Zaporozhye, Zaporozhye Province, Ukraine, August 30, 2024
Photo: hramzp.ua
On August 23, the Diocese of Zaporozhye of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church held a diocesan assembly, with the participation of 216 delegates (clergy, monastics, laity) to discuss the new law intended to ban the Church.
His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye led the assembly and discussed the UOC’s options moving forward. His full report is available on the diocesan site.
The hierarch begins by noting the new law’s true intent: “Without any hesitation at all, the authors of this law call it the law on banning the UOC… Indiscriminately and without evidence, contrary to common sense and real facts, the UOC is accused of all possible wartime crimes.”
Met. Luke presents five options available to the people of the UOC:
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Join the “Orthodox Church in Ukraine”
It’s obvious why this choice, which would entail “the severe consequences of canonical violations,” is unacceptable, says Met. Luke. As mixing clean and dirty water only makes more dirty water, so the grace of God won’t remain with the canonical UOC if it joins the schismatic and physically violent OCU.
Moreover, any UOC members who join the OCU will still be branded as “Muscovites” and “Kremlin agents” to the end of their days and will always be treated as second-class citizens within the OCU.
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Join the Patriarchate of Constantinople
This would only dramatically worsen the situation, the Metropolitan believes, and is no different than simply joining the schismatics, as it would put the UOC in communion with its persecutors in the OCU.
Moreover, “The further deviation of the Phanar from the purity of the Orthodox faith is only a matter of time.”
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Individual communities join other Local Churches (Romanian, Polish, Serbian, etc.)
This threatens a collapse of the order of Church life (controversial canonical justification, jurisdictional chaos, and the threat of the UOC’s self-destruction). The Ukrainian authorities, who openly favor the schismatic OCU, would not allow such an option.
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Self-proclaim autocephaly
The UOC began this path at its Council on May 27, 2022, but “time has shown that this step led to nothing,” Met. Luke believes.
Even were the UOC to go so far as to proclaim its own autocephaly, its enemies would simply say this is a ploy of “Kremlin agents” to save themselves until better times. It could even be used as a tool to destroy the UOC’s ties with other Local Churches, who would see the UOC as schismatic were it to simply proclaim autocephaly.
Such segmentation has already been initiated by Patriarch Bartholomew and the enemies of Orthodoxy, Met. Luke states.
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Remain faithful to God and the Church
Finally, the UOC can choose the path of fidelity, which, “Yes, will be fraught with serious problems and troubles,” His Eminence states. In maintaining its canonical structure, the UOC “incurs the wrath of local authorities and radicals bursting with hatred.”
The Church may be persecuted, but that brings Divine grace. Despite everything that’s happening, it’s important not to get angry, not to fall into condemnation, not to lose love.
Met. Luke thus makes four proposals for how to live under such conditions:
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“Don’t be afraid to speak about our Lord Jesus Christ, the truth about the Church, and what we hear and see in it.”
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All priests should keep their antimensions, vessels, and Chrism in secret places, so the Liturgy can be served even when churches are taken away.
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Each parishioner should actively participate in Church life. Communities should unite around their faithful priests and support them. “After all, with the ban on the Church and the gradual seizure of churches, priests will lose the ability to properly provide for their families.”
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A mutual aid fund should be established to provide for clergy and communities in cases of urgent need.
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