Greece, September 22, 2025
Kiev Caves Lavra. Photo: adobe.com
Hundreds of protest messages have flooded the Greek Orthodox publication Vima Orthodoxias following its report on violent seizures of monasteries and churches in Ukraine by forces supporting the Zelensky government and the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
The attempted expulsion of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, the head of the much persecuted but canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has sparked outrage among Greek hierarchs, abbots, and leading political figures who openly condemn what they describe as brutality against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, reports Vima Orthodoxias.
Ukrainian authorities recently revoked the citizenship of Met. Onuphry, a move interpreted as a prelude to his deportation. Analysts view this as the culmination of a strategy aimed at eliminating any alternative ecclesiastical center opposing the schismatic church created by Patriarch Bartholomew and the Ukrainian and American governments.
In the past six months, dozens of historic monasteries have been seized, monks forcibly expelled, and holy relics transferred without community consent, the outlet writes. Images from the Kiev Caves Lavra showed security forces compelling monks to abandon their cells, with accusations of a “methodical plan to eliminate canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine.”
Despite private expressions of concern from many Greek bishops, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece has not taken an official position. The Greek Foreign Ministry reportedly pressures for restraint to avoid disrupting geopolitical balances and Athens’ support for Zelensky. The Greek Church as a whole recognizes the schismatic OCU, which is directly involved in the persecution of the canonical Church, though several notable Greek bishops reject it.
A senior hierarch told vimaorthodoxias.gr: “We all know that Onuphry is being wronged. A hierarch who gave his life for Ukraine can’t be deprived of citizenship. However, geostrategic balances do not allow us to speak openly.”
Behind closed doors, dissenting voices multiply. A Metropolitan from Greek Macedonia spoke at a closed gathering about “identifying Orthodoxy with geopolitical imperatives.” A hierarch from Crete warned that “silence will be recorded as complicity in History.” Another senior bishop noted that “the people see the looting and wonder why we don’t speak.”
Political figures from nearly all Greek parties express concern about developments. Opposition MPs speak of “gross violations of human rights,” while government officials state that “Greece is closely monitoring the situation.”
The silence of the Church of Greece has created a gap with the faithful. Many lower clergy express indignation. A protosyngellos of a provincial metropolis emphasized: “If we saw such images in another country, we would speak of persecution. Why do we pretend not to see it in Ukraine?”
Analysts note that while silence may be considered convenient today, it will be perceived as complicity in the future. “History rarely forgives those who remain silent in the face of persecution,” commented political analyst Petros Georgiadis.
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