Zaporozhye, Ukraine, August 24, 2021
spzh.news
“I would like to clarify that the country whose interests we represent is called the Kingdom of God, and the faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are indeed citizens of this Kingdom,” His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye of the UOC wrote on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
He thus responded to the accusation of Patriarch Bartholomew that those who reject the autocephaly of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” refuse to recognize reality, and that they “are not at all interested in canonical order, because in this instance they are clearly weighing the interests of foreign powers over ecclesiastical criteria.”
Interestingly, a disdain for good canonical order and a willingness to serve the interests of the West are precisely the accusations made against Pat. Bartholomew and the Patriarchate of Constantinople by Orthodox bishops throughout the world, such as His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos of the Church of Cyprus.
Constantinople is weaponized by Western powers against Russian Church, explains Cypriot Met. Isaiah of TamassosIn a new interview with Romfea, the hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus explains Constantinople’s historical fear of the Russian Church and how it is used for worldly purposes, as well as his own love and respect for both the Churches of Russia and Constantinople.The Ukrainian hierarch responded with his characteristic candor:
Today I was reminded of the words of St. Anthony, who said that in the last times, most people will become insane. Those who maintain their reason will be called madmen, because they are not like the others. Is it not possible to call what is happening now in connection with the arrival of the so-called “Ecumenical Patriarch” in Ukraine madness? A Turkish citizen came to us, a man who didn’t even think to hide the fact that he is one of the main agents of American influence on our country. At the same time, he says about us, about millions of believers, citizens of our homeland, that we represent “foreign interests” here. I would like to clarify that the country whose interests we represent is called the Kingdom of God, and the faithful children of the UOC are indeed citizens of this Kingdom.
The behavior of the welcoming party also indicates that the official who arrived has nothing to do with the Church. At the state level, according to the constitution of Ukraine, civil servants can meet representatives of other states or political parties like them. Religious life is not a sphere of state policy, since the Church and the state are separated from each other by the main law of the country. But, nevertheless, we see a completely different picture. A citizen of another country is invited at the state level to the main political holiday of Ukraine. So it's not about religion, but about politics. Whose interests does this politician in a cassock represent?
Our country is rich in fertile land, hardworking people, and natural resources. Those people whose interests are represented by the so-called “Patriarch of Constantinople” don’t need us to revive our economy, so that Ukraine becomes a strong power. They need only one thing—to divide and conquer on our land.
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For America, Ukraine, like Afghanistan, is necessary only for the time being, for the time being. But the head of the Patriarchate of the city whose name has sunk into oblivion actually represents the interests of a very real, and not an imaginary power. He doesn’t even hide his mission on earth—first, the union with Rome (moreover, the date of the merger is named), and then in this ecumenical unity we await the arrival of the leader of the new world order. Even before arriving in our country, the so-called “Ecumenical Patriarch” managed to bring discord and division into world Orthodoxy, ignite a religious war in Ukraine, proclaim himself the sole head of all Local Churches ,and a supporter of the heresy of ethnophyletism. And we see that behind all his hypocritical words about love, there is only one thing hidden—pride and God-fighting.
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