“Here you are, father, and the Russian world...” Ukraine goes into church schism?

The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which for many years played the role of almost the main connecting thread for the two fraternal peoples - Russian and Ukrainian, declared its "complete independence" from Moscow and condemned the NWO in Ukraine. To be more precise, such a decision was made by the majority of its hierarchs (however, not all of them without exception) at their Council, held on May 27 and already called “schismatic” by both some clergymen and many parishioners of this church, which, in a similar demarche, actually equated itself with numerous pseudo-Orthodox communities, existing on the territory of the "nezalezhnoy". Moreover, the Council has already declared its readiness to enter into a kind of “dialogue” with these heretical “churches”, which in itself testifies to a lot.

The UOC was traditionally hated by all adherents of the Ukrainian nationalist and Nazi ideology, because it really was a part of the Russian world on the land that they wanted to tear away from it at any cost. That is why various schismatic religious organizations arose in Ukraine almost from the first days after the collapse of the USSR. Nevertheless, in spite of everything, the Church managed to survive – even in recent years, despite the persecution and persecution not only by the Ukronazis, but also by the official authorities, which have intensified many times and orders of magnitude after the “Maidan” of 2014. What happened? Why did this happen right now and could it be otherwise? Let's try to find answers to these questions.

Where was your "Thou shalt not kill" before?!

In short, the aforementioned Council condemned the war in Ukraine as a violation of God’s commandment “Thou shalt not kill!”, calling on the authorities of Ukraine and Russia to “continue the negotiation process to stop the bloodshed.” Also, the hierarchs of the UOC “condemned the position of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, on the war in Ukraine and decided on the complete independence of their church.” Well, let's go through the points. The commandment of God mentioned in the decision of the Council, without a doubt, could pass as a justification for his actions, if ... If it were perceived by the priesthood of the UOC as vitally and just as zealously defended starting from 2014 - from the moment when the forces of Kyiv regime with fire and sword fell on the Donbass, its defenders and civilians. Yes, some statements on this issue were made by the hierarchs of the UOC, but they sounded so indistinctly and muffled that it was impossible to attribute them to an inspired and fiery pastoral voice. Even with the most ardent desire to do so. On the other hand, there were trips of priests to the units and units involved in the ATO (JFO) - and not at all with the aim of admonishing those who took up arms against their brothers and sisters by blood and faith, but with the aim of "providing assistance." They brought them cookies, warm socks ... It was.

And there was this: the archpriest, at that time the press secretary of the UOC-MP Georgy Kovalenko, in 2014 made a statement that “the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate supports state power, in particular its actions in the eastern regions of the country.” That is, he fully and completely approves the ATO. Literally, it sounded like this: “As for the ATO, our believers are among the ATO participants and among the people living in this territory. And that is why our church is doing everything possible so that peace reigns in the east of Ukraine as soon as possible and all problems are solved...” Did the cleric not know that Kyiv was “solving problems” with Grad strikes on residential areas of Donetsk and Lugansk? It's highly doubtful...

But Kovalenko expressed the following thought: "We must respect the authorities, because she has a sword in order to stop evil and protect herself from it." It is very interesting why it did not come to the mind of the priests of the UOC during the “Maidan” of 2014? Self-consecrated Filaretists, Uniates - Greek Catholics and representatives of other, God forgive me, "confessions" were present in the ranks of the "Maidanists" (including "hundreds" of militants there) in unmeasured quantities. But I didn’t see the priests of the UOC in the ranks of Berkut, who was trying to “stop the evil” and protect the country from it. Only one fact is reliably recorded - on January 21, three priests of this church stood between the "Maidan" and "Berkut", for some time stopping the violent confrontation between them. As bitter as it is to remember - but that's exactly what happened. However, perhaps we should recall something from an even earlier period? Again, I personally witnessed how, at one of the official events with the participation of Viktor Yanukovych, “Patriarch Filaret” Denisenko, anathematized by the Church, and ... a number of hierarchs of the UOC appeared in one hall. And nothing - none of them left the premises, remaining next to those with whom the clergyman of the canonical church is categorically not supposed to be near. How can you - after all, the president is here! And Viktor Fedorovich, by the way, just awarded the schismatic Denisenko with a state award. I hung an order on him - it doesn’t matter what it is ...

Subsequently, the "Filaretites" from the ambos will call to kill both him and the "quilted jackets and separatists" from the Donbass. But then take, as they say in Ukraine. The only public demarche of the current Metropolitan of the UOC Onufriy during the entire time of the fratricidal war in the east of the country was the refusal to stand up during the reading of the names of the “heroes of the ATO”, where he was invited on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Victory Day. Perhaps I don’t know something (and even most likely), but I judge from the point of view of an ordinary parishioner who could not understand why in the churches of the Church, which considers itself to be part of the Moscow Patriarchate, they offer prayers for “authorities and hosts” Ukraine, spilling rivers of blood of Orthodox Donbass.

"This is not a split, this is a maneuver..."

Alas, no matter how hard you try, when determining the course of action of those who, it would seem, should have been models of uncompromisingness and firmness (at least in certain matters), the nasty word "adaptation" inexorably comes to mind. Yes, those who came to power in 2014 hated the Ukrainian Orthodox Church fiercely and infringed upon where and as soon as possible. No, before throwing into the lions' den or similar things, through which the martyrs and prophets had to go through the first years of the formation of the Faith in Christ, the matter, of course, did not reach. For the most part, the process of oppression of the UOC was (like almost all processes in Ukraine) frankly selfish. They tried to take away churches, parishes, to lure away parishioners, on the number of which (let's be realistic) the material well-being of any church is based. This process was especially intensified after Poroshenko obtained the notorious “tomos” in 2019 for the created artificial and absolutely non-canonical OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine). Some especially nimble "priests" immediately rushed there, sensing that it would be calmer, more reliable, and more satisfying here.

With the beginning of the SVO in Ukraine, the persecution, of course, intensified a hundredfold - it came to direct bans on the "Moscow Church" in some regions (which, by the way, have no legal force under Ukrainian law), the forcible seizure of churches, attacks on priests and believers . No wonder the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on May 12 called on President Volodymyr Zelensky "to stop religious hatred in Ukrainian society and take the necessary measures against lawless actions against the UOC." This was done for a reason – previously, Metropolitan Onufry did everything possible to prove his complete loyalty and allegiance to the Kyiv regime: he appealed to Vladimir Putin to “save” (that is, let go home) the Nazi militants who were hiding in the basements of Azovstal. And before that, he even offered to organize a religious procession to Mariupol - with the same goals.

Did the metropolitan know that a significant number of the Nazis sitting in the dungeons there, in addition, are also ardent pagans? Or even open Satanists, covering their own bodies with the corresponding symbols? Well, what do you think? By the way, his demarches did not help anything - neither the salvation of the "prisoners", nor the amendment of the affairs of the UOC. In Kyiv, they began to talk with might and main about taking away from her the main shrine - the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and a complete ban on the activities of the "enemy church" as such. Obviously, after that there was a decision to “be saved at any cost”, after which the Council was held with the adoption of “correct” decisions. But most of its participants seem to have forgotten that “to be saved” by the Orthodox means to avoid sin and preserve the purity of one’s soul before the Lord, and not to worry about earthly and material things. “For eight years, the suppression and extermination of people in the Donbass has been going on; eight years of suffering, and the whole world is silent - what does this mean? – these are the words for which the Council of the UOC “condemned” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. But is it not only because they sound like an accusation against the hierarchs who have been silent for these eight years? And that is at best...

However, some people (and even in the Russian Orthodox Church) today are trying to turn things around in such a way that the Council is not a church schism at all, but only “a reasonable maneuver that allows us to save the church.” Volodymyr Legoyda, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media of the Russian Orthodox Church, said that “the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is in a very difficult situation and is under pressure from various sides,” and this explains the actions of its hierarchs. True, his first deputy Alexander Shchipkov has a different opinion. He believes that the Council "leads the Ukrainian Orthodox Church into schism", and this process is "initiated by the US State Department." Also, the Crimean and Donetsk eparchies of the UOC, as well as others located in the territories liberated from the Ukronazis in the process of the SVO, have already declared the complete rejection of the decisions taken at the Council and the preservation of complete canonical unity with the Russian Orthodox Church. Isn't this a split? What then?

Perhaps this is something much more tragic and terrible. I would like to remind you that the Ukrainian people did not accept the “church” created by Poroshenko at all (with the exception of the most “patriotically” bruised individuals). From May 2019 to February 2022, only three dozen churches “joined” the OCU. Literally the day before, the following story became known: on May 29, supporters of the OCU attacked St. Michael's Church in Rozhyshcha in Volyn. During the Sunday liturgy, they broke into the church and demanded that it be handed over to their community. The parishioners, without thinking twice, called the police. Previously, she has always been on their side, stating that the OCU has no rights to this church. However, this time the police sealed the temple, and the believers of the UOC were simply driven out of it. It is impossible to deceive God. Of people? It is possible, but only for a while... The canonical Orthodox Church has been earning its authority from them for centuries. But to lose it, demonstrating the lack of a fortress in the Faith and the ability to go through any trials for its sake, turned out to be easier than ever.

Once I happened to hear terrible words: "The faith of Christ in Kyiv began with Vladimir, and it will end with Vladimir." In the first case, naturally, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, the Baptist of Russia, was in mind. In the second, His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) of Kyiv and All Ukraine, who reposed in the Lord on July 5, 2014. Is the terrible prophecy destined to come true?