Bancheny, Ukraine, June 7, 2023
Photo: YouTube screenshot
“We, the children of a great man, Metropolitan Longin of Bancheny, appeal to you with a big request—save our papa. Don’t judge him,” a group of orphans, most of him suffer from various disabilities, plead in a new video address to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
Their “papa,” Met. Longin, is among the most beloved and authoritative hierarchs of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, known for his uncompromising defense of the purity of Orthodoxy. He is also known as the father of hundreds of orphans, whom he has been caring for and adopting since the early 1990s. In 2008, he was formally awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine for his tireless efforts.
But now that hero is targeted as a state enemy, for “inciting religious enmity”—the same charge that has been brought against several other hierarchs.
“Our papa does a lot of good for us. He feeds us, gives us something to drink, gives us everything we need,” the children say in the video published on the YouTube channel of Met. Longin’s Holy Ascension-Bancheny Monastery, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
“And most importantly, he gives us love. He teaches us to love God, people, and our native Ukraine,” one of the hierarch’s many children says in the appeal.
“We bow to you and we ask, we beg—don’t touch our papa. We love him. For us, he is protection, support, and love. He is the most precious thing we have in this life. We have physical disabilities, but we very good being with him,” the boy adds.
And addressing Met. Longin, the children say: “Our dear papa, we love and respect you very much, and we want you to always be with us. We pray that God will protect you from all evil.”
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