Zaporozhye, Zaporozhye Province, Ukraine, November 28, 2024
Photo: foma.ru
His Eminence Metropolitan Luke of Zaporozhye of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church recently gave an interview to the Georgian outlet tvalsazrisi.ge.
The Metropolitan is one of the most stalwart and outspoken hierarchs of the UOC, and the territory of his diocese is right in the line of action in the ongoing war. In the interview, he discusses the persecution of the Church in Ukraine, including church seizures and legal restrictions, which he attributes primarily to ecclesiastical schism and the interference of the Constantinople Patriarchate, while also warning about what he sees as a broader plan to merge the Orthodox and Catholic churches.
Asked whether the present persecution of the canonical UOC by the Ukrainian state has its root in the war, His Eminence notes that, in fact, “The root of all troubles is the ecclesiastical schism.”
“We have been suffering from it for several decades he already,” he adds.
First, UOC churches were seized by Philaret Denisenko’s “Kiev Patriarchate,” which had strong ties with the state, and now by the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” which was created by ex-President Poroshenko and the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 2018.
“The war has only exacerbated these processes,” he emphasizes, given that the UOC has been under serious pressure by the state for 10 years now.
“And I would even say that the main factor that led to direct persecution of the UOC was the unlawful interference of the Phanar [Constantionple—Ed.] in Ukrainian Church affairs,” Met. Luke affirms.
Now, the OCU is promoted by the state, and the Orthodox faithful of Ukraine suffer from hundreds of violent church seizures, and in some places they’re even being prevented from gathering to pray and worship in other spaces.
“And this is just a small fraction of the violations of the rights of the faithful of our Church—violations for which it’s not so much the OCU that bears responsibility, but rather the Patriarchate of Constantinople,” Met. Luke states.
And, His Eminence notes, while there are those priests who go into schism and join the OCU, overall, there is no real support to speak of amongst the people of the UOC for the idea of joining the OCU.
Moreover, it’s a well-known phenomenon that after church buildings are seized by the schismatics, they often stand virtually empty, because the OCU doesn’t have enough people to attend the services.
Met. Luke points to the example of the Kiev Caves Lavra, where out of several hundred monks, only one apostatized and joined the OCU, and perhaps 20 people attend his services, while the churches are filled to overflowing for the canonical Church’s services in the Lavra.
Further, the interviewer asks: “The UOC has maintained Eucharistic communion with the ROC, but is there any communication between hierarchs from both sides in the current situation?” to which Met. Luke responds: “Communication from our side isn’t possible, as this would risk criminal prosecution.”
Asked about the arrested hierarchs of the UOC, Met. Luke notes that the most egregious case is that of His Eminence Metropolitan Arseny of Svyatogorsk, who has been held in detention for seven months already without a sentence, “which is contrary to the law.” The authorities have also forced the hierarch to travel many hours back and forth to court cases, sometimes daily, with little to no sleep or food, “which is an absolute mental and physical torment.”
Next, the Georgian outlet asks: “After the adoption of Law No. 8371, can one say that not only the UOC, but Orthodoxy as a whole, as a confession, has been effectively banned?”
His Eminence responds strongly: “I would even strengthen the emphasis—not just banned, but under threat of destruction.”
And, according to Met. Luke, this is part of a larger plan, first to dismantle the UOC and merge its remnants into a new structure, which would then be united with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. This is part of a broader Vatican and Phanar strategy for Orthodox-Catholic unification, with Ukraine serving as a test case, His Eminence says. The end goal, he believes, is to establish a new union based on the OCU and UGCC, which could then be used by Constantinople and the Vatican as evidence that Orthodox-Catholic reunification is feasible without doctrinal changes.
Other religious institutions in Ukraine, including Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and Jewish organizations, have either remained silent or actively supported legislation against the UOC, seemingly motivated by a mix of political self-preservation, external influences, and potential opportunistic interests in absorbing UOC’s congregation or furthering their own religious influence, the UOC hierarch explains.
Met. Luke is one of the most fearless bishops of the UOC. Asked: “How dangerous is it for you to answer our questions?” he responds simply: “Everything is in God’s hands. I could be charged with anything at any moment, based on the principle of ‘now prove you’re not a camel.’”
The Ukrainian hierarch then expresses his gratitude to the hierarchs, clergy, and faithful of other Local Churches who support and pray for the canonical UOC.
He also notes that he loves Georgia and its primate, His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II, and other bishops.
The interview concludes with good wishes for all Orthodox Christians:
I would like to wish all Orthodox Christians in Georgia and other Orthodox countries to keep peace with God, not to fall away from Him and to earnestly invoke His mercy, to be faithful children of the Mother Church. By doing so, we will ensure peace and prosperity for our peoples. For, as St. Nikolaj of Serbia [Velimirović—Ed.] said, war between man and man is a consequence of man’s war against God. So let us always wage war against sin, and not against the Lord!
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