Odessa, Ukraine, August 17, 2021
Updated August 18, 2:00 PM
Photo: spzh.news
The monks of Mt. Athos have always been struck by the modesty and humility of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev, the primate of Orthodoxy in Ukraine.
Moreover, the Metropolitan is God’s gift to Ukraine, believes Archimandrite Nilos (Adezi), an Athonite monk and disciple of Elder Joseph of Vatopedi (+2009), who now serves in the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Italy and as a professor of canon law.
He spoke of his impressions of the primate and a number of other questions in a new interview with the Odessa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“I heard about him on Holy Mount Athos. The monks were always amazed by his modesty and humility,” and his monastic way of life.
“I think it’s a true gift of God for the Church in Ukraine at this time, to have a Metropolitan-elder,” Fr. Nilos saying, praising the Ukrainian Church for choosing a true man of prayer as its primate, rather than a strategist-politician, which would have only served to destroy the Church.
The same sentiment has been expressed by His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol of the Church of Cyprus, who has said that His Beatitude has been given by God to oversee the Church in a difficult time of persecution, both from within and without the Church. And he has ever conducted himself “with great calmness, with great dignity.”
And despite being a priest of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Fr. Nilos also spoke candidly about the grave errors committed by Patriarch Bartholomew in terms of the Ukrainian crisis.
The Ukrainian Church celebrated the 7th anniversary of Met. Onuphry’s enthronement as primate today with a Divine Liturgy at the Kiev Caves Lavra.
The primates and hierarchs of several Local Churches sent greetings to Met. Onuphry on the occasion, including His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Belgrade and All Serbia, His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland, His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of Prešov and All the Czech Lands and Slovakia, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada, His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of Moldova, His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion of New York (ROCOR), and His Eminence Metropolitan Timothy of Bostra of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Met. Tikhon praised the Ukrainian primate for his patient and prayerful ministry throughout the ongoing ecclesiastical crisis:
Your ministry as the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in preserving the canonical order in the face of divisions and schisms, which have been very acutely felt in Ukraine in recent years, was courageous and resolute. In addition, you lead the flock of the Ukrainian Church with love, patience, humility and prayer. These spiritual qualities that you embody so abundantly have earned you the love and respect of many people both in your country and around the world.
It is well known that Met. Onuphry enjoys the respect and love of hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and laity throughout the Orthodox world, who look up to him as an example of true Christian living.
Updated to include the names of more hierarchs who congratulated Met. Onuphry.
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