Cyprus, March 15, 2021
Photo: romfea.gr
The schismatics who engage in the violent seizure of churches and physical attacks on those defending their churches are far from the Christian spirit. It is frightening to imagine that people could claim to be Orthodox on the one hand, and yet be so enflamed with such hatred on the other, commented Metropolitan Timothy of Bostra after watching the film “The Faithful: A Hymn of Love” about the persecuted faithful of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Met. Timothy, the head of the Jerusalem Patriarchate’s Exarchate in Cyprus, in comments for the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, said that, “It is scary to imagine that people, who are claiming to be Orthodox, are so engulfed by hate that they seize churches with violence, break down doors, persecute their own compatriots—both spiritually and physically, persecute them, and divide the Church.”
Such violence is disgusting, he stated unequivocally. And such people are very far from Christianity:
“This only proves that those involved in these actions are far from the Christian spirit and teaching, which is characterized by love and mercy even with regard to enemies. And what is more shameful is that such things are committed by members of the so-called ‘Orthodox Church of Ukraine.’”
While calling themselves Orthodox, these people, in fact, serve the interests of the enemies of the Orthodox Church and deepen the painful schism, Met. Timothy said.
Meanwhile, those who remain loyal to Christ and His Church amidst persecution are worthy of praise, he added.
“All of us who are Orthodox must pray earnestly to the Lord so that He would further strengthen the faithful in their saving feat,” he concluded.
Watch Met. Timothy’s full comments (with English subtitles):
Met. Timothy has spoken on the Ukrainian issue before October 2019, he told His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that the hierarchs of the Jerusalem Patriarchate admire and are strengthened by the strong stance of the hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian Church headed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine.
Met. Timothy was also present at the 2018 celebration of the Baptism of Rus’ in Kiev, where he emphasized that “His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry is valued and loved by the primates of all Orthodox Churches.” He was in Ukraine again in 2019, where he encouraged the faithful to remain faithful to God in His true Church.
Watch the film “The Faithful: Hymn of Love” here.
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