“Sorrow filled my heart,” Metropolitan Onuphry says about Bucha

Kiev, April 5, 2022

Photo: news.church.ua Photo: news.church.ua     

“I learned from the news today what happened in Bucha. It’s terrible. Sorrow filled my heart,” the Ukrainian primate says in a statement regarding reports of a massacre in Bucha, a city in the Kiev Province.

The Battle of Bucha lasted from February 27 to March 31, after which Russian forces withdrew. After Ukrainian forces regained control of the city, reports of atrocities and war crimes began to emerge. According to Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk, hundreds of bodies were found in the city and region, including those of Ukrainian civilians, and Ukrainian and Russian soldiers.

The Ukrainian National Police have opened investigations into the events in Bucha, and the Foreign Ministry has requested an International Criminal Court Investigation in Ukraine, to collect evidence of Russian war crimes.

Meanwhile, Russia has requested a special meeting of the UN Security Council to address what it contends is a Ukrainian provocation of spreading “deliberately false information.” As for the U.S., the Pentagon is unable to independently verify Ukrainian accounts of Russian atrocities, but has no reason to dispute them, a senior U.S. defense official said on Monday.

“I turn those who committed this over to the judgment of God, from Whom nothing can be concealed,” His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine said in his statement yesterday.

“I express my deep compassion to the relatives of the victims, and I pray for those who died violently and I entreat the Lord to receive their souls in the mansions of the righteous,” His Beatitude concluded.

Characteristically, Evstraty Zorya, the speaker for the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” took advantage of the opportunity to again criticize the Ukrainian primate, for not directly attacking Russia in his expression of condolences and prayers.

However, other hierarchs have responded with a different tone.

His Grace Bishop Sylvester of Belgorod, rector of the Kiev Theological Seminary and Academy, writes that all of Ukraine and the entire international community is shocked by scenes from Gostomel, Irpin, and especially Bucha.

“The number of dead and killed civilians goes to at least hundreds. But at the same time, corpses with traces of violent death continue to be found in liberated cities and mass graves are being identified. It’s necessary to call things by their proper names directly. CRIMES have been committed,” His Grace exclaims. Although to date, it remains to be proven whether these crimes were committed by Russian troops or members of such neo-Nazi Ukrainian battalions as Azov, retaliating against citizens who may have collaborated with Russian troops.

“How can we talk to people about God after all that we have seen in the current war by Russia against Ukraine?” His Grace wonders. “I’m sure the answer to this question will be sought by theologians and clergymen of various Christian denominations for more than a year. But the world will never be the same again…”

Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!

4/5/2022

See also
Infamous hacker group takes aim at Russian Orthodox Church, leaks thousands of emails Infamous hacker group takes aim at Russian Orthodox Church, leaks thousands of emails Infamous hacker group takes aim at Russian Orthodox Church, leaks thousands of emails Infamous hacker group takes aim at Russian Orthodox Church, leaks thousands of emails
The infamous hacker group Anonymous announced on the second day of the fratricidal war in Ukraine that it is “officially in cyber war against the Russian government.”
Ukrainian Church denounces bills aimed at banning it, schismatics support the bills Ukrainian Church denounces bills aimed at banning it, schismatics support the bills Ukrainian Church denounces bills aimed at banning it, schismatics support the bills Ukrainian Church denounces bills aimed at banning it, schismatics support the bills
The new bills introduced into the Ukrainian Parliament aimed at shutting down the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and confiscating its territory are based on lies, and are simply a continuation of the Poroshenko-era policies that helped bring about the terrible times that Ukraine is now experiencing, the Ukrainian Church says.
Bishop calls for societal unity in wartime and end to church seizures, schismatic responds with mockery, accusations Bishop calls for societal unity in wartime and end to church seizures, schismatic responds with mockery, accusations Bishop calls for societal unity in wartime and end to church seizures, schismatic responds with mockery, accusations Bishop calls for societal unity in wartime and end to church seizures, schismatic responds with mockery, accusations
Unfortunately, many in Shostatsky’s diocese are acting not for unity, but for further division, the Metropolitan laments. Their actions prevent any chance of any meaningful dialogue.
Metropolitan Onuphry: We must bear our this heavy cross with patience Metropolitan Onuphry: We must bear our this heavy cross with patience Metropolitan Onuphry: We must bear our this heavy cross with patience Metropolitan Onuphry: We must bear our this heavy cross with patience
Following the reading of the holy Gospel, His Beatitude addressed the faithful with a sermon, emphasizing that God’s gift of the word can open the path to the peaceful resolution of all problems.
Russian Diocese refutes obvious fake about “wiping Ukraine from the face of the earth” Russian Diocese refutes obvious fake about “wiping Ukraine from the face of the earth” Russian Diocese refutes obvious fake about “wiping Ukraine from the face of the earth” Russian Diocese refutes obvious fake about “wiping Ukraine from the face of the earth”
The statement has nothing to do with the diocese, which is obvious from the incorrect images used.
Comments
Anne4/20/2022 2:35 pm
Cat - you are absolutely right. What a profoundly wise observation you have made. I stopped watching the news, reading newspapers or listening to the radio in April 2020. I have found that the Lord has brought the truth to me in varying ways. Its almost as if when you stand back from the conflicting voices, it clears the air and allows the still, small Voice to grow inside and you begin to recognize the truth from the lie.
sherlock_holmes4/7/2022 8:30 pm
The story about what happened in Bucha reminds me of a joke from the time of communism.The Americans decided to send a super spy to Moscow.He learned Russian flawlessly, without any accent, also the history and geography of the country. He was given an ID of a Russian immigrant to America,Ivan Ivanovich and tested to answer any questions.After he landed in Moscow,at the airport Check in he got some questions and in 5 minutes the KGB showed up and threw him in jail.The same day,Khrushchev got a phone call from JF Kennedy to release the spy (while praising the professionalism of the KGB ) .To the perplexity of the American president about the speed the spy was uncovered, Khrushchev replied: In USSR we do not have any black Ivan Ivanovich !
Cat4/7/2022 10:51 am
Justina, most of us have no quality means to verify information. Disinformation spreads like wildfire, especially the one which toys with human feelings. And those who spread it expect that people will make quick emotional closures about targeted individuals and events. There are plenty of examples of that from western establishment. So I think it's better to no longer buy any narrative, no matter how truthful it appears, and try to focus only what Christ teaches. The truth will eventually resurface, no matter how hard someone tries to hide it.
Basil4/6/2022 9:08 pm
Justina, this is true but Vladyka is in the belly of the beast and needs to be careful with what he says so as not to become a prop in the next atrocity propaganda clip filmed by Azov.
sherlock_holmes4/5/2022 9:35 pm
" For as long as the town was under the control of the Russian armed forces locals were moving freely around the town and using cellular phones. So they could post on social media any photo and video footage of any theoretical “harassment” if this were the case. However, that did not happen." ...https://thesaker.is/press-briefing-by-permanent-representative-vassily-nebenzia-on-the-situation-in-the-town-of-bucha-kiev-region-and-related-matters/
Justina4/5/2022 6:04 pm
"how can we talk to people about God" - wow are you a bunch of snowflakes! WW I and II was a lot worse, and you say this over a few hundred? and likely killed by Ukranians? who were genociding Russians and who or a great many adhere to a Ukranian brand of nazi ethnology that says Ukranians are pure aryan or somethg like that, but slavic incursion of geneticsis a pollution and slavs and I guess part slavs and Russians have to be killed? This situation reminds of St. Vladimir I think son of St. Olga, who had to massacre a paga village he found out was planning to massacre a Christian village next to them. Putin is cleaning up a mess.
Brandon4/5/2022 3:10 pm
It was a false flag Onuphry.???????? We saw the same playback being akted out in Syria, by the same Western white man ????️‍????????️‍????????️‍????protagonists.
Here you can leave your comment on the present article, not exceeding 4000 characters. All comments will be read by the editors of OrthoChristian.Com.
Enter through FaceBook
Your name:
Your e-mail:
Enter the digits, seen on picture:

Characters remaining: 4000

Subscribe
to our mailing list

* indicates required
×