Vinnitsa, Ukraine, April 1, 2019
Archbishop Barsanuphius of Vinnitsa and Bar. Photo: img.tsn.ua
Simeon Shostatsky, the former Metropolitan of Vinnitsa and Bar, one of only two hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian Church who broke his consecration vows to Christ to join the schismatic church created by the Patriarchate of Constantinople on December 15, has largely failed to convince his former clergy to follow his sorrowful path.
In a recent interview with Vesti, His Eminence Archbishop Barsanuphius of Vinnitsa and Bar, Shostatsky’s replacement, explained that of the 264 clergy of the Vinnitsa Diocese, only 17 followed Shostatsky out of the Church.
“Of the 264 clerics of the Vinnitsa Diocese, 17 transferred to the new church structure together with former Metropolitan Simeon. That’s together with the deacons who were in the cathedral. This is a small percentage—7%. And the people too. The majority of the people, true believers, did not transfer. Where the priests transferred, some of the people transferred,” Vladyka Barsanuphius said.
In general, the number of parishes and clergy moving into schism is greatly exaggerated by the state and the schismatic church. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine recently said at a meeting of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches at which President Poroshenko was present that only 42 parishes have voluntarily transferred, with another 55 forcefully seized and another 137 forced to transfer by deceptive means.
Abp. Barsanuphius was recently physically assaulted by nationalist thugs who were attempting to seize the Holy Transfiguration Church in the Vinnitsa village of Luka-Meleshkovskaya.
Moreover, the churches being seized by the schismatics from the canonical Church (which includes the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral seized by Shostatsky with Constantinople’s blessing) are often empty, with nobody coming to pray.
“We tell the activists: We do not prevent you from praying as you wish. Okay, you decided in the village that you want to pray in this new structure. Go and build a church. We could even help you to some extent,” Abp. Barsanuphius said.
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