threats of conflict continue to imperil our times. I have
come to echo the plea of all those who cry out for peace, which is the
essential path to development for our globalized world. And this is peace: a
path of integral development for our globalized world.
13/09/2022 (Source)
Words
during Angelus prayer
Let us
continue to pray for the Ukrainian people, that the Lord may give them comfort
and hope. During these days, Cardinal Krajewski, prefect of the Dicastery
for the Service of Charity, is in Ukraine to visit various communities and to
bear concrete witness to the closeness of the Pope and the Church.
11/9/2022
(Source)
Address
to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
I
have said that it was a third world war being fought “piecemeal” – perhaps we
can now say that it is “all out” – putting people and the planet at ever greater risk. Saint John Paul II gave thanks to God that,
through Mary’s intercession, the world had been preserved from atomic war. Unfortunately, we must continue to pray for
protection against this danger, which should have been averted long ago.
10/09/2022
(Source)
Address
to pontifical representatives
Unfortunately,
Europe and the entire world are convulsed by a war of particular gravity,
in terms of the violation of international law the risks of nuclear escalation,
and the grave economic and social consequences. It is a “piecemeal” third world
war, to which you bear witness in the places where you carry out your mission.
08/09/2022
(Source)
General
audience
And I
am not forgetting martyred Ukraine. There are some flags there. Faced with
all the war scenarios of our time, I ask each of you to be builders of peace
and to pray so that thoughts and projects of peace and reconciliation may
spread throughout the world. Today we are living through a world war. Let us
stop please! Let us entrust the victims of every war, every war, to the Virgin
Mary, especially the dear people of Ukraine.
07/09/2022
(Source)
Excerpt of interview with Portuguese journalist
Maria João Avillez
Some dialogue is indispensable. You recently
said you would like to go to Kiev and Moscow. What can you say to presidents
Putin and Zelensky?
I don’t know, I don’t know. I have spoken to
both, they both came to visit me. Not know, but longer ago… I always believe
that if we speak, we can move forwards. Do you know who doesn’t know how to
dialogue? Animals. They go by pure instinct. If you let yourself go by pure instinct…
On the other hand, dialogue is leaving instinct behind you and listening. Dialogue
is hard.
And it seems particularly difficult in this
case.
It is difficult. But it begins in the family. If
you don’t dialogue in the family, if all there is is screaming and arguing,
then children don’t learn how to dialogue.
When are you going to Kiev or to Moscow?
That’s an open question. I still don’t know. I am in dialogue with them. Tomorrow, for instance, I will be speaking on the phone with President Zelensky. We shall see. The fact is that I have sent representatives to Kiev. Three cardinals. One of them went three times and was there for the whole of Holy Week, and the undersecretary of State also went, who is, we can say, in charge of International Relations. My presence there is strong. Now I can’t go, because after travelling to Canada my knee worsened a bit, and I’m under doctor’s orders not to travel. He told me not to go anywhere before the Kazakhstan trip. But I have been in touch, over the phone. And I do what I can. I ask that everybody do what they can. Between all of us we can do something. I follow all I can with my pain and my prayers, but the situation is truly tragic.
05/09/2022 (Source)
Words
during Angelus prayer
And
now we turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary, so that she might obtain the gift of
peace throughout the world, especially for war-torn Ukraine. May she, the first and perfect
disciple of the Lord, help us follow the example and holiness of life of John
Paul I.
04/09/2022
(Source)
Vatican Press office communiqué
In the context of the war in Ukraine, there are numerous interventions by the Holy Father Francis and his collaborators in this regard. For the most part, their purpose is to invite pastors and the faithful to prayer, and all people of good will to solidarity and efforts to rebuild peace.
On more than one occasion, as in recent days, public discussions have arisen on the political significance to be attached to such interventions.
In this regard, it is reiterated that the Holy Father's words on this dramatic issue should be interpreted as a voice raised in defence of human life and the values associated with it, and not as a political stance. As for the large-scale war in Ukraine, initiated by the Russian Federation, the Holy Father Francis' interventions are clear and unequivocal in condemning it as morally unjust, unacceptable, barbaric, senseless, repugnant and sacrilegious.
30/08/2022 (Source)
Words during Angelus prayer
Let us pray for the people of Ukraine and for all those who suffer because of war. May the God of peace revive a human and Christian sense of pity and mercy in the hearts of the leaders of nations.
28/08/2022 (Source)
Appeal following general audience
I renew my invitation to implore peace from the Lord for the beloved Ukrainian people who for six months today have been suffering the horror of war. I hope that concrete steps will be taken to put an end to the war and to avert the risk of a nuclear disaster in Zaporizhzhia.
I carry the prisoners in my heart, especially those in fragile conditions, and I ask the competent authorities to work for their release. I think of the children, so many dead… then so many refugees – here in Italy there are many… so many wounded, so many Ukrainian children and Russian children who have become orphans. And being an orphan has no nationality, they have lost their father or their mother, whether they are Russian or Ukrainian.
I think of so much cruelty, so many innocents who are paying for madness, the madness of all sides, because war is madness and no one in war can say: ‘No, I am not mad.’ The madness of war.
I think of that poor girl blown up by a bomb under her car seat in Moscow.
The innocent pay for war, the innocent! Let us think about this reality and say to each other: war is madness.
And those who profit from war and the arms trade are criminals who kill humanity.
And we think of other countries that have been at war for a long time: more than 10 years in Syria; we think of the war in Yemen, where so many children suffer from hunger; we think of the Rohingya who travel the world because of the injustice of being driven from their land.
But today in a special way, six months after the beginning of the war, we think of Ukraine and Russia, I consecrated both countries to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May she, as Mother, turn her gaze on these two beloved countries: may she look upon Ukraine, look upon Russia, and bring us peace! We need peace!
24/08/2022 (Source)
Words
during Angelus prayer
Let
us persevere in our closeness and in prayer for the dear Ukrainian people who are experiencing inhuman
cruelty.
21/08/2022
(Source)
Words during Angelus prayer
Let us continue to invoke the intercession of Our Lady, so that God might give the world peace, and let us pray in particular for the Ukrainian people.
15/08/2022 (Source)
Words during Angelus prayer
Mercy is the way of salvation for every one of us, and for the entire world. And let us ask the Lord for special mercy, mercy and pity for the martyred Ukrainian people.
14/08/2022 (Source)
Words during general audience
A thought also for the people of Ukraine, who continue to suffer this cruel war. And let us also pray for the migrants continuously arriving.
10/08/2022 (Source)
Words during Angelus
I want to welcome with satisfaction the departure of the
first ships loaded with grain from the ports of Ukraine. This step demonstrates
that it is possible to dialogue and to reach concrete results for everyone’s
benefit. Therefore, this event also presents itself as a sign of hope, and I
sincerely hope that, following in this direction, there might be an end to
combat and that a just and lasting peace might be reached.
07/08/2022 (Source)
Words during Angelus
Also,
during this journey, I did not cease praying for the battered and martyred
Ukrainian people, asking God to free them from the scourge of war. If one
looked at what is happening objectively, considering the harm that war brings
every day to those people, but also to the entire world, the only reasonable
thing to do would be to stop and negotiate. May wisdom inspire concrete
steps toward peace.
31/07/2022 (Source)
Words during Angelus
And I
also remain close to the martyred Ukrainian population, struck every day by a
hail of missiles. How can one fail to understand that war only creates
destruction and death, driving peoples apart, killing truth and dialogue? I
pray and hope that all international stakeholders will truly work to resume
negotiations, not to fuel the senselessness of war.
17/07/2022
(Source)
Words during the Angelus prayer
And I am also always close to the martyred Ukrainian population, struck
every day by a hail of missiles. How can one fail to understand that war only
creates destruction and death, driving peoples apart, killing truth and
dialogue? I pray and hope that all the
international actors will truly work to resume negotiations, not to fuel the
senselessness of war.
17/07/2022 (Source)
Address to the participants in the general chapters of the Basilian
orders
I would not like to end without expressing my closeness to you, dear
Ukrainian Basilian brothers, in this moment of pain, in this moment of
martyrdom of your homeland. I would like to tell you that I am close to you, the whole
Church is close, all of you. We accompany you as we can in your pain. I
often think that one of the greatest dangers now is to forget the drama of
Ukraine. One gets used to it, one gets used to it... and then it is not so
important and one talks... In recent days, I saw in the newspaper that the news
about the war was on page 9! It's not a problem of interest, and this is bad,
it’s bad. That is why we are close to you and we must all look to them because
they are suffering martyrdom right now. You are suffering martyrdom. And I
hope that the Lord will have compassion on you and in another way be close to
you with peace and the gift of peace.
14/07/2022 (Source)
Letter to participants in the synod of the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
I cordially greet all of you gathered in Synod
in Przemyśl, from 7 to 15 July. This Synod, according to the previous plan,
should have been held in Kyiv, but the dramatic situation of the war, already
in its fifth month, did not allow it.
Recently, on 27 June, the Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church celebrated the liturgical memory of the Blessed Martyrs,
beatified by St John Paul II in Lviv during his visit to Ukraine in 2001. But it
is at this time that we better understand the circumstances in which these
martyrs lived and died, among whom were bishops, priests, religious men and
women and lay people who fell victim to the Soviet communist regime. Today they
protect their suffering People from heaven: to their protection I entrust
all the Members of the Synod.
Dear Brother Bishops, I unite myself
spiritually to your suffering, assuring you of my prayers and my commitment,
which not infrequently, because of the delicate situation, does not emerge in
the media.
11/07/2022 (Source)
Excerpt of message to the participants in the EU
Youth Conference
Dear young people, while you are holding
your Conference, in Ukraine – which is not in the EU, but is Europe – a
senseless war is being fought. Added to the numerous conflicts taking place
in different regions of the world, it makes the need for an educational pact
that educates everyone to fraternity all the more urgent.
The idea of a united Europe arose from a
powerful yearning for peace in the wake of the numerous wars fought on this
continent, and it led to a seventy-year period of peace. Now we must all commit
ourselves to putting an end to this dreadful war, where, as usual, a few
powerful people decide and send thousands of young people to fight and die. In
cases like this, it is legitimate to rebel!
Someone has said that, if the world were ruled
by women, there would not be so many wars, because those who have the mission
of giving life cannot make death choices. In a similar vein, I like to think
that if the world were ruled by young people, there would not be so many wars.
Those who have their whole life ahead of them do not want to ruin it and throw
it away, but to live it to the full.
11/07/2022 (Source)
Words after Angelus prayer
I renew my closeness to the Ukrainian people,
who are daily tormented by the brutal attacks that the ordinary people are
paying for. I pray
for all the families, especially for the victims, the wounded, those who are
sick. I pray for the elderly and for the children. May God show the way to put
an end to this senseless war.
10/07/2022 (Source)
Words after Angelus prayer
Let us continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and in the entire world.
I appeal to the heads of nations and international organizations to
react to the tendency to accentuate conflict and confrontation.
The world needs peace. Not a peace based on the balance of weapons, on
mutual fear. No, that will not do. This means turning history back
seventy years.
The Ukrainian crisis should have been, but – if there is the will –
can still become a challenge for wise statesmen, capable of building,
with dialogue, a better world for the new generations.
With God’s help, this is always possible! But it is necessary to pass
from the strategies of political, economic and military power to a plan
for global peace: no to a world divided between conflicting powers; yes
to a world united between peoples and civilizations that respect each
other.
03/07/2022 (Source)
Message to Orthodox delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate
Sister Churches, Brother Peoples. Reconciliation among separated Christians, as a means of contributing
to peace between peoples in conflict, is a most timely consideration
these days, as our world is disrupted by a cruel and senseless war of
aggression in which many, many Christians are fighting one another. Before the scandal of war, in the first place, our concern must not
be for talking and discussing, but for weeping, for helping others and
for experiencing conversion ourselves. We need to weep for the victims
and the overwhelming bloodshed, the deaths of so many innocent people,
the trauma inflicted on families, cities and an entire people. How much suffering has been endured by those who have lost their
loved ones and been forced to abandon their homes and their own
country! We need to help these, our brothers and sisters. We are summoned
to exercise that charity which, as Christians, we are obliged to show
towards Jesus, present in the displaced, the poor and the
wounded. But we also need to experience conversion, and to recognize that
armed conquest, expansionism and imperialism have nothing to do with
the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. Nothing to do with the risen Lord,
who in Gethsemane told his disciples to reject violence, to put the
sword back in its place, since those who live by the sword will die by
the sword (Mt 26:52), and who, cutting short every objection, simply said:
“Enough!” (cf. Lk 22:51).
30/06/2022 (Source)
Following Angelus prayer
Every day I carry in my heart the dear and tormented Ukraine, which
continues to be scourged by barbaric attacks, like the one that struck
the Kremenchuk shopping centre. I pray that this insane war may soon see
an end, and I renew the invitation to persevere, without tiring, in prayer
for peace: may the Lord open those paths of dialogue that men are
unwilling or unable to find! And let us not neglect to come to the aid
of the Ukrainian people, who are suffering so much.
29/06/2022 (Source)
Following Angelus prayer
I see Ukrainian flags there. Bombardments continue there in Ukraine which are causing death,
destruction and suffering for the population. Please, let us not forget
these people afflicted by the war. Let us not forget this in our heart and with our prayers.
26/06/2022 (Source)
Message to the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches
Please continue to keep before your eyes the icon of the Good
Samaritan: you have done so and I know you will continue to do so for
the drama caused by the conflict that from Tigray has again wounded
Ethiopia and partly neighbouring Eritrea, and above all for the beloved and tormented Ukraine. There, we have
returned to the drama of Cain and Abel; a life-destroying violence has
been unleashed, a luciferous, diabolical violence, to which we
believers are called to react with the power of prayer, with the
concrete help of charity, with every Christian means so that weapons
give way to negotiations. I would like to thank you for helping to
bring the caress of the Church and the Pope to Ukraine and to the
countries where refugees have been received. In faith we know that the heights of human pride and idolatry
will be lowered, and the valleys of desolation and tears filled, but we
would also like to see Isaiah's prophecy of peace soon fulfilled: that
one people will no longer raise its hand against another people, that
swords will become ploughs and spears scythes (cf. Is 2:4). Instead,
everything seems to go in the opposite direction: food diminishes and
the clang of weapons increases. It is the Cainic pattern that governs
history today. Let us therefore not stop praying, fasting, helping,
working so that the paths of peace find a place in the jungle of
conflicts.
23/06/2022 (Source)
Words after Angelus prayer
And let us not forget the suffering of the Ukrainian people in this
moment, a people who are suffering. I would like you all to keep in mind a
question: what am I doing today for the Ukrainian people? Do I pray? Am I doing
something? Am I trying to understand? What am I doing today for the
Ukrainian people? Each one of you, answer in your own heart.
19/06/2022 (Source)
Words during general audience
And please, let us not forget the martyred people of Ukraine. Let us not become
accustomed to living as if the war were something far away. May our memory, our affection, our prayer and our help always be
close to these people who are suffering so much and experiencing a true
martyrdom.
15/06/2022 (Source)
Excerpts of Pope’s conversation with heads of Jesuit journals in
Europe
We have to move away from the normal pattern of “Little Red Riding
Hood”: Little Red Riding Hood was good and the wolf was the bad
guy. Here there are no metaphysical good guys and bad guys, in an abstract
sense. Something global is emerging, with elements that are very much
intertwined. A couple of months before the war started, I met a head of state,
a wise man, who speaks very little, very wise indeed. After we talked about the things he wanted to talk about, he told me
that he was very concerned about the way NATO was moving. I asked him
why, and he said, “They are barking at the gates of Russia. They do
not understand that the Russians are imperialists and will allow no
foreign power to approach them.” He concluded, “The situation could
lead to war.” This was his opinion. On February 24, the war began.
That head of state was able to read the signs of what was taking
place.
What we are seeing is the brutality and ferocity with which this war is being carried out
by the troops, generally mercenaries, used by the Russians. The
Russians prefer to send in Chechen and Syrian mercenaries. But the
danger is that we only see this, which is monstrous, and we do not see
the whole drama unfolding behind this war, which was perhaps somehow
either provoked or not prevented. And note the interest in testing and
selling weapons. It is very sad, but at the end of the day that is
what is at stake.