Chernivtsi, Ukraine, December 23, 2020
Photo: spzh.news
On Monday, the Chernivtsi Diocese of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU) published a letter to its parishioners in the village of Mikhalcha, where armed raiders were put to shame earlier this month by the simple faithful of the canonical Ukrainian Church who prevented them from seizing their Holy Dormition Church
The letter compares the raiders to soldiers, encouraging them to continue the war, though they may have lost one battle. It would be a great shame to retreat, the diocese writes, for Patriarch Bartholomew himself is tirelessly fighting for the OCU’s cause. Moreover, no Local Church has any right to recognize the Church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
The people of Mikhalcha may have lost the battle, but that cannot be called a defeat, the diocese writes, for their continued zeal will only testify to their invincible spirit. “Lost battles have always united our great grandfathers,” the letter reads.
“They died, but they did not betray the spirit of their Ukrainian people. The Church is proud of its parishioners who did not betray,” the OCU diocese writes.
The OCU has not lost because it “has joined the family of Orthodox Churches,” the letter reads.
“Will we not be ashamed of retreating when Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew himself is tirelessly fighting for our cause?” the diocese encourages. And other Local Churches have even recognized the OCU despite supposed blackmail from Russia.
In inviting OCU bishops to Istanbul to concelebrate in the consecration of a new bishop, Pat. Bartholomew proved that the bishops and clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) under Met. Onuphry are not canonical, “and no Church has the right to recognize them.”
The schismatic diocese therefore, amazingly, calls upon the UOC to return to the OCU, despite the fact that it is a historical fact that the OCU is based in bishops and clergy who departed from the UOC 30 years ago.
“The champions of Moscow Orthodoxy” should be fearful before God, Who will visit their sins upon their children up to the third and fourth generations, the diocese writes.
The canonical Ukrainian Church is the “deadly enemy” of the OCU, the letter continues, comparing the faithful of the UOC to Herod, who sought to kill the Christ Child.
Moscow turns Ukrainians against their church, and even worse, against the Ecumenical Patriarch, which is the same as contempt for Jesus Christ, the diocese continues. “The Russian Church served the empire and can longer lead you to Heaven,” the schismatic diocese is sure.
Drawing to a close, the diocese writes that the “Ukrainian traitors” who “fight for Moscow” are like the rebellious Israelites in the desert who opposed Moses and whom the Lord forbade to enter the Promised Land.
“Let’s not kill the future of our church,” the diocesan letter concludes.
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