Cartoon by Denis Zilber
Hierarchs of the UOC MP, along with pro-Kremlin media have been spreading the neo-imperial ideology of the “Russian world” since Ukraine gained independence; they promoted the idea of superiority of Russian culture, language, Russian church and widely supported Putin’s theses about Ukraine being a “failed state”, and a historical mistake.
Priests of UOC MP have been supporting the Russian government, Russian state - not only in their prayers or masses, but also standing with the aggressor country in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and created so-called “people’s republics” in Ukrainian Donbas. Dozens and dozens of facts were observed when representatives of UOC MP cooperated with the occupants in the captured territories - collaborationists in cassocks and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) directly participated in the annexation of Crimea. Getting prepared for Russian invasion of Crimea, they kept weapons and let Russian formations take cover in some churches of UOC MP.
In Sevastopol and other cities, pacifists from UOC MP came to the gates of Ukrainian military bases and preached about friendship of two brotherly nations (while Okhtyrka, Trostyanets, Irpin, Mariupol and other Ukrainian towns already know what kind of “brother” Russia actually is), about unacceptability of blood spilling, they urged Ukrainian servicemen to put down their weapons and give up. They hid the weapons for invaders in the shrines of UOC MP and in Donbas - the way it was in 2014 in Svyatohirsk Lavra (Donetsk region). It is known that priests of this church actively cooperated with pro-Russian mercenaries in Donetsk region. These bandits served with Igor Gikrin (AKA Strelkov), their ex-commander who has blood of our compatriots on his hands. In Crimea and Donbas, representatives of the church that turned into a collaborationist continue to bless the weapons for enemies of Ukraine; they keep on blessing Russian soldiers to kill Ukrainians.
Over eight years, from 2014 to 2022, the beginning of full-scale invasion of Russian troops into the territory of sovereign state, representatives of UOC MP did not even try to blame the Russian aggression; instead, they refused to eulogize our perished heroes, even children who were crucified in the churches of Kyiv Patriarchate, and conducted the adjusted systematic policy of destruction of Ukrainian statehood and Ukrainian church as one of the key attributes of independent state. How can one not remember the large-scale opposition against Tomos about the autocephaly and the newly created Orthodox Church of Ukraine that stands with the Ukrainian nation in the hardest times of war?
Some religionists call UOC MP a branch of Russia’s FSB, the federal security service; a political project that aims to destroy the Ukrainian state and include Ukraine in the orbit of the “Russian world”. Famous Ukrainian religionist, philosopher Oleksandr Sahan claims that this war was “brought to our homes by these priests”, and the UOC MP is the “extension of aggression”.
Since the war began, Ukraine already detained several priests of Moscow Patriarchate for collaboration with Russian occupants. One of the enemies in cassocks who was apprehended in Kyiv on March 16 cooperated with Russian special services. During the searches, they found some correspondence in his cell phone where the culprits discussed the attack on Kyiv. “We’re 15 kilometers away from Kyiv, brother. We’ll start in the night. We’ll storm the city. 45,000 Chechens are coming with us”. After bloody atrocities committed by Russian occupants in Ukrainian cities and villages, executions of peaceful citizens, murders of almost 200 children, raping of women and minors and cases of looting, UOC MP still has lonely voices of hierarchs who blame the barbarian attitude of the bandits. Leader of Lviv eparchy of UOC MP Filaret (Kucherov) left the following post on Facebook on the third week of the war that already took thousands of human lives: “It’s not just a sin, it’s a Satanic madness that leads to the genocide of innocent people: Russia’s actions against the Ukrainian people bear more and more signs of genocide”.
Actually, head of the Russian Patriarchate blesses the war of Russia against Ukraine, claiming that Moscow attacked Kyiv because “they don’t want gay parades in Donbas”. “Patriarch Kirill has official agreements between Moscow Patriarchate and all law enforcement agencies of Russia, offering them support”, Oleksandr Sahan says. According to him, clerics of the Russian church are actually political officers in these structures, including the FSB, and Kirill’s activities are now way beyond the Orthodox teachings. At least 15 of 53 eparchies of UOC MP stopped mentioning the Russian patriarch in their services. According to the spokesman of this authority Mykola Danylevych, “statements and actions of patriarch Kirill, his evaluation of Russian-Ukrainian war and the attack on Ukraine, and the open invasion of Ukraine… these are odd, to put it mildly. To be precise, these are totally inadequate”.
In spite of all horrible things brought by Russia to Ukrainian land, many clerics of the Muscovite church seem to have turned a blind eye on what’s happening. Among these “blind people”, there’s father superior of Svyatohirska Lavra. The shrine was damaged when Russian bombs fell next to it. And still, the prior could not blame the bombardments of peaceful cities and call Russians aggressors.
A number of priests of UOC MP recorded an appeal for Metropolitan Onufriy, the leader of this authority, asking him to convene the local council and leave the Moscow Patriarchate. However, it is known that Onufriy just released a single statement, in which he blamed the Russian aggression and urged to provide humanitarian corridors for evacuation of peaceful residents, and to conduct exchange of POWs. No practical steps were taken after that statement, which confirms that there’s a strong “Moscow lobby” in UOC MP. “There’s this idea being spread within the society, according to which, we’re not going to do anything to UOC MP now. But the war and Moscow Patriarchate have a lot in common. The war and the path to victory will take much longer if we don’t solve the matter of UOC MP now”, Oleksandr Sahan insists.
Meanwhile, UOC MP considers two options of transformations that are necessary as the time flows: getting autocephaly from patriarch Kirill or self-proclamation of autocephaly. “These are deceptive, non-canonical ways. One nation cannot have two autocephalies at a time. And proclaiming the autocephaly that will not be recognized even theoretically would complicate things for worshippers”, says the religionist.
“Currently, there’s a lot of talking about the draft law “About the prohibition of Moscow Patriarchate on the territory of Ukraine”, adds Oleksandr Drabynko, the Metropolitan of Orthodox Church of Ukraine. “I believe it’s an appropriate and timely move. The history of Ukraine knows such an example, such as prohibition of the Communist Party and Soviet symbols. The society reaped positive harvest from this decision; it healed. The survival instinct of leaders of UOC MP should give it a hint from this critical, historically justified situation: convene a council (maybe even online) and deliver a statement about leaving the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). And then, the history and Ukrainian society will put everything in its place”.
